The biggest share of the funds, 26% of the EUR 91.6m, are to go for projects aiming to protect and develop natural and cultural heritage.

The first call for applications of the programme will come out in March, heard a round table debate.

As part of the previous EU budget (2007-2013) 87 projects were carried out in Slovenian-Italian Interreg programme. On average, a project was worth EUR 1.2m.

Some 1,000 partners were involved in the projects, 90 from Slovenia, according to Tatjana Rener of the Government's Office for Development and Cohesion Policy.

The EUR 92m earmarked for the programme until 2020 is 40% less than in the EU's previous financial perspective.

Rener said that about a half of the funds would be spent on ten strategic projects.

Meanwhile, mayors from the Italian side presented to ideas for additional projects, focusing above all on reviving mountainous areas of Veneto.