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BRUSSELS: The European Union on Wednesday promised 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) of financing and investments for Jordan as part of a new “strategic” partnership with the key Middle East ally.
“With the current geopolitical shifts and growing crises in the region, strengthening the EU-Jordan partnership is the right decision at the right time,” European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II was in Brussels to oversee the signing of the agreement that runs from 2025 through 2027.
His country, which hosts millions of refugees from around neighboring countries, has long been seen by Europe as a vital bulwark of stability in a region wracked by conflict.
That status has become even more important in the face of the war in Gaza and as Syria undergoes an uncertain transition after the ouster of Bashar Assad.
“Jordan is playing a critical role to consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza and the EU acknowledges the importance of Jordan as a regional hub for humanitarian assistance,” von der Leyen said.
“Jordan’s leadership in supporting Syria’s transition highlights its pivotal role in shaping the region’s future.”
Brussels said the package for Jordan would be made up of 640 million euros of grants, one billion euros of grants and 1.4 billion euros of investments.
“The EU is showing its commitment to support Jordan in navigating the current geopolitical challenges, pursuing reforms that drive growth and societal progress,” said von der Leyen.
The EU is desperate for stability in the Middle East and the Mediterranean region as it hopes to avoid major flows of migrants to Europe.
Jordan’s economy has been buffeted by the conflicts across the Middle East, with the IMF saying the crises have dampened growth.

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said Wednesday that forced displacement of Gazans is an “injustice that we cannot take part in,” after US President Donald Trump floated a plan to move Palestinians from the territory to Egypt and Jordan.
“The deportation and displacement of the Palestinian people from their land is an injustice that we cannot take part in,” El-Sisi said during a news conference in Cairo with Kenyan President William Ruto.
El-Sisi added that Egypt’s historic position on the Palestinian cause “can never be compromised.”
El-Sisi said Egypt supported “the establishment of a Palestinian state” and was “determined to work with President Trump, who seeks to achieve the desired peace based on the two-state solution.”
“We believe that President Trump is capable of fulfilling this long-awaited goal of establishing a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” he said.
After the Israel-Hamas ceasefire came into force on January 19, Trump touted a plan to “clean out” the Gaza Strip, reiterating the idea on Monday as he called for Palestinians to move to “safer” locations such as Egypt or Jordan.
Speaking to reporters on Monday evening, Trump said that he hoped El-Sisi “would take some” Gazans.
“We helped them a lot, and I’m sure he’d help us,” he said.
“As they say, it’s a rough neighborhood, but I think he would do it, and I think the king of Jordan would do it too.”
Jordan too rejected the idea, saying: “Jordan is for Jordanians and Palestine is for Palestinians.”
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023 both countries have warned of plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza into neighboring Egypt and from the West Bank into Jordan.
El-Sisi has repeatedly warned that such a displacement would “eradicate the case for Palestinian statehood.”
Egypt is a key Arab ally of the United States and was the only country besides Israel to receive an exemption from Trump’s foreign aid freeze this week.