Brussels, 29/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - The Secretariat General of the UfM (Union for the Mediterranean) has announced an important project to build a water purification factory in the Gaza Strip. This will go ahead if the necessary financial conditions are met. The cost of the project is estimated to be around €310 million and is expected to be carried out in the five years following the official decision. The Palestinian Authority said that “the drinking water supply programme for Gaza Strip inhabitants is an essential component and a vital element in the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
The Union for the Mediterranean seal of approval was granted on 12 June by the committee of senior officials in charge of the Euro Mediterranean partnership. The UfM secretariat now has the task of convincing investors of the validity of this project. The secretariat already has a long list of projects (an SME centre, civil protection, universities, etc), including the crucial funding question that has already been posed with regard to the flagship “solar energy project”, transformed into an alternative energies development plan (particularly wind turbine). (F.B./transl.fl)