THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No.1257/96 of 20 June 1996 concerning humanitarian aid, and in particular Article 2 and Article 15(3) thereof;
Whereas:
(1) Guatemala was affected by a severe drought in 2009 and by a series of natural disasters in 2010 (Pacaya volcano eruption, Tropical Storm Agatha, Tropical Depression 11-E, etc.);
(2) The coping capacity of the most vulnerable population has been eroded due to this succession of natural disasters. Harvest losses have seriously affected subsistence farmers, while opportunities to work as day labourers on bigger farms have diminished because of the floods;
(3) The major problem according to aid agencies is not food availability but access to food. This problem is expected to become even more pronounced following the series of adverse weather events which have already affected the country this year, leading to an increase in the price of basic food products such as beans;
(4) According to assessments, 47,000 families affected by the Pacaya/Agatha events are highly food insecure with a very low food consumption score. This group is characterized as depending on only one, unstable, income source from daily labour activities in the agricultural sector, with no food reserves for the coming months;
(5) To reach populations in need, humanitarian aid should be channelled through non governmental organisations (NGOs) and international organisations including United Nations (UN) agencies. Therefore the European Commission should implement the budget by direct centralised management or by joint management;
(6) An assessment of the humanitarian situation leads to the conclusion that humanitarian aid actions should be financed by the European Union for a period of 12 months;
(7) It is estimated that an amount of EUR 1,000,000 from budget article 23 02 01 of the general budget of the European Union is necessary to provide humanitarian assistance to approximately 20,000 vulnerable people, taking into account the available budget, other donors' contributions and other factors. The activities covered by this Decision may be financed in full in accordance with Article 253 of the Implementing Rules of the Financial Regulation;
(8) The present Decision constitutes a financing Decision within the meaning of Article 75 of the Financial Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002, Article 90 of the detailed rules for the implementation of the Financial Regulation determined by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002, and Article 15 of the internal rules on the implementation of the general budget of the European Union;
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
1. In accordance with the objectives and general principles of humanitarian aid, the Commission hereby approves a total amount of EUR 1,000,000 for the financing of humanitarian actions in Guatemala from budget article 23 02 01 of the 2010 general budget of the European Union.
2. In accordance with Article 2 of Council Regulation No.1257/96, the principal objective of this Decision is to provide humanitarian aid to vulnerable people affected by natural disasters in Guatemala. The humanitarian actions shall be implemented in the pursuance of the following specific objective:
- To contribute to improving the humanitarian situation of people affected by drought and flooding in Guatemala by providing multi-sectoral assistance
The full amount of this Decision is allocated to this specific objective.