Brussels, 25/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - On the sidelines of the European Council on Thursday 24 March, the 27 member states adopted (by written procedure) the crisis management concept which will allow planning to advance on possible support for humanitarian assistance and protection of nationals under the Common Foreign and Defence Policy (CFDP). This decision comes after the conclusions on Libya approved by the General Affairs Council on 21 March (see EUROPE 10341) which allow for possible ESDP support for humanitarian aid, including use of assets.
The concept provides for a number of scenarios to meet the different possible humanitarian needs. It is, therefore, difficult to determine at this point what assets (national or parts of battle groups) will be deployed for this purpose. EU action will, however, be targeted and will only be activated at the explicit request of the United Nations Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Community action could be in the following areas: - sending military teams specialising in water purification or sending medical teams; - facilitation of the movement of humanitarian workers; - humanitarian aid.
According to Catherine Ashton's private office, it is not planned that the EU offer assistance on Libyan soil: the assistance will be supplied either from the sea or from the territory of neighbouring countries. Some member states (Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria in particular) have announced their willingness to contribute to the humanitarian effort. “The time has not yet come to discuss humanitarian aid in a country facing civil war and NATO intervention”, said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. (A/By./tranls.rt)