Annual Action Programme 2011 :New EU support for education and renewable energy in Jordan

23-08-2011

A new €71 million assistance package has been allocated to Jordan to provide critical support to education, renewable energy and the implementation of the country’s European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan.

EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Štefan Füle, said: “This new EC support will focus on two areas, which I believe are vitally important for a country’s growth – education and energy. A 20% reduction in energy use is an impressive target, and I am pleased that the EU is doing what it can to help the country achieve it.”

In education,the EU Support to Second Phase of Education Reform programme (€23 million) will provide support to the second phase of education reform. More specifically, the programme will focus on the improvement of areas which are less developed but crucial to the reform of the sector. These include the continuous training of teachers, the improved monitoring and evaluation capacities of the Ministry of Education, particularly through the implementation of a reliable Education Management Information System, and an enhanced access to and quality of early childhood and special needs education.

In renewable energy, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programme (€35 million) will focus on the development and implementation of effective renewable energy policies. This will provide the necessary support to roll-out the 2007-2020 energy strategy, which aims to achieve the ambitious goals of 10% production from renewable energies and 20% energy savings by 2020.

This package also includes the Support for the Implementation of the Action Plan Programme III (€13 million) which will provide various Jordanian institutions with technical assistance and twinning activities, establishing a close partnership between an EU member state and Jordanian institution (including the provision of long-term seconded experts) in order to develop modern and efficient administrations.

Such support will help Jordan’s institutions meets the commitments undertaken in the context of the EU-Jordan Association Agreement and ENP Action Plan, in addition to complementing the EU support to Jordan’s reforms provided through different programmes so far.  Given the needs of the Jordanian administration and the requirements of the Action Plan, now reinforced with “advanced status”, these activities are steadily growing in importance.

This support comes partly from funds brought forward from 2012. A second package of support is in preparation to be available in the autumn.

In line with the priorities of the two recent Joint Communications of the European Commission and of the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (“A partnership for democracy and shared prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean” and “A new response to a changing Neighbourhood”), this package constitutes part of the National Indicative Programme 2011-2013 for Jordan under which assistance for an amount of €223 million will be provided.

Source: ENPI Info Centre

Read more: Press release, Annual Action Programme 2011 for Jordan