Brussels, 21/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 21 November, the European Commission adopted an aid plan of €476 million for transition and reforms in the neighbourhood countries of the Southern Mediterranean - including €225 million for Morocco and €110 million for Tunisia.
The funding comes from the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) and represents nearly a third of the total €1.5 billion funding planned for the region this year.
Of this €500 million envelope, €150 million comes from the SPRING programme which provides additional funding to the countries that have made progress towards democratic reforms. Tunisia will receive €55 million, Morocco €48 million, Jordan and Lebanon will each receive €21 million, and Libya €5 million. A sum of €314 million will be allocated to bilateral cooperation programmes - with Algeria (€10 million), Egypt (€47 million), Libya (€15 million), Morocco (€177 million) and Tunisia (€65 million). These programmes focus on the areas of agriculture, the environment, SMEs, development and economic recovery, education and the protection of vulnerable people.
Lastly, a sum of €12 million will be given to regional cooperation - mainly to ensure that the voices and priorities of young people are heard when the authorities of the region are making preparations for new legislation (€8 million). Cooperation with the Union for the Mediterranean will also be strengthened (€4.21 million) in areas such as transport and urban development, energy, the environment and water, higher education and research, social and civil affairs, and trade promotion. (CG/transl.fl)