European Union

(North Mazar, 31 May, 2010) – Agreements in the areas of renewable energy and poverty alleviation and local development were signed by Jordan and the European Union today in a ceremony in North Mazar.

The ceremony was attended by Stefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, who is on a two-day visit to Jordan. Patrick Renauld, Head of the EU Delegation to Jordan, was also present. From the Jordanian side, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Jafar Hassan, Minister of Municipal Affairs Ali Ghezawi, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Khalid Irani and Acting President of the National Energy Research Center Walid Shahin, were in attendance.

Capacity Building in Wind Energy and Concentrated Solar Power

The €10-million "Capacity Building in Wind Energy and Concentrated Solar Power" project will support Jordan's National Energy Research Center (NERC) to steer and facilitate the implementation of the Jordanian government's Renewable Energy Strategy 2007-2020 by installing a wind testing facility, as well as a pilot Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plant.

The project seeks to build local capacities and expertise in the field of renewable energy such that Jordan can become a regional model for developing and utilizing such energy. The project is also expected to attract foreign investment and create job opportunities for Jordanians, in addition to reducing Jordan's dependence on imported energy, which constitutes a substantial burden on the national economy.

Building Development Capacities of Jordanian Municipalities

In line with the European Union's longstanding commitment to local development and poverty alleviation projects in Jordan, a €3-million agreement was signed for the Baladiaty ("My Municipality") project, which aims to build municipalities' development capacities, namely in the areas of poverty alleviation, public participation and decentralization.

The project's aim is to help municipalities become engines of local socio-economic development and examples of good governance based on improved managerial performance.

The project builds on the successes achieved through the €30-million Poverty Alleviation and Local Development Programme (PALD), which concluded in December 2009. It will provide targeted support to allow high-potential local initiatives to flourish until the next large-scale programme is launched in 2012.

Through PALD, Local Development Units were established in 21 municipalities, 21 Local Development Plans were created and 21 local projects were implemented. Significantly, Jordan's cabinet endorsed in November 2008 a Strategy for Poverty Alleviation, which today falls under the responsibility of the Coordination Commission for Social Solidarity.

Al-Mazar Al-Jadeeda is one of the municipalities that benefitted from PALD and concluded its development plan in 2007, proposing several development projects now in the final stages of feasibility studies.