BRUSSELS, March 20, 2012 (WAFA) – The European Union Monday granted the Palestinian Authority €35 million euros to help improve living conditions of Palestinians in the occupied territories, according to an EU press release.

It said EU foreign affairs and security chief Catherine Ashton signed with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Brussels two financing agreements for a total value of €35 million.

This funding will enable the building of a medium scale wastewater treatment plant in Tubas and Tayasir areas in the West Bank worth €22 million and another €13 million for the upgrading of border crossing infrastructure at the Karem Abu Salem/Kerem Shalom crossing point, which is currently the only functioning goods crossing point in the Gaza Strip.

“Through this investment, the EU will significantly contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of the Palestinian population through two separate projects in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip,” said Ashton.

“Fully aware of the scarcity of water resources in the occupied Palestinian territory, the EU has identified water as one of the focal sectors of its assistance,” she said.

“The upgrading of the Karem Abu Salem/Kerem Shalom crossing point allows for an increased movement of goods in and out of the Gaza Strip. The EU has repeatedly called for the opening of the crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza,” added Ashton.

Ashton is hosting on Wednesday in Brussels the spring meeting of the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), the donor coordination group for the Palestinian people.

The water and sanitation project in the West Bank under the European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument will enable the financing of a medium-scale wastewater treatment plant in Tubas Tayasir areas in the West Bank. It will be the second wastewater treatment plant of its kind in the West Bank. It will also be the first to reuse the treated water for agriculture purposes.

Upgrading of Karem Abu Salem crossing point in the Gaza Strip is part of the commitment made by the European Union Foreign Ministers in the aftermath of the Gaza flotilla in 2010 to extend the EU’s support to the improvement of the crossings infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. It is an EU crisis response measure under the Instrument for Stability (IfS).

The project will allow the expansion of the only currently open goods crossing point in the Gaza Strip and consists of the construction and expansion of hard infrastructure (loading and inspection areas, warehouses etc.) and the supply of equipment (IT, weigh-bridge, x-ray equipment). It will be carried out by the Palestinian Authority in full coordination with the Israeli authorities.

M.S.