Ansamed

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, SEPTEMBER 3 - The European Commission has agreed to give out 91.9 million euros in funds for the Regional Action Programme dedicated to the Mediterranean in 2010, which includes 9 initiatives for programmes financed in various sectors, ranging from financial support for the private sector to transport, the environment, justice and internal affairs.

The countries concerned are those involved in the EU's neighbourhood policy: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, Syria and Tunisia.

The figures available on the ''shopping list'' of resources show that a substantial package of 32 million euros is being allocated to Femip, the financial arm for the Mediterranean of the European Investment Bank, with the aim of supplying capital to the private sector. A slice of ten million euros, meanwhile, will be given to the ''Partnership for peace'', a programme that aims to promote communication and mutual understanding in the Middle East peace process.

The transport sector will see the influx of 9 million euros in total. The funds are divided between ''EuroMed road, rail and urban transport'', which promotes different means of transport on land, and will receive 5 million euros, and ''EuroMed Aviation II'', which is working towards the creation of a new common Euromed airspace and an open and safe market for Mediterranean partner countries.

The approved financing paves the way for the third edition of projects such as ''Euromed Migration'', ''Euromed Police'', and ''Euromed Justice'', which focus on the development of EU cooperation with the southern Mediterranean and between partners in the basin, on issues of policing, justice and immigration. The schemes aim to strengthen the state of law and the respect of human rights.

The fight against pollution in the Mediterranean area also continues, as does the promotion of sustainable management of blue gold, with the ''Euromed programme on sustainable water management and depollution of the Mediterranean, which will see a 15 million euro subsidy. This programme promotes policies of sustainable water management in a region struggling with a growing dearth of the resource. There are many issues to be faced, from climate change to the financing of infrastructure, to the sources of pollution, such as urban waste, sewage and industrial waste.

Another programme financed with European funds is the more flexible ''Enpi South Global Allocation'', which has the task of acting fast and taking on small projects, which include the financing of Euromed ministerial conferences.(ANSAmed).