Press Release
PR/16/2013
Jerusalem
05 JUNE 2013
The EU contributes €19.2 million to the Palestinian Authority's May
salaries and pensions
Today the European Union has contributed approximately €19.2 million to the payment of May's salaries and pensions of nearly 75,000 Palestinian civil servants and pensioners in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This contribution, which is channelled through the PEGASE[1]
mechanism, is funded by the European Commission (€12.5 million) and the governments of Denmark (around €4.7 million) and Finland (€2 million).
"This contribution once more demonstrates the EU's determination to sustain the work of the Palestinian Authority and ensure the provision of essential services to the Palestinian people", said the EU Representative Mr. John Gatt-Rutter. "It is also a clear example of EU Member States working together to realize our common political objective of an independent, democratic and viable state of Palestine. I would like to thank Denmark and Finland for their contribution to the programme", added the EU Representative.
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 state-building plan put forward by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in August 2009. Since February 2008, around €1.49 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.
___________________
[1] Mécanisme Palestino-Européen de Gestion de l'Aide Socio-Economique (PEGASE)
Contacts:
The Office of the European Union Representative:
Antonia Zafeiri (02 5415 859, 0548 024 915) & Shadi Othman (02 5415 867, 0599 673 958)
Document Type: Arabic text, Press Release
Document Sources: European Commission, European Union (EU), PEGASE
Country: Denmark, Finland
Subject: Assistance, Governance, Population
Publication Date: 05/06/2013