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 Articles 2 and 4 and Article 15(3) thereof;
Whereas:
(1) From June to August 2012, Guatemala experienced an extended drought and a long-lasting heat wave. The lack of rain during the crop production cycle caused significant losses (40 to 85% of maize and bean productions, which constitute the basis of the diet), thus affecting subsistence farmers who depend heavily on those crops. The recorded precipitation rates were between 50 and 75% below normal rainfall. This drought follows a decade of serious droughts, and debilitated the already eroded coping mechanisms of the most vulnerable population affected by constant disasters;
(2) In Guatemala, more than 200,000 people have been affected by the drought in more than ten departments. In normal years, Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world and the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean as estimated by World Food Programme (WFP). In previous years, rural areas with indigenous population in the western highlands and in the dry corridor have seen acute malnutrition rates increasing to alarm levels. In this context, any external shock further aggravates the vulnerability;
(3) On 7 November 2012, an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale struck 25 km off the Pacific coast of Guatemala. More than 33.000 houses were damaged, amongst which 7.200 severely. As of 30 November, 30,042 people were evacuated and 3.4 million people were affected. The earthquake killed 44 people and caused extensive and widespread damage in the western part of the country, especially to housing and infrastructure. The most affected departments are San Marcos, Quetzaltenango and Sololá, with damage to be seen mainly to adobe houses in rural areas;
(4) For these crises, needs assessments carried out by the Commission and its humanitarian partners indicate that the provision of humanitarian aid, focusing mostly on enhanced access to income and food and on transitional shelter solutions, is essential for the survival of the most vulnerable victims;
(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 financed by the European Union are necessary for a period of 12 months;
(7) It is estimated that an amount of EUR 2,000,000 from budget article 23 02 01 of the general budget of the European Union is necessary to provide humanitarian assistance to 50,000 victims of the earthquake and/or the drought, 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) This Decision constitutes a financing Decision within the meaning of Article 75 of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget ("the Financial Regulation") and Article 90 of Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002 of 23 December 2002 laying down detailed rules for the Implementation of Financial Regulation;
(9) Since the amount does not exceed EUR 2,000,000 an opinion of the humanitarian aid committee is not necessary pursuant to Article 15(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/96.