On Friday 31 May, the European Commission disbursed a second tranche of PEGASE aid worth €25 million to the Palestinian Authority. These funds will help the Authority to pay the salaries and pensions of Palestinian civil servants.
This is the second instalment paid to the Palestinian Authority as part of the €118.4 million aid programme adopted in December 2023, following an initial payment of €25 million in March.
The Commission has also disbursed €16 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), to enable it to provide basic services such as health and education.
The payment was made “in light of the progress made by the Agency against the agreed conditions and measures”, said the Commission in a press release, citing in particular the receipt of an action plan on the implementation of the recommendations of the independent review group. UNRWA also confirmed that ex-ante vetting and screening of its staff against the relevant EU sanctions list was carried out. The Agency also presented a report on how to strengthen its internal oversight and ethics departments.
This new payment to UNRWA brings EU aid to €66 million out of the €82 million earmarked for the Agency in 2024. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)