Page 20 - IRANRptMay19

EU provides €18mn in aid to Iran to offset the impact of US sanctions
The Iranian announcement was made following a meeting of the Supreme Council of Economic Coordination, chaired by President Hassan Rouhani. The Council’s composition includes senior cabinet members, as well as the heads of the judiciary and parliament.
The European Union on August 23 decided to provide €18mn in aid to Iran to offset the impact of US sanctions. “This is a package that will help both sides have communication with each other and it doesn’t have anything to do with the nuclear agreement and other hype,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, according to ISNA.
The European funding is part of a wider package of €50mn earmarked in the EU budget for Iran. The aid will be split between Iran’s private sector, environmental projects and fighting harm caused by drugs. About $9.26mn will support Iranian small and medium sized enterprises as well as Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization. Another $9.26mn will support environmental efforts and $2.3mn will counter the effects of drug use.
6.0 Public Sector 6.1 Budget
Hard-pressed Iranian state workers promised Persian new year pay rise by vice president
State workers in Iran who have felt the brunt of the collapse in value of the Iranian rial (IRR) have been promised a pay rise at the start of the 2018/2019 Persian year (starts March 21, 2019) by Iranian Vice President Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, according to Banker Magazine.
Such workers largely have fixed and generally low-paid salaries, thus they have particularly suffered during the severe devaluation of the currency—presently running at around 60% against the dollar in the year to date—brought about by the sanctions-led economic attack mounted against Iran by the US. In dollar terms, the average salary in Iran in January, prior to the onset of the currency woes, worked out at around $750 per month, compared to the $180 it is worth now.
Nobakht, who is also the head of Iran’s Plan and Budget Organisation, reportedly said: “We have enacted a draft law on raising the salaries of state
20 IRAN Country Report May 2019 www.intellinews.com