On Tuesday 1 March 2016, the EU announced its decision to renew its support to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian refugees with an assistance package – the first one this year – worth a total of EUR 252.5 million. “The EU supports the daily lives of Palestinians in the fields of education and health, protecting the poorest families and also providing the Palestinian refugees across the country with access to essential services,” the High Representative Mogherini said in a statement.
Mogherini explained that: “These are tangible steps on the ground that can improve the lives of Palestinian people. But these steps are not enough”, she said, adding that: “Palestinian institutions must continue to grow stronger, become more transparent, more accountable and more democratic”.
The Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, said: “The EU remains firm in its commitment to Palestinians and actively supports a two-state solution. Our assistance to ensure the functioning of the Palestinian Authority (…) is a concrete example of this commitment”.