European Union

The Horn of Africa countries are prone to food insecurity and frequently affected by humanitarian crises. The Commission is concerned about the plight of the population and stands ready to respond to any request by the Government of Eritrea for emergency humanitarian aid that complies with the Commission’s provisions for such aid and that is in line with fundamental humanitarian principles, particularly those of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. This implies amongst others that humanitarian aid is provided through the Commission’s recognised humanitarian partners (UN, Red Cross and NGOs) and that the Commission should be able to independently assess the humanitarian situation and monitor activities. At the moment conditions in Eritrea do not allow the Commission to provide emergency assistance in line with these provisions.