European Parliament resolution on the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament: Assessment and future of Community humanitarian activities (Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/96) (COM(1999) 468 - C5-0044/2000 - 2000/2016(COS))
Date: 2000-09-05
Institutions: Committee on Development, European Parliament
Subjects: ECHO, EU programme, administration of the Institutions, aid policy, humanitarian aid

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11.
Proposes that the Commission submit to Parliament for debate a redrawn map of its external dele-
gations, as part of the process of converting them into Community delegations, with due regard for the
Community’s interests in the various states concerned;

Coordination between delegations and the Member States’ external services

Proposes that joint reports be drawn up by the embassies of the Member States (particularly that of

12.
the Presidency-in-Office) and the delegation concerned, as a joint statement of their views;

13.
Takes the view that joint Community diplomacy should guarantee the European Union’s coordi-
nated representation in international bodies such as the UN, the IMF, the OSCE, the Council of Europe
and similar organisations and in regional fora in South America, Central America, Africa, etc.;

14.
Proposes that the High Representative for the CFSP present an annual report to the Council and the
European Parliament on the results of coordinating the positions of the Member States in international
organisations;

15.
Proposes that information to the Council and, thus, through the Council to the national govern-
ments, and to the European Parliament, be supplied on a joint basis (particularly in the case of representa-
tions to international organisations where duplication of effort could be reduced);

16.
Proposes that arrangements be made for combining the diplomatic missions of states which so
desire with the Commission delegations, resulting in improved coordination of external activities and
lower costs deriving from the sharing of infrastructures;

17.
Proposes that Member States which so wish be encouraged to use the current Commission delega-
tions in third countries in which they have no diplomatic representation and assign to them one of their
own diplomats who, in addition to contributing to the development of the Community’s external policy,
would be responsible for maintaining bilateral relations;

18.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the Council.

*

*

*

5. Community humanitarian activities

A5-0191/2000

European Parliament resolution on the communication from the Commission to the Council and
the European Parliament: Assessment and future of Community humanitarian activities (Article 20
of Regulation (EC) No 1257/96) (COM(1999) 468 + C5-0044/2000 + 2000/2016(COS))

The European Parliament,

7 having regard to the communication from the Commission (COM(1999) 468 7 C5-0044/2000),

7 having regard to the evaluation report on Community humanitarian aid operations provided for by

Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/96,

7 having regard to Rule 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

7 having regard to the report of the Committee on Development and Cooperation and the opinion of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (A5-0191/
2000),

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A. whereas the assistance and aid required by peoples in distress and victims of natural disasters or con-
flicts or other similar events represents an essential part of the European Union’s identity as perceived
from outside,

B. whereas the profile of the European Union has shifted from that of ‘donor’ to ‘responsive organisation’

looking for a more direct involvement in disaster response,

C. whereas in the 1990s serious crises 7 both natural and man-made disasters 7 have multiplied, and
catastrophes have in particular affected the most vulnerable sections of the population, especially
women, elderly people and the very young,

D. whereas the European Union has increased its humanitarian aid significantly, and is currently the
largest donor worldwide and the main provider of funds for United Nations organisations; whereas
there is, however, a considerable imbalance in the distribution of resources to the disadvantage of
countries outside Europe, particularly developing countries,

E. whereas the European Union’s humanitarian office (ECHO) is the only department in the Commission

that is actually able to react flexibly to emergency needs,

F. whereas, according to the summary and conclusions of the evaluation report drawn up pursuant to
Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 1257/96, ECHO’s interventions have been relevant and useful;
whereas ECHO can be proud of achievements which are quite satisfactory in the view of other bodies
operating in the humanitarian and rehabilitation fields,

G. whereas,

in the absence of sufficiently flexible alternative instruments within the Commission,

in
recent years ECHO has become more and more involved in post-emergency (‘grey zone’) interventions
of a longer duration; whereas, without a restructuring and clarification of the duties of the depart-
ments involved, this type of intervention is likely to prove increasingly unsustainable for the Office,

H. whereas, more generally, the powers and responsibilities of Commission departments for external
affairs (including development and humanitarian aid) must be clarified as a matter of urgency, and
there must be increased coordination between departments,

I. whereas more consistency and coordination is required in ECHO’s management and an adequate sys-
tem for monitoring the quality of results is needed, specifically one that makes use of performance
indicators,

J. whereas ECHO has proportionately smaller staff numbers than other Commission departments and

Member States, inadequate for the scale of the tasks it has to accomplish,

K. whereas disaster preparedness and conflict prevention, indispensable elements of humanitarian policy,

should play a more prominent role in ECHO’s operations,

L. whereas the humanitarian aid provided by ECHO is almost unknown among the general public in
Europe and is not associated with the European Union by beneficiaries, particularly when used to
fund programmes implemented via United Nations agencies,

Calls on the Commission to overcome confusion and uncertainty by unambiguously opting for a

1.
strategy for the future of stepping up the humanitarian aid policy entrusted to ECHO;

Asks the Commission to submit to Parliament and the Council a clear strategy on the role that the
2.
humanitarian aid supplied by ECHO should play within external and development policies; stresses that
this strategy should specifically include a general but not inflexible definition of ECHO’s tasks and its
framework of activities, as well as those of the Commission’s development and external affairs depart-
ments, in order to ensure consistency, complementarity and coordination in the field of foreign policy
and its implementation and to avoid duplication of effort and parallel structures;

3.
Requests in particular an increase in the administrative and financial capacities necessary for carrying
out reorganisation and rehabilitation tasks in post-emergency situations, and immediate clarification of
ECHO’s responsibilities, bearing in mind the need both for flexible rapid reaction instruments and also
long-term planning;

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Calls on the Commission and the Council to create a system for overall coordination of all the

4.
donors involved in humanitarian aid at an international level;

Asks the Commission and the Council to give ECHO the function of a coordinating platform for all
5.
the Member States’ emergency aid services at times of major natural disasters or other serious crises; simi-
larly, asks the Commission and the Member States to endeavour to make their humanitarian aid more
complementary;

Considers that disaster preparedness is a horizontal element which must be integrated into all Eur-
6.
opean development and technical cooperation programmes; takes the view in this context that the Com-
mission should give increased priority to encouraging capacity building in vulnerable countries;

Notes that the funds available for conflict prevention and disaster preparedness (DIPECHO) are inade-

7.
quate to achieve their aim;

Asks the Commission and the Council to review the distribution of humanitarian aid funds in order

8.
to achieve a better balance in favour of developing countries;

9.

Asks the Commission, with regard to the management of ECHO, to take the following specific steps:

7 increase internal coordination and coordination with the other Commission departments involved in

crisis situations,

7 set clear and measurable objectives for all operations,

7 make systematic use of performance indicators in programming, planning and managing projects, and

also in internal administration,

7 set up a systematic procedure for monitoring the quality of results,

7 carry out a restructuring of personnel using more flexible, ad hoc recruitment rules, enabling experi-
enced staff to be taken on and more responsibility to be given to staff not covered by the staff regula-
tions,

7 introduce a training programme in humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation, making use of the les-

sons learnt to improve staff skills and enhance institutional expertise,

7 decentralise responsibility towards staff located in the field and ensure that delegations are strength-
ened in countries facing major humanitarian crises, so as to provide administrative support and closer
monitoring of operations while ensuring an adequate level of representation on the part of the Com-
mission;

calls on the Commission, in this context, to take account of gender-related factors, particularly in relation
to the use of performance indicators, the assessment of project results and the knowledge required at
recruitment and in professional training;

10.
Considers that preference should be given to the NGO system and the associations of civil society
which promote human rights and efforts towards a lasting peace when partners are chosen to carry out
humanitarian intervention tasks, since these organisations have proved to be efficient and effective;

11.
Considers that, with regard to cooperation with partners, ECHO must maintain a flexible approach,
taking into account the relevant capacities of the organisations involved and avoiding encouraging coop-
eration with a limited number of major partners; supports the incorporation of international humanitarian
law and human rights into the design and implementation of humanitarian aid, placing particular empha-
sis on the fundamental rights of women and children; stresses, however, that incorporating this dimension
by no means amounts to introducing any conditionality on humanitarian aid; asks the Commission to
coordinate the activities of the humanitarian aid and human rights departments and to promote coopera-
tion with NGOs in this field;

12.
Urges the Commission to take the appropriate steps to put a stop to the increased politicisation of
humanitarian assistance and the way this is taking the place of European Union foreign policy, because
humanitarian assistance should essentially address the effects of crisis, be they the result of a natural dis-
aster or a conflict, and not its causes;

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13.
Considers it necessary to carry out research on the interdependence between mankind’s interference
in the ecological system, military and civil conflicts, economic and social inequity on the one hand and the
frequency, intensity and regional distribution of natural disasters, civil wars and military conflicts on the
other hand;

14.
Requests a strengthening of ECHO’s strategy for communicating with the outside; suggests that the
Commission carry out an information campaign to ensure that the humanitarian aid supplied by ECHO is
recognised by the general public as one of the European Union’s strengths; urges that this campaign
should be given a special budget for this purpose;

15.
Calls on the Commission and the Member States to back the efforts made to ensure that the Eur-
opean Union’s presence and influence in international organisations are more representative of its political
strength and the extent of its contribution to humanitarian aid;

16.

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and Council.