Interview with the head of the European Union Delegation to Jordan Ambassador Maria Hadjitheodosiou

 

Q:  The EU's founding values are 'human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities': we are glad to have with us at Radio al Balad her excellency Maria Hadjitheodosiou head of the European Union Delegation to Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We are glad to have you here. What makes this a special year for Jordan

 

A: Actually, the relations between the EU and Jordan began 40 years ago and this is what we are marking this year. We are celebrating forty years of our relations. This is a “strong and divers” relationship and as we have done in the past we in the European Union will continue to be a big supporter of Jordan. This was the message that the EU high representative Federica Mogherini delivered to His Majesty and the Prime Minister in October and we look forward for visits of the new EU commissioner to Jordan in the near future.

Q: What are the main areas of cooperation, what are the values you hope to emphasis?

Our cooperation is based on the Jordan EU partnership priorities, this was agreed to between the European Union and its member states and the government of Jordan. The main objectives that we have agreed together is to support the macro-economic stability and sustainable and knowledge-based growth: we know Jordan is going through economic difficulty and we are here to support the programs that the government has announced namely to support growth and to increase employment. Our programs include strengthening democratic governance, the rule of law and human rights,  and of course, last but not least, supporting Jordan for regional stability and security, including the fight against terrorism. You are in a turbulent part of the world and everybody acknowledges that, and we are here to support you. Also, we will continue to support Jordan through the special fund for Syrian refugees and host communities.

 

Q: You mentioned Jordan’s economic challenges, you said that you are supporting Kingdom and refugees, what are the  future plans in this regard?

A: We are doing a few things. In the next years we have decided on 4th of December to adopt a new package that  supports refugees and local host communities in Jordan and other countries in the region. For Jordan we will continue to support the work on the Madad Fund that includes some 20 projects. In addition, we are supporting solid waste management projects, and we will support the Palestine refugees from Syria who are in Jordan. We will support schools and health program.

Q:  You recently participated in the Himam conference on the status of human rights in Jordan. How do you evaluate the status of human rights? Is Jordan abiding by article two of its treaty with the EU in regard to the state of human rights?

A: As part of what we are doing, we are helping the government develop legislation relating to the protection and support of human rights. At the same time, we recognize the role that civil society can play in this regard. Civil society can reach out to parliament, ministries in order to get political support for different demands that exists. Jordan already has signed to a lot of international human rights commitments. This is not something that the government is not aware of. It is a long process and we recognize that, there is a lot of consideration given that security situation in the region. We will continue to insist on as this is part of the European Union values and our principles.

Q: What do you look forward to in the next four years?

A: It is quite a busy time: I am looking forward to work with everybody. My mandate is to continue bringing the relationship with Jordan to be stronger. My personal side I would like to see more role for youth and women and to take in the decision-making process in society. They make up a huge part of the society and they should be supported.





 

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