EU Ambassador: 200 CEOs confirmed participation in the Jordanian-European Investment Conference

He added that the preparations have not been affected by the regional situation, emphasizing that the conference has already been rescheduled once after it was originally scheduled for April, and that the EU does not want current developments to disrupt the preparation for it.

A portfolio worth $15 billion

The ambassador said that the Jordanian government is continuing promotional tours in European capitals to present an investment portfolio worth $15 billion distributed across multiple sectors.

He explained that a number of projects are now ready for investment, particularly in energy and the digital sector, while other projects are still under discussion.

He pointed out that these tours aim to communicate directly with the European private sector and raise the level of interest in Jordanian projects.

Chatzisavvas said that results are beginning to show, with more than 100 European CEOs registering to participate in the conference.

Tangible deals

The ambassador confirmed that he expects the announcement of "tangible deals" during the conference, especially in the digital and energy sectors, including green energy and green hydrogen, and transportation.

He also pointed to water and artificial intelligence as sectors of interest, explaining that some deals will receive European support.

The ambassador said that the national water carrier project is one of the projects close to completion, expressing hope that it will be completed by mid-November.

He added: "We hope to have completed the national carrier by mid-November".

Chatzisavvas said that the European Union is working on a support package that it wants to announce in conjunction with the conference, explaining that the package will include "grants and loans", in addition to the possibility of mixing public funds with private investments.

He added that the Union is also working on a tool aimed at enhancing investor confidence in the economic, legal, and business environment in Jordan.

He said that the success of the investment conference requires a tangible financial and investment offer that the private sector can respond to, along with a contribution from the public sector that makes the projects feasible.

3 billion euros

The ambassador explained that the three billion euro package under the Comprehensive and Strategic Partnership Agreement includes a loan, grants, and investments.

He said that the total financial assistance package consists of two tranches of 500 million euros each, totaling one billion euros, noting that a payment was made at the beginning of the year, in addition to the disbursement of 150 million euros on September 10.

Chatzisavvas said that the 500 million tranche has been approved and is being implemented, while work is underway on the memorandum of understanding for the second tranche, adding that the full one billion euros is "on the execution line".

He explained that the grants are being implemented gradually over three years, while the investment conference will be a test of the EU's ability to mobilize investments, grants, and investment loans within the package.

He confirmed that the implementation is "on track", even without counting the national water carrier project.

The ambassador stressed that the investment conference is "not the end of the road" or "the end of the journey", affirming the need to establish a serious mechanism to review commitments and follow up on what is actually being implemented.

Support for religious tourism

Chatzisavvas said that the Union is implementing a 10 million euro project to support the preservation of the sites of Machaerus and Abela, as part of a broader program aimed at developing sites, products, and policies related to tourism in the Kingdom.

He explained that the program also includes support for civil society organizations, along with a twinning program with the Ministry of Tourism that allows for the exchange of experiences, practices, and policies between European and Jordanian employees.

He said that the cooperation includes how to attract tourists, dealing with civil aviation, designing tourism packages, as well as developing the regulatory framework, products, policies, and sites.

He stressed that the current phase must focus on implementation, saying: "It's not just about announcing the money. We now need to work on the sites and ensure that we deliver on what we have committed to".

The ambassador spoke about the concert organized in Machaerus, saying that the goal was not just to hold an event, but to use the event to build the image of the site and promote it.

He explained that the initial goal was to attract two thousand Jordanians, while the number of attendees reached three thousand. He said: "It's a way to build the identity of the site. A way to market the site".

The ambassador said that a lot of work is required at the site of Emmaus, particularly in terms of accessibility and tourist traffic management, adding that the management of visitor flow to the site can be improved and the government has established a joint committee to work on ideas related to developing the tourism brand for Jordan.

Chatzisavvas said that one of the main challenges facing Jordanian tourism is that many tourism programs sold abroad place Jordan within regional packages that include other destinations, emphasizing that Jordan, especially in the European market, needs to focus more on marketing itself as a standalone destination.

He said: "The effort that Jordan needs to make, especially towards Europeans, is to market Jordan as it is: a standalone destination".

He added that Jordan deserves a ten-day visit program, mentioning Aqaba, Wadi Rum, Petra, Mount Nebo, Machaerus, the Baptism Site, Umm Qais, Ajloun, Jerash, and Shoubak.