On December 18, 2007, the EU Council and member states agreed on a new consensus as to the values, guiding principles and scope of the EU Humanitarian Aid policy.
The “Consensus on Humanitarian Aid” sets out a number of important new understandings about the quality of humanitarian relief including formal commitments to the “Principles of Good Humanitarian Donorship”, the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non Governmental Organisations in Disaster Relief and the Sphere Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards. The Consensus also “notes positively the work on International Disaster Response Laws, Rules and Principles (IDRL)” and affirms (with regard to all of the foregoing) that “the EU subscribes fully to these sets of principles, standards and evaluation criteria.”
On January 29, 2008, Martin Faller, Head of Cooperation and Systems, in the Coordination and Programmes Division of the International Federation, was invited to speak at a Public Hearing of the European Parliament organised by its Committee on Development on "EU Humanitarian Aid after the Consensus".
He urged EU member states and institutions to ensure that implementation plans for the new Consensus include support for the dissemination and promotion of the IDRL Guidelines both within the EU and in the states where it provides assistance.