Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Emad Fakhoury and the Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy And Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn recently signed two grant agreements worth 20 million euros to support economic growth and partnership in Jordan.

The first grant agreement of 10 million euros will support inclusive economic growth in the Kingdom through the support of startups and SMEs. Efforts will be focused on the northern region and help meet the requirements of exporting to the EU by Jordanians and Syrians under the simplified Rules of Origin agreement. Al Quds College will provide 2 million euros in contribution to the implementation of the project’s activities. The grant also aims to improve the processing of the Jordanian quality infrastructure system in order to overcome obstacles and help the private sector meet EU standards and legal requirements.

The second 10 million euro grant will support the implementation of the partnership priorities in Jordan. The project will be administered by the ministry and will target the institutional structure of the public sector. It aims to provide more technical assistance, strengthen the technical and institutional capacities of government agencies involved in the EU-Jordan partnership, and meet European standards, the statement said.

“I am delighted to travel to Jordan, and I will focus on how the EU can support economic development in Jordan and, in particular, how the EU can help Jordan attract foreign investors,” Hahn said in a statement. “The EU’s participation in responding to the demands of Jordanian citizens to achieve economic growth and job creation.”

In February 2016, Jordan and the EU signed the Jordan Compact agreement at the Supporting Syria Conference in London, whereby the Kingdom pledged to create 200,000 jobs for Syrians in exchange for aid and more favorable export terms to the European Union. According to the agreement, 52 Jordanian products are now exempted from rules of origin stipulations on the condition that they are made up of at least 15 percent Syrian labor, and are manufactured in one of 18 special economic zones.