EU humanitarian aid instrument

SUMMARY OF:

Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 on humanitarian aid

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

• EU humanitarian aid seeks to provide assistance, relief and protection to people affected by natural or manmade disasters and similar emergencies. The focus is on the most vulnerable victims.
• This regulation sets out the main goals, principles and procedures for implementing EU humanitarian aid operations.

KEY PRIORITIES

Principles

EU assistance must be:

• based on real needs;
• directed at people in distress, regardless of nationality, religion, gender, age, ethnic origin or political affiliation;
• based on international humanitarian principles and the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid.

Beneficiaries

EU assistance is coordinated by the European Commission's department for Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

The funding is intended for countries outside the EU.

Sectors covered

Humanitarian aid can be provided in many forms, each depending on the nature of the crisis, including:

• food and nutritional support;
• medical assistance and psycho-social support;
• water supplies and sanitation;
• shelter;
• emergency repairs to infrastructure;
• demining;
• education.

Humanitarian aid can also address disaster risk reduction.

Financing

The EU, together with its member countries, is the world’s leading humanitarian aid donor. In 2014, some 121 million people from over 80 countries received help from the EU, amounting to over €1.27 billion.

This provided relief in all major crisis regions around the world, including Syria, South Sudan, Yemen and Ukraine.

Coordination with partners

EU humanitarian aid is implemented through over 200 partner organisations, such as United Nations agencies, international organisations like the Red Cross and many non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

To receive funding for a humanitarian project, partner organisations submit funding proposals and follow strict guidelines for evaluating and monitoring projects.

Partners must acknowledge the EU’s support by displaying the EU visual identity at project sites.

And they must closely coordinate their projects, to ensure the assistance is prompt and efficient.

Long-term action

Humanitarian aid is also deployed to boost resilience to future shocks, by providing longer-term development benefits, in line with:

• the EU approach to resilience;
• this EU policy paper on Relief, rehabilitation and development.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

It has applied since 5 July 1996.

BACKGROUND

For more information, see:

• Humanitarian aid;
• Humanitarian aid factsheet.

MAIN DOCUMENT

Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid (OJ L 163, 2.7.1996, pp. 1–6)

Successive amendments to Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 have been incorporated in the basic text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

last update 26.07.2016