Humanitarian aid and it`s European Union dimension

This master thesis is prepared in order to make a contribution to establishing of norms and values in humanitarian field and analyse the humanitarian aid system of the European Union (EU) which is considered as a pioneer actor in humanitarian aid society. To reach this goal, basic knowledge of the humanitarian aid field is maintained for the reader and regulations introduced by the European Union which is a norm builder actor in this field are mentioned. In this study qualitative research methods were used and largely benefited from primary sources including agreements, regulations, reports and surveys.Basic finding that is reached after analyses performed in the context of this study is that, humanitarian aid activities must be based on principles, norms and scientific data in every step. In this way, drawing a more clear division between political, economic and military interests and humanitarian objectives will be possible. Although there are exceptions in practice, EU endeavors to meet these criteria. Another important finding is that, the Commission`s humanitarian aid activities strongly contribute to the civil power perception of the European Union. Activities to reinforce this perception are in parallel with the Union`s post-Cold War era policy which can be summarized as aiming to achieve a more effective position with its civil power in the global political arena. Another finding is an existing power struggle between member states and the Commission and European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO). This demonstrates that the EU humanitarian system, which is predominantly based on collaboration, also includes a hidden power struggle. The final finding is that most of the EU citizens support apolitical humanitarian aid activities of the Commission but they need to be more adequately informed. Disclosure of activities in order to meet this need will provide humanitarian aid to be delivered in a more transparent and accountable way.Key Words: Humanitarian Aid, European Union, European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department.