6 May 2020; MEMO: As part of its global response to the coronavirus outbreak, the European Union (EU) has allocated €38 million ($41 million) to Palestine, reported the Wafa news agency.
The support will enable the Palestinian Authority (PA) to meet its commitments towards the April payments of Palestinian civil servants’ salaries and pensions in the occupied West Bank.
The EU said in a statement that it made this contribution as part of the #TeamEurope approach recently adopted by the 27 EU Member States to support partner countries and fragile populations to fight the coronavirus crisis.
In early April the EU said it would provide the PA an assistance package of around €71 million ($76 million), including the €38 million announced yesterday, while the World Bank approved a $5.8 million emergency package in light of coronavirus.
The announcement was made during a video meeting between Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and foreign diplomats, including the head of the Office of the EU Representative to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff.
“These are difficult times as we face together the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. We have been engaged from day one with the Palestinian government to advance and readjust our support to better serve the Palestinian people amid this crisis,” Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff said in a statement yesterday.
He explained that this contribution is a clear message of the EU’s strong commitment to the Palestinian people at this critical time.
“This €38 million is part of a €71 million assistance package that we announced a few weeks ago to respond to the coronavirus pandemic in Palestine. Our contribution today to the payment of salaries and pensions for Palestinian civil servants is yet further evidence of our political will and commitment. It also demonstrates our swift action to deliver our pledges,” he added.
