Today the European Union is providing a contribution of €20.7 million (NIS 100.4 million) to help the Palestinian Authority pay the November salaries and pensions of 84,948 Palestinian public service providers and pensioners. Almost a third of the recipients are based in Gaza. This contribution is channelled through PEGASE, the European mechanism for support to the Palestinians [1].
The €20.7 million contribution comes from the €41.4 million financing package from the European Union to support the Palestinian Authority pay salaries and pensions announced at the end of October. This financing package complemented a €158.5 million package signed earlier in the year, which has enabled the Palestinian Authority to sustain its operations during 2010 with regards to its payment of salaries, pensions and its social protection programme.
Background:
PEGASE channels EU assistance to help build a Palestinian State, in accordance with the priorities and needs identified by the Palestinian Authority (PA) 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 to support the PA in achieving the ambitions of the PRDP. As well as helping to meet a substantial proportion of its running costs, European funds support major reform and development programmes in key ministries, to help prepare the PA 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.
For further information in Arabic and English on the EU's assistance to the occupied Palestinian territory and the PEGASE mechanism, please visit: www.delwbg.ec.europa.eu
[1] Mécanisme Palestino-Européen de Gestion de l'Aide Socio-Economique (PEGASE)
Contact:
The Office of the European Union Representative, West Bank and Gaza Strip, UNRWA
Antonia Zafeiri, Tel: +972 (0) 2 5415 859, Mob: +972 (0) 548 024 915
Shadi Othman, Tel: +972 (0) 2 541 5867, Mob: +972 (0) 599 673 958