Caritas Europa is a European confederation of Catholic social service providers and international development and humanitarian relief organisations operating in Europe.

[3] Caritas Europa refers to both the European network with its 49 member organisations, and its secretariat based in Brussels, Belgium.

For this reason, the Caritas network in Europe and other NGOs created the NGO Euronaid in 1980, particularly for the distribution of food aid by the EEC.

Rather than establishing a formal legal entity, they opted to have European member organisations collaborate through consortia with varying memberships tailored to different areas of work.

This collaborative model was endorsed during its general assembly, formally called "Regional Conference", of the European members of Caritas Internationalis in Luxembourg in May 1985.

[9] After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism, numerous new Caritas organisations emerged in central and eastern European nations.

[10] In July 1993, Caritas Europa was formally established as a non-profit association under Belgian law with its secretariat based in Brussels.

The member organisations are active in combating poverty and social exclusion, providing social and welfare services, dealing with migration and asylum issues, combating human trafficking, providing humanitarian aid in Europe and across the world, regional development, peace programmess and projects around the world.

The secretariat, headquartered in Brussels, employs staff engaged in advocacy activities targeting the European Union, the Council of Europe, and their respective member states.

They focus on policy issues concerning poverty, social inequality, migration, asylum, emergency humanitarian assistance, and international development globally.