Today, March 2 (Wednesday) at 12:30 pm. in the Granite Hall of the Council of Ministers will be held the official ceremony of signing the agreement.

The program aims to improve the conditions for crediting small and medium enterprises through the use of financial instruments and has been developed in accordance with the implementation of the Initiative for Small and Medium Enterprises in Europe.

The budget of the new operational program is 102 million euro. Bulgaria will be the third country in the EU after Spain and Malta that will provide resources for SMEs through such instruments.

The Minister of Economy Bozhidar Lukarski will sign a financial agreement with the European Commission (EC), the European Investment Fund (EIF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the new Operational Program "Initiative for Small and Medium Enterprises' (OPISME).

In the presence of Deputy Prime Minister of EU Funds and Economic Policy Tomislav Donchev the agreement will also be signed from the Director of General Directorate "Regional and urban policy," Mr. Walter Defa, from the Executive Director of the European Integration Fund Mr. Pier Luigi Giliberto and from Directorate Director "Central and Southern Europe "of the EIB Ms. Flavia Pallanza.