European Commission

Last Updated: 22 November 2013

Support for Mine Action

Since 2000 the European Union (EU) has been the second largest donor in mine action after the United States. It was again the second largest donor in 2012, contributing €47.2 million (US$60.7 million) to 15 countries in South America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.[1]

Of the €47.2 million, €2.9 million ($3.7 million) was allocated through the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Sudan, and Sri Lanka.

The EU supported Afghanistan, Somalia, and South Sudan through contributions to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund totaling €16.1 million ($20.7 million).

All but €458,260 ($589,277) of the total funds provided by the EU were dedicated to either mine clearance or building the capacity of national mine action centers.

Except for ECHO funding, all EU support for mine action is awarded as multi-year funding for two to three years. The Monitor reports the complete amount in the year the funding was awarded. At the end of 2011, the EU and the government of Colombia finalized an agreement for €6 million to be given over the course of several years from 2011–2014. However, no EU funds had been expended as of September 2012.[2] In November 2012, the EU awarded funding to Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) in Myanmar, but the contract between the EU and NPA was not signed until June 2013.[3]

In 2012, the EU announced it planned to renew support to Lebanon (€7 million/$9 million[4] over three years) and Angola (€20 million/$25.7 million over three years). In September 2012, the European Commission (EC) office in Lebanon issued a tender for mine clearance operations and another in August 2013 for risk education and victim assistance.[5] The EC office in Angola issued a tender in August 2013 for €16.3 million ($21 million) for mine clearance operations in 11 provinces.[6]

Contributions by recipient: 2012[7]

Recipients

Sector

Amount (€)

Amount

($)

Somalia

Clearance

13,000,000

16,716,700

Colombia

Various

6,011,191

7,729,791

Libya

Clearance

5,300,000

6,815,270

Lao PDR

Clearance

4,600,000

5,915,140

Senegal

Clearance

4,000,000

5,143,600

Myanmar

Clearance

3,500,000

4,500,650

Chad

Clearance

2,500,000

3,214,750

South Sudan

Clearance

2,097,000

2,696,532

Lebanon

Capacity building

1,900,000

2,443,210

Afghanistan

Clearance

1,087,500

1,398,416

Global

Advocacy

1,030,000

1,324,477

Niger

Capacity building, victim assistance

815,000

1,048,009

Philippines

Clearance

552,098

709,943

Sri Lanka

Clearance

420,000

540,078

DRC

Clearance

369,700

475,397

India

Risk education

58,260

74,917

Total

 

47,240,749

60,746,879

Contributions by thematic sector: 2012

Sector

Amount (€)

Amount ($)

%

Clearance

40,356,298

51,894,164

85.4

Capacity building

6,426,191

8,263,439

13.6

Victim assistance

400,000

514,360

0.8

Risk education

58,260

74,917

0.2

Total

47,240,749

60,746,879

100

Summary of contributions: 2008–2012[8]

Year

Amount

(€)

Amount

($)

2012

47,240,749

60,746,879

2011

13,852,393

19,297,769

2010

37,533,764

49,773,524

2009

34,533,082

48,121,850

2008

15,478,721

22,793,965

Total

148,638,709

200,733,987

 

 



[1] Email from Carolin J. Thielking, Directorate for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, European External Action Service (EEAS), European Commission (EC), 15 May 2013.

[2] Ibid.; and email from Ulrich Tietze, Technical Advisor, EC, Bogota, 3 September 2012.

[5] EC, “Mine Action in Lebanon,” 29 September 2012; and EC, Mine Action in Lebanon: Mine Victims Assistance and Mine Risk Education,” 7 August 2013.

[7] Average exchange rate for 2012: €1=US$1.2859. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2013.

[8] See Landmine Monitor reports 2008–2011; and ICBL-CMC, “Country Profile: European Commission: Support for Mine Action,” 5 October 2012.