Germany announces 97.4m euro development grant to Jordan

AMMAN — Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury on Tuesday met with Christine Toetzke, Director of the Middle East Unit at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development in Germany, and discussed means of enhancing bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

The planning minister said that the German government recently announced a grant of 97.4 million euros for Jordan to implement a number of development projects as part of Germany’s support pledges made at the Brussels Conference, according to a statement from the Planning Ministry.

He stated that Germany will allocate 12 million euros for the “trade for employment project”, underscoring the importance of this support in complimenting efforts to promote and maximise the benefits of simplifying rules of origin with the EU to enable Jordanian businesses to export to EU markets and attract new investments.

Fakhoury expressed Jordan’s appreciation to Germany for honouring the commitments made during the London Conference last year and the follow-up conference in Brussels this year on supporting Syria and the region, the statement said. 

The minister expressed Jordan’s concern that the international community fulfills the commitments made in the Jordan Compact in London and in the Jordan Output Paper in Brussels, calling on the German government to continue its support to Jordan, which contributes to enhancing Jordan’s resilience in light of the “exceptional” conditions that the region is witnessing.

Fahkoury briefed the officials on the economic and financial challenges facing Jordan and the latest discussions with the International Monetary Fund delegation, stressing the continuation of the economic reforms implemented by the Kingdom according to the roadmap presented in the Jordan 2025 document, the executive development programme and the governorates’ development programme 2017-2019, the statement added.

The minister highlighted the government’s plan to stimulate the economy over the next five years.

Fakhoury said that the German government is considering the possibility of providing sectored support to the public budget in light of the pressures faced by the public budget and the importance of providing such support to Jordan at the current stage.

For her part, Teodski stressed Germany’s continued support for Jordan, including humanitarian assistance and support to refugee hosting communities, to enable the Kingdom to shoulder the consequences of hosting Syrian refugees, expressing its government’s gratitude for Jordan’s “pivotal” role in hosting Syrian refugees.

Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Birgitta Siefker Eberle, also attended the meeting.

Also on Tuesday, Fakhoury held two separate meetings with a delegation from the European Parliament’s Friends of Jordan’s group, headed by Michael Gahler, and a delegation for relations with the eastern Arab countries, headed by Marisa Matias. 

Fakhoury briefed both delegations’ on the economic and financial challenges facing Jordan, commending the EU support to Jordan, according to a ministry statement. 

The delegates expressed their appreciation for the Kingdom’s role in the region and its efforts in hosting Syrian refugees.