Nine in ten Europeans continue to think it is important for EU to fund humanitarian aid

A large majority of respondents (91%) in the European Union think it is important that the EU funds humanitarian aid activities worldwide, with 45% saying it is ‘very important’ and 46% saying it is ‘fairly important’. Conversely, less than one in ten (7%) believe this is not important, with only 1% saying it is ‘not at all important’.

These are the results of the latest edition of the special Eurobarometer dedicated to humanitarian aid, conducted in September – October 2023 by the European Commission in 27 Member States.

The proportion of those who think it is important that the EU funds humanitarian aid activities has remained unchanged since December 2020 and has been stable (between 88% and 91%) since March 2012.

The results in some way mirror those from the Standard Eurobarometer conducted in May-June 2023 on the ‘EU’s Response to the War in Ukraine’. The study shows that almost 9 in 10 Europeans agree with the EU action to provide humanitarian support to people affected by the war.

Whenever there is a disaster or humanitarian emergency, the EU can provide assistance for the affected countries and populations. 

“Humanitarian crises in the world are increasing due to conflict, the global refugee crisis and dramatic natural hazards related to climate change. In 2023, around 360 million people worldwide were in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, a significant increase from 130 million people in 2018,” the EU Civil Protection Mechanism said in a press release. “The needs are further increasing as unresolved conflicts continue while new wars are launched, alongside global economic problems, started by COVID-19 and aggravated by the worldwide impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”

For the period 2021-2027, the EU has allocated €11.6 billion to its humanitarian aid instrument. As such, the EU is one of the world’s leading humanitarian aid donors, providing a major proportion of global funding for emergency relief to victims of man-made and natural disasters. Part of this funding comes from Member States, but a significant share derives from the EU budget.

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Press release