WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1976/96 by Maren GÜNTHER to the Commission. Flow of information on funding from ECHO to NGOs in all Member States
Date: 1996-07-12
Institutions: European Parliament, GUENTHER
Subjects: aid programme, dissemination of information, humanitarian aid, man-made disaster, natural disaster, non-governmental organisation













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91996E1976

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1976/96 by Maren GÜNTHER to the Commission. Flow of information on funding from ECHO to NGOs in all Member States  


Official Journal C 322 , 28/10/1996 P. 0108 





WRITTEN QUESTION P-1976/96 by Maren Günther (PPE) to the Commission (12 July 1996)Subject: Flow of information on funding from ECHO to NGOs in all Member StatesWhen ECHO decides to make funds available in emergencies to NGOs for humanitarian actions, this information often does not reach NGOs in outlying Member States. As a result, the NGOs concerned are clearly under represented in EC humanitarian aid contracts.What practical steps will the Commission be taking to ensure the reliable and rapid provision of information immediately following funding decisions, particularly to NGOs in outlying Member States, so that the latter are not disadvantaged by their geographical situation and have the same opportunity to submit applications as NGOs represented in or around Belgium?Answer given by Ms Bonino on behalf of the Commission (31 July 1996)In recent years the Commission has tried to broaden its network of partners to include NGOs from all Member States.To this end, working and information meetings have been held in a number of Member States to provide details of the Commission's procedures. In addition, and there are now far more ways for these organizations to join forces with the Commission to carry out humanitarian operations. To date, over 170 framework partnership contracts have been concluded with NGOs and other bodies, many of them from the new Member States.However, activities must be grounded in the principles set out in Council Regulation No 1257/96 on humanitarian aid. ((OJ L 163, 2 July 1996. )) Articles 1 and 2, in particular, set out the goals of such aid. These are to save and protect lives and bring relief to people affected by crisis in instances where local authorities cannot do the job themselves or do not even exist. In addition, Article 7(2) of the Regulation lays down the eligibility criteria for NGOs.As was pointed out in response to the Honourable Member's oral question, H-376/96, asked at question time during last June's part-session, ((Parliament debate (June 1996). )) this means that the Commission tries to seek out those partners best able to meet the vital needs of victims of natural or man-made disasters.The Commission will continue to help involve NGOs from countries which do not have a long tradition of humanitarian assistance and therefore lack experience. The inclusion of NGOs in structures such as those offered by 'Voice' could prove useful. Another solution is to draw on the opportunities the Regulation provides for exchanges of technical and other knowledge between European humanitarian aid bodies or between them and their representative bodies.