For the purposes of this component, a revenue-generating project means any operation proposed for pre-accession assistance involving an investment in infrastructure, the use of which is subject to charges borne directly by users and which generates revenues, or any operation involving the sale or rent of land or buildings or any other provision of services against payments.

Eligible expenditure for revenue-generating projects, used for calculating the Community contribution in accordance with Article 149, shall not exceed the current value of the investment cost minus the current value of the net revenue from the investment over a specific reference period for (a) investments in infrastructure; or (b) other projects where it is possible to objectively estimate the revenues in advance.

Where not all the investment cost is eligible for co-financing the net revenue shall be allocated pro rata to the eligible and non-eligible parts of the investment cost.

In the calculation, the operating structure shall take account of the reference period appropriate to the category of investment concerned, the category of project, the profitability normally expected of the category of investment concerned and of the application of the polluter-pays principle, and, if appropriate, of considerations of affordability, in particular in the environment sector.