AMMAN — The
Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation announced on Tuesday the EU’s intent to provide Jordan with a grant
valued at 2.5 billion euros as part of a 2021–2027 Partnership Priorities
Agreement.
اضافة اعلان
The grant was announced during a joint press
briefing by the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Nasser Al-Shraideh
and European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement
Olivér Várhelyi.
Shraideh said the grants will support
projects in the water, energy, transport, and infrastructure services sectors, and
will serve as stimulants for investment in mega projects in partnership between
the public and private sectors.
Under the grant agreement, Jordan will
implement two projects in the first stage: the rehabilitation of the King
Hussein Bridge, and the desalination of 300 million cubic meters of Red Sea
water, to be piped from Aqaba to Amman.
Rehabilitating the King Hussein Bridge is necessary
because the present passenger terminals are in dire need of renovation to
facilitate movement between Jordan and the West Bank, in addition to serving
trade exchange between the two countries,” Shraideh told
Jordan News.
Várhelyi, for his part, said the EU will
provide Jordan with no less than 164 million euros during 2021–2024 annually, in
addition to some 80 million euros to support Jordan’s response plan for Syria,
pledging the
EU’s continued assistance to the Kingdom in its efforts to host
Syrian refugees.
The EU, said Várhelyi, will promote European
investments in the Kingdom through various available tools, including mixed
concessional financing of grants, soft loans, loan guarantees, private sector
participation, in addition to supporting and assisting Jordan in the
implementation of major strategic projects.
Shraideh expressed Jordan’s appreciation
and gratitude to the EU for its financial and technical support to the
Kingdom’s reform and developmental programs.
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