Green light for European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps in EP Development Committee

Members of the European Parliament's Development Committee have unanimously adopted Michèle Striffler's draft Report establishing the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, one of the innovations of the Lisbon Treaty.

"Solidarity is a fundamental value of the Union, and volunteering is a practical and visible expression of that solidarity. With this vote, the Development Committee is sending a strong signal of support for this important initiative", explained Michèle Striffler.

For the MEP, who is also permanent Rapporteur on Humanitarian Aid and first Vice-Chairwoman of the Development Committee, volunteers from the European Humanitarian Aid Corps must enhance the humanitarian work of the EU and their deployment should be based on needs identified on the ground. Their identification and selection should respect a variety of profiles and skills among young people and experts. In addition, the European Commission will support actions promoting the experience of volunteers, including certification at the end of the deployment on the ground.

“The number and scale of humanitarian crises around the world have increased considerably. Needs are increasing but funding is lacking in these times of fiscal restraint. Humanitarian aid is a moral imperative. The decrease in the EU budget for the period 2014-2020 is worrying and the European Parliament has to fight to defend an ambitious level of funding to help the most vulnerable people", Michèle Striffler concluded.