Jordan has signed a loan agreement worth 400 million euros with the European Investment Bank to enhance water security and climate adaptation in the country. According to the Jordanian News Agency, the Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Zeina Toukan, signed the loan agreement provided by the European Investment Bank during the fifteenth Partnership Council meeting between Jordan and the European Union.
The Minister of Planning stated that this program, announced in November of last year and to be disbursed through the public budget, aims to support reforms in the water sector through priority actions related to reducing water loss in water facilities, enhancing sustainable water supplies, improving operational efficiency, increasing the level of service for water and sanitation subscribers across the country, and strengthening capacities in the water sector.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the European Investment Bank by Lionel Rabailly, the Operations Director for Neighboring Countries at the bank. The ministry indicated that an additional grant will be signed in the coming weeks, provided through the Global Concessional Financing Facility (GCFF) managed by the World Bank, to support the implementation of the mentioned program worth 54.36 million dollars.
The bank has funded a number of important projects in Jordan, such as the Disi Water Conveyance Project, water conveyance from Wadi Arab to the northern governorates, support for water sources in the Jordan Valley, water supplies for the Deir Alla and Karama regions, and the purchase of vaccines as part of the pandemic response, in addition to the bank's commitments for the desalination and transfer of water from Aqaba to Amman.
It is noteworthy that the European Investment Bank's portfolio in Jordan has grown from 2014 to 2024 to nearly 1.8 billion euros, focusing on sectors such as water, health, transportation, energy, urban and municipal development, and lending to local commercial banks to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, as the bank is a key development partner supporting the water sector in Jordan.
