Humanitarian aid: EU should condemn violations of international humanitarian law

Condemn obstruction and politicisation of humanitarian aid

EU should condemn the targeting and killing of aid workers

Global humanitarian and development funding crisis

On Thursday, the European Parliament’s Committee on Development adopted a draft motion for a resolution on the recently-published joint communication on humanitarian aid.

Committee MEPs adopted the draft resolution on the joint communication on humanitarian aid by 17 votes in favour, two against, and no abstentions. The resolution follows the publication by the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on 27 May 2026 entitled ‘Defending values, driving reform, delivering impact: the EU’s humanitarian action in a shifting global order’.

Violations of international humanitarian law

In the resolution, MEPs condemn the obstruction of humanitarian aid and the delivery of humanitarian aid to advance military agendas and the politicisation of humanitarian aid by severely restricting access to live-saving aid. They condemn the increase in attacks and killing of humanitarian workers in conflict areas, and reiterate that intentional attacks against personnel involved in a humanitarian assistance mission constitute war crimes. The Commission and EU member states should, MEPs say, unequivocally condemn the killing of humanitarian workers and invest in the investigations and prosecution of perpetrators. They EU should, MEPs argue, strengthen its capacity to monitor and document violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), including through support for independent accountability mechanisms and cooperation with international investigative bodies.

Funding crisis

The resolution reflects the concerns of MEPs about the global humanitarian and development funding crisis, and the decision by several key donors, including several EU member states, to reduce their aid budgets. In addition to this funding crisis, there are concerns that growing geopolitical competition and shifting donor priorities may divert attention and resources away from the world's least developed and most fragile countries. MEPs insist that the quality and accountability of EU humanitarian assistance are of key importance and that humanitarian reforms must be needs-based, results-driven and focussed on effectiveness and real impact.

The Commission and member states should, MEPs say, increase their support both for displaced populations and for the communities hosting them, to invest in durable solutions and self-reliance, and to ensure that responses to the protracted displacement of people due to humanitarian crises bridge humanitarian, development and peace action.

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Speaking after the adoption of the resolution, Committee on Development chair Barry Andrews (Renew, IE) said: “After a lot of hard negotiations, I am happy we could agree this committee position on humanitarian aid. Given what is happening in the world right now, we are strongly condemning the obstruction of humanitarian aid and agree that international humanitarian law is binding on all sides of an armed conflict. The EU must live up to this standard in its foreign policy and trade relations.”

Next steps

The resolution will be voted on by MEPs at the July 2026 plenary session.