On 31 May, the EU made a contribution of €15 million to the payment of May salaries and pensions of nearly 56.000 Palestinian civil servants and pensioners in the West Bank. The assistance is funded by the EU as part of its Direct Financial Support to the Palestinian Authority channelled through the PEGASE mechanism (launched in 2008 to support the PA Reform and Development Plan). Tomas Niklasson, the Deputy EU Representative, expressed the EU’s clear expectation “that economic and fiscal agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority should continue to be fully implemented, including Israel’s obligations under the Paris Protocol.” He also added that “a functioning Palestinian Authority that delivers health, education and security to millions of Palestinians is in the interest of all sides.”