Informing youth about the reality of the humanitarian aid allocated by the European Union: that’s the aim set by the European Parliament and the Office for humanitarian aid of the European Commission (Echo) in promoting Youth Solidarity Day on 20 January. Some 600 youngsters aged between 16 from the fifteen current member countries participated in it, and discussed the Union’s aid programme in favour of the populations that need humanitarian aid. “Europe is not only the euro, enlargement of the Erasmus programme says the document issued to mark the Day -, it’s also solidarity without any request for benefits in return and a support for those who have a need for it without any kind of calculation or discrimination”. Responsible politicians and senior administrators of the EU institutions described a series of projects in the sectors of food aid, the supply of drinking water, healthcare assistance, de-mining and family reunification, emphasizing that the EU is the world’s leading contributor to humanitarian actions. At the end of the Day, the young participants voted on a resolution drafted by a group of their own age on the issue.
