Commission Regulation (EC) No 718/2007Show full title

Article 162 Deadlines for payments

1. The national fund shall ensure that requests for interim payments for each operational programme are sent to the Commission three times a year. For a payment to be made by the Commission in a given year, the application for payment shall be submitted by 31 October that year.

2. Subject to available funding, the Commission shall make the interim payment no later than two months after the date on which an application for payment meeting the conditions referred to in Articles 43(1) and 161(1) is registered with the Commission.

3. Subject to available funding, the Commission shall make the payment of the final balance once the following conditions are fulfilled:

(a) the Commission has accepted the sectoral final report on implementation in accordance with the provisions of Article 169(4) and (5);

(b) the Commission has accepted the opinion issued by the audit authority as referred to in Article 45(1)(c) and the related activity report set out in Article 29(2)(b) first indent.

4. The payment deadline may be interrupted by the authorising officer by delegation of the Commission, with the meaning of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002, for a maximum of six months if:

(a) in a report of a national or Community audit body there is evidence to suggest a significant deficiency in the functioning of the management and control systems; or

(b) the authorising officer by delegation in the Commission has to carry out additional verifications following information coming to his attention alerting him that expenditure in a certified statement of expenditure is linked to a serious irregularity which has not been corrected; or

(c) clarifications are needed regarding the information contained in the statement of expenditure.

The national IPA coordinator and the national authorising officer shall be informed immediately of the reasons for the interruption. The interruption shall be ended as soon as the necessary measures have been taken by the beneficiary country.