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Midday press briefing from 04/02/2026

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OK, thank you, Arianna, Odile Harvey for Radio Nord Bretagne. A question for Eva.

Last Monday at the Press Club Brussels Europe, just down the road from the Berlaymont,

Commissioner Lahbib, in charge of equality, preparedness and crisis management.

Gave the opening remarks to the presentation of the Geneva Academy global report War Watch International Law in focus.

Could you tell us when that report is going to be available,

because it seems that listening to the participants coming from Gaza, coming from Sudan, South Africa, etc.

That this is a matter of urgency that the EU react not just in words, but also,

and that may be concern Anouar about the genocide that's going on and all the horrible suffering.

Of the people in the 24 conflicts around the world at the moment. Thank you very much. Thank you and good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for the first question.

Regarding the presentation that was made by Commissioner Lahbib,

she talked about several aspects, and you are right.

At the moment, the humanitarian system goes through the reset.

We probably need to find some new ways of how the humanitarian.

A system that will work in the future,

but let me use this opportunity also to say that the European Union is a committed,

responsible and principled humanitarian donor.

We understand that humanitarian aid is a shared responsibility and it's a commitment to human dignity.

We understand that humanitarian diplomacy, if you wish,

it's an open window for political actors that come later on because humanitarians,

they need to speak to everybody.

They need to speak to all the communities.

It doesn't matter on which side of the conflict they stay,

and humanitarian diplomacy doesn't normally in the first stage. Happen in the rooms.

It's a diplomacy that happens in shelters, hospitals, dusty roads, and we are guided by the international humanitarian law,

by the law that has been established after the Second World War,

and that supports the global commitment.

And that mainly speaks about the protection of civilians, and this is something that we these days see only on paper,

but in reality we have conflicts that you mention, and usually civilians are now the target of the war.

We see attacks on hospitals, we see attacks on schools,

and this is against the humanitarian law and international commitment.

So let me also stress that We have published our budget for humanitarian aid this year,

which is €1.9 billion now initially for this year.

You know that usually we have top-ups over the year,

which means that we don't decrease the amount of money dedicated to the people in need.

While the other donors in the world make very significant cuts to the humanitarian aid.

Obviously the most severe crisis that we all watch now is going on in Gaza, in Sudan,

but there are also other different crises in the world that we and that we will be addressing throughout this year. So we are not indifferent.

We are not turning our back on the world,

because we understand this is also beneficial for the people in Europe.

If we don't act now, if we don't address the humanitarian needs in the world,

then we risk the spillover of the conflicts, the spillover of the epidemics, we risk that. The conflicts can become much bigger.

Now I would like to reply to your question that there is a communication being prepared for this year about the humanitarian aid.

It will be probably in the 2nd part of the year, and it would mainly address the main challenges of the current humanitarian systems,

which means that we need to address this humanitarian space that is changing.

And mainly upholding of the international humanitarian law,

we need to find ways to improve the supply chains because we see that more and more humanitarians work in the very challenging conditions and they cannot access the areas and we also need to find ways.

To partner with other actors, maybe also with private actors,

and how to simply reset the humanitarian world and the way how the aid is distributed so that we can really address those people that are in need.

Odile, we have already spent a few minutes on this.

I have many questions on different topics, so I would ask you for a very quick follow up that may concern Anouar,

because in that conversation there was a report also that Europe is not vocal enough on the ban on arms sales to some countries,

not respecting embargoes, etc.

And so they they and also trying to have the the people who are prosecuted by the International Court in the in the Hague to be really sent to the to the court for war crimes. Thanks. Anouar had an urgency.

He had to step out in a minute.

I would suggest that perhaps he comes and discuss with you at the end of midday. Yeah? OK, thanks a lot.

Please team, tell Anouar to go speak with Odile after. OK, other questions for Eva? Is it for Eva? Yeah, if it's for Eva, go ahead.

Media information
ID I-284478
Date 04/02/2026
Duration 07:13
Personalities Eva Hrncirova
Institution European Commission
Views 151