This study explores the way in which the eight new Central European members of the European Union (EU) are formulating policies, establishing administrative capacity and working with operational partners to develop international humanitarian assistance programmes. The study primarily focuses on official humanitarian donorship (OHA), but recognises that distinctions between humanitarian and other forms of assistance may not always be clear. The rationale for examining humanitarian donorship is based on the assumption that new international assistance donors often first engage in the humanitarian arena, albeit on an ad hoc basis, before committing to longer-term development cooperation programmes.