Humanitarian Issues: the EU Perspective

• Main Author: Alberto Navarro
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) 2000-05-01
• Series: Revista CIDOB d'Afers Internacionals
• Online Access: http://www.cidob.org/en/content/download/5355/53283/file/49navarro.pdf

The European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and the 15 membercountries of the EU provide more than 50% of the humanitarian aid worldwide: ECHO assigns more than 90% of its budget (only 0.9% of the Community’s total) to victims of man-made conflicts. For the author, the experience of ECHO shows the "limits of what is humanitarian": that is, the lack of security for humanitarian workers, the still-to-beoperational Permanent Tribunal for Crimes Against Humanity, the difficult access to refugees, and the fact that humanitarian efforts are not a substitute for policy and, therefore, that humanitarian efforts can not resolve a crisis that has a political origin and solution. The challenges to be faced in the coming years include denouncing the violations of humanitarian values, transferring these values into a future CFSP, organizing humanitarian aid efficiently, combating “donor fatigue” and supporting conflict prevention.