Over the last few decades international organisations, national governments, and governmental and private actors have all multiplied their efforts to limit the extent to which natural catastrophes, man-made atrocities and political and economic breakdowns affect civil populations. The European Union and Humanitarian Crises: Patterns of Intervention addresses the allocation of foreign aid within the framework of the European Union’s Humanitarian Aid policy and analyses different Member States’ intervention strategies designed to cope with these emergencies. Joining the debate about bilateral and multilateral allocation of foreign aid in crisis situations and exploring the cooperative actions undertaken by the European Union and its Member States to cope with them the book questions how the context of the crises themselves impacts on strategies of intervention and investigates how strategies change depending on the characteristics of the crisis.

Every year, more and more people are the victims of humanitarian crises - whether man-made conflicts or natural disasters. The worst hit are civilians, and in particular the most vulnerable sectors of society. As a result, Europe has an ever more crucial role to play in bringing relief to those who suffer. As crises have proliferated across the world over the last decade, the EU has stepped up its humanitarian and reconstruction activities. In the course of the year 2000, ECHO, the EU service responsible for humanitarian aid, provided assistance to more than 18 million people in need.

EU Management of Global Emergencies: Legal Framework for Combating Threats and Crises provides a thorough analysis of the role played by the European Union (EU) in combating some of the global emergencies that currently affect, or are likely to affect, our planet. In particular, the potential of a “regional” model for coping with such emergencies is examined, taking into account the perceived inefficacy of traditional prevention and reaction mechanisms provided both by individual States and international organisations. The expression “global emergencies” refers to all situations, irrespective of the subject matter involved, which are characterised by an unexpected state of crisis which affects one or more regions of the world and call for an urgent and coordinated response from competent bodies and institutions. Furthermore, the book tests the role of the EU in managing global emergencies with respect to four broad areas: the economic and financial crises, the protection of the environment, terrorism and humanitarian aid, while maintaining focus on the legal framework within which the EU deals with such global emergencies in the light of the innovations brought about by the Lisbon Treaty. With contributions by leading experts in each of the identified set of challenges, EU Management of Global Emergencies: Legal Framework for Combating Threats and Crises aims at increasing the understanding of : (a) the contribution of regional organizations such as the EU to the management of global emergencies; (b) the effectiveness of the EU external action and the actual involvement of the EU in global cooperation processes against global emergencies; (c) global standards of human rights protection in relation to measures adopted in crises; and (d) the coordination mechanisms between the EU and other international organisations with a global or regional membership, in the management of global emergencies.

This innovative and timely consideration of the European Union’s crisis response mechanisms brings together scholars from a range of disciplinary backgrounds to examine how and why the EU responds to crises on its borders and further afield. The work is based on extensive fieldwork in – among other places – Afghanistan, Libya, Mali and Iraq. The book considers the construction of crises and how some issues are deemed crises and others not. A major finding from this comparative study is that EU crisis response interventions have been placing increasing emphasis on security and stabilisation and less emphasis on human rights and democratisation. This changes – quite fundamentally – the EU’s stance as an international actor and leads to questions about the nature of the European Union and how it perceives itself and is perceived by others.

This book presents an up-to-date, scholarly analysis of European crisis management during the 1990s and is one of the first books to summarize European experiences in the field of peacekeeping and crisis management. With the help of eight case studies, the authors explore how European governments have responded to international crises. The book also contains in-depth studies on key concepts like humanitarian intervention, military doctrine and Petersberg tasks. The book describes Europe's increasing responsibility for the proper functioning of international society. It points to a pronounced move to collective action and highlights Europe's political and military adaptation to the post-Cold War strategic environment. The authors detect an ever stronger belief in the use of military power and thereby the contours of an emerging common European identity within the field of crisis management. The book establishes an agenda for future research on European crisis management and out-of-area operations. It will be of prime interest to students of international relations, European studies, foreign policy analysis, international organization, crisis management and conflict resolution, and will also be essential reading for all those who need a practical survey of the latest developments in the field of international crisis management.

The European Union is increasingly being asked to manage crises inside and outside the Union. From terrorist attacks to financial crises, and natural disasters to international conflicts, many crises today generate pressures to collaborate across geographical and functional boundaries. What capacities does the EU have to manage such crises? Why and how have these capacities evolved? How do they work and are they effective? This book offers an holistic perspective on EU crisis management. It defines the crisis concept broadly and examines EU capacities across policy sectors, institutions and agencies. The authors describe the full range of EU crisis management capacities that can be used for internal and external crises. Using an institutionalization perspective, they explain how these different capacities evolved and have become institutionalized. This highly accessible volume illuminates a rarely examined and increasingly important area of European cooperation.