EU provides 6m euro to fund SPF program

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The European Union (EU) will provide 6 million euro (US$8.7 million) in grants to finance technical assistance under its Small Projects Facility (SPF) program in Indonesia next year.

"This will be our seventh SPF program -- we hope we can launch it by the end of next year," project officer for economic cooperation of the EU Juan Casla said Wednesday after the announcement of the completion of the union's fourth SPF program.

He said the next technical assistance projects would, as in the past, be given to private or government organizations which promote trade relations with European countries.

"For next year, we will likely choose business associations as the main recipients for the projects so that they can improve their capacity," Casla said.

He said he hoped after taking parts in the programs, business associations could share their knowledge with their respective members.

Casla said the SPF formed a part of the European Commission's 28 million euro grant allocated for the economic reform program for the period of 2003-2006.

He said during this period, the SPF had provided grants amounting to 5.77 million euro across 40 projects, including for the improvement of investment and business climates, export promotion, infrastructure, capacity building of small to medium enterprises, agriculture, marine and fisheries, business networking between the EU and Indonesia and good governance.

"Currently we have six SPF programs ongoing until the first semester of 2008," he said.

Casla said the nine projects selected under the fourth program had already met the EU's expectations, although though the results were not the same. (tif)