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 1 , and in particular Article 2(a) and 4 and Article 13 thereof;
Whereas
(1) Since the beginning of 2011, North African and Middle Eastern countries have experienced a wave of instability due to population protests asking for better living conditions. In Libya, protests against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's rule which started on 16 February have left several hundred people dead and several thousand injured.
(2) On 22 February, after a speech by Colonel Gaddafi declaring all-out internal war, there was a visible outflow of people leaving the country by road through the borders with Egypt and Tunisia.
(3) As of 23 February, 5,000 people (Tunisian and Libyan) had crossed into Tunisia at Ras Ajdir village. 5,000 Egyptians crossed into Egypt at the coastal border town of Salum and 10,000 others were waiting in the area.
(4) Around 1.5 million of foreigners are living in the country, a possible major outflow is feared by the humanitarian community. This might be compounded by a refugee flow if fighting inside the country continues and/or intensifies.
(5) There is a need to provide first aid, food aid, basic medical care, medical equipment, basic shelter items like mattresses, blankets and sanitary kits to the population affected by the violence.
(6) To reach populations in need, humanitarian aid should be channelled through nongovernmental 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;
(7) Humanitarian aid actions financed by this Decision should be of a maximum duration of 6 months;
(8) For the purposes of this Decision, the North African countries involved are Libya, Tunisia and Egypt;
(9) It is estimated that an amount of EUR 3,000,000 from budget article 23 02 01 of the general budget of the European Union is necessary to provide humanitarian assistance to over 10,000 beneficiaries including refugees and displaced persons, 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;
(10) The present Decision constitutes a financing Decision within the meaning of Article 75 of the Financial Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/20022, Article 90 of the detailed rules for the implementation of the Financial Regulation determined by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/20023, and Article 15 of the internal rules on the implementation of the general budget of the European Union4;