Bulletin n. 1/2008
May 2008
CONTENTS
  • Section A) The theory and practise of the federal states and multi-level systems of government
  • Section B) Global governance and international organizations
  • Section C) Regional integration processes
  • Section D) Federalism as a political idea
    • Versluys Helen
    Depoliticising and Europeanising humanitarian aid: Success or failure?
    in Perspectives on European Politics and Society , Volume 9, Issue 2, June, Special Issue: The New Season of EU Development Policy ,  2008 ,  208-224
    Humanitarian assistance has become an increasingly prominent part of the European Union's external activities, representing about 10% of total EU external aid. The purpose of this paper is to track trends in EU humanitarian aid policy and compare policy to practice. The evolution towards greater independence of humanitarian assistance from EU policy objectives concerning crisis management and development, as well as the emerging trend towards a more pronounced Europeanisation of humanitarian aid policy, are analysed. The European Community, represented by the European Commission, fulfils a double role in EU humanitarian assistance. The Commission carries out its own humanitarian aid policy, and has a role to play in the coordination of the 27 + 1 European donors' policies. First, the Commission focused on improving its performance as an aid provider in its own right, and on outlining a distinctive function for humanitarian aid in the gamut of EU crisis response activities. Since 2006, the Commission has also sought to strengthen its role as a promoter of humanitarian harmonisation. Via supranational policy promotion it aims at forging a consensus among all 28 European donors on the goals of humanitarian action.
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