This article focuses
on the inability of the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and
Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) to directly fund local partners in the
field. Considering the growing international funding gap, the EU acknowledges
the importance of collaborating with the latter. The ‘localization’ of the aid,
understood as empowering local partners in affected countries to lead and
deliver humanitarian aid, is depicted by the humanitarian sector as an answer
to inefficient aid, offering a comprehensive response to increasingly complex
crises. However, and mainly due to the difficulty to adopt such an approach,
the EU fails to reform its incompatible legislative framework: the EU Council
Regulation 1257/96 of 1996. Supported by an eclectic analytical framework, the
article answers the following question: what explains the constraints the EU is
facing in changing the latter? The analysis of fourteen semi-structured interviews
explores the reasons behind the continuity in the EU’s decision-making process
since 2016, although it committed otherwise. Two main explanations may be
found: firstly, the EU, particularly the Commission, is reluctant to changes
that would be detrimental for its DGs; secondly, tensions with international
implementing partners hinders incentives for change. Additionally, the article
discusses future considerations, should the EU launch legislative reforms. The
article found that the current administrative burden is heavy, preventing small
partners to collaborate with the EU, favouring important International
Organizations (IOs) and International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs).