Interim payments, other than those on account, shall be made by the Commission to reimburse expenditure actually paid under the Programme as certified by the National Authorising Officer in accordance with Article 9 of this Section.

6 When sending the management report and statement of accounts to the Member States, the Secretary General shall notify the definitive amount of the contribution for the two previous calendar years as well as the amount of the treasury advance in respect of the two calendar years to come.

g) fix, on the basis of the approved accounts, the definitive contributions due from the Member States in accordance with Article 26 for the two previous calendar years, as well as the amount of the treasury advance due from the Member States in accordance with Article 26 paragraph 5 for the current year and the next calendar year;

Rules applicable to accounting officers and imprest administrators

For the payment of small sums and for the collection of revenue other than own resources, imprest accounts may be set up which shall be endowed by the institution's accounting officer and shall be placed under the responsibility of imprest administrators designated by the institution's accounting officer.

Authorizing officers, accounting officers, assistant accounting officers and imprest-holders shall be liable to disciplinary action and, where appropriate, to the payment of compensation in respect of actions relating to their duties.

However, for the cash-flow purposes referred to in Article 61, the accounting officer and, in the case of imprest accounts, imprest administrators shall be authorised to carry out operations in national currencies as laid down in the Regulation laying down the rules for implementing this Regulation, hereinafter referred to as "the implementing rules".

The liability of authorising officers, accounting officers and imprest administrators is not different from that of other officials and staff and should be subject, under the Staff Regulations of officials of the European Communities, and the Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities, to the application of the existing disciplinary and financial compensation measures.

in the case of the direct-labour operations referred to in Article 80(2), adequate provisions for the management and scrutiny of imprest accounts and for the definition of the responsibilities of the imprest administrator and the accounting officer.

Every taxable person shall likewise ensure that an invoice is issued, either by himself or by his customer or, in his name and on his behalf, by a third party, in respect of any payment on account made to him before any supplies of goods referred to in the first subparagraph and in respect of any payment on account made to him by another taxable person or non-taxable legal person before the provision of services is completed.

On the basis of the documents referred to in paragraph 2, the Commission shall, after consulting the Fund Committee, periodically determine the advances needed to cover the expenditure referred to In Article 8 and shall, before the end of the succeeding year, audit the accounts of the authorities and agencies.

`electronic money' shall mean an electronic store of monetary value on a technical device, including prepaid cards, that may be widely used for making payments to entities other than the issuer without necessarily involving bank accounts in the transaction, but acting as a prepaid bearer instrument.

(5) Under the first subparagraph of Article 7(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1663/95, the accounts clearance decision referred to in Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 must determine, without prejudice to decisions taken subsequently in accordance with Article 7(4) of the Regulation, the amount of expenditure effected in each Member State during the financial year in question recognised as being chargeable to the EAGGF Guarantee Section, on the basis of the accounts referred to in Article 6(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 and the reductions and suspensions of advances for the financial year concerned, including the reductions referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 4(3) of Regulation (EC) No 296/96.

Payments of advances shall be identified in the accounting records, and procedures adopted to ensure that:

For the payment of certain categories of expenditure, imprest accounts may be set up in accordance with the implementing measures provided for in Article 76.

Where it proves indispensable for the payment of small sums and for the collection of other revenue referred to in Article 5, imprest accounts may be set up which shall be endowed by the accounting officer and shall be placed under the responsibility of imprest administrators designated by him/her.

However, for cash-flow purposes, the accounting officer and, in the case of imprest accounts, imprest administrators, shall be authorised to carry out operations in national currencies as laid down in the financial rules of each Community body.

Only the accounting officer may replenish the imprest accounts, save in exceptional cases defined in the implementing rules of this Regulation.

Every taxable person shall likewise issue an invoice in respect of any payment to account made to him before any supplies of goods referred to in the first subparagraph and in respect of any payment to account made to him by another taxable person or by a non-taxable legal person before the provision of services is completed.

Every taxable person shall likewise issue an invoice in respect of payments on account made to him by another taxable person before the supply of goods or services is effected or completed.

The liability to payment of compensation and disciplinary action of authorizing officers, accounting officers, assistant accounting officers and administrators of advance funds may be determined in accordance with the provisions of Regulation No 1860/76.';

Notwithstanding the exclusion provided for in Article 2 (1) (e), where there is an agreement between a credit institution or financial institution and a consumer for the granting of credit in the form of an advance on a current account, other than on credit card accounts, the consumer shall be informed at the time or before the agreement is concluded:

The decision on accreditation shall be taken on the basis of an examination covering the administrative and accounting conditions, including those adopted to protect the Community's interests regarding advances paid, guarantees obtained, intervention stocks and amounts to be collected.

the amount of advances and credits granted to the members of the administrative, managerial and supervisory bodies, with indications of the interest rates, main conditions and any amounts repaid, as well as commitments entered into on their behalf by way of guarantees of any kind, with an indication of the total for each category.

'electronic money` shall mean an electronic store of monetary value on a technical device, including prepaid cards, that may be widely used for making payments to entities other than the issuer without necessarily involving bank accounts in the transaction, but acting as a prepaid bearer instrument.

After approval of the advances, in accordance with the last subparagraph of Article 5 (2) (a) of Regulation (EEC) No 729/70, the Commission shall place at the disposal of the Member States, within the framework of the budget appropriations, the funds needed to cover expenditure to be financed by the EAGGF Guarantee Section, on an account opened for that purpose by each Member State with its Treasury or any other financial institution.

Member States shall lay down conditions, including where appropriate advance payments, to ensure that, under normal business conditions and over a reasonable time period, the accounts of an infrastructure manager shall at least balance income from infrastructure charges, surpluses from other commercial activities and State funding on the one hand, and infrastructure expenditure on the other.

Imprests shall be paid to the bank account opened for the imprest.

The accounting officer shall endow the imprest accounts.

A receipt shall be issued in respect of any cash payments made to the accounting officer or imprest administrator.

The conditions for the use of imprest accounts, a system of management which forms an exception to normal budgetary procedures, should also be laid down, and the tasks and responsibilities of the imprest administrators, as well as those of the authorising officer and accounting officer in connection with the control of imprest accounts, should be set out.

The accounting officer shall make payments endowing imprest accounts and shall monitor those accounts from the point of view of opening of bank accounts and delegation of signatures and controls on the spot and in the centralised accounts.

Amendment of the operating terms for an imprest account shall also be the subject of a decision by the accounting officer on a duly substantiated proposal from the authorising officer responsible.

Payments made from imprest accounts may, within the limits laid down in Article 129(4), consist simply in the payment of costs against invoices, without prior acceptance of a tender.

Payments made from imprest accounts or for expenditure related to communications activities engaged in by the institutions for the coverage of Community events may consist simply in the payment of costs against invoices, without prior acceptance of a tender, where the expenditure is less than EUR 200.

The accounting officer shall carry out, or have carried out by an official or other servant in his own department or in the authorising department specially empowered for that purpose, checks, which should normally be effected on the spot and without warning, to verify the existence of the funds allocated to the imprest administrators and the bookkeeping and to check that imprest transactions are settled within the time-limit set.