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Palestine*
- Palestine*
Palestine*
The European Union is the biggest provider of external assistance to the Palestinians. In line with the goal of a negotiated two-state solution, EU efforts aim at promoting greater Palestinian control, autonomy and capacity to exercise responsibility to prepare for future statehood. The EU is also supporting efforts to strengthen the Palestinian Authority’s transparency and accountability, with a view to reinforce its role and credibility.
The EU/Palestine partnership is based on the Interim Association Agreement on Trade and Cooperation, signed in 1997 between the European Community and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. The EU-Palestine Action Plan under the European Neighbourhood Policy was approved in May 2013, setting the agenda for economic and political cooperation with the EU. The Action Plan was prolonged in December 2018 for a period of three years.
Bilateral Cooperation
The European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) is the main EU financing instrument for Palestine. EU funding is allocated in line with the multi-annual European Joint Strategy in support of Palestine 2017-2020 – Towards a democratic and accountable Palestinian State. The Strategy sets out targeted and shared priorities of the EU and the EU Member States. It is aligned with the Palestine National Policy Agenda 2017-2022, adopted by the Palestinian Authority in December 2016.
The multi-annual financial allocation for Palestine under the ENI for 2017-2020 amounts to €1.28 billion.
For the period 2017-2020, the EU's bilateral assistance to Palestine under the ENI focuses on the following priority sectors:
- Governance Reform, Fiscal Consolidation and Policy;
- Rule of Law, Justice, Citizen Safety and Human Rights;
- Sustainable Service Delivery;
- Access to Self-Sufficient Water and Energy Services;
- Sustainable Economic Development.
The EU’s cooperation portfolio in Palestine focuses on:
i) Direct Financial Support
The EU is helping the Palestinian Authority meet its recurrent expenditure by contributing to the payment of salaries and pensions of a number of civil servants in the West Bank. It also provides assistance to the most vulnerable Palestinian families and helps pay for health referrals to the East Jerusalem hospitals. This support is channelled through the PEGASE instrument (Mécanisme Palestino-européen de Gestion de l’Aide Socio-économique). It is accompanied by a policy dialogue aimed at encouraging reforms, which includes an incentive-based framework that links part of this support to reforms in key sectors.
In 2020, the total EU contribution to PEGASE amounts to €159.05 million of which €85 million for salaries and pensions, €22,5 million to support the response of the East Jerusalem Hospitals to COVID-19 and €45 million to support the incomes of the most vulnerable households.
ii) Support to Palestine refugees
The EU with its Member States is by far the largest provider of assistance to Palestine refugees. The EU’s funding is used to ensure that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East’s (UNRWA) is able to provide health, education and social services, including salaries for teachers, doctors and social workers active in refugee camps.
The total EU contribution to UNRWA in 2018,2019 and 2020 was €395.6 million including ENI contributions to the programme budget, contributions from the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis, EU humanitarian aid, the food security programme under the Development Cooperation Instrument and the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace.
iii) Development programmes
EU-funded development programmes in Palestine focus on job creation and access to water and energy. It is also used to support cooperation between Israel and Palestine, notably on energy and water, working with the Office of the Quartet. The Gaza Central Desalination Plant is a flagship programme supported by the EU, in cooperation with Arab donors via the Islamic Development Bank. It aims to ensure that the Gazan population has access to clean drinking water by providing a minimum of 55 million m3 of safe and clean drinking water per year. Parts of the Associated Works have already started in 2019.
In 2019 the first twinning project started in Palestine in the field of customs. Palestine benefited from 17 TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument) events in 2019. In addition, €12 million are allocated each year to projects in East Jerusalem, which is a key priority to keep the negotiated two-state solution alive, and to resolve “the status of Jerusalem as the capital of both states” as reflected in the EU Council Conclusions of 22 July 2014.
Regional cooperation
Palestine is a beneficiary of the European Peacebuilding Initiative together with Israel and Jordan.. Its overall objective is to facilitate the peace process by supporting a solid foundation at civil society level for a fair and lasting settlement in the Middle East. The programme distributes €5 million per year to Civil Society Organisations promoting links across the political divide in Jordan, Israel and Palestine.
Other regional programmes include actions in the area of Political and Social Development, Trade and Economic Development.
Other financing instruments
Palestine is eligible for funding under the following EU thematic programmes, including:
- The European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (€1.3 million annually)
- The Development Cooperation Instrument and more specifically the Non-State Actors and Local Authorities thematic programme. EU humanitarian assistance (more than €793 million since 2000)
- the Erasmus+ programme, which enhances mobility and co-operation with the EU in the field of higher education. Under this programme, over 1,880 Palestinian students, professors and university staff travelled to Europe and up to 874 European counterparts travelled to Palestine between 2015 and 2019.
Factsheets available to download:
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* This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.
* * Mécanisme Palestino-européen de Gestion de l’Aide Socio-économique
For specific information (programme level), see below.
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
ENI 2016/C(2016)1359/Annual Action Programme for Palestine (Part 1)
- ENI 2016/038842/Palestine/PEGASE: Direct Financial Support
- ENI 2016/370281/Palestine/UNRWA: EU Contribution to the United Nations
ENI 2016/C(2016)8251/2016 Annual Action Programme for Palestine (Part 1)/Modification
ENI 2016/C(2016)4671/Annual Action Programme for Palestine (Part 2)
2015
ENI 2015/C(2015)690/Annual Action Programme for Palestine (Part 1)
ENI 2015/C(2015)7928/Palestine/Annual Action Programme (Part 1)/Modification
ENI 2015/C(2015)5243/Annual Action Programme for Palestine (Part 2)
- ENI 2015/038315/Palestine/Support to Governance at Local and National levels
- ENI 2015/038311/Palestine/Support to the Private Sector in Gaza
- ENI 2015/038310/Palestine/Low Volume Sea Water Desalination Plant Phase II
- ENI 2015/038312/Palestine/Support to Jerusalem East
ENI 2015/C(2015)6147/Annual Action Programme for Palestine (Part 3)
2014
ENI 2014/C(2014)5986/Annual Action Programme for Palestine
- ENI 2014/36901/Palestine/Governance Sector in Palestine
- ENI 2014/37138/Palestine/Investment and trade and for vocational training
- ENI 2014/30874/Palestine/Hebron Wastewater Treatment Plant (HWWTP)
- ENI 2014/32783/Palestine/Access to Public Infrastructure in Area C
- ENI 2014/034090/Palestine/Support to East Jerusalem
ENI 2014/C(2014)8215/Annual Action Programme for Palestine (Part 2)
2013
2012
ENPI 2012/C(2012)6283/Palestine SM Part 2 (for 2012)
- ENPI 2012/023776/Palestine/Land development
- ENPI/2012/023762/Palestine/Delivery of community services in East Jerusalem
- ENPI 2012/023779/Palestine/Natural Resources in Gaza
- ENPI 2012/023844/Palestine/Private Sector in the West bank and Gaza Strip
- ENPI 2012/288136/Palestine/UNRWA
- ENPI 2012/023774/Palestine/Governance
- ENPI 2012/023843/Palestine/PEGASE
2011
ENPI 2011/C(2010)9321/Palestine SM Part I
ENPI 2011/C(2011)3026/Palestine SM Part II
ENPI 2011/C(2011)5915/Palestine SM Part III
- ENPI 2011/023128/Palestine/Delivery of Community Services in East Jerusalem
- ENPI 2011/023129/Palestine/Support to Private Sector and Capacity Building to institutions related to the Economy
- ENPI 2011/023130/Palestine/Financial Governance and State Building
- ENPI 2011/023131/Palestine/Security /Justice / Elections
- ENPI 2011/023132/Palestine/Water sanitation and reuse programme in the West Bank
- ENPI 2011/023987/Palestine/2nd tranche Contribution to UNRWA's 2011 Regular Budget
ENPI 2011/C(2011)9348/Palestine SM Part IV for the ENPI 2011 and 2012 Part I
- ENPI 2011/023376/Palestine/PEGASE 2011/2012
- ENPI 2011/024025/Palestine/Contribution to UNRWA's 2012 Regular Budget
2010
ENPI 2010/C(2009)9958/Palestine SM Part I
ENPI 2010/C(2010)4744/Palestine SM Part II
- ENPI 2010/022475/Palestine/PEGASE PA Two-Year Plan for Statehood
- ENPI 2010/022474/Palestine/PEGASE Infrastructure
- ENPI 2010/022475/Palestine/PEGASE Private Sector Development
- ENPI 2010/022470/Palestine/PEGASE: Support for delivery of community services in East Jerusalem
- ENPI 2010/Palestine/UNRWA: Development Programmes
ENPI 2010/C(2010)6736 /Palestine SM Part III
- ENPI 2010/022594/Palestine/PEGASE 2010: Additional support
- ENPI 2010/023980/Palestine/UNRWA: Additional Contribution
2009
ENPI 2009/C(2008)8267/Palestine SM Part I
- ENPI 2009/Palestine/PEGASE: Support to Recurrent Expenditures of the PA
- ENPI 2009/Palestine/UNRWA: Support to the Organisational Development Plan
- ENPI 2009/020651/Palestine/UNRWA: Contribution to the 2009 Regular Budget
ENPI 2009/C(2009)9958/Palestine SM Part II
ENPI 2009/C(2009)9388/Palestine SM Part III
- ENPI 2009/021832/Palestine/PEGASE: Support to Delivery of Community Services in East Jerusalem
- ENPI 2009/021835/Palestine/Governance and Social Development
- ENPI 2009/021836/Palestine/PRDP-related Public Infrastructure Development
- ENPI 2009/021839/Palestine/Private Sector Reconstruction in Gaza Strip
- ENPI 2009/021969/Palestine/Quality Education Services in UNRWA
- ENPI 2009/021855/Palestine/EXACT
- ENPI 2009/Palestine/PEGASE Direct Financial Support
2008
ENPI 2008/C(2008)1094/Palestine SM I
- ENPI 2008/020577/Palestine/PEGASE: Support to Recurrent Expenditures
- ENPI 2008/019777/Palestine/PEGASE: Institution Building
- ENPI 2008/019778/Palestine/PEGASE: PRDP-related Public Infrastructure Development
- ENPI 2008/019779/Palestine/PEGASE: Support to Community Services in East-Jerusalem
- ENPI 2008/019782/Palestine/UNRWA: Support to Reform the Special Hardship Case
- ENPI 2008/Palestine/UNRWA
ENPI 2008/C(2008)4261/Palestine SM II/PEGASE: Support to Recurrent Expenditures (Part 2)
ENPI 2008/C(2008)6478/Palestine SM Part III/PEGASE: Support to Recurrent Expenditures (Part 3)
2007
ENPI 2007/C(2007)78/Palestine SM Part I/Contribution to the Temporary International Mechanism
ENPI 2007/C(2007)837/Palestine SM Part II
- ENPI 2007/018877/Palestine/Contribution to the Temporary International Mechanism – Windows 2 (Interim Emergency Relief Contribution) and 3 (Payment of social allowances)
- ENPI 2007/Palestine/Contribution to UNRWA Budget
- ENPI 2007/023920/Palestine/Palestine Refugees in Lebanon
- ENPI 2007/018879/Palestine/Support to Community Services in East-Jerusalem
ENPI 2007/C(2007)2319/Palestine SM Part III
ENPI 2007/C(2007)3071/Palestine SM Part IV/Additional contribution to TIM Windows 2 and 3
ENPI 2007/C(2007)3552/Palestine SM Part V/Additional contribution to TIM