With the first application for part-financing, the Member States shall send the Commission their national implementing provisions and administrative instructions, together with the forms and any other documents relating to the administrative implementation of the measure.

This Regulation relates to scrutiny of the commercial documents of those entities receiving or making payments relating directly or indirectly to the system of financing by the Guarantee Section of the EAGGF, or their representatives, hereinafter called 'undertakings', in order to ascertain whether transactions forming part of the system of financing by the Guarantee Section of the EAGGF have actually been carried out and have been executed correctly.";

The beneficiary country is to ensure that when checks are performed by Commission staff, or its duly authorised representatives, these persons have the right to inspect on-the-spot all relevant documentation and accounts pertaining to items financed under the financing memorandum.

Where charges are made, the total income should not exceed the total costs of collecting, producing, reproducing and disseminating documents, together with a reasonable return on investment, having due regard to the self-financing requirements of the public sector body concerned, where applicable.

The presentation of this table does not exclude the forwarding of the documents specified in Articles 3 and 5 of Regulation (EEC) No 283/72 (OJ No L 36, 10.2.1972, p. 1) concerning irregularities and the recovery of sums wrongly paid in connection with the financing of the common agricultural policy and the organization of an information system in this field.

The Arrangement does not prevent export credit insurance authorities or financing institutions from agreeing more favourable terms and conditions than permitted if such action is taken after the contract award (when the export credit agreement and ancillary documents have already become effective) and where the intention is solely to avoid or minimise loss from events which could give rise to non-payment or claims.

The rules, criteria and procedures for selecting and financing projects to implement the actions of the programme set out in the document "Rules, criteria and procedures for the selection and funding of actions under the public health programme" (cf. Decision C(2003) 690 of 10 March 2003 published in OJ C 62, 15.3.2003, particularly the sections 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2, 3.A, 3.B (14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20), are also applicable for the call "Public Health - 2004".

When assessing requests for reduction of the amount of the refund certificate and proportional release of the relevant security, the national competent authority should, in cases of doubt, have regard in particular to the documents referred to in Article 1(2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 4045/89 of 21 December 1989 on scrutiny by Member States of transactions forming part of the system of financing by the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and repealing Directive 77/435/EEC(5) without prejudice to the application of the other provisions of that Regulation.

The documents to be produced in support of payments should be specified and rules laid down for the clearing of pre-financing and interim payments.

Pre-financing, including in cases where it is split into a number of payments, shall be paid either on the basis of the contract, the agreement or the basic act, or on the basis of supporting documents which make it possible to check the conformity of the actions financed with the terms of the contract or agreement in question.

Before a financing agreement is concluded for an action which is to be the subject of decentralised management, the authorising officer responsible shall ensure, by means of document and on-the-spot checks, that the management system set up by the beneficiary third country to manage the Community funds complies with Article 164(1) of the Financial Regulation.