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The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) was established in 1992 to show the EU’s commitment to support individuals in crisis worldwide.

Initially serving as the EU’s humanitarian aid office, DG ECHO has delivered assistance for over three decades, leveraging its extensive field network and partnerships with humanitarian organisations.

In 2010, DG ECHO expanded its scope by incorporating civil protection to enhance coordination and disaster response within and beyond Europe. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre are the instruments that facilitate this integration.

Civil protection and humanitarian aid operate in a complementary manner. The EU collaborates with Member States regarding humanitarian assistance, positioning itself as a leading global donor. It has a field network of over 400 experts and offices in more than 40 countries.

As humanitarian needs continue to rise globally, the EU maintains its commitment to supporting those in need by adopting its initial annual budget of €1.8 billion for 2024.

The 2024 budget allocation is 30% for Sub-Saharian Africa, 26% for Middle East and North Africa, 22% without a specific geographical allocation, 16% for Asia, Latino America, Pacific and Caribbean, and 6% for Ukraine, Western Balkans, and Caucasus.

Focusing on the Middle East crisis, the position of the EU was clear since the beginning: “The EU has unequivocally condemned, in the strongest possible terms, the violent and indiscriminate terrorist attacks across Israel carried out on 7 October 2023 by Hamas. It has expressed its solidarity with Israel and emphasised its right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law. It has equally reiterated the importance of ensuring the protection of all civilians at all times in line with international humanitarian law. In the aftermath of these attacks, the humanitarian situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has sharply deteriorated due to the continued intensification of hostilities and the consequent Israeli military operation, along with the blockade of Gaza.” 

Despite the open condemnation of the Hamas’ terrorist attacks, the EU has continued to support the population in need in the Gaza Strip by quadrupling its humanitarian support to over 103 million in 2023, launching an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operation to bring lifesaving supplies to humanitarian organisations on the ground in Gaza and stepped up humanitarian aid for Palestinians for 2024. As of July 2024, thanks to the Humanitarian Air Bridge, at least 58 flights have delivered over 2,800 tonnes of aid. The operations aim to facilitate the prepositioning of aid in support of the fast delivery of assistance to people in need in Gaza.

From a diplomatic point of view, the EU is committed to a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution through reinvigorated efforts in the Middle East Peace Process.

The EU is continuing its networking work with regional leaders and its diplomatic efforts by calling for the protection of civilians in line with international humanitarian law, increasing its humanitarian engagement in the region, calling for dialogue between Israel and its neighbours to continue to keep stability and peace in the area, and seeking a long-term solution that brings peace and security to everyone.

Nevertheless, the current escalation, with Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, seems to add another layer of complexity to an already challenging peace process in the region, posing many doubts and uncertainties to the calls for peace and stability coming from the EU. On 23 September, the EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell confirmed such concerns stating that the escalation “threatens to plunge the Middle East into a full-scale war”, adding that “Everyone has to use all their capabilities to stop this”.

Sources:

Humanitarian aid – European Commission (europa.eu)

The Middle East crisis – European Commission (europa.eu)

Nearly a full-fledged war in Lebanon, EU’s Borrell says | Reuters

Written by: Cristina Ceccarelli