World Bank deputy president Shigeo Katsu, Bulgarian Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski and Labour and Social Policy Minister Emilia Maslarova will sign an agreement on additional funding in the investment and employment encouragement programme.

The agreement will be signed on June 12, Dnevnik daily reported.

Additional funding will be allocated to small but socially significant infrastructure projects and services for socially disadvantaged people.

The project started in April 2003 and its initial capital amounted to 50.8 million euro.

WB aims through the funding to guarantee higher standards of living for people who were unemployed for a long time and people from ethnic minority groups.

More than 350 micro-projects have received funding under the programme. Nearly 500 000 people took advantage of social infrastructure improvements and services.