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Ammon News - The government signed a soft loan agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) in the amount of 200 million euros to contribute to the financing of the desalination and water transport project from Aqaba to Amman, the "National Water Carrier Project".

This financing will contribute to providing part of the government contribution to the project, amounting to 250 million dinars “$352 million”, to implement the project, which aims to increase the water supply by providing up to an additional 300 million cubic meters of water annually.

Minister of Planning and International cooperation, Zina Toukan, Minister of Water and Irrigation, Mohammed Najjar and the Vice-President of the EIB, Gelsomina Vigliotti signed the agreement, in the presence of the EU Ambassador to Amman, Maria Hadjitheodosiou.

Toukan said that this funding is the first to be signed for the national water carrier project, which comes as a translation of the pledges made at the donors and financiers conference for the project that was held last March 2022.

The Minister thanked the EIB for providing funding to support the project, stressing the importance that the Jordanian government attaches to this project.

Toukan confirmed the historic relationship with the Bank as one of Jordan's development partners, which provides financing through loans and technical and investment grants to support projects in key priority sectors.

In turn, Minister Najjar, said that this financing is important for the project, thanking the EIB for its continuous support to the water sector in Jordan.

He pointed that the EIB contributes to supporting many projects, as it provided funding for the environmental impact assessment study, which is one of the important studies for the national carrier project.

For her part, Vigliotti said that investing in water is an investment in the future, and thanks to the Project “the national carrier”, Jordan will be able to adapt to climate change, while at the same time ensuring environmental sustainability by taking advantage of the potential Renewable energy in the completion of this project.

The cooperation between the Jordanian government, its international partners and the EIB will contribute to providing financing to support investments aimed at bringing about a fundamental transformation in the water sector in Jordan and providing fresh water for the Kingdom's population, Vigliotti indicated.

For her part, Ambassador Hadjitheodosiou, said that Europe Team supports activities to adapt to climate change around the world, indicating the importance of this financing, which is the first provided by the European Investment Bank for the project and reflects the volume of support provided by the European Union to enhance water security for Jordan.

On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, a meeting was held with the Vice-President of the EIB, during which they discussed the sectoral priorities for the coming period, according to the executive program for the vision of economic modernization for the years (2023-2025), including support for the private sector and partnership projects between the public and private sectors, as well as procedures related to adapting to the effects of climate change.