The European Union provided Tuesday €38 million contribution to the April salaries and pensions of around 43,000 of the Palestinian civil servants in the 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.
It added that the support will enable the Palestinian Authority to meet its commitments towards Palestinian civil servants notwithstanding the difficult fiscal situation brought about by the COVID-19 crisis.
The €38 million contribution is funded by the European Union and targets civil servants, mostly working in the social sectors of health and education, as well as pensioners in the West Bank, according to the EU statement.
“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,” it said.
“This €38 million is part of a €71 million assistance package that we announced 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. Our Team Europe approach with all Member States on board should assure our partners that we remain flexible and committed in our support across the globe, and here in Palestine. This EU support is accompanied by technical assistance aimed at improving the effectiveness of public policies and the transparency of public expenditure,” said EU Representative Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff.
