JEREMIE Sicily ESF Social Finance: A microfinance scheme, Italy

JEREMIE European Social Fund Social Finance is a financial instrument designed to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises and social enterprises in Sicily through a microfinance scheme. It aims to support the creation and development of organisations that promote the economic empowerment of vulnerable workers by facilitating access to the labour market. This chapter presents JEREMIE’s objectives, rationale and key activities, together with the challenges faced in implementing the scheme and the impact achieved. It also features the lessons learnt and the conditions for transferring this practice to another context.