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1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 2 and with a view to the protection of the interests of the Community, which include the interests of its citizens and residents, the competent authorities of a Member State may grant specific authorisations:

— to unfreeze funds, other financial assets or other economic resources,

— to make funds, other financial assets or other economic resources available to a person, entity or body included in the list referred to in Article 2(3), or — to render financial services to such person, entity or body, after consultation with the other Member States, the Council and the Commission in accordance with paragraph 2.

2. A competent authority which receives a request for an authorisation referred to in paragraph 1 shall notify the competent authorities of the other Member States, the Council and the Commission, as listed in the Annex, of the grounds on which it intends to either reject the request or grant a specific authorisation, informing them of the conditions that it considers necessary in order to prevent the financing of acts of terrorism.

The competent authority which intends to grant a specific authorisation shall take due account of comments made within two weeks by other Member States, the Council and the Commission.

3. Article 2(1) and (2) shall not apply to the making available of funds or economic resources necessary to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance or to support other activities that support basic human needs where such assistance and other activities are carried out by:

(a) the United Nations (UN), including its programmes, funds and other entities and bodies, as well as its specialised agencies and related organisations;

(b) international organisations;

(c) humanitarian organisations having observer status with the UN General Assembly and members of those humanitarian organisations;

(d) bilaterally or multilaterally funded non-governmental organisations participating in UN Humanitarian Response Plans, Refugee Response Plans, other UN appeals or humanitarian clusters coordinated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs;

(e) organisations and agencies to which the Union has granted the Humanitarian Partnership Certificate or which are certified or recognised by a Member State in accordance with national procedures;

(f) Member States’ specialised agencies;

(g) employees, grantees, subsidiaries or implementing partners of the entities referred to in points (a) to (f) while and to the extent that they are acting in those capacities.

7. Paragraphs 3 and 4 shall be reviewed at least every 24 months ◄ , or at the urgent request of a Member State, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, or the Commission following a fundamental change in circumstances.

8. Paragraph 3 shall apply until 22 February 2027 ◄ .

4. Without prejudice to paragraph 3, and by way of derogation from Article 2(1) and (2), the competent authorities of a Member State may authorise the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources, or the making available of certain funds or economic resources, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that the provision of such funds or economic resources is necessary to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance or to support other activities that support basic human needs.

5. In the absence of a negative decision, a request for information or a notification for additional time from the relevant competent authority within five working days of the date of receipt of a request for authorisation under paragraph 4, that authorisation shall be considered granted.

6. The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisations granted under paragraph 4 within four weeks of the granting of such authorisation.