Bulgaria and Norway have started the first round of talks over the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism for the period from 2009 to 2014.

Bulgarian European Funds Minister Tomislav Donchev, who is on a three-day working visit to Oslo, leads the negotiations on behalf of Bulgaria.

The allocated funds will contribute to the economic and social development of Bulgaria, Donchev stated.

He pointed out that the projects currently under way have already entered an advanced phase of implementation, with visible results achieved in the field of environmental protection, human resources, healthcare, and the preservation of the European cultural heritage.