2.Administrative and personnel costs with the exception of expenditure relating to the implementation of operational funds and operational programmes which shall include:U.K.
overheads specifically related to the operational fund or operational programme, including management and personnel costs, reports and evaluation studies, and the costs of keeping accounts and the management of accounts, by means of the payment of a standard flat rate equal to 2 % of the approved operational fund and up to a maximum of EUR 180 000. The 2 % shall consist of 1 % of Community aid plus 1 % from the producer organisation.
In the case of a recognised association of producer organisations, the standard flat rate may be multiplied by the number member of producer organisations of the association, up to a maximum of EUR 1 250 000.
Member States may restrict funding to the real costs, in which case they should define the eligible costs;
personnel costs (including charges linked to wages and salaries, if these are borne by the producer organisation) resulting from measures:
to improve or maintain a high level of quality or environmental protection;
to improve the level of marketing.
The implementation of these measures shall essentially involve the use of qualified personnel. If, in such cases, the producer organisation uses its own employees or member producers, the time worked shall be documented.
If a Member State wishes to provide an alternative to restricting funding to the real costs, for all the eligible personnel costs referred to above, it shall fix, ex ante and in a duly justified way, standard flat rates up to a maximum of 20 % of the approved operational fund. This percentage may be increased in duly justified cases.
In order to request those standard flat rates, producer organisations shall furnish proof of the implementation of the action to the satisfaction of the Member State.
legal and administrative costs of mergers of producer organisations or their acquisition, as well as legal and administrative costs related to creating transnational producer organisations or transnational associations of producer organisations; feasibility studies and proposals commissioned by producer organisations in this respect.