The European Commission has allocated €200 million to help reform Afghanistan's justice sector and pay salaries of judges and the police, a statement said today.
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner will announce the commitment in Rome tomorrow at a UN conference on promoting the rule of law in Afghanistan.
The funds are part of a package of €610 million of assistance for 2007-10 the EU executive announced in January.
The Rome conference is to adopt an action plan for the Afghan justice sector, identifying gaps and issues to be addressed by different donors and a future funding mechanism.
The commission funding will go to training and recruitment in the justice sector and assistance for salaries within the sector and the police.
US officials have urged the EU to do more to help speed up training of Afghan police and other law officials needed to combat widespread corruption and the drugs trade, which analysts say fuel the Taliban insurgency.
EU capitals agreed last year to expand a 50-strong German police training operation into a full EU-led mission. The bloc launched a three-year programme involving 160 personnel last month.