JERUSALEM, February 4, 2010 (WAFA)- The European Union is providing a contribution of €21 million to help the Palestinian Authority pay the January salaries and pensions of 80,551 Palestinian public service providers and pensioners. Over 27,700 of the recipients are based in Gaza. This contribution was channelled through PEGASE, the European mechanism for support to the Palestinians.

'At the request of Prime Minister Fayyad, the contribution made available by the European Union this month towards the regular payment of Palestinian civil servants and pensioners is higher than in previous months,' said Mr. Christian Berger, the European Union Representative in Jerusalem. 'The need for the Palestinian Authority to have a predictable and steady flow of aid to enable its administration to fully function and achieve the goals set out in its governmental programme remains essential for building institutions capable of providing the needs of the Palestinian citizens.'

The €21 million contribution comes from a recent allocation of €158 million from the European Union in direct support to the Palestinian Authority budget of 2010 to help ensure the continued delivery of essential public services.

PEGASE channels EU assistance to help build a Palestinian State, in accordance with the priorities and needs identified by the Palestinian Authority in its three year reform and development programme (PRDP). Launched by the European Commission on February 1, 2008, it is the main financing mechanism of the European Union. As well as helping the PA to meet a substantial proportion of its running costs, European funds support major reform and development programmes in key ministries, to help prepare the Palestinian Authority for statehood in line with the plan proposed in August 2009 by Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Since 2007 the EU has provided total assistance to the Palestinian people, including civil society organizations and refugees, averaging more than €500 million annually.