What is the role of the military in humanitarian crises and what kind of relationship exists between the military and relief organisations?
It is vital to ensure the neutrality of humanitarian action. Any blurring of lines between humanitarian and military tasks should be avoided. Therefore, military forces and assets should only be used as a “last resort” in humanitarian operations in line with international guidelines. The overall EU crisis response involves drawing on various Community and Member State instruments, including humanitarian aid and civil protection. The latter is coordinated by the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) in the Commission’s Environment Directorate-General, in liaison with the Council Presidency. Civil protection teams provide an important contribution in helping disaster victims due to their comparative advantage in terms of speed, effectiveness and sector experience. This is particular the case in the early phase of relief response. When acting outside the EU, it is important that civil protection forces support and complement the humanitarian actors in line with agreed international prin
