Explainers

The EU has provided emergency assistance to Ukraine and its people since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. The EU and its 27 member states together are the biggest donor of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The EU stands with the Syrian people. It supports a peaceful and inclusive transition in Syria, the respect for human rights and the country’s socio-economic recovery.

In the face of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the EU has taken a number of initiatives to support Ukraine’s energy security, as well as the country’s transport and connectivity sectors.

The Common Security and Defence Policy enables the EU to deploy civilian and military missions and operations outside the EU, drawing on the operational capabilities of EU member states. 

The EU and its 27 member states together are the leading donor of humanitarian aid to populations affected by disasters around the globe. EU assistance aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and maintain human dignity.

The EU is committed to multilateralism, with a strong and effective UN at its core. The Council of the EU adopts the EU’s priorities annually at the UN and the UN General Assembly.

EU sanctions can target governments of non-EU countries, entities and individuals. The EU can impose restrictive measures in order to implement UN resolutions, to reinforce UN sanctions or on its own initiative.

The EU stands with the people of Afghanistan and is committed to supporting Afghan women's rights and the development of a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.

EU citizens are entitled to seek help from the embassy or consulate of any EU member state in a non-EU country if their own member state lacks diplomatic representation there.

Any country in the world can request assistance through the EU civil protection mechanism when an emergency overwhelms their disaster response capabilities.