Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The European Commission, on behalf of the European Union, approved Tuesday the disbursement of a 100 million Euro (USD 117 million) loan to Jordan under its Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) programme.

This disbursement marks the launch of the second MFA with a total worth of 200 million Euro (USD 235 million), which follows a first package of 180 million euro (USD 211 million) approved in 2013 and fully disbursed in 2015, said the EU's executive body in a statement.

The disbursement of the second 100 million euro instalment is expected to take place during the course of 2018, depending on Jordan fulfilling agreed commitments.

Pierre Moscovici, EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs commented "Today's decision to disburse
100 million euro to Jordan under a new MFA programme demonstrates the EU's continued support for the
country in these challenging times. I look forward to continuing our work with the Jordanian authorities on their reform programme and in securing a stable, stronger economy for Jordan to the benefit of its entire population."

The assistance is part of a wider effort by the EU to help Jordan and other countries in the region mitigate the economic and social impact stemming from regional conflicts and the presence of a large number of Syrian
refugees in Jordan, he noted.