The effects of EU grants on SMEs: Evidence from Bulgaria

The paper explores the effects of European Union (EU) support on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Bulgaria in the 2014-2020 programming period. In particular, it applies two standard counterfactual techniques (Difference-in-Differences and Propensity Score Matching) to review a 200-million EUR scheme under the Operational Programme 'Innovation and Competitiveness' (2014-2020). The analysis shows a positive and statistically significant effect of the grants on the assets of the supported companies. Some positive effects on the SMEs' revenues and revenues per employee have also been observed. However, the paper finds no evidence that the SME grants have supported the companies' profitability and employment. Thus, the findings raise questions about the design of grant schemes supporting competitiveness, which may lead to selecting better-performing companies ('cherry-picking') without providing any substantial positive effects.