Municipalities and businesses alike should get actively involved in the utilisation of EU funds, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said.

Cabinet members and NGO representatives are discussing in Bourgas the mechanisms for the utilisation of European financial resources.

Businesses and municipalities should work on quality projects in order to apply for funding.

During the seminar, officials presented the seven programmes Bulgaria developed. These focus on funding for transport, regional development, environment protection, economic, competitiveness, human resources, administrative capacity and technical aid.

The programmes are valid for the period from 2007 to 2013.

All municipalities in Bulgaria can apply for funding based on any of the programmes, Stanishev said.

Starting autumn 2007 people involved in agricultural production will benefit from direct EU subsidies, Stanishev said. The deadline for applying for such aid is May 15. So far 83 000 Bulgarian producers applied for direct subsidies.