The Council of the European Union released its conclusions on the establishment of the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps, which were drafted during the 3,088th Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on May 17.
In a statement, the council said the European Union plays a key role in “promoting volunteering as a concrete expression of European solidarity with people affected by crises.” It also underscored the need to increase humanitarian actors’ professionalism and address the safety and security of volunteers in danger zones.
A public consultation is currently being conducted to find out the views of EU citizens and stakeholders regarding EVHAC.
The European Commission is set to come out with a legislative proposal for the establishment of EVHAC, with a planned release on the first semester of 2012.
At the same time, the council also came up with its conclusions on the midterm review of the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid Action Plan, which aims to preserve humanitarian space and ensure the safety of aid personnel.
In another press statement, the council said it “underlines the necessity to ensure coordinated, coherent and consistent EU action in humanitarian emergencies, as well as the importance of ensuring that humanitarian dimensions are duly considered throughout the EU’s external action,” among other observations.
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