COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL The mid-term review of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid Action Plan - implementing effective, principled EU humanitarian action
Date: 2010-12-08
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU policy, humanitarian aid, impact study, international organisation, international security

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EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 8.12.2010 
COM(2010) 722 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

The mid-term review of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid Action Plan - 
implementing effective, principled EU humanitarian action 

SEC(2010) 1505 final 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid1, signed by the Council, European Parliament 
and  European  Commission  in  2007,  is  the  comprehensive  policy  framework  governing  the 
European Union's humanitarian aid response. The Consensus outlines the common objectives, 
fundamental humanitarian principles (of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence) 
and good practices that the European Union as a whole pursues in this domain. The aim is to 
ensure  an  effective,  high-quality,  needs-driven  and  principled  EU  response  to  humanitarian 
crises. The Consensus covers the whole spectrum of humanitarian action: from preparedness 
and  disaster  risk  reduction,  to  immediate  emergency  response  and  life-saving  aid  for 
vulnerable  people  in  protracted  crises,  through  to  situations  of  transition  to  recovery  and 
longer-term  development.  It  sets  high  standards  for  humanitarian  action,  including  good 
donorship,  partnership,  EU  support  for  the  international  humanitarian  response  and  links  to 
other  actors  present  in  crisis  situations.  The  European  Consensus  remains  the  reference  for 
EU humanitarian aid, has gained the recognition and respect of the humanitarian community 
inside and outside the EU, and has created political momentum for enhancement of EU joint 
efforts in this domain over the past three years. 

Since  2007,  the  EU  has  provided  humanitarian  assistance  primarily  through  funding  of 
humanitarian partner organisations to deliver aid directly to people in need across the globe to 
ensure  life-saving  interventions,  protection  and  preparedness.  Together,  EU  Member  States 
and  the  European  Commission  account  for  a  substantial  share  of  overall  humanitarian  aid, 
some 45-50 per cent of the total over the past three years. In 2009 the EU provided $US 4.25 
billion  (€3.12  billion)  of  the  total  $US  9.45  bi llion  (€6.93  billion)  of  official  humanitarian 
aid2. The past three years have continued to see the need for large-scale interventions in a few 
protracted  crisis  situations  (such  as  Sudan,  DRC  and  Somalia);  the  need  to  react  swiftly  to 
rapidly  deteriorating  conflict-related  humanitarian  crises  (for  example  in  Georgia,  Gaza, 
Kyrgyzstan  and  Sri  Lanka);  and  to  help  prepare  for  and  respond  to  a  growing  number  of 
natural  disasters..  However  at  the  same  time  the  humanitarian  operating  environment, 
particularly in a small number of conflict zones, is ever more challenging, with humanitarian 
workers'  safety  and  security  an  increasing  concern.  Large-scale  natural  disasters,  (e.g.  the 
Haiti  earthquake  and  Pakistan  flooding  in  2010)  have  required  a  massive  international 
response  to  meet  basic  humanitarian  needs  and  to  pave  the  way  for  recovery.  The  EU  has 
responded swiftly using both its humanitarian aid and civil protection instruments to assist in 
these emergencies. This complementarity of instruments in first response to natural disaster, 
in  line  with  the  Consensus  commitments  and  international  guidelines3,  is  an  important 
element of strengthened EU disaster response. The Commission has recently outlined specific 
recommendations for a reinforced approach to EU disaster response4.  

However, the bulk of the EU's humanitarian aid continues to support the victims of conflict-
related  crises  ("complex  emergencies"),  together  with  a  specific  focus  on  people-in-need  in 
'forgotten' humanitarian situations. Importantly, the provisions of the European Consensus on 
Humanitarian Aid cover both complex emergencies and natural disaster situations, whatever 
the scale, in order to contribute to meeting humanitarian needs.  

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Official Journal C 25/1 30.1.2008 
UN Financial Tracking Service Official = governmental aid 
cf section 3.6 
COM (2010) 600, 26.10.2010 

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This Communication seeks to reinforce the EU's collective commitment to working together 
to  implement  the  'European  Consensus  on  Humanitarian  Aid'  and  in  particular  the  practical 
measures included in its accompanying Action Plan5. Above all the Consensus encourages a 
coherent,  well-coordinated  and  effective  EU  humanitarian  response  that  builds  upon  the 
complementary contributions of the 27 EU Member States and the European Commission. In 
the  face  of  increased  vulnerability  in  the  poorest  parts  of  the  world,  continued  growth  in 
humanitarian needs and tight public spending in a period of economic downturn, the drive for 
the European Union to use its collective capacities and resources efficiently to ensure the best 
possible impact in aiding people confronted by humanitarian crisis is greater than ever. This is 
the  context  in  which  the  mid-term  review  of progress under the Consensus Action Plan  has 
been undertaken. 

The  mid-term  review  was  conducted  by  the  European  Commission  with  the  EU  Member 
States, and in consultation with the European Parliament and the main humanitarian partner 
organisations.  The  Action  Plan  covers  six  action  areas,  with  49  individual  actions  some  of 
which  were  intended  to  make  a  'one-off'  contribution  and  others  intended  to  bring  about  a 
gradual  on-going  shift  in  the  EU's  'humanitarian  business  practice'.  A  detailed  overview  of 
work  taken  forward  under  the  Action  Plan  to  date,  together  with  indications  of  further 
prioritisation  for  implementation  within  the  existing  action  areas,  is  presented  in  the 
accompanying  Staff  Working  Paper.  This  Communication  does  not  propose  a  revision  to 
the existing Action Plan, but rather a number of recommendations aimed at reinforcing EU-
wide implementation efforts. 

Strong EU commitment, together with a number of practical steps towards further enhancing 
the  implementation  of  the  European  Consensus,  is  needed  to  ensure  that  the  EU's  leading 
contribution to humanitarian aid is effective, coherent and more widely-acknowledged. 

2. 

PROGRESS  ON 
HUMANITARIAN AID ACTION PLAN 

IMPLEMENTATION  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  CONSENSUS  ON 

Given the large  share of humanitarian  aid it provides, the EU acting together is particularly 
well  placed  to  i)  ensure  that  its  humanitarian  response  is  appropriate,  effective,  based  on 
assessed needs, and takes into account important dimensions, such as the particular needs of 
vulnerable  population  groups;  as  well  as  to  ii)  exercise  its  collective  influence  on  the 
preparedness of the international humanitarian system as a whole. 

The  mid-term  review  has  confirmed  good  overall  progress  in  implementation  of  the 
Consensus  Action  Plan  across  the  board.  Overall,  there  have  been  notable  efforts  to 
consolidate the EU's role in all six action areas. Only a very few specific actions have been 
redefined  in  light  of  developments  or  have  yet  to  be  taken  up.  A  number  of  others  -  for 
example advocacy efforts for the promotion of the 'humanitarian space' - by their very nature 
require continuous attention.  

Since  the  adoption  of  the  Consensus  and  its  action  plan,  humanitarian  aid  has  become 
institutionally and legally a fully-fledged policy domain of the European Union, building 
upon  almost  two  decades  of  operational  experience.  For  the  first  time,  humanitarian  aid  is 
given a separate legal base in the Lisbon Treaty6. In Council, a specific preparatory body: the 

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SEC (2008) 1991, 29.5.2008 
Article 214 TFEU 

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Council Working Party on Humanitarian Aid and Food Aid (COHAFA)7 has been established 
and  is  consolidating  the  depth  of  EU  exchange  on  humanitarian  strategic  issues  and  crisis 
response in monthly contacts among EU humanitarian representatives. Parliamentary interest 
in  humanitarian  issues  is  strong,  whilst  the  European  public  remains  overwhelmingly 
supportive  of  European  humanitarian  aid8.  The  clear  policy  framework  provided  by  the 
'European  Consensus  on  Humanitarian  Aid'  has been  particularly  welcomed  by  some  of  the 
newer EU Member States, whose aid approaches have been developing fast in recent years. 
Also  since  the  adoption,  the  European  Commission's  humanitarian  aid  department  -  ECHO, 
became,  in  2010,  the  Directorate-General  for  Humanitarian  Aid  and  Civil  Protection,  under 
the responsibility of the newly created post of Commissioner for International Co-operation, 
Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. 

With  these  latest  organisational  changes,  the  European  Commission  is  leading  the  way  to 
ensuring 
traditional 
humanitarian aid approaches and the use of civil protection expertise and assets, both at 
headquarters and in the field. 

full  complementarity  and  maximum 

synergies  between 

Over the three years of implementation of the European Consensus, the EU has contributed 
strongly  and  rapidly,  with  both  funding  and  advocacy,  to  respond  to  rapidly  deteriorating 
humanitarian  situations  and  major  sudden-onset  disasters,  as  well  as  to  managing  the 
challenging  and  changing  conditions  in  large-scale  prolonged  humanitarian  crises.  A  more 
strongly coordinated approach between EU humanitarian departments and EU field experts 
and  representatives,  which  in  turn  supports  better  coordination  in  the  international 
humanitarian system, helps to identify and plug critical gaps. A number of changes emerging 
from the Consensus, coupled with a stronger EU reflex to respond together to these difficult 
situations,  have  contributed  positively  to  the  overall  effectiveness  of  the  humanitarian 
response. In 2010 the EU endorsed a specific policy framework for EU humanitarian food 
assistance9  with  the  aim  of  maximising  its  efficiency  and  effectiveness  in  accordance  with 
best practices. Implementation of this framework is now a priority.  

Under  the  Consensus  action  plan,  the  EU  has  moved  forward  in  terms  of  establishing  and 
sharing  clear  operational  policy  guidance  on  a  range  of  key  issues,  such  as  the  use  of  cash 
and  vouchers;  nutrition  in  emergencies;  and  integration  of  protection  and  Disaster  Risk 
Reduction within humanitarian action. 

The  EU  has  also  continued  to  review  its  funding  approaches  and  adapt  to  growing 
humanitarian  needs,  including  in  response  to  more  frequent  climate-related  small-scale 
disasters. The European Commission has implemented a series of innovations in its funding 
and administrative procedures to allow for simplified emergency funding up to certain limits, 
replenishment  of  the  International  Federation  of  the  Red  Cross  and  Red  Crescent  Societies' 
Disaster Response Emergency Fund, to cover rapid response to epidemics, and to permit the 
implementation of humanitarian actions with a larger number of Member States Specialised 
Agencies.  EU  Member  States  account  for  the  largest  share  of  contributions  to  common 
humanitarian  funds  and  the  Central  Emergency  Response  Fund,  which  have  the 
advantage  of  flexibility  for  UN  and  humanitarian  actors  in  terms  of  allocating  resources. 

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Council of the European Union, 8367/08, 28 April 2008 
E C: Special Eurobarometer 343 'Humanitarian Aid', July 2010 
Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  –  '  Humanitarian 
Food  Assistance'  SEC  (2010)  374  of  31.3.2010  and  Council  Conclusions  on  Humanitarian  food 
assistance 9654/10 of 10.5.2010. 

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Furthermore,  the  EU  continues  to  pay  specific  attention  to  so-called  'Forgotten  Crises'  - 
those that receive little media or international donor attention. 

The  EU  has  contributed  to  continued  improvements  in  the  international  humanitarian 
system,  by  strong  promotion  of  an  inclusive  and  practical  approach  to  using  clusters  for 
humanitarian  coordination  in  the  field,  and  by  its  firm  advocacy  and  financial  support  to 
improving  needs  assessment  capacities  and  comparability.  The  EU  has  engaged  with 
humanitarian  partners  in  continued  efforts  to  ensure  the  quality  and  prioritisation  of 
humanitarian  appeals,  as  well  as  a  reasonable  balance  of  funding  across  crises  and  sectors. 
The EU has provided essential and continued support to ensure a strengthening of capacity 
to respond at a global level, including coordination, pre-positioning, humanitarian logistics, 
and  safety  and  security  of  aid  workers.  By  supporting  capacity  building  efforts  of  the 
humanitarian community, the EU helps improve the effectiveness and quality of humanitarian 
aid. Enhancing preparedness and response capacities is essential both at the local level (which 
represents the first line of response in the event of an emergency), as well as at the regional 
and global levels.  

Working  together  more  closely  at  the  EU  level  over  the  past  three  years  has  already 
considerably strengthened the EU voice and collective impact on system-wide issues in the 
international humanitarian response. The high-standard of commitments under the European 
Consensus and its Action Plan are well appreciated in the wider community of humanitarian 
actors  (United  Nations, 
the  Red  Cross/Crescent  Movement  and  non-governmental 
organisations) and relevant international fora. With those commitments comes a high-level of 
expectation  that  the  EU  as  a  whole,  and  the  individual  EU  donors,  will  act  with  full 
engagement to translate them into consistent practice in support of the humanitarian response 
on the ground - including promoting coherence with the humanitarian principles in all areas 
of EU external action. 

Strong and coordinated partnerships represent an essential facet of EU humanitarian aid. 
The  EU  strongly  supports  a  plurality  of  implementing  partners,  and  underlines  the  need  for 
close coordination of these partners on the ground in order to avoid overlap and ensure that 
humanitarian  needs  are  adequately  addressed.  Finally,  promoting  participative  approaches 
for  disaster  preparedness  and  in  humanitarian  aid  responses  is  also  important,  and  can 
contribute  to  increasing  local  ownership,  strengthening  local  capacity,  and  increasing  the 
effectiveness and appropriateness of humanitarian response. 

3. 

SCOPE FOR FURTHER ACTION 

The  mid-term  review  shows  considerable  efforts  have  been  made  in  implementing  the 
Consensus and its Action Plan. Nonetheless, there remains scope for consolidating collective 
EU  efforts  and  strengthening  individual  donor  commitment  on  some  key  challenges  in 
order to ensure the best possible international humanitarian response. This includes: 

•  Strategies for humanitarian advocacy and outreach; and further efforts to support the work 
of  mandated  organisations  to  promote  IHL  compliance,  including  with  armed  non-state 
actors10 

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Report  of  the Secretary-General  of  the United  Nations on  the  Protection  of  Civilians, S/2009/277, 29 
May 2009. 

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•  Overall  sufficiency  of,  and  more  effective  planning  to  maintain  adequate  funding, 
especially  in  protracted  crisis  situations  and  to  ensure  adequate  attention  to  'Forgotten 
Crisis';  

•  Clarity of global needs and measures to support most efficient use of resources;  

•  Reinforcement  of  capacity  in  critical  gaps  at  a  global  level  -  including  for  common 
humanitarian services such as coordination resources, logistics, and safety of aid workers; 
and 

•  A stronger commitment to promoting the role of local actors. 

Further  practical  progress  on  disaster  risk  reduction  and  environmental  mainstreaming,  as 
well as on working with development actors in transition situations and in cycles of acute and 
chronic  vulnerability  is  also  essential.  In  situations  of  fragility  in  particular,  where 
humanitarian  operations  and  development  interventions  may  coexist  or  follow-on  from  one 
another,  complementarity,  synergy  and  timeliness  between  different  interventions  (sectoral, 
local, regional and national) is crucial for durable impact in pursuit of the ultimate objective 
of self-reliance for people affected by crisis.  

The need to support flexibility of response in varied crisis situations via a diversity of partners 
and  funding  channels  is  well-recognised  by  the  EU  collectively,  as  is  the  need  to  ensure 
accountability and focus on results, notably through sound financial management and public 
communication. The EU as a whole contributes significantly to pooled funding managed by 
the UN and core-funding for international organizations, and as such also has a responsibility 
to  ensure  that  this  funding  is  allocated  according  to  transparent  criteria,  and  implemented 
efficiently  in  line  with  the  'Principles  of  Partnership'11.  Some  Member  States  and 
humanitarian  partners have also pointed to the potential to work at an EU level on possible 
harmonization of partner and accountability requirements. 

4. 

IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES  

In 2008, the Action Plan was established by the European Commission in close cooperation 
with  a  range  of  stakeholders,  most  notably  the  EU  Member  States  who  have  committed  to 
implement  the  plan.  The  plan  was  framed  around  six  action  areas  in  order  to  provide  clear 
outcomes of individual actions. 

In terms of ensuring consistent implementation of the European Consensus on Humanitarian 
Aid and a proactive pursuit of the Action Plan, a number of systemic and design challenges 
have  emerged  in  the  first  three  years,  which  should  be  taken  into  account  in  its  continued 
implementation. 

Ambition  and  range  of  actions:  There  is  a  wide-range  of  actions  covered  and  these  are 
variable  in  nature  with  a  mix  of  'one-off'  actions  and  those  that  are  on-going  and  aim  at  a 
progressive strengthening of EU humanitarian response. This range and variability of actions 

11 

'Principles of Partnership – a statement of commitment' Global Humanitarian Platform, 12 July 2007. 
The  principles  of  partnership  between  UN  and  non-UN  humanitarian  organisations  meeting  together 
under  the  umbrella  of  the  Global  Humanitarian  Platform  are:  equality,  transparency,  results-oriented 
approach, responsibility and complementarity. 

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has meant that a large number of priorities have been taken forward in parallel over a short 
period  of  time.  During  the  review  process,  it  was  felt  that  a  greater  degree  of  prioritisation 
could  be  beneficial,  focussing  on  a  number  of  strategic  challenges.  However,  at  the  same 
time, individual stakeholders are keen proponents of their specific priorities. A balance needs 
to be struck between strategic goals that will enhance overall effectiveness of the aid response 
and  advancing  specific  practical  measures  that  take  forward  collective  efforts  in  particular 
areas of humanitarian aid.  

Donor  capacities  and  leadership:  Donor  capacity  and  resources  (including  staffing  and 
humanitarian  field  expertise)12  remain  rather  limited  across  the  EU  and,  together  with  aid 
budgets, are under increasing pressure. At the same time humanitarian needs are on the rise. 
Thus, working closely together as EU donors and ensuring a greater co-ordination of efforts is 
all  the  more  vital.  The  scale  of  humanitarian  aid  contributions,  and  operational  expertise, 
varies considerably between EU donors. EU donors amongst the Member States with a long 
tradition of bilateral aid retain a keen interest in ensuring strong bilateral representation in the 
international  humanitarian  system,  which  the  EU  as  a  whole  firmly  supports.  However, 
without greater burden-sharing, pooling of information and expertise, and a clearer division of 
labour,  the  EU  quickly  reaches  its  limits  in  leadership  capacity  in  making  a  concerted 
contribution to improving the overall humanitarian response. 

Ensuring  consistency  and  engagement:  While  the  Consensus  provides  a  clear  framing  for 
the work at an EU level, the degree to which it has been explicitly acknowledged and built-in 
to  existing  EU  donor  practice  and  to  policy  development  at  a  Member  State  level  varies 
considerably13. During  the  review  process, humanitarian partner  organisations indicated that 
there  is  scope  for  greater  engagement  at  the  national  level,  in  terms  of  dissemination  and 
dialogue with stakeholders on how the Consensus is being implemented and by linking clearly 
to other actors and policy areas (notably development cooperation, external relations, defence 
and  security)  to  ensure  humanitarian  policy  is  well-understood  and  upheld  across 
governments.  

Monitoring  progress:  Keeping  in  mind  the  issue  of  capacity,  no  EU-wide  monitoring  of 
progress in implementing the Action Plan was established at the outset, though each year an 
overall summary of actions has been presented by the European Commission and discussed in 
Council,  based  on  the  EU's  general  tracking  of  progress.  This  mid-term  review  has 
highlighted that a more regular monitoring of progress in implementation of the Action Plan 
as  a  whole  at  an  EU-wide  level,  would  be  facilitated  by  establishing  a  regular  process  that 
more readily captures information on contributory actions pursued by individual EU donors. 
Assessing  the  impact  of  the  actions  taken  together  in  achieving  improvements  in  EU  good 
donorship, and in supporting the wider-humanitarian system, is more challenging still. This is 
at  present  partially  addressed  through  clear  outcome  and  output  statements  per  action  and 
action  area.  Assessing  impact  is  an  area  to  which  further  consideration  should  be  given  in 
framing any successor to the current five-year Action Plan. 

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M. Spaak, R. Otto: Revised Final Report 'Study on the Mapping of Donor Coordination (Humanitarian 
Aid) at the Field Level', commissioned by DG ECHO on behalf of the Good Humanitarian Donorship 
Initiative, 2 July 2009. 
From 2009, under a revised peer-review framework, the 16 EU donors that are members of the OECD-
DAC are asked to explain how their policy frameworks reflect the strategic orientations outlined in the 
European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid. 

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5. 

ENHANCING THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY OF THE EU HUMANITARIAN AID 
RESPONSE 

The  Consensus  represents  a  comprehensive  forward-looking  policy  framework,  which 
encapsulates  a  strong  set  of  EU  commitments  that  are  intended  to  ensure  an  appropriate, 
principled and effective aid response. 

To  translate  those  commitments  in  the  face  of  humanitarian  crisis  situations  into  consistent 
operational  applicability,  time  after  time,  often  in  the  most  challenging  of  circumstances, 
requires  strong  political  will,  joint  responsibility  and  better  cross-government  understanding 
of the humanitarian principles and modalities. 

Solid  implementation  of  the  Consensus  by  the  27  EU  Member  States  and  the  European 
Commission,  is  essential  for  i)  greater  aid-effectiveness,  including  by  the  promotion  and 
cross-fertilisation  of  best  practice;  ii)  for  ensuring  coherence  and  consistency  in 
humanitarian  aid  and  its  interaction  with  other  policies;  and  iii)  for  leveraging  the  full 
potential  of  EU  leadership  in  this  area  in  support  of  a  strong  international  humanitarian 
system. 

The  further  implementation  of  the  European  Consensus  on  Humanitarian  Aid  therefore 
requires: 

–  Shared  responsibility  for  success:  Meaning  that  all  EU  Member  States  should 
reiterate  their  commitment  to  working  together  under  the  Consensus  and  to 
disseminating the Consensus cross-government at a national level. 

–  Division of labour: In recognition of the different capacities and traditions of EU 
Member  States  and  the  limited  human  resources  devoted  to  humanitarian  aid  in 
donor organizations, there needs to be a move towards a more explicit sharing out 
of leadership and task-facilitation. 

–  Prioritization:  Including  further  development  of  joint  EU  action  in  a  few  key 

areas 

–  Regular monitoring of implementation of Consensus commitments 

–  Proactive  strategic  exchange,  dialogue  and  lessons-learning  between  EU 
donors  and  partners  to  ensure  good  donorship  links  clearly  with  operational 
practice. 

The specific areas that should be prioritised for further joint efforts include: 

–  Reinforced  advocacy  for  the  protection  of  the  humanitarian  space,  including 
the promotion of international humanitarian law (both general and case-specific). 

–  Working  with  a  diverse  range  of  actors  (including  the  military),  donors  and 
crisis-affected  countries  to  ensure  a  strong  understanding  of  the  fundamental 
humanitarian principles and the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid. 

–  Multi-donor approaches to support clear comparable identification of needs and to 
address  critical  capacity-gaps  in  the  international  humanitarian  system,  and 

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strong EU leadership in international fora reflecting the full weight of the EU's 
contribution to humanitarian aid. 

–  Response planning especially for protracted crises, including sharing of funding 
intentions,  strategies  and  more  joint  missions,  evaluations  and  lessons-learning, 
accompanied by better consistency in recording aid allocations. 

–  Continued work on sharing and dissemination of good donorship practices and in 

support of the 'Principles of Partnership'. 

–  Enhanced role of the Council Working Party on Humanitarian Aid and Food 
Aid  (COHAFA)  to  ensure  the  distinctive  modalities  and  specific  objectives  of 
humanitarian  aid  are  fully  respected,  whilst  ensuring  strong  links  between 
humanitarian aid and other policy areas. 

–  Work with development actors on disaster risk reduction and on the transition 
including  early  post-crisis  needs 

to  recovery, 

from  emergency  response 
assessment. 

The benefits of reinforced joint  EU efforts to implement  the  Consensus  and  its Action Plan 
will be improved: 

–  Understanding  for  the  fundamental  humanitarian  principles,  and  for  the 
specificities  and  challenges  of  humanitarian  response.  Better  outreach  could  be 
pursued with a wider range of actors and constituents from the European public, 
to  military  command  structures,  to  emerging  donors  and  regions  and  countries 
with crisis-affected populations. 

–  Effectiveness 

that  emphasizes  appropriateness  of  aid,  preparedness  and 
contingency and participatory approaches, which fully acknowledge the front-line 
of  emergency  response  at  a  local  level.  Effectiveness  requires  a  strong 
commitment to Disaster Risk Reduction and to tackling transition situations. 

–  Efficiency,  building  on  our  donor  diversity  and  respective  areas  of  expertise  to 
ensure the best possible aid response. Better identification of needs and gaps, with 
more joint planning. Efficiency should seek to keep transactional costs low and to 
strengthen support to common services. 

–  Coherence  to  ensure  that  the  EU's  external  action  as  a  whole  safeguards  a 
principled  humanitarian  response  and  supports 
the 
'humanitarian space' to operate in complex emergencies. The establishment of the 
European  External  Action  Service  provides  a  further  opportunity  to  embed  'the 
European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid' as the EU's humanitarian acquis. 

the  maintenance  of 

6. 

PROPOSED FOLLOW-UP 

The Commission proposes: 

(1) 

Identifying  with  EU  Member  States  volunteer  facilitators  and  teams  of  EU  Member 
State  representatives  who  will  commit  to  pursuing  joint  action  under  the  Consensus 

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Action  Plan,  including  discussion  on  specific  further  priorities  identified  here  and  in 
the accompanying Staff Working Paper; 

Defining with EU Member States and the European Parliament a specific outreach and 
dissemination  strategy  for  the  European  approach  to  humanitarian  aid,  including 
common messages; 

Engaging with the Council and the European Parliament on the feasibility of indicative 
long-term target setting (EU humanitarian goals); 

Using  the  Council  Working  Party  on  Humanitarian  Aid  and  Food  Aid  for  an  annual 
monitoring  of  progress  on  Consensus  implementation  at  an  EU-wide  and  Member 
State level; 

Renewed EU efforts on coordination of programming to ensure smooth transition from 
relief to long-term development aid. 

A comprehensive evaluation of the impact of the European Consensus towards the end 
of the five-year period of the current Consensus action plan (that runs to 2013); 

A revision of the EU's Humanitarian Aid Regulation to ensure it is aligned to policy 
commitments and allows maximum efficiencies in support of a rapid, appropriate EU-
led response to humanitarian crises. 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

The  Commission  invites  the  Council  and  European  Parliament  to  reflect  on  these 
recommendations  for  strengthening  the  implementation  of  the  EU  Action  Plan  and  to  take 
note of the overall progress covered in the accompanying Staff Working Paper. 

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