EU in a glance

Humanitarian aid and the European Union

Thanks to ECHO, humanitarian action occupies a key position in the EU’s external action. ECHO is the world’s main player in this field.

Through ECHO funding, some 18 million people are helped each year in more than 60 countries through 200 partners (NGOs, ICRC, and UN agencies like the UNHCR and the WFP). The Humanitarian Aid Office spends more than €500 million a year on financing humanitarian projects.

This importance is due to the growth in the number of serious crises in the world and reflects the EU's willingness to take on a leading role in international humanitarian efforts. It is against this background that the European Community Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) was established in 1992.

The EU aims to make its aid to third countries struck by natural disaster or conflict more effective and more humanitarian. ECHO reflects this desire.

EU solidarity - in figures

ECHO aid was modest at the outset, but it rose rapidly to reach a level similar to the assistance provided bilaterally by the EU Member States. It is now also comparable to the levels of humanitarian aid provided by the United States.