This site has been archived on 20/11/2014
20/11/2014

About Me

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My mandate

The heart of my portfolio is providing urgent assistance to people caught up in natural disasters or conflict situations. I am responsible for managing the EU's main instruments of emergency response: humanitarian aid, which is channelled through international partners, and the mobilisation of "in-kind" assistance from EU Member States. My work also involves developing and promoting measures that can reduce the impact of disasters.

  • "Although my job description is one of the longest, actually it is very simple – to help people in need"

International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. It is certainly one of the longer job descriptions among my fellow Commissioners. But at its heart, the job description is very simple. It is about delivering the resources available to the EU, to help people in need: those caught up in humanitarian crises and those affected by disasters that range from catastrophic earthquakes to harmful spills.

It is also about preparing more effectively for these situations in advance, so as to reduce their impact. A lot of this work will involve working with governments as well as regional organisations. This is where most of my work on international cooperation is going to take place.

The formal definition of my mandate is set out in my letter of appointment from President Barroso. But more information about my day-to-day work is provided elsewhere on this site, as well as on the website of the Commission service for which I am responsible– DG ECHO.