The European Union affirmed its commitment to support Lebanon and its people to move towards the recovery and stability they deserve in difficult social and economic conditions, stressing the allocation of 229 million euros this year to promote necessary reforms and economic development, and several priorities have been identified for this new financial package.
 
This came in a statement on Wednesday by the European Union delegation in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
 
The European Union stated that the first priority is to promote good governance and support reforms, explaining that the Union will assist Lebanon in implementing reforms related to public administration that focus on integrity, transparency and accountability, in line with the opportunities identified by the recent agreement at the staff level with the International Monetary Fund, noting that The aid will aim at reforming the civil service, reforming public financial management, and access to information.
 
The European Union indicated that it will work with actors in the state and civil society to empower Lebanese women and contribute to achieving gender equality, stressing that it will contribute to enhancing women's leadership and participation in the political arenas and in the public sector, and work to create the necessary environment to improve their representation in the labor market, and will also support Implementing legislation aimed at protecting women from all forms of violence, based on its commitment to support Lebanon in its reform programme.
 
The statement said: "Within the framework of the priority of promoting an environmentally friendly and sustainable recovery, the European Union will support the Green Lebanon Program and the transition to renewable energy. It will finance energy efficiency equipment in public sector buildings and contribute to the provision of more efficient public services. It will also focus on increasing the competitiveness of Lebanese industries, especially The agro-food sector, by supporting entrepreneurship, innovation and technology transfer for sustainable energy solutions.
 
He added that the Union will continue to provide great assistance to the needy Lebanese and Syrian refugees and help them obtain the basic services they desperately need in the areas of social protection, education, health and water provision.

Source: Middle East News Agency