For a young person with an idea but no capital, 10,000 euros can be the difference between running their own business and another year of waiting. The Employment Agency (AVRM) has published a public call for the "Self-Employment" programme, through which the unemployed can receive financial support to set up a business of their own.

The amounts are tiered by age: up to 10,000 euros for young entrepreneurs up to 29, and up to 7,000 euros for those older. According to the published calls, the grant can reach as high as 20,000 euros in certain cases. The goal is clear - to encourage self-employment and cut unemployment by backing those who want to open up work for themselves.

The idea is a good one, but the devil is in the detail. How much of this money actually reaches real entrepreneurs, and how much goes to those who simply know how to fill in the application? How many of the businesses founded survive the first year, once the grants run out and only the market is left? These are the questions that measure whether the programme works.

For a country whose young people are leaving for abroad en masse, any programme that gives them a reason to stay and build at home is worth it. But the grant is only the beginning - real success is measured three years on, when you can see how many of those businesses are still running and how many people they've hired. Until then, 10,000 euros is a promise, not a guarantee.