07/02/2025 (Agence Europe) – “The needs [for humanitarian aid] are simply too great. Everyone in the international community must shoulder their responsibilities. Everyone should do their part”, declared the European Commissioner for Crisis Preparedness and Management, Hadja Lahbib, at the EU Ambassadors' Conference on Thursday 6 February. “The funding gap is getting bigger, leaving millions in need. The EU alone cannot fill this gap left by others”, she insisted. Last month, US President Donald Trump announced the suspension of most US international assistance programmes (see EUROPE 13562/21). The Commissioner praised the EU’s action to cover humanitarian needs, in contrast to countries which are moving backwards in this area: “As ‘Team Europe’, we provide roughly one-third of global assistance”. (LM)