Article 56
1.By way of derogation from Article 26(5) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1975/2006(1), beneficiaries of investment support may request the payment of an advance from the competent paying agencies if this option is included in the rural development programme. As regards public beneficiaries, such an advance may be paid only to municipalities and associations thereof and to public law bodies.
2.The amount of the advances shall not exceed 20 % of the public aid related to the investment, and its payment shall be subject to the establishment of a bank guarantee or an equivalent guarantee corresponding to 110 % of the amount of the advance.
However, in the case of the public beneficiaries referred to in paragraph 1, the paying agency may accept a written guarantee from their authority, in accordance with provisions applied in the Member States, covering an amount equal to the percentage specified in the first subparagraph, provided that the authority undertakes to pay the amount covered by that guarantee should entitlement to the advance paid not be established.
3.The guarantee shall be released when the competent paying agency establishes that the amount of actual expenditure corresponding to the public aid related to the investment exceeds the amount of the advance.
See page 74 of this Official Journal.