If these decisions to waive ex-ante control have not been adopted before 1 May 2004, any contracts signed between 1 May 2004 and the date on which the Commission decisions are taken shall not be eligible for pre-accession assistance.

If this Commission decision to waive ex ante control has not been taken before the date of accession, any contracts signed between the date of accession and the date on which the Commission decision is taken shall not be eligible for pre accession assistance.

For the first four marketing years following accession, the quantities eligible for aid for processing shall be limited to a quantity of processed products corresponding to a quantity of raw materials amounting to:

From the date of accession until 31 December 2006 the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia shall also be eligible for assistance from the Fund.

In view of the accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia to the Community on 1 May 2004, the maximum quantity of rice seed and seed other than rice seed eligible for production aid in the enlarged Community and the quantities allocated to each Member State should be fixed.

Without prejudice to Article 33(5) of the Act of Accession, only expenditure relating to operations selected for part-financing under Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 in accordance with the selection criteria and procedures laid down and which have been subject to Community rules over the whole period during which they have been incurred shall be eligible.

Paragraph 1 shall not apply to expenditure under the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, Guarantee Section, according to Articles 2(1), 2(2), and 3(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 on the financing of the common agricultural policy fn, which will become eligible for Community funding only from the date of accession, in accordance with Article 2 of this Act.

"Notwithstanding the date specified in Article 30(2), expenditure actually paid, in respect of which the Commission has received an application for assistance from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia or Slovakia before the date of accession and which fulfils all the conditions laid down in this Regulation, may be regarded as eligible for a contribution from the Funds as of ) January 2004.".

Pursuant to Article 4(4), first subparagraph, of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 the Commission, where appropriate and in close concertation with the Member State concerned, shall adopt Decisions as soon as possible after accession drawing up lists of those areas of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia eligible under Objective 2 of the Structural Funds for the period from the date of accession to 2006. These Decisions shall respect the population ceilings for each of these Member States laid down in Commission Decision 1999/503/EC, as amended by the present Act.

The Copenhagen European Council of 12 and 13 December 2002 concluded the accession negotiation with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia and set the accession date as 1 May 2004. Therefore those acceding countries should be removed from the list of borders eligible for the Phare cross-border cooperation programme.

The outermost regions (the French overseas departments, the Azores, the Canary Islands and Madeira), which are all below the 75 % threshold, and the areas eligible under Objective 6 for the period 1995 to 1999 pursuant to Protocol 6 to the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden shall also be covered by this Objective.

To be eligible for co-financing, the projects must involve partners in at least three Member States, or two Member States and one applicant country, and have the objectives mentioned in Article 2. The applicant countries may participate in the projects in order to familiarise themselves with the acquis in this area and help them to prepare for the accession.

(3) In view of the accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia to the Community on 1 May 2004, the maximum quantity of rice seed and seed other than rice seed eligible for production aid in the enlarged Community and the quantities allocated to each Member State should be fixed.

Without prejudice to Article 33(5) of the Act of Accession, only expenditure relating to operations selected for part-financing under Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 in accordance with the selection criteria and procedures laid down and which have been subject to Community rules over the whole period during which they have been incurred shall be eligible.

Without prejudice to the conditions for accession candidate countries set out in Article 6, projects receiving aid provided for under the Structural Funds or other Community budget instruments shall not be eligible for financial assistance under this Regulation.

In view of the accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia to the Community on 1 May 2004, the maximum quantity of rice seed and seed other than rice seed eligible for production aid in the enlarged Community and the quantities allocated to each Member State should be fixed.

Whereas the second subparagraph of Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 stipulates that the outermost regions (the French overseas departments, the Azores, the Canary Islands and Madeira), which are all below the 75 % threshold, and the areas eligible under Objective 6 for the period 1995 to 1999 pursuant to Protocol 6 to the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden(2) are also to be covered by this Objective;