The European Commission presented the new assistance package for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It sets up additional financial support for state-building, water-management and sanitation, as well as education and health services for refugees. 

The Commission launched new additional financial support of €115 million to help people and local businesses at the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This package will also comprise financial assistance to businesses in the West Bank, helping to create jobs and generate growth in the area. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) will benefit through a €40 million share of the new funding.

In addition, the additional assistance will be invested to water Sanitation and re-use programme in the West Bank. This programme aims to improve sanitation for the Tubas and Eastern Nablus areas, as well as enabling the development of irrigated agriculture in the same area and strengthening the institutional capacity of the Palestine Water Authority and local stakeholders.

Also the additional funding will support the private sector and capacity-building for institutions related to the economy. This action will promote economic growth, helping to create jobs. It will provide financial support to businesses in the West Bank, affected by the Israeli occupation, strengthening capacities at the level of business service providers (e.g. by providing technical assistance, training and market research) to promote economic revitalisation in the Gaza Strip. Moreover €20 million will be addressed to support to the rule of law sector. This action will provide support to the priorities and objectives of the Palestinian National Development Plan to take forward objectives agreed in the European Neighbourhood Policy Joint Action Plan.

The presented package brings EU aid to the occupied Palestinian territory to a total of €300 million, in addition to the €145 million already committed for Direct Financial Support as it was agreed in 2009 by the European Parliament.