Activites

• 1996/07/02 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Regulation 1996/1257
  • OJ L 163 02.07.1996, p. 0001
• #1938
• 1996/06/20 Council Meeting
• 1996/06/20 End of procedure in Parliament
• 1996/06/20 Act adopted by Council after consultation of Parliament
• #1928
• 1996/05/28 Council Meeting
• 1996/05/23 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(1996)0239 summary

    In its amended proposal, the Commission incorporates just one of the two amendments adopted by Parliament at second reading, namely a provision whereby the operations governed by this regulation would be exempt from tax, levies and customs duty. The amendment concerning an annual meeting between the Commission and NGOs involved in humanitarian aid in order to study joint work strategies was rejected.�

• 1996/05/21 Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading
  • T4-0226/1996 summary

    Adopting the recommendation for second reading by Mrs SAUQUILLO PEREZ DEL ARCO (PSE, E), the European Parliament approved the common position of the Council concerning humanitarian aid with the following amendments: - exemption from tax, levies and customs duty for humanitarian operations, - strengthening of relations with the humanitarian organizations, notably through the holding of an annual meeting between organizations linked to humanitarian aid and the Commission, in order to study joint work strategies and assess the results of the actions carried out.�

• 1996/05/20 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament summary

    The rapporteur, Mrs SAUQUILLO PEREZ DEL ARCO (PSE, E), recommended voting in favour of the common position of the Council, with three amendments that were aimed at exempting from taxes, levies and customs duties those activities that provided humanitarian aid and at strengthening relations with aid organisations. According to the rapporteur, this regulation would be effective and would also enable humanitarian aid to be delivered quickly. Commissioner Bonino agreed with those Members who had called for a greater level of preventive diplomacy, the right of humanitarian intervention and actions to clear anti-personnel mines. However, she said that given current EU powers in this area emergency aid was in need of a legal basis. As regards the amendments, the Commission was prepared to accept No 1, but in respect of Amendment No 2 on comitology the Commission could, in emergency cases, assume its responsibilities in accordance with the compromise agreed in the common position; finally, the Commission was unable to include Amendment No 3 in the Council Regulation as it stood, though was prepared to make a political statement designed to strengthen the process of consultation with NGOs, in accordance with the spirit of the amendment.

• 1996/04/24 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
  • A4-0125/1996
• 1996/02/15 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
• #1902
• 1996/01/29 Council Meeting
  • 12768/3/1995 summary

    The Council's common position takes over the main points of the commission's amended proposal and 14 EP amendments (either in full or in part). In particular, the common position incorporates those amendments seeking to strengthen coordination with international and/or non-governmental organizations, lay down certain conditions for NGO access to Community financing (impartiality, previous experience), give the Commission the task of monitoring and evaluating humanitarian projects, define global humanitarian aid plans and include new operations eligible for funding (inter alia, housing and shelter for refugees). It does not, however include the requirement to submit evaluation reports to the EP, although it does ensure that Parliament will be better informed by means of new provisions regarding the annual report it is to receive, which must include an assessment of the action taken. At the same time, the Council inserts a number of new provisions covering the following: - inclusion among the activities eligible for financing humanitarian mine-clearance operations and awareness campaigns for local communities on anti-personnel mines; - insertion of a new article on emergency operations (and the procedure for taking decisions on such activities); this enables the Commission to take decisions on emergency operations costing no more than ECU 10 m. It must inform the Member States of such operations within 48 hours; - information to forward to the committee: the Commission must undertake to inform the humanitarian aid steering committee of the evaluations it intends to carry out and any timetable for doing so; - the Council requires the Commission to evaluate humanitarian operations and global plans in conjunction with the Member States; - insertion of a review clause under which the Commission is obliged to submit three years after the entry into force of the Regulation an overall evaluation of the activities financed by the Community, together with suggestions on the future of the Regulation; - provision for a type IIIa committee for decisions regarding action to protect humanitarian aid goods and staff and decisions concerning direct operations by the Commission, with a type IIb committee taking responsibility for global humanitarian plans and amounts in excess of ECU 2 m. �

• #1897
• 1995/12/20 Council Meeting
• 1995/12/15 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(1995)0721 summary

    The Commission's amended proposal incorporates, in full or in part, 18 of the 23 amendments proposed by the European Parliament at first reading. The amendments adopted by the Commission seek to: - ensure that assistance provided to underprivileged groups is not discriminatory (on grounds of sex, age or physical constitution); - ensure that humanitarian aid is visible, especially where local authorities cannot or will not guarantee the survival or protection of the population in question; - highlight the idea of a continuum between short-term rehabilitation actions and long-term development objectives; - ensure that certain actions take account of current international conventions (especially those relating to displaced persons); - strengthen coordination and consultation with humanitarian agencies, NGOs and international organizations; - grant Member States and beneficiary countries the same right of initiative to implement humanitarian operations as NGOs and international organizations; - clarify the objective criteria and factors which may be taken into account in order to determine NGOs access to funding under this regulation (impartiality and previous experience); - deal with the question of coordination in a single article by including coordination with international organizations which form part of the United Nations system; - clarify eligible types of aid (especially project monitoring and evaluation actions and expenditure to ensure that humanitarian actions are visible; the construction of housing or shelters for the population in question is also eligible); - clarify the implementation of global humanitarian aid plans in regions in which the humanitarian crisis is prolonged; - transmit evaluation reports to and engage in close dialogue with the European Parliament.�

• 1995/11/30 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T4-0589/1995 summary

    Adopting the report by Mrs SAUQUILLO PEREZ del ARCO (PSE, E), the European Parliament approved the proposal for a regulation with the following amendments: - humanitarian aid was defined as the immediate or long-term provision of any aid needed by the victims of natural disasters or man-made crises (floods, earthquakes, war etc.), including emergency aid (especially the construction of shelters and housing, food, medical relief etc.) and possibly including short-term reconstruction projects. It was to be provided without discrimination on the grounds of sex, age or religion and implemented directly or in consultation with multilateral organizations and NGOS. It should be possible to implement humanitarian aid where local authorities could not or would not guarantee the survival of the populations in question; - aid objectives were clarified: to create the conditions needed for subsequent cooperation aid, to ensure preparedness for risks of disaster, to take account of population movements within the country and to comply with current international conventions; - the participation of NGOs at all levels was strengthened: humanitarian aid was to be implemented by NGOs at the request of a Member State or a beneficiary country (the European Parliament clarified the eligibility criteria: properly constituted with head offices in a Member State, real capacity for the actions undertaken and knowledge of the local situation, impartiality); - the visibility of Community actions needed to be highlighted; - support needed to be granted to local aid structures and the capacity of organizations to intervene immediately needed to be strengthened; - the conditions for granting funding were to be laid down in a framework partnership contract to be duly complied with; - the European Parliament called for all actions implemented to be complementary to current action by other international organizations (United Nations, donor countries) and in close collaboration with the Council and the European Parliament itself. It asked to be notified of general aid guidelines and for the Commission to hold an annual meeting with all NGOs with a framework contract in order to study joint work strategies.�

• 1995/11/29 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament summary

    The rapporteur, Mrs PEREZ DEL ARCO, believed that the humanitarian policy and the development policy should be better coordinated. She highlighted in particular the need to coordinate the activities of all of ECHO’s operational partners in order to guarantee effective and complementary measures on humanitarian aid. She hoped that the 1996 IGC would look at the issue of the legal basis for humanitarian aid. The Commissioner, Mrs BONINO, stated that she was rejecting Amendments Nos 2, 3, 12 and 16 because they mentioned the framework partnership contract, which was a management tool of the Commission, Amendment No 18 because, as in the previous case, the Regulation should not deal with an issue involving the internal coordination of the Commission’s services, Amendment No 21 on the requirement to inform Parliament of the implementation of humanitarian aid, which was already provided for under the Plumb-Delors procedure, and Amendment No 22, which was superfluous.

• 1995/11/13 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A4-0283/1995
• 1995/07/10 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1995/05/31 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(1995)0201 summary

    OBJECTIVE: to give a legal basis to humanitarian aid which has no legal basis and to define the scope of this aid, coordination procedures and terms of cooperation between the Community, the Member States and international and non-governmental organizations. CONTENT: * The first part of the proposal sets out clear objectives and general criteria for humanitarian aid provided by the Community and specifies: . the types of situation which may give rise to humanitarian aid (such as emergency and post-emergency aid, aid in the event of war, short-term rehabilitation and reconstruction work, aid for refugees and repatriated persons and reintegration aid, natural disaster early warning systems, protection for the victims of conflict etc.); . the types of assistance which might be financed (purchase and delivery of any product needed in order to implement operations, costs of outside staff (expatriate and local), storage, transport and distribution of relief and public awareness campaigns). This aid is non-repayable; . the types of eligible aid which support humanitarian action proper (preliminary studies, technical assistance, public awareness campaigns etc.). * The second part of the proposal specifies the procedures for implementing humanitarian projects and addresses relations with operational partners and cooperation with the Member States of the Union (humanitarian projects financed by the Community are implemented either at the request of international organizations or on the initiative of the Commission). This part also defines the criteria by which eligible organizations are selected. * The third part of the proposal defines the operational procedures to be followed when implementing humanitarian aid programmes financed by the Community. It suggests that the Commission should have overall responsibility for taking decisions on and implementing humanitarian projects. However, it would assisted for certain decisions by an advisory committee made up of representatives from the Member States of the Community and chaired by a representative from ECHO (EC Humanitarian Office). This section also includes provisions on the regular evaluation of humanitarian aid and the presentation of an annual report by the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on all these humanitarian aid operations.�

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(1995)0201
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A4-0283/1995
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T4-0589/1995
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(1995)0721
• Council position published: 12768/3/1995
• Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading: A4-0125/1996
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T4-0226/1996
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(1996)0239
• : Regulation 1996/1257
• : OJ L 163 02.07.1996, p. 0001

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)