JERUSALEM, April 6, 2010 (WAFA) - The European Union (EU) made its fourth contribution for Palestinian Authority (PA) by NIS 104,021,753 (€21 million) to maintain basic services through regular payment of salaries and pensions, today.
The (EU) contribution this year to the PA payment of its civil servants and pensioners, in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The contribution of NIS 104,021,753 (€21 million) was delivered through the EU's PEGASE [1] mechanism and benefited 80,585 civil servants and pensioners.
'The PA needs a predictable, steady flow of aid that helps it fulfill its obligations towards Palestinian citizens,' said Mr. Christian Berger, the European Union Representative in Jerusalem. 'Ahead of the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee meeting of major donors on 13 April, the EU encourages all donors to provide predictable and solid commitments in support to the budget of the PA, to enable the Palestinian administration to fully function and maintain basic services.
The European mechanism, PEGASE, has proven its reliability and effectiveness to provide support to the budget of the PA, even under difficult situations.'
The €21 million contribution comes from an allocation of €158.5 million, which was pledged by the EU to support the recurrent costs of the Palestinian Authority in 2010.
The EU is very much aware of the financial difficulties that the Palestinian Authority faces at this start of the year, and has already delivered more than half of its planned assistance in the first quarter of 2010.
With the exception of the EU and European countries, donor support in the first quarter of the year has been very low compared to the PA's needs (US$300 million).
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 1 February 2008, it is the main financing mechanism of the European Union.
As well as it is 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.
