ABSTRACT
Humanitarian aid is a non-military ‘soft’ means with which the European Union intervenes in third countries affected by disaster or conflict. The creation of the European Commission Office for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) in 1992 has to be seen in light of the post-Cold War context which opened a window of opportunity for the Union to assume a more prominent international role with other than strictly military means. European initiatives in the field of humanitarian aid can be seen as ‘symbolic politics’ (Olsen 2004, 85), allowing the Union to assert its identity – and especially its civilian power image – on the international scene. Through the provision of humanitarian relief the Union shows itself to the (domestic and international) public as a good-hearted international actor addressing human suffering in third countries.
