Brussels, 16/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - During a seminar on 13 June in Brussels on the theme of the “European Economic Area (EEA) and Norwegian Financial Mechanism and Lessons from EU Cohesion Policy”, the European Commissioner for regional policy Danuta Hübner met Kim Traavik, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway. The seminar provided an opportunity to exchange experience and best practices from various EU instruments and in particular the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund and how these can contribute to a successful implementation of the EEA financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. The participants represented the donor side (i.e. from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), the beneficiary states (i.e. the ten new Member States and Spain, Portugal and Greece). The Commission points out that between 2004 and 2009, the EEA will contribute EUR 600 million to regional development projects in 13 EU Member States (the 10 new Member States and Greece, Portugal and Spain). Another EUR 567 million has been allocated by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism to the 10 new Member States.