Applying for an investment allowance (SME or large company)

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Summary

You are a company (natural or legal person);
Your company owns, or is creating, a business unit in Wallonia.

Wallonia may grant you an investment allowance, which shall vary depending on the criteria below:

the category of the company;
the location of the investment;
potential for job creation;
focus of the activity;
the assistance scheme for which you applied.

If your company does not satisfy the criteria for an SME, your request for "traditional" assistance schemes shall be assessed based on the assistance scheme for large companies. In this case, your project must be located in a development zone and pertain to a new economic activity.

Other specific forms of aid (ERDF, sustainable energy use and environmental protection, etc.) are mentioned in the ‘Benefits’ section of this procedure, with the corresponding links.

Under certain conditions, you may also benefit from the exemption from property tax.

Key points

You must file an application for authorisation to begin an investment programme before starting the first commitments related to the investments (purchase order, etc.). You are also advised to wait until you receive authorisation to start, so that you have confirmation that the basic criteria have been satisfied.
You must file a request for a Company passport before completing the intervention application form.
You must start the investment programme within six months of the first application and complete it within four years of this date.
You must maintain and use the investment for the established purposes, and under the established conditions, for five years after the programme is finalised.

In detail

Target audience - details

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and large companies (LC)

Benefits

In addition to traditional investment assistance, specific assistance may be granted to companies investing in environmental protection and sustainable energy use. Assistance for CNG and LNG engines for heavy vehicles is in force from 13 May 2019.

There is also assistance that is co-financed by the European Union as part of the ERDF for small and medium-sized enterprises and the EAFRD or GEF supplements (see the explanatory note, which can be downloaded in the "Useful documents" section of this procedure).

Procedure

You will find the various steps to take to validate your case file below:

You must submit an approval request form to begin an investment programme via My Space. When you are validating the request, you receive acknowledgement of receipt by email with a reference number.

The date on which the application is sent to the administration is important: this is the date from which the works corresponding to the programme may start. The start of the works is defined as the start of the construction works linked to the investment, that is, the first legally binding order for equipment, or any other commitment that makes the investment irreversible, depending on which event occurs first.

You must submit an application for a "Company passport" before completing the intervention application form.
Your application for a "Company passport" must be completed via an online form available via My Space. When you are validating the request, you receive acknowledgement of receipt by email with a reference number.
You must complete the investment assistance application form no later than six months from the authorisation date to begin. You indicate the reference number or the decision number of the "Company passport" on it.
Your application is analysed by the relevant department. On the basis of this analysis, you shall receive the decision by mail.
You may submit an application for the payment of the allowance.

The supporting documents to be provided by the user are mentioned on the intervention application form and the explanatory notes (which can be downloaded in the "Useful documents" section of this procedure).

Appeal procedures are always provided if the assistance is refused. There are no costs associated with applying for the assistance.

Every effort is made to process applications within a reasonable period, which may vary depending on the potential complexity of the case file, requests for additional information and, where necessary, requests for the opinions required to assess the allowance and the available budget of the assistance scheme.

You may contact the Administration directly for help with your administrative processes.

All applications for assistance must be completed in French or German.

Conditions

To receive traditional investment allowances, you must satisfy all the following criteria as a minimum:

have or create a business unit (site, place of business, branch, etc.) in Wallonia;
perform an activity in one of the permissible sectors;
present an admissible investment programme that satisfies the established thresholds, which vary depending on the category of the company;
submit its application before making any firm commitments regarding the investments (purchase orders, etc.) and indicate the amount of assistance required by the project;
not be a company experiencing financial difficulty.

You must also satisfy additional criteria, where necessary, which are outlined in the specific sheets for SME and large companies (location in a development zone, job creation, new economic activity, etc.).

Legal references