Approving the proposal of the Secretary of State for Economic Transition, Barbara Trachte, the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region decided to provide specific and large-scale assistance to the event, nightlife, tourism and culture sectors through the introduction of a new bonus, with a total budget of 30 million euros.
The aim of the aid for tourism is to support Brussels companies and self-employed people in these sectors and sub-sectors whose activity has not yet been able to resume as a result of the CNS measures or who are still heavily impacted by the measures to combat the spread of the virus and who are in fact almost at a standstill. More than 3,000 companies and self-employed people are affected.
A Maximum Amount of 9,000 Euros
The Secretary of State for Economic Transition stated: "This specific aid decided by the Government is justified because of the cessation of activities in these sectors but also because these sectors are strategic as they play a major role in the influence of the Brussels-Capital Region as a European, international, cultural, tourist and business capital. It is also necessary that these sectors be supported to be ready when they restart their activities".
The maximum amount of the bonus will be 9,000 euros. This amount will be determined according to the loss of turnover of the company that applies for it. The minimum amount of the bonus is 3,000 euros.
Under Certain Conditions
In order to benefit from the bonus, the company or self-employed person must have at least one establishment in the Brussels-Capital Region registered with the ECB on 18 March 2020, must occupy less than 50 FTEs and must be in order for VAT contributions on 20 October 2020. Finally, the company or the self-employed person must fall within one of the 25 sectors predefined by the government, among them travel agencies, discotheques, cinema, design, museums, catering, sound services or fairground activities.
The management of the aid for tourism is entrusted to Brussels Economie Emploi. The procedures for applying for the bonus will be communicated at a later date by the Secretary of State for Economic Transition.
Finally, in order to complete this system and provide broader support to larger establishments in these sectors and sub-sectors, the Government is considering setting up a delegated mission that will enable Finance&Invest.brussels to grant them loans at very low rates.