Brussels, 16/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission, the Palestinian Authority and Israel have signed a protocol of agreement to launch Israeli-Palestinian cooperation in the transport sector. The Commission signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 9 March with the transport minister of the Palestinian Authority, Saad Kharma, and on 14 March with the Director General of the Israeli ministry for transport Ben Zion Salman, according to a press release. This MOU provides for a joint technical bureau to be set up which will coordinate cooperation between the two parties to identify transport infrastructure projects and deal with related issues such as the efficiency of the transport of goods and persons. This bureau will be supported by the EU as part of its MEDA programme for all things related to technical assistance and feasibility studies. The EU is looking at a budget of over two million EUR for 2005, the press release continues. Both sides must now put together a plan and a general framework for this joint bureau, which is to be approved by the Israeli and Palestinian transport ministers at the first Euro-Mediterranean ministerial meeting on transport next December.