The European Union provides a 71 million euro aid package to tackle Corona in Palestine

The European Union provides a 71 million euro aid package to tackle Corona in Palestine

The representative of the European Union announced an aid package amounting to 71 million Euros to confront the epidemic of Corona virus in Palestine.

In a statement issued Thursday evening, the European Union welcomed the preventive measures taken by Palestine, as well as its plan to confront the Covid 19 virus, stressing that it is aware of the challenges associated with implementing the confrontation plan, including restrictions on the movement of Palestinians, and complex challenges in the Gaza Strip under siege.

The statement pointed out that the European Union aid package, which also includes humanitarian aid, is a direct response to the confrontation plan related to Coved 19 of the Palestinian National Authority.

"The Coruna epidemic is an unprecedented global public health emergency that has repercussions for our citizens, our societies and our economies, and this is the time for solidarity between peoples and the time we stand together," said European Union Representative Sven Cohan von Burgsdorf.

He added that the European Union understands that the Palestinians, like the Europeans and many others, are affected severely, and that today´s announcement is extremely important to ensure that the Palestinians are better prepared to combat the economic and social impact of this global epidemic.

He emphasized the message of the European Union: "Palestine does not stand alone, but we stand together in our battle against Coved-19."

He explained that health care, which is a global priority in this crisis, is also a priority in helping us to the Palestinians, and therefore the European Union will allocate an additional 9.5 million euros to the six East Jerusalem hospitals, in addition to our current annual support of 13 million euros, to help it provide examination and medical care for the injured Palestinians With the virus. To support the provision of protective equipment in the health care sector, the European Union will help stimulate the local production of Palestinian companies. The European Union will also provide a 40 million euro payment to civil servants to ensure that the Palestinian National Authority has sufficient funds to cover the additional expenses expected in the confrontation plan.

He stressed that the European Union will increase its support for Palestinian small and medium-sized enterprises by 5.5 million euros so that it can continue to play the role of the backbone of the Palestinian economy, and the European Union will strengthen its efforts to support farmers and agricultural companies to continue to remain during the crisis.

The European Union will also increase its efforts to address the broader social impact of the crisis by boosting income for poor families, providing an additional 5 million euros to support the most needy groups whose numbers are expected to increase in the coming weeks as a result of the economic impact of the crisis measures taken.

The European Union has pledged 6.9 million euros of humanitarian aid to NGOs and United Nations organizations already on the ground in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, to strengthen infection prevention and control measures, and will also assist the most vulnerable sectors of the population in accessing emergency health care and access to water and sanitation services Health, cash assistance.

The statement stressed that through the European policy tool, the European Union will provide 4 million euros to UNRWA to support Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The European Union indicated that it had paid the full amount of its 82 million euro contribution to UNRWA´s 2020 program budget, enabling UNRWA to continue to address the challenges faced by Palestine refugees, who were particularly affected by the epidemic, and in this regard, an additional 36 million euros of Support UNRWA in Jordan and Lebanon to focus on immediate health needs.