Brussels, 18/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has approved a grant of €10.2 million to Haiti to fund a direct budget support programme to ease reforms and reduce Haiti's deficit for the 2005-2006 financial year. Haiti is an ACP country linked to the EU through the Cotonou Agreement. The budgetary support will back up the efforts already being made and planned by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, Canada and Spain for the implementation for the government's macro-economic and financial programme. This programme will provide a contribution to the better operation of the public sector with a view to improved provision of services to users, a contribution to the funding of the budget deficit of the current financial year and a strengthening of good management of public affairs. The money will be paid out as soon the programme funding convention is signed in September, conditional on the Government's continuation of its reform programme.
This programme, which was set up in line with the principle of emergency budget support agreed at the international conference on Haiti, held in Brussels on 20-21 October 2005.