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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 ("the Humanitarian Aid Regulation"), and in particular Article 2, notably 2 (c), Article 4 and Article 15(2) and (3) thereof,

Having regard to Council Decision 2001/822/EC of 27 November 2001 on the association of the overseas countries and territories with the European Community ("Overseas Association Decision"), and in particular Articles 21 and 30 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Decision C(2012)9883 adopted on 4 January 2013 provides for the financing of humanitarian aid operational priorities from the 2013 general budget of the European Union for a total amount of EUR 661,419,000 from budget articles 23 02 01, 23 02 02 and 23 02 03. The implementation period of this Decision runs from 1 January 2013 until 31 December 2014.

(2) The Commission is committed to providing a humanitarian response in those areas where there are the greatest humanitarian needs. Accordingly, the humanitarian response may be subject to reorientation or scaling-up in the course of the implementation of actions when required by changing circumstances in the field which might affect existing humanitarian needs or generate new needs.

(3) The global humanitarian context has been characterised by an increase in humanitarian needs for collective violence in Central America/Mexico, man made crises in locations such as Central African Republic, Mali, Syria, and natural disasters in locations such as Philippines, the Sahel and Chad. Budgetary allocations per specific objectives should be revised accordingly without prejudice to the flexibility for non-substantial changes to be adopted by the delegated authorising officer.

(4) It is therefore appropriate to increase the overall amount of Decision C(2012)9883 to adapt the humanitarian response to the evolving humanitarian aid operational priorities by EUR 165,218,746, of which EUR 136,100,000 from budget article 23 02 01, EUR 28,900,000 from budget article 23 02 02 and EUR 218,746 from budget article 23 02 03, to distribute this additional funding to the specific objectives fixed in that Decision, and to amend it accordingly. As the adoption of this Decision may precede the actual transfer of EUR 115,000,000 from the Emergency Aid Reserve to budget articles 23 02 01 and 23 02 02 of the 2013 general budget of the European Union, the implementation of Decision C(2012)9883 as amended should be subject to the availability of the said appropriations.

(5) This Decision constitutes a financing decision within the meaning of Article 84 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 ('the Financial Regulation') and Article 94 of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 of 29 October 2012 on the rules of application of Regulation (EU,
Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union ('the Rules of Application of the Financial Regulation').

(6) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Humanitarian Aid Committee established by Article 17(1) of the Humanitarian Aid Regulation,