Why is the political system of the EU not able to respect, within its borders, the principles and values that are in the spirit of the treaties - the same principles and values that it has so soundly advocated outside them, as it happens in the case of the so–called crisis of refugees and migration? Why are the legal regulations broken and why do the European commitments become so ephemeral? To what extent do these issues affect the credibility of the Union? These questions are now the focus of political, media and social debate. Given this context, the aim of this paper is to examine the role played by the EU as one of the main actors in humanitarian assistance and crisis management, in a situation in which Europe is no longer a mere spectator of conflicts beyond its borders, but becomes a subject of the consequences of such conflicts. A review of how the EU addresses the global challenges and with what instruments, especially through the assistance provided by the Department for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Commission (ECHO) is included.