Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council. Annual report of the European Union’s humanitarian aid and civil protection policies and their implementation in 2015

This report presents the Union's main activities and policy outcomes in 2015 in the field of humanitarian aid and civil protection, as carried out through the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) of the European Commission. As Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides has a dual mandate: to deliver assistance to alleviate humanitarian crises around the world and to foster cooperation among civil protection authorities across Europe in responding to natural or man-made disasters in Europe and beyond.

The mission — to help save and preserve life, prevent and alleviate human suffering and safeguard the integrity and dignity of populations affected by crises — is fulfilled through humanitarian assistance and civil protection operations. EU humanitarian aid is a lifeline for communities and victims of new, recurrent and protracted crises. It allows them to prepare better for future emergencies. Complementary civil protection operations offer immediate support in the form of expert teams, rescue equipment and real-time monitoring of developing disasters, in the EU and elsewhere. When disaster strikes, timely and effective intervention by the international community can make the difference between life and death.

Together with the Member States’ contributions, the EU is a world-leading donor. This assistance — based on Articles 196 and 214 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) — is a fundamental expression of European solidarity.