EU-Jordan: Commissioner Ferrero Waldner presents €265 million assistance package during her visit

Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, is presenting today in Amman the new aid package that the Commission is proposing for Jordan under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) for the next four years. The focus of this package is to support the implementation of the Action Plan which has been mutually agreed between the EU and Jordan and it is based on Jordan’s reform agenda. This €265 million package, announced during the Commissioner's visit to the country^[1], demonstrates the Commission’s commitment to strengthening EU relations with Jordan, a country which is playing a very active role in the European Neighbourhood Policy. Jordan is one of the main beneficiaries of the European Commission’s support in the region.

Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner said: “Today we are offering a new and substantial assistance package to accompany Jordan in the implementation of economic social and political reforms. We are pleased that a national consensus on reforms has been built through the initiative Kulluna al Urdun. This is a key condition for success. Through the Neighbourhood Policy, we are reinforcing our ties and opening up to Jordan many new opportunities to support its national reform momentum."

The European Neighbourhood Policy has helped the EU and Jordan to deepen their dialogue. The EU-Jordan Action Plan sets out a comprehensive set of priorities for joint work by the EU and Jordanian authorities. The €265 million package focuses on these priorities, including:

Support to political developments, including role of civil society, freedom of media, cooperation with the Parliament.
Trade and investment development, to reinforce our economic ties.
Employment and Education.
Water and energy.
Public finance management and institutional strengthening.

In addition to this bilateral financial package, the European Commission has proposed many other new opportunities under the ENP which will be available to Jordan:

Governance Facility, aiming at providing additional support to partners having demonstrated their commitment in the implementation of the action plan. Jordan would be eligible if there is a sustained effort on reforms’ implementation.
Neighbourhood Investment Fund. Jordan will be eligible to draw on funds from this newly established Investment Fund, which will provide concessional loans to attract financing for infrastructures, to boost investment and to support reforms of key sectors.
People to people exchanges and reinforced cooperation on education such as participation in the Erasmus Mundus programme and its scholarships and the Tempus programme for co-operation on higher education,
Mobility. The Commission has proposed to remove obstacles to legitimate travel through visa facilitation.
Participation in Community programmes and agencies. Possibilities of enhanced co-operation with European agencies, such as the European Environment Agency and the European Food and Safety Agency, will be examined
Scientific and technological co-operation. Jordan will participate in the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development (RTD).

Background

The European Neighbourhood Policy aims to intensify relations and promote progressive integration between the European Union and its neighbours. The ENP offers economic and social benefits for the countries that border the EU, through co-operation in a range of areas from strengthening democracy, promoting rule of law, and upholding human rights, to trade liberalisation, energy, and transport development. The EU and its neighbours mutually agree on Action Plans that are very concrete and helpful tools to realize the goals of the ENP.

The Financial instrument established to channel the ENP assistance is the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) that as from 2007 has replaced the former instrument, MEDA. The MEDA aid to Jordan from 1996 to 2006 nearly reached €700 million. Included in this total, Jordan benefited in 2006 from the pilot Democracy Facility and received additional €20 million used for a support to the new reform agenda. Jordan makes use of the variety of instruments available (including budget support, twinning, ... ).

The funds allocated to Jordan under the ENPI for the 2007-2010 period will be increased as compared to the previous period. In terms of assistance per capita, Jordan is the third recipient in the region (after the Palestinians and Lebanon).

For more information on the EU's relations with Jordan and on the ENP at:

http://ec.europa.eu/comm/external_relations/jordan/intro/index.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/index_en.htm

^[1] IP/07/233: Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner to visit Middle East from 26 February to 1 March