Strasbourg, 06/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission must present a clear strategy on the role that must be played by humanitarian aid provided by ECHO in the framework of EU external and development policy, and this strategy must "ensure coherence, compatibility and coordination in the field of foreign policy and its implementation, while avoiding job overlaps and parallel structures". This is what was called for by the European Parliament when adopting the report by Renzo Imbeni, Italian PDS member, on the European Commission Communication on the assessment and future of EU humanitarian activities. There lies another debate, during the same session - with those on the Galeote report concerning "European diplomacy" and on Council and Commission declarations on the priorities of EU external action - on the problem of the effectiveness of this action over which the Commissioner Chris Patten had drawn attention last spring and which was discussed last Saturday in Evian by the Ministers in the "Gymnich" type meeting.
In particular the Parliament calls on the Commission to: a) reinforce coordination between ECHO and the other services "involved in crisis situations"; b) set clear and measurable objectives for all operation; c) establish a system of systematic checks for the quality of results; d) implement a training programme in humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation; e) decentralise the responsibilities towards the personnel on the ground. Moreover, the Parliament insists, given the role played by ECHO is hardly known by public opinion, on a new ECHO communications strategy towards the exterior, and calls on the Commission to restart an information campaign on aid provided by its humanitarian agency, and that (amendment by Gianfranco Dell'Alba, member of the Lista Bonino) this campaign has a specific budget.