Brussels, 25/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - Three months after the donors' meeting for Palestine in Paris, the European Commission has just made available €229 million to the Palestinian-European socio-economic management PEGASE mechanism and €71 million to support United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees. Support includes the EC's regular contribution to the general budget (€66 million), as well as support to UNRWA's Special Hardship Cases scheme for the most vulnerable refugees. In a press release published on 25 March, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, said: "... With the amount provided we are not only reacting quickly but also meeting the requests of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad: to ensure the continuity of our assistance and to make our funds available early in the year to meet the most urgent needs”.
From the €300 million package €176 million will go to PEGASE. To support the people in Gaza as well as the West Bank. Funding will help the Palestinian Authority (PA) meet its obligations towards civil employees, pensioners and vulnerable sectors of Palestinian society; to maintain the functioning of the administration, the provision of electricity, the payment of pensions and assistance to the most vulnerable sections of the population. It will also help the PA to clear its arrears to the private sector.
€14 million will go to institution building as part of the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan aimed at building a viable and sustainable Palestinian economy. Action will include support to the judiciary, equipment and training for the civil police, improving the quality of education and enterprise promotion and facilitation. €37 million will also go to the delivery of essential services, in particular in the electricity, water and waste water management sectors, court construction, and trade infrastructure and schools refurbishment. €2 million will go towards helping improve the quality of life of the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem through support to the better provision and improved quality of community services in the key sectors of health, education, housing and cultural heritage.
Finally, €66 million will make up the EU's annual contribution to UNRWA's core budget for which the EU and its Member States provide over 50% of donor resources. A further 4 million will help fund the UNWRA aid programme for the most vulnerable refugees and 1 million will go towards reforms to how the agency is managed.
In terms of the commitments made during the Paris donors' conference, the Commission is expected to mobilise a total of €440 million for Palestine. (O.L.)