Brussels, 10/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission announced on Friday that the EU will send at least 260 observers to the Gaza strip and the West Bank to supervise the Palestinian presidential elections to be held on 9 January 2005. Thirteen members of the “European Union Election Observation Mission” are already in place, as of this week, to conduct preparations for the mission to the West Bank and Gaza under the direction of MEP and former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard. An additional group of 40 observers will arrive around 15 December. They will be joined by 130 more observers at the beginning of January. The mission will also involve 30 observers and 16 assistants sent by the European Parliament as well as teams from Switzerland, Norway and Canada. The Commission will provide finance of 2,5 million EUR for the observation mission. It has thus spent a total of 14 million EUR on assisting preparations for the Palestinian election since 2003, inter alia on voter registration. Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner said that the EU observation mission was an “important contribution” to ensuring the coming election would be held in line with international standards. The quality of the election would “have a direct impact on the victor's authority”, she added,