AMMAN, Sept 28 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan, on Sunday, signed a soft loan agreement with the European Union (EU), under which the kingdom will receive 700 million euros (813.93 million U.S. dollars).
The financing programme by the EU will be disbursed to Jordan in three batches, starting from Oct, the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation said, in a statement Sunday.
Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Wissam Rabadi, said, the loan would be provided with a competitive interest rate and a long repayment period of an average of 15 years.
He stressed that the concessional loan would support a range of reforms adopted by Jordan in priority areas, such as, enhancing public finances, developing the electronic billing system, and increasing transparency and efficiency of public investment projects.
Initially, the EU agreed to afford Jordan a 500-mln-euro soft loan in 2020. However, the amount was increased by 200 million euros in May, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
