Strasbourg, 15/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption of the report by French Socialist Marie-Arlette Carlotti on the annual report on humanitarian aid in 2000, the European Parliament recommends that the two branches of the budgetary authority should promote an appropriate increase in the initial budget of the European Community's Humanitarian Office ECHO (to reach a sum between EUR 500 and 550 million) for coming years. This would enable the reserve to be used for specific and exceptional needs. In parallel, it recommends stepping up human resources in order to maintain the quality of aid management, increasing the effort to improve visibility of the EU's humanitarian policy and ECHO action, and providing greater protection for EU humanitarian personnel. (See also 14 January, p.14).