The EU is a longstanding partner of Yemen. It is one of the leading donors to Yemen, especially to the social and economic sectors, and humanitarian aid. The EU’s engagement in Yemen rests on three strands: Political, humanitarian and development support. Since 2015, the EU's overall support for Yemen amounts to approximately €1 billion.

Political relations

The EU enjoys longstanding relations with Yemen, which date back to July 1998, when the relationship was formalised with the entry into force of a bilateral cooperation agreement focused on commercial, development and economic cooperation. The agreement laid the groundwork for a long-term partnership between the EU and Yemen in these areas and beyond.

The EU Delegation to Yemen has been operating from Amman, Jordan, since 2017. EU’s engagement with Yemen has expanded in recent years despite the challenging environment in the country. Several EU-funded projects have been launched and others scaled up to respond to the growing needs in the country.

The EU remains very active at the political level, supporting the UN-led efforts and broadly advocating for an inclusive political settlement in Yemen in close coordination with the UN Special Envoy and his office (OSESGY). The EU’s top political priority in Yemen is to end the devastating war and help bring Yemenis together to rebuild their own country. In this regard, the EU actively engages with all parties to the conflict in order to bring relevant stakeholders together and help build trust among the rival parties. The EU also works to increase the inclusivity of the peace efforts by opening it to all relevant actors, including civil society, women and youth. The EU is committed to the promotion and protection of human rights in Yemen and continues to advocate for the full respect of international law, including International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

EU’s trade relations with Yemen

Crude oil used to be around 90% of Yemen's total exports. However, the depletion of resources and the conflict have considerably reduced Yemen’s oil exports. Yemen’s non-oil exports are primarily agricultural and fishery products (e.g. fruits, coffee and honey).  Yemen is a net importer of all major categories of products. In 2020, EU exports to Yemen stood at €643 million, while imports from Yemen were worth €52 million (-45.7% compared to 2019).

Yemen benefits from "Everything but Arms", an EU initiative under the Generalized System of Preferences, which grants LDCs duty-and quota-free access for all products, arms and ammunition excluded.

The EU has facilitated Yemen's accession to the World Trade Organisation and it continues supporting the private sector and Yemen’s investment capacities, as main drivers for sustainable development.

Yemen is on the list of third countries with strategic deficiencies in anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing frameworks (Directive (EU) 2018/843). The EU supports the efforts undertaken under the Financial Action Task Force Framework and aims to strengthen the accountability of Yemeni institutions.

Development Cooperation

The EU is a leading development partner in Yemen with an active portfolio of over € 230 million and around 30 projects supporting resilience, livelihoods, communities, social services, cash assistance, food security, IDPs, local authorities, public institutions, health, education, peace and stability. The EU is trying to gradually shift the focus of programming towards possible stabilisation, recovery and reconciliation, with a view to broader state-building in the mid- to longer term.

The development response in Yemen is closely aligned with humanitarian support, as well as political and diplomatic efforts, along the logic of a humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus. The UN Economic Framework provides a coordination and coherence tool for donor engagement in Yemen across the HDP nexus.

In the current crisis context, there is no Multi-Annual Indicative Programme (MIP) for Yemen to allow for maximum flexibility in addressing emerging needs. Nevertheless, an internal Strategic Guidance Document frames EU development cooperation for the period 2021-2024, for which an allocation of € 149 million was made. This document identified three priority areas: 1) Integrated human and social development; 2) Promoting economic stability and growth; 3) Promoting peace and security. Cross-cutting thematic areas are gender, in particular women economic empowerment and basic rights, as well as migration and internal displacement.

  • Image
    Solar system installed at 22nd Hospital to ensure uninterrupted power supply

    Solar system installed at 22nd Hospital to ensure uninterrupted power supply

    Copyright: UNDP Yemen

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    Abdulkarim, an IDP in Aden, receives basic shelter kit

    Abdulkarim, an IDP in Aden, receives basic shelter kit

    Copyright: IOM

Humanitarian aid

After almost a decade of war, Yemen remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. In 2024, 18.2 million people in Yemen - more than 1/2 of the population - need humanitarian assistance and protection services. Countrywide, 17.6 million people suffer from acute food insecurity. The health system has nearly collapsed and about 1/2 of all children under the age of 5 experiencing moderate to severe acute malnutrition. Yemen is also one of the most heavily mine-affected countries in the world and over 4.5 million people are displaced.

The military escalation in the Red Sea has significantly impacting the already dire humanitarian situation in the country, disrupting the shipment of life-saving assistance. The situation could further deteriorate if restrictions to imports of basic commodities, such as of food, fuel and medicines, and bureaucratic obstructions to access persist. The crisis is further aggravated by an economic crisis, inflation and currency devaluation.

The EU has reacted to the crisis with high levels of humanitarian assistance. In 2024, the EU allocated €125 million to humanitarian assistance for Yemen, bringing the EU’s support to humanitarian funding to a total of €1 billion since the beginning of the conflict in 2015. This aid goes to projects implemented by EU partners (United Nations, International Committee of the Red Cross, Red Cross branches and International Non-Governmental Organisations) across the whole country. The EU's focus has been on emergency lifesaving assistance to conflict and displacement affected populations, including Internally Displaced People (IDPs), as well as wider support on food security, health care, nutrition as well as water and sanitation programmes.

With the recurrent and simultaneous outbreaks such as cholera and measles, preparedness and response to epidemics has been a key focus in the EU’s humanitarian strategy during the last years. To respond to the recent Covid-19 outbreak, the EU supports infection prevention and control measures. The EU has also funded protection activities with a particular focus on gender-based violence, migration, education in emergencies and actions that enhance rapid response capacity among partners, logistical support (including UNHAS flights and Humanitarian Air Bridges), and coordination and advocacy actions.

In addition to providing financial support, the EU is also a lead actor in humanitarian advocacy and coordination. The EU and Sweden have regularly convened the donor community promoting coordinated, principled and accountable humanitarian action. This takes place mainly through the Yemen Humanitarian Senior Official Meetings (SOM Process) commenced in February 2020.