EU expresses support for humanitarian action

On the occasion of Wednesday's World Humanitarian Day, the European Union expressed its support for humanitarian action, noting that together with its member states, the EU is the world's largest donor of humanitarian aid.

The EU is committed to protecting humanitarian workers and supports World Humanitarian Day every year, said Christos Stylianides, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, adding that the EU as a whole has provided humanitarian aid for more than 40 years.

According to the European Commission, in 2014, the commission helped 121 million victims of natural and man-made disasters across more than 80 countries through its Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO).

"This was achieved with less than 1 percent of the total EU annual budget - over 2 euros per EU citizen," said the commission in a press release.

It said the EU continues to assist the most vulnerable, including the victims of the conflicts in Syria, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Ukraine, the survivors of natural disasters in Asia or those affected by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

EU humanitarian aid is delivered in partnership with more than 200 humanitarian organizations, including non-governmental and international organizations, the United Nations and the Red Cross family.