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 aid1 , and in particular Article 2(a), Article 4 and Article 13 thereof,
Having regard to 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 2 , and in particular Article 84(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia are confronted with an unprecedented and unexpected massive influx of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in transit from Greece to Hungary with more than 35 000 registered as asylum seekers in both countries from mid/end of June 2015. While the Syrian conflict will not end anytime soon, the influx of refugees coming from Greece is expected to continue at the rate of over 1000 per day. The local capacities in both Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are overstreched and no longer capable of meeting the basic needs of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.
Unless those local capacities are promptly reinforced, urgent humanitarian needs, including protection needs, will remain unaddressed, leading to intolerable suffering and possible loss of life, constituting exceptional circumstances comparable to natural or man-made disasters. The governments of both countries have requested international assistance, in particular to the European Union. As the restrictions at the Hungarian border increase, refugees stranded in Serbia and newly arrived in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia may start looking for alternative routes through Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo3 , Bosnia and Herzegovina, who could face a potential sharp increase of the influx in the coming weeks.
(2) To reach populations in need, humanitarian aid should be channelled through nongovernmental Organisations (NGOs) and international organisations including United Nations (UN) agencies. Where necessary, recourse to Member States' specialized agencies should also be possible. Therefore the Commission should implement the budget by direct management or by indirect management.