Export aid to cover promotion and exhibition costs
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The Office du Ducroire (ODL) grants financial aid to support Luxembourg exporting companies in their international prospecting efforts, through a partial participation in export promotion costs.
Within the ODL, the Committee for the Promotion of Luxembourg Exports (COPEL) is the competent authority for granting financial support.
Who is concerned
Eligible businesses
Financially sound Luxembourg exporting companies, which represent an added value for the Luxembourg economy.
Non-eligible businesses
Companies in the financial, insurance, tourism and real estate development sector are, in principle, not eligible for financial support.
Activities linked to the production, processing or marketing of agricultural products listed in Annex 1 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (Pdf, 957 Kb) are not eligible.
Examples of eligible costs
Financial aid can be requested for the following:
- the design of promotional materials (brochures, videos, etc.);
- translation of promotional material;
- exhibiting at trade fairs, exhibitions, seminars and conferences, or setting up a pop-up store abroad that targets a professional clientele for a maximum period of 6 months;
- traditional advertising costs;
- digital marketing costs in the context of an international marketing campaign;
- consultancy services (legal, tax) necessary for the launch of a product or service on a new market;
- the market research necessary for the launch of a product or service on a new market;
- the costs of registering trademarks or patents, and applications for the certifications required for the marketing of a product abroad, including translation;
- opening a prospecting entity outside the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA);
- participation in international tenders in non-EU and non-EEA countries.
Current expenditures are not eligible (e.g.: internal costs, accommodation costs, travel costs, catering costs, printing costs, training costs, membership fees, costs of designing websites and promotional gadgets, or participation costs in already subsidised fairs).
Prerequisites
To benefit from export aid, the business must:
- be a Luxembourg exporting company;
- be in possession of all the valid authorisations required to carry out their activities;
- be financially sound; and
- represent a substantial added value for the Luxembourg economy.
How to proceed
Submitting the application
Applicants must send their application for support to the Office du Ducroire (ODL) via MyGuichet.lu, along with the following documents:
- the 2 last balance sheets or, in absence thereof, a business plan;
- a detailed organisation chart;
- a certificate of affiliation from the Joint Social Security Centre (CCSS) stating the number of employees;
- a bank account identification document;
- a copy of the detailed cost estimate or registration form for the trade fair.
The application must be sent before the costs are incurred (before signing the provider's offer or before the start of the project) or, in the case of participation in a trade fair abroad, before the start date of the event.
The Committee for the Promotion of Luxembourg Exports (COPEL) examines the applications it receives on a monthly basis.
If the application is accepted, the COPEL will send a letter of commitment with a validity of 6 months to the applicant.
A 6 month extension may be granted on request.
Amount of aid
The financial aid granted varies between 10 % and 50 % of the costs incurred for the project, but it cannot exceed any of the various ceilings set by the Committee for the Promotion of Luxembourg Exports (COPEL) nor the ceiling of EUR 300,000 over a period of 3 years, in accordance with the EU's De Minimis Regulation in force.
A young business or a micro-enterprise can apply for financial aid of up to EUR 10,000 per year (all aid combined).
Reimbursement will be made exclusively on the basis of invoices accompanied by proof of payment to be sent to the Office du Ducroire (ODL) by email or post during the period of validity of the letter of commitment.
Non-accumulation rules and repayment
Export aid is governed by law and complies with EU Regulations on state aid for exports, in particular the EU's De Minimis Regulation (currently capped at EUR 300,000 per company over a 3 year period).
According to this Regulation, all entities controlled (in law or in fact) by the same entity or natural person are to be considered as a single enterprise.
Online services and forms
Online services
Who to contact
Office du Ducroire – ODL
-
Office du Ducroire (ODL)
- Address:
- 65, rue d'Eich L-1461 Luxembourg Luxembourg
- Phone:
- (+352) 28 85 54 21
- Email address:
- odl@odl.lu
- Website:
- http://www.odl.lu/en/homepage/
Related procedures and links
Procedures
Links
Legal references
-
Règlement (UE) 2023/2831 de la Commission du 13 décembre 2023
relatif à l’application des articles 107 et 108 du traité sur le fonctionnement de l’Union européenne aux aides de minimis
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Loi du 4 décembre 2019
relative à l'Office du Ducroire Luxembourg
