EU supports palestinian projects with €115 Million

The European Commission Monday announced additional financial support to the occupied Palestinian Territory for state-building, water-management and sanitation, as well as education and health services for refugee, according to a press release published Tuesday. The €115 million package will also comprise financial assistance to businesses in the West Bank, helping to create jobs and generate growth in the area. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) will benefit through a €40 million share of the new funding. “This support shows clearly the EU's standing commitment to the two-state solution by supporting those institutions which will help to form the Palestinian state, as well as ongoing help to UNWRA's work in providing essential assistance in different areas including education, health and social services to the refugee population,” according to EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Štefan Füle. The new package brings EU aid to the occupied Palestinian Territory to a total of €300 million, in addition to the €145 million already committed for direct financial support and an initial €40 million contribution to UNRWA's general fund. In addition to UNRWA's €40 million support, which is the second tranche of Commission support, and which brings the EU's contribution to UNRWA's general fund for 2011 to €80 million, €22 million will go for water sanitation and re-use program in Tubas and eastern Nablus areas, as well as enabling the development of irrigated agriculture in the same area and strengthening the institutional capacity of the Palestine Water Authority and local stakeholders. Support to private sector and capacity-building for institutions related to the economy will get €11 million; support to the rule of law sector, €20 million; support to financial governance and state-building, €14 million; and support for the development of community services in East Jerusalem, €8 million.