Jordan, EU discuss response plan to Syrian refugee crisis

AMMAN — Jordan this week urged the EU to help it secure the required funds for the 2016-2018 response plan for the Syrian refugee crisis.

During a meeting with Christian Danielsson, director general of the European Commission's Neighbourhood and Enlargement Department, on the sidelines of the Resilience Development Forum at the Dead Sea, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury said financing the Jordan Response Plan 2016-2018 will enable the Kingdom to meet the requirements of hosting Syrian refugees by strengthening the resilience of host communities and supporting the budget.

Talks at the meeting, attended by EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana, also covered enhancing and developing bilateral relations in all fields, especially within the framework of the EU Neighbourhood Policy and Euro-Jordanian Association agreement, a ministry statement said.

The minister expressed Jordan's commitment to enhancing its partnership with the EU for the benefit of both parties. 

The two sides highlighted the importance of what was achieved concerning the comprehensive review of the European Neighbourhood Policy. 

The new approach of this revision is expected to be announced by mid-November. This will be followed by negotiations between both parties, targeting more cooperation and dialogue, according to the statement.

Fakhoury briefed the EU official on Jordan's political and economic reform efforts, in addition to the effect of the Syrian crisis on the Kingdom.

The minister outlined the progress of work on the Red-Dead Sea Canal, especially on the brine canal project, stressing the need to mobilise all financial resources for this "vital project" because of the humanitarian pressures on Jordan resulting from the increased demand on water due to the Syrian refugee influx. 

This project is vital to help the Dead Sea, in terms of environment, tourism, economy and as a natural heritage site, the statement quoted the minister as saying. 

"The Red-Dead Sea Canal is the only choice for Jordan to cover some of its water deficit and Europe expressed strong support for the project," the statement said.

In this regard, the two sides discussed proposals to adopt a comprehensive framework for dealing with the consequences of the Syrian crisis. 

The framework would develop programmes to empower Jordan to endure the consequences of hosting Syrian refugees, and to obtain assistance in grants and soft financing instruments.

Danielsson commended Jordan's economic and political reforms, expressing his understanding of the burden it shoulders in light of the Syrian refugee influx.

He stressed that he would do his best to look into ways of increasing support for Jordan in the next stage to enable it to overcome these challenges.