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EU contributes around €23 million for Palestinians salaries and pensions

Today, the European Union (EU) made its third contribution this year to the Palestinian Authority's payment of its civil servants salaries and pensions, both in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The contribution of NIS 116.8 million (€22.85 million) was delivered through the EU's PEGASE[1] mechanism and benefited 80,608 civil servants and pensioners. The Government of Finland contributed €2 million to this payment.

"The EU contribution aims to support the Palestinian Authority's efforts to maintain regular salary payments to its employees and ensure the basic delivery of public services to the Palestinian citizens in the West Bank and Gaza " said Mr. Christian Berger, the European Union Representative in Jerusalem

A significant proportion of this payment came from a European Union commitment of €158.5 million to the Palestinian Authority announced earlier this year while the Government of Finland contributed €2 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 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.

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)