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These images have traveled around the world. In Southeast Asia, the tsunami of December

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26, 2004 killed more than 200,000 people. Never has a disaster prompted such an outpouring

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of generosity. The sea is calm today on the Aceh coast. One year on since the tsunami,

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people are regaining hope on Indonesia's devastated coastline. For the European Commission's

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Humanitarian Aid Department, which is present in more than 50 countries, 2005 will have

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been an intense year. In the days following the tsunami, the Commission's experts, such

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as Pedro, were on hand to assess the needs of the most vulnerable.

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The time being, we've been concentrating, of course, on our mission, which is to give

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an emergency response. Together with our partners, we've tried to cover more or less all needs,

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particularly with regard to health needs, sanitation and housing. More than 300 million

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people are affected every year by natural disasters. This summer's hurricanes in the

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Caribbean merely confirmed the need for a reliable humanitarian partner in Europe.

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What is great, of course, is that the European Union is making a real difference. It's the

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world's leading donor, and it asks for nothing back from the beneficiaries. In addition,

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more than 95% of our financial aid consists of donations and subsidies. They're not loans,

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as is the case with many donors. Another area of added value, the European Union is alone

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in tackling what we call the forgotten crises.

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The tsunami cannot cause us to forget the other humanitarian crises where the European

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Commission is present. From the famine in Niger to the crisis in the Sudan, for example,

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European relief continues to flow. In Darfur, 1.5 million people are displaced, victims

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of the armed conflict. Since 1994, the European Commission has been financing medical aid

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and food as well as providing protection. A bit further to the south in the Democratic

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Republic of the Congo, humanitarian efforts are continuing. We estimate the number of

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people displaced to be around 4 million. In Palestinian territory, the Commission has

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pledged around 37 million euro to meet the needs of 4 million refugees in 2005. This

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relief has helped to pay for emergency food aid, psychological support for children, temporary

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jobs, as well as the rebuilding of shelters in refugee camps. The most recent major crisis

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in 2005 is the earthquake in Pakistan. On the very first day of the disaster, the Commission

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was quick to respond by releasing 3 million euro in emergency aid. Relief for the victims

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is immense. Every day, the helicopters depart to drop off more tents and supplies in the

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mountains. In a field hospital, Finnish doctors work relentlessly. In the camps, relief is

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organized and the Commission experts analyze victims' needs as these develop on a daily

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basis. This relief will continue to be required for many years to come.