Creating new jobs and entrepreneurship through financial instruments Mazovia - Poland

This case study reviews the financial instrument ‘Creating new jobs and entrepreneurship in Poland’s Mazovia region’, a pilot scheme implemented under Poland’s European Social Fund (ESF) Human Capital Operational Programme. The financial instrument has provided loans of up to EUR 12 500 as well as training and business advice to Mazovian residents who intended to start a business but had limited access to capital. Loans have been provided at below market interest rates with reasonable collateral requirements. The ESF financial instrument’s objective focused on tacking intra‑regional disparities in unemployment as well as underemployment and promotion of entrepreneurship.