Bulgaria Economy Minister to Sign Agreement on New OP SME Initiative
Bulgarian Minister of Economy Bozhidar Lukarski is due to sign Wednesday an agreement with the European Commission (EC), the European Investment Fund (EIF), and the European Investment Bank (EIB) on the new OP SME Initiative, the press service of the Government announced.
The programme was drawn up in compliance with the application of the SME Initiative in Europe and aims at improving the conditions under which loans are granted to SMEs through the use of financial instruments.
Bulgaria is the third country in the EU after Spain and Malta that will provide financial resources for SMEs through such instruments.
The budget of the new operational programme is estimated at 102 million euros.
The ceremony dedicated to the signing of the agreement will be also attended by Tomislav Donchev, Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and Economic Policies, Walter Deffaa, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, EIF Chief Executive Pier Luigi Gilibert, and Flavia Palanza, Director of the Central and South Eastern Europe Department of the EIB.
The official ceremony is expected to start at 12:30 p.m. at the Granite Hall of the Council of Ministers building in the capital Sofia.
FOCUS News Agency