On 12 January 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake mainly destroyed the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, striking government facilities, key infrastructure and the areas with the greatest concentration of population. This event, together with several other difficulties, have marked the last year making Haiti a unique case in complexity to deliver aid in an environment characterised by numerous logistical, infrastructure, social and political challenges.

Despite the challenges, first months of assistance delivered by the European Union in Haiti provided clear results. EU intervention was focused on 3 main areas, in line with the Haitian authorities' priorities and according to the division of tasks with EU Member States, which included infrastructure, supporting the State and emergency shelter.

Following the disaster, the European Union immediately mobilised a fast-track primary emergency decision of 3 million euro for immediate relief activities, as part of the emergency humanitarian funding of the European Commission which totalled 120 million euro. Further to it, EU Member States pledged almost 201 million euro for emergency relief.

25 European countries were involved in the relief effort channelled assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (MIC), which included 12 urban search and rescue teams, 7 assessment teams, 38 medical teams and supplies, 2 field hospitals, 6 water sanitation units, 2 334 tents for approximately 20 000 people and one base-camp with capacity for 300 people.

At the International Donors' Conference towards a new future in Haiti, held in New York on 31 March, donors pledged a total of 9.8 billion dollars for medium and long-term reconstruction. In this scope, the European Union made a single pledge amounting to 1.235 billion euro which pooled together pledges from the European Commission for 460 million euro later increased to 522 million euro, 18 EU Member States to the amount of 775 million euro and the European Investment Bank. By the end of 2010, the EU disbursements reached 331.9 million euro.

Coordinating efforts to deliver aid in Haiti between Commission and Member States

Delivering on the EU pledge, the Commission and the Member States are applying an approach of joint programming to their reconstruction assistance, in accordance with the general recommendations made for the revision of EU humanitarian aid strategy. This process aims at improving coordination and achieving a clear division of labour between different actors.

A special focus continues to be given to areas such as infrastructure, water and sanitation, education, health, governance, agriculture and rural development.

Several programmes are currently ongoing or about to be launched. Disbursements in 2010 have reached 74 million euro, and in 2011 are forecast at 150 million euro. Development and reconstruction programmes have multi annual implementation periods, over which programme activities are gradually put in place and developed through the various projects and contracts managed by EuropeAid. This means that effective disbursements are spread over the whole duration of the programme according to advancement of activities.