What is it?
ReliefEU is an emergency response tool that can be activated by humanitarian partners and organisations to support response operations in case of sudden disasters or the deterioration of an ongoing crisis. It aims to provide effective, efficient, and timely assistance to people in need; ahead of a predictable and immediate hazard in the aftermath of a disaster, and in protracted crises where operational gaps are identified.
ReliefEU activities are funded via a dedicated Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP), covering unforeseen humanitarian needs emerging after the adoption of the Worldwide Decision that cannot be immediately covered by geographic or regional HIPs.
Why is this important?
Today, humanitarian needs are at an all-time high, with increasing levels of vulnerability due to sudden crises and unforeseen disasters increasingly affecting people worldwide. According to the United Nations, by the end of May 2025, nearly 300 million people around the world were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection while new challenges continue to rise. As humanitarian actors confront fast-evolving emergency scenarios, rapid field response becomes critical as even short delays in responding can cost lives.
ReliefEU is a key EU tool to meet these challenges as it aims to respond to sudden humanitarian disasters where swift assistance is vital and address new developments in protracted crises. Through ReliefEU, we:
- provide emergency humanitarian aid to people affected by natural hazards or human-induced disasters under exceptional circumstances
- support humanitarian partners with funding or capabilities to deliver rapid, effective, and principled assistance
- demonstrate EU leadership upholding principled humanitarian assistance
- promote Team Europe approach in collaboration with EU Member States
How are we helping?
ReliefEU, managed by the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), ensures a swift humanitarian response to sudden onset disasters and/or worsening of existing crises. Additionally, it contributes to Team Europe approaches, offering further opportunities for EU countries to work together to respond to emergencies.
ReliefEU capacities
ReliefEU provides operational tools designed to offer rapid but temporary support to partners to fill operational gaps in the humanitarian response where the humanitarian community struggles to provide timely assistance. The different instruments include:
- the provision of common logistics services to humanitarian partners in the form of international and in-country transport operations (across various modes of transport)
- warehousing capacities
- prepositioning and delivery of emergency stockpiles, and other supply chain/logistical support and coordination
- deployment of expertise and capabilities, such as working and accommodation space as well as an emergency medical technician (EMT) for physical rehabilitation
Common logistics services
EU Humanitarian Aid Flight (EU HAF) includes regular passenger and cargo transport services tailored for humanitarian organisations, particularly to hard-to-reach or crisis-affected regions. These flights support both EU-funded projects and ad-hoc emergency deployments upon request.
EU Humanitarian Air Bridge (EU HAB) provides international cargo transport on an ad hoc basis when commercial options are unavailable or limited.
Warehousing
Warehousing and cold chain services provided by ReliefEU include temperature-controlled storage capacities to ensure the safe storage and delivery of critical supplies. These services are designed to fill operational gaps where the humanitarian community struggles to provide timely assistance.
Stockpiles
ReliefEU maintains operational 6 regional stockpiles located in Brindisi, Copenhagen, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Nairobi and Panama.
These stockpiles ensure rapid availability of relief items in sudden crises, especially where local and international systems are overwhelmed.
The sectors covered include emergency shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), logistics, health, and education in emergencies.
Items are provided free-of-charge to DG ECHO partners, prioritising those already active in the target area or implementing compatible projects.
Deployment of expertise
Logistics coordination and information management support is rapidly deployed in emergencies, often through mobilisation of logistics experts from DG ECHO or its partners.
Public health response is strengthened through deployments from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), supporting outbreak response and health emergency preparedness.
Emergency Rehabilitation Specialised Care Teams (SCT) are deployed under the World Health Organization (WHO) EMT mechanism to address urgent rehabilitation needs in disaster-affected areas. These teams help reduce complications for individuals with injuries or pre-existing conditions.
ReliefEU funding
ReliefEU funding includes 2 instruments to allow for fast response to disasters:
- All-Emergencies Response Tool (ALERT)
- support to the IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF)
ALERT is an EU rapid first-line funding tool for its humanitarian partners that aims to provide a swift response to sudden emergencies (natural and/or human-induced, including outbreaks of epidemics).
It facilitates a quick injection of funding to support the immediate response of humanitarian actors who are already on the ground to cover the needs of the most vulnerable population for sudden disasters.
Since 2009, we have contributed to responding to small and medium-scale humanitarian disasters via the IFRC-managed DREF. This cooperation supports disaster response operations carried out by National Societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Operations
Since its inception in January 2025, ReliefEU has responded to humanitarian emergencies in 29 countries addressing epidemics, earthquakes, floods, and conflicts among others, and in the context of protracted crises.
A recent example in which all ReliefEU tools have been mobilised is the Myanmar earthquake emergency.
Just hours after the earthquake, the EU through ReliefEU released €2.5 million in emergency aid from ALERT, becoming the very first international donor to announce aid. In addition, the EU released an additional €500,000 to contribute to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) emergency appeal.
At the same time, the EU set up a Humanitarian Air Bridge through ReliefEU. In April and May 2025, 15 EU HAB flights carried over 856 tonnes of cargo on behalf of humanitarian partners. Moreover, over 182 tonnes of humanitarian supplies from ReliefEU stocks were deployed.