AMMAN — The European Union on Wednesday disbursed 200 million euros to Jordan, the last tranche of the 700 million-euro Marco-Financial Assistance (MFA) programme aimed to support the implementation of the Jordanian government’s economic reform agenda, as well as assist in alleviating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. With today's disbursement, the EU has now provided Jordan with more than 1.08 billion euros in MFA funds since 2013.

This MFA programme is part of a comprehensive effort by the EU to assist Jordan in mitigating the economic and social impact of regional conflicts and the presence of a large number of Syrian refugees, according to a statement from the EU Delegation to Jordan.

The current disbursement of 200 million euros follows a positive assessment by the European Union of Jordan’s implementation of important structural policy measures agreed on in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the European Union and Jordan in August, 2020. These included progression in the roll-out of smart water meters, installation of small solar energy stations in 4,000 vulnerable households, expanding the National Aid Fund social assistance programme “Takaful” to reach about 200,000 households, measures to increase labour market participation, measures to strengthen good governance and fight against corruption, as well as improving public finance management and procurement.

Jordan continues to satisfy the pre-condition for Macro-Financial Assistance of respecting effective democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system and the rule of law, and guaranteeing the respect for human rights.

The MFA is an emergency financial tool that supports countries that are geographically, economically and politically close to the EU, to help stabilise their economies in times of crisis. It is complementary to the assistance provided by the International Monetary Fund. MFA funds are made available with highly favourable terms and low-interest rates, conditional on the implementation of specific policy measures agreed upon in the MoU.

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