Ramtha mayor, EU ambassador discuss impact of Syrian refugees' influx on services

AMMAN — Ramtha Mayor Ahmad Khazaleh on Thursday met EU Ambassador Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas over the impact of the influx of Syrian refugees on the district's services. 

Highlighting the district's challenges, Khazaleh noted that Ramtha has not received sufficient grant support to offset the increased demand on infrastructure and public services caused by the refugee crisis, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The increased costs have strained the municipality's budget and affected the quality of services, he added.

The mayor expressed optimism that the EU could help Ramtha address its pressing sanitation needs, including by extending services directly to residents' homes, stressing the importance of youth employment programmes to increase opportunities for local residents.

Chatzisavas underscored the urgency of the municipality's needs and stressed that the EU would prioritise assistance to Ramtha, noting that the EU will implement several projects to support the municipality, starting with improvements to the district's sanitation schemes. 

The EU also plans to re-launch its cash-for-work programmes to create jobs for district residents, with further support programmes to be introduced in the coming months, the diplomat added.