Designing microfinance operations in the EU - A manual on how to build and implement microfinance support programmes using ESF

The COPIE Access to Finance baseline study carried out in 2009 shows that despite the high importance and growing recognition of self-employment, micro-business and microcredit at EU level, national ESF and ERDF bodies have only very marginally taken up these issues in their National Reform Plans and the associated Operational Programmes. This manual therefore aims to help ESF and ERDF managing authorities to organise the implementation of a microfinance scheme through financial engineering in the framework of their inclusive entrepreneurship policy. The document follows a step-by-step approach through the main decision points in the policy cycle. It also analyses existing microfinance programmes from COPIE partners and other countries/regions and presents examples of what worked and works especially well. Examples that have been found to be particularly innovative or can be considered as good practice are highlighted with a light bulb throughout the document. To complement this, information about and links to the current funding programmes are provided where relevant.