Press Release
PR/11/2013
Jerusalem
4 APRIL 2013
The EU contributes €11.75 million to the Palestinian Authority's
March salaries and pensions
Today the European Union has made a contribution to the payment of the March salaries and pensions of around 76,000 Palestinian civil servants and pensioners in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
This contribution, of approximately €11.75 million, has been channelled by the European Commission through the PEGASE[1] mechanism. The overall contribution of the EU to Palestinian salaries, pensions and social allowances in 2013 is €155 million.
"The funding provided by the European Union today illustrates our strong continuing commitment to the establishment of a future Palestinian state" said the EU Representative Mr. John Gatt-Rutter. "The PA needs a predictable, steady flow of assistance that helps it to meet its obligations towards ordinary Palestinians. We trust that in the upcoming months, the PA will overcome the financial difficulties that it has faced and continue to sustain the achievements accomplished so far", the EU Representative added.
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[1] Mécanisme Palestino-Européen de Gestion de l'Aide Socio-Economique (PEGASE)
Background
Most of the European Union's assistance to the Palestinian Authority is channelled through PEGASE, the financial mechanism launched in 2008 to support the PA Reform and Development Plan (2008-2010) and the subsequent PA Palestinian National Plan (2011-2013). As well as helping to meet a substantial proportion of its running costs, European funds support major reform and development programmes in key ministries, to help prepare the PA for statehood in line with the plan put forward by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in August 2009. Since February 2008, around €1.4 billion have been disbursed through the PEGASE Direct Financial Support programmes. In addition, the EU has provided assistance to the Palestinian people through UNRWA and a wide range of cooperation projects.
Contacts:
The Office of the European Union Representative:
Antonia Zafeiri (02 5415 859, 0548 024 915) & Shadi Othman (02 5415 867, 0599 673 958)
Download Document Files: https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/PR112013a.pdf
Document Type: Arabic text, Press Release
Document Sources: European Commission, European Union (EU), PEGASE
Subject: Assistance, Economic issues, Governance, Social issues
Publication Date: 04/04/2013