Humanitarian Aid as an Integral Part of the EU's External Action: The Challenge of Reconciling Coherence and Independence (original) (raw)
Related papers
The article focuses on the European Union’s (EU) humanitarian aid policy. It addresses the challenge for the EU to deliver independent humanitarian aid while simultaneously seeking to establish more coherence between its external policies.The article examines how the EU tries to reconcile these potentially conflicting policy goals, both de jure and in practice. Empirically, it explores the interaction between EU humanitarian aid and development cooperation, the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and trade policy. While the independence of the humanitarian aid delivery is, for the most part, not being undermined, it remains difficult to establish positive synergies with other external poli-cies because of institutional hurdles and legal constraints, as well as political obstacles and operational incompatibilities.
Orbie et al 2014 - Humanitarian Aid and Coherence - JCCM
The article focuses on the European Union's (EU) humanitarian aid policy. It addresses the challenge for the EU to deliver independent humanitarian aid while simultaneously seeking to establish more coherence between its external policies.The article examines how the EU tries to reconcile these potentially conflicting policy goals, both de jure and in practice. Empirically, it explores the interaction between EU humanitarian aid and development cooperation, the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and trade policy. While the independence of the humanitarian aid delivery is, for the most part, not being undermined, it remains difficult to establish positive synergies with other external policies because of institutional hurdles and legal constraints, as well as political obstacles and operational incompatibilities.
Beyond Principles vs. Politics: Humanitarian Aid in the EU, ARENA Working Paper 11/2014
Against a background of a generally perceived trend towards the politicization of humanitarian aid, this paper reviews recent policies by the European Commission as one of the biggest donors of humanitarian aid worldwide. It aims to show how the European Union’s (EU’s) Comprehensive Approach and the Resilience Strategy, in particular, contribute to the politicization of humanitarian aid. The paper contributes a new perspective on the politicization of humanitarian aid with a focus on contestation about fundamental humanitarian principles - neutrality, impartiality and independence - in policy-making. It therewith challenges the common wisdom that the EU’s humanitarian aid is void of any political or security interest. Contestation between different stakeholders reveals that humanitarian aid is being politicized, despite the EU’s strong commitment to humanitarian principles, as its policies blur the lines between humanitarian aid, security and development cooperation. The paper also highlights the role of non-governmental organizations in challenging and influencing this particular part of EU foreign policy.
HUMANITARIAN AID POLICIES WITHIN THE EUROPEAN UNION EXTERNAL ACTION
Journal of Liberty and International Affairs, 2018
The aim of this paper is to analyse the independence, neutrality and impartiality of the EU humanitarian assistance and to which extent is influenced by the EU's political, economic and military goals. The paper focuses on the legislative framework and the interactions between the main actors of EU humanitarian aid and external action, questioning the politicization of EU humanitarian aid. The paper provides a detailed analysis of the structure and organization of the Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations and its relations to the Member States, different EU bodies and humanitarian partners, primarily NGOs and UN bodies. The last part of the paper addresses the Comprehensive Approach and how it affects humanitarian aid.
EU Humanitarian Aid: Lessons identified and the way forward
European Parliamentary Research Service, European Parliament, 2018
The new uncertain geopolitical context has had a far-reaching impact, including on European Union (EU) humanitarian aid. The EU has faced a rising number of terrorist attacks across Europe that has created an atmosphere of fear, while the United Kingdom (UK)'s decision to withdraw from the EU has challenged the European project as we know it. The EU institutions and its Member States, as well as international institutions have been challenged in their response to refugees seeking asylum, and to the humanitarian crises in the Mediterranean. Equally, the election of President Trump has ushered in a new era of United States (US) unilateralism, creating a gap on the global agenda. This briefing aims to provide an assessment of recent developments in the area of EU humanitarian aid and outline elements that would be pertinent to consider in policy-making when reflecting on how to move forward on the post-2020 architecture of the EU external financing instruments, which affect EU humanitarian aid, and the needs surrounding the new EU budget.
Politicization of Humanitarian Aid in the European Union, European Foreign Affairs Review, 2015
Against a background of a generally perceived trend towards the politicization of humanitarian aid, this article reviews recent policies by the European Commission as one of the biggest donors of humanitarian aid worldwide. It aims to show how the European Union’s Comprehensive Approach and the Resilience Strategy, in particular, contribute to the politicization of humanitarian aid. Thereby the article focuses on contestation about fundamental humanitarian principles – neutrality, impartiality and independence – in policy-making. It challenges the common wisdom that the EU’s humanitarian aid is void of any political or security interest. Contestation between different stakeholders reveals that humanitarian aid is being politicized, despite the EU’s strong commitment to humanitarian principles, as its policies blur the lines between humanitarian aid, security and development cooperation. The article also highlights the role of non-governmental organizations in challenging and influencing this particular part of EU foreign policy.
The Eu and Humanitarian Action: Breaking Down Boundaries!
2013
This paper explores EU processes of integrating humanitarian institutions, organizations and actors across Europe; their impact on humanitarian space and actors outside the Union, and the dynamics of such on EU states such as Ireland. With the creation of the EEC/EU it has consistently promoted eradication of internal boundaries, and fostered dynamics of building EU relationships with third party states; reinventing maps of Europe and perceptions. Programs and projects have been established that aim at strategically influencing various contexts outside EU territory in which the Union seeks to be involved as an entity; for instance in the sphere of humanitarian space with ECHO (European Commission Humanitarian Office) and EUROPEAID. New interconnections between inner and outer spheres of the Union have been built impacting on people and places. This is creating and reinforcing transnational partnerships at various levels, including EU and national administrations, associations, NGOs ...
Humanitarian aid and european defence: Legal status and budget allocations
Humanitarian relief is a significant issue and a prominent concern for actors in our societies, particularly non-governmental organisations, governments, and individuals, as the ongoing crisis in Ukraine has demonstrated. Many people do not have access to basic supplies and could have to move due to natural or man-made disasters. The European Union (EU) has responded by devoting significant resources in line with its responsibility to aid those in need (European Commission, n.d.-c). Nevertheless, how does the EU distribute aid, and under what criteria does it operate? This article analyses the internal humanitarian aid system of the EU by looking at the key organisations responsible for managing these programmes and the funding structure that supports them. Moreover, it will address the fundamental principles that guide the EU's assistance distribution strategy to guarantee that aid reaches the most disadvantaged. Although, the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine emphasises the need for adequate assistance, it is simply one aspect of a global issue. This article will also evaluate the EU's role in the global humanitarian arena, highlighting its continuous efforts to maximise the effectiveness of its assistance in an international context where crises are happening increasingly often.
Towards more effective global humanitarian action. How the EU can contribute.pdf
The World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) responds to the need to adapt the humanitarian system in order to make humanitarian action more efficient and effective in keeping pace with the rapidly changing context of emergencies. Providing an important stepping stone in the European Union (EU) preparations for the WHS, the study assesses where the key challenges lie in the four thematic areas selected for the Summit: humanitarian effectiveness; reducing vulnerability and managing risk; transformation through innovation; and serving the needs of people in conflict. The study underlies the potential for the EU to take a leadership role in the process and influence the WHS outcome. ECHO´s new need assessment tools and the Linking Relief Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD) as well as Resilience approaches offer a framework for responding to the challenges posed by protracted crises. This study recommends that the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid should be applied as a model for a 'Global Consensus on Humanitarian Action' or a 'Global Compact' recognising the diversity of today's humanitarian response system while taking advantage of all actors' complementary role. Furthermore, the EU and member states must commit to placing protection at the centre of humanitarian action and ensure that the EU´s humanitarian aid is not regarded as a crisis management tool and a foreign policy instrument.