JERUSALEM, March 6, 2011 (WAFA) – The European Union Sunday contributed €20 million to help the Palestinian Authority pay the February salaries and pensions of almost 85,000 Palestinian public service providers and pensioners, both in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, said a European Union press release.

The contribution to the February salaries and pensions comes from the initial €100 million financial package for the occupied Palestinian territory in 2011, which the European Union agreed to frontload in order to help the Palestinian Authority continue providing essential public services to the Palestinian people.

Most of the EU assistance to the Palestinian Authority is channeled through PEGASE, the financial mechanism launched in 2008 to support the three-year Reform and Development Plan presented in 2007.

As well as helping to meet a substantial proportion of its running costs, European funds support major reform and development programs 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, €1.03 billion have been disbursed through the PEGASE Direct Financial Support programs. In addition, the EU has provided assistance to the Palestinian people through UNRWA and a wide range of cooperation projects.

M.A.