Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96 concerning humanitarian aid

Summary:

Regulation (EC) No. 1257/96 - adopted by the Council of Ministers on 20 June 1996 - concerning humanitarian assistance operations performed by the European Union (EU).

Further information:

EU humanitarian aid seeks to provide assistance, relief and protection to people affected by natural or man-made disasters and similar emergencies. The focus is on the most vulnerable victims.

This Regulation sets out the main goals, principles and procedures for implementing EU humanitarian aid operations. EU assistance is coordinated by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). The funding is intended for countries outside the European Union. The Regulation has applied since 5 July 1996.

The European Commission published the proposal for this initiative on 31 May 1995 in an attempt to define the scope of humanitarian aid action, coordination arrangements and the ways in which the Community, Member States, international bodies and non-governmental organisations can cooperate. The European Parliament adopted its position on 30 November, which led the Commission to adopt a revised version of the proposal on 15 December 1995. The Council of Ministers adopted its common position on 29 January 1996, which was followed by an Opinion by the European Parliament. The Commission adopted yet another version of the proposal on 23 May, taking into account the compromise of both institutions. The proposed Regulation was formally adopted on 20 June 1996 and published in the Official Journal on 2 July 1996.

• Primary Source

Official

EUR-LEX: COM(1995)201: Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) concerning humanitarian aid https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:0000:000:FIN

European Parliament: Legislative Observatory: Procedure File for Proposal on Humanitarian aid https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/ficheprocedure.do?lang=en&reference=1995/0119(SYN)

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