On Tuesday, 20 January, the European Parliament approved a report demanding a more effective and ambitious European response to the world’s humanitarian crises. Drafted by Leire Pajín (S&D, Spanish) and adopted with 444 votes in favour, the text reaffirms the protection of civilians as an essential element of the EU’s external action. It also warns that there has been an increase in humanitarian law violations—condemning attacks on civilians and essential infrastructure and notably emphasising the situation in Gaza, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In a press release issued after the vote, Leire Pajín stressed, “The urgency facing millions of vulnerable people [is] too significant for Europeans to look away”; she emphasised that this initiative is putting “the credibility of the EU as a global humanitarian actor” at stake. MEPs point out, “Aid should never be politicised, and hunger should never be weaponised”.
The adopted text: https://aeur.eu/f/kbp (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)