why wasn't i in germany when this was running?

[maelorin]

Ich-AG

Ich-AG(Me, Inc.) is the new magic word invented by Germany's Federal Labour Office. Designed to encourage the unemployed to set up their own businesses, the scheme offers start-up subsidies to those on unemployment benefit. This would include, for instance, law graduates who are not offered a permanent position after completing their compulsory internship in a law firm and hence wish to set up as self-employed lawyers. The would-be entrepreneurs receive subsidies of up to € 14,400 over a three-year period, primarily intended to help them cover their social security contributions. This material incentive, too, is expected to favour an increase in the number of freelancers in Germany.

http://www.goethe.de/kug/ges/wrt/thm/en163365.htm : September 2004
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.wdr.de/tv/markt/service/berichte/20030310_1.phtml&prev=/search%3Fq%3DIch-AG%26hl%3Den%26hs%3Dd0B%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official
With a change of government the I AG (not however interim funds) is to be abolished.
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.ueberbrueckungsgeld.de/&prev=/search%3Fq%3DIch-AG%26hl%3Den%26hs%3DwfW%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-GB:official

this is an unexpected find, but my posting the links here is not entirely random.