Consolidated TEXT: 31976R1416 — EN — 26.07.1993

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 1416/76

of 1 June 1976

on the financial provisions applying to the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 209 thereof,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 337/75 of 10 February 1975 establishing a European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training ( 1 ),

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ( 2 ),

Whereas the above Regulation lays down the basic rules governing the management of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, hereinafter called ‘the Centre’, the fixing of the annual subsidy to be charged against the budget of the Communities, the presentation and adoption of the statement of revenue and expenditure and the checks to which the Centre is subject;

Whereas it is necessary to set up the procedures to be adopted for establishing and implementing the statement of revenue and expenditure of the Centre and for presenting and auditing accounts; whereas the rules governing authorizing officers and accounting officers should also be determined and a system set up for monitoring the exercise of their responsibilities;

Whereas the Centre falls within the framework of the Communities and will function in accordance with Community law; whereas therefore it is advisable that the financial provisions governing the Centre should be as far as possible identical to the provisions of the Financial Regulation of 25 April 1973 applicable to the general budget of the European Communities ( 3 ), subject to certain derogations dictated by the requirements peculiar to the functioning of the Centre,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

TITLE I

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Article 1

1. Each year a statement of revenue and expenditure shall forecast and authorize the estimated revenue and expenditure of the Centre.

2. Expenditure may not be authorized for a period extending beyond the financial year.

3. Administrative expenditure arising from:

— contracts which have been concluded, in accordance with local usage, or

— contractual provisions relating, in particular, to the supply of equipment,

3. for the periods extending beyond the financial year shall be charged to the statement of revenue and expenditure for the financial year in which it is effected.

Article 2

The budget appropriations must be used in accordance with the principles of sound financial management, and in particular those of economy and cost-effectiveness. Quantified objectives must be identified and the progress of their realization monitored.

Article 3

1. Subject to Article 22, all revenue and expenditure shall be entered in full in the statement of revenue and expenditure and in the accounts without any adjustment against each other.

2. Total revenue shall cover total expenditure.

However, certain revenues shall not be used for any other purpose, notably:

— revenue earmarked for a specific purpose, such as income from foundations, subsidies, gifts and bequests,

— revenue from third parties in respect of work carried out at their request.

3. After informing the Commission the Management Board may accept any donation made to the Centre, and in particular foundations, subsidies, gifts and bequests.

The Management Board shall accept donations which may involve any kind of financial charge only subject to authorization from the Commission which shall vote on the matter within two months from the date of receipt of the request from the Management Board. If no objection has been made within this period, the Management Board shall take a final decision on acceptance.

Article 4

No revenue shall be collected and no expenditure effected unless credited to or charged against an article in the statement of revenue and expenditure.

No expenditure may be committed-or authorized in excess of the authorized appropriations, without prejudice to Article 22.

Article 5

The financial year shall correspond to the calendar year.

The revenue of a financial year shall be entered in the accounts for the financial year in which it is collected.

The allotted appropriations may be used solely to cover expenditure properly entered into and paid under the financial year for which they were granted, save as otherwise provided in Article 6, and to cover the debts relating to preceding financial years for which no appropriation was carried forward.

The expenditure of a financial year shall be entered in the accounts for that year on the basis of expenditure the authorization for which reached the Financial Controller not later than 31 December, and for which the corresponding payments were effected not later than the following 15 January.

Article 6

The following rules shall govern the utilization of appropriations:

1.

(a) appropriations still uncommitted at the end of the financial year for which they were entered, shall, as a rule, lapse;

(b) appropriations relating to remunerations and allowances of staff may not be carried over;

(c) the appropriations not committed at 31 December may be carried over to the next financial year only;

(d) the appropriations in respect of payments still outstanding at 31 December by virtue of commitments duly entered into between 1 January and 31 December shall be carried over automatically to the next financial year only.

2. In the case of appropriations mentioned in point 1 (c), the Commission shall forward to the budgetary authority, not later than 15 February, the duly substantiated requests to carry over appropriations which the Centre has sent to it before 1 February.

The carry-over of such appropriations can be proposed only for exceptional reasons in order to cope with compelling needs which cannot be met by appropriations from the following financial year. In principle, such carry-overs are intended to cover needs normally coming under the previous financial year but which, due to delays for which the authorizing officer was not responsible, could not be used in due time.

The European Parliament shall consult the Council and shall act on these requests for carry-overs.

In the absence of a decision by the budgetary authority within a period of six weeks, the requests for carry-overs shall be deemed to be approved.

3. Unused revenue and appropriations still available on 31 December, arising out of the donations referred to in Article 3 (2), shall be carried over automatically.

4. The following appropriations shall lapse at the end of the year:

(a) appropriations from the previous financial year:

— appropriations carried over by decision under point 1 (c) which have been neither committed nor paid,

— appropriations carried over automatically under point 1 (d) which have not been paid;

(b) appropriations of the financial year which have not been carried over.

5. The Commission shall be provided, for its information, before 1 March, with a list of the appropriations to be carried forward automatically. The Commission shall forward this list to the European Parliament and the Council for their information.

6. For the purposes of implementing the statement of revenue and expenditure, the use of appropriations carried forward shall be shown separately, for each budget item, in each article in the accounts for the current financial year.

Article 7

Current administrative expenditure chargeable to the next financial year and which, by its nature, arises at the beginning of that financial year may, as from 15 November of each year, be charged as an expected commitment against the appropriations provided for in respect of the next financial year up to a maximum of one quarter of the total corresponding appropriations for the current year. However, such commitments shall not apply to new expenditure of a kind not yet approved in principle in the statement of revenue and expenditure of the then current financial year.

Expenditure relating to rents or certain associated expenditure which is payable in advance in accordance with provisions laid down by law or contracts may give rise to payments from 20 December onwards to be charged to the appropriations for the next financial year.

Article 8

1. If the statement of revenue and expenditure is not finally adopted at the beginning of the financial year, Article 204 of the Treaty shall apply to commitment and payment of expenditure already approved in principle in the last statement duly adopted.

An item of expenditure shall be considered as having been approved in principle in the last statement duly adopted if it could have been charged to a specific budget heading under the financial year concerned.

2. Payments may be made monthly in respect of any chapter up to one-twelfth of the total appropriations entered in the chapter in question for the preceding financial year, account being taken of transfers, as long as this measure does not have the effect of placing at the disposal of the Centre, for any month, appropriations in excess of one-twelfth of the amount of the subsidy reserved for the Centre in the draft budget or, in the absence thereof, in the preliminary draft budget of the Communities. Commitments may be entered into in respect of any chapter for up to one-quarter of the total appropriations entered in the relevant chapter for the preceding financial year, account being taken of all transfers, plus one-twelfth for each completed month, without exceeding the amount of the subsidy reserved for the Centre in the draft budget or, in the absence thereof, in the preliminary draft budget of the Communities.

3. At the request of the Management Board, the Commission may, in the light of administrative needs, authorize simultaneously two or more provisional twelfths, provided that the amount authorized for each chapter does not exceed the maximum annual limit provided for in paragraph 2.

4. If, for a given chapter, the authorization of two or more provisional twelfths granted in the circumstances provided for in paragraph 3 does not enable the expenditure necessary to avoid a break in continuity of the Centre's activity in the area in question to be met, an overstepping of the total provided for in paragraph 3 may, exceptionally, be authorized in accordance with the same procedure, provided that the overall total of the appropriations opened in the statement of revenue and expenditure of the preceding year is not exceeded.

Article 10

The statement of revenue and expenditure shall be drawn up in ecus. The value of the ecu and the arrangements for its conversion into national currencies shall be that laid down in the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities.

TITLE II

PRESENTATION AND STRUCTURE OF THE STATEMENT OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE

Article 11

1. The Management Board of the Centre shall send the Commission by 31 March at the latest an estimate of the Centre's revenue and expenditure for the following year. This estimate shall include a list of posts.

2. In the event of unavoidable, exceptional or unforeseen circumstances, the Management Board of the Centre may send supplementary or amending estimates to the Commission. Such estimates shall be submitted and adopted in the same form and according to the same procedure as the statement whose estimates they are amending. They must be substantiated by reference to the latter.

Supplementary estimates must be submitted to the Commission as a general rule not later than the date laid down for submitting the estimate for the following financial year.

3. Where necessary, the Commission may make proposals to the budgetary authority concerning appropriate steps to be taken to amend the subsidy entered in the budget of the Communities under Article 13. In their deliberations the competent authorities shall take into account the urgency of the matter.

Article 12

1. In support of the estimate there shall be submitted:

— a list of posts including, for each category of staff, a detailed list of authorized posts and actual numbers of persons holding posts on the date of submission of the estimate of revenue and expenditure;

— where a change in the numbers of persons holding posts is proposed, a statement giving the reason for requesting new posts;

— a quarterly estimate of cash payments and receipts.

2. As a preface to the estimate the Management Board shall submit a general introductory note containing in particular:

— an outline of the policy justifying the request for the appropriations;

— an explanation of the changes in appropriations from one financial year to the next.

Furthermore, the Commission shall attach to the estimate an opinion which may contain different estimates duly supported.

3. The Commission may — if appropriate at the request of the Management Board — file, before the adoption of the Communities' budget, any amendment necessitated by the receipt of additional information.

Article 13

The subsidy for the Centre shall be made available to it in accordance with the rules laid down in this Regulation.

Article 14

The Management Board shall adopt the statement of revenue and expenditure before the beginning of the financial year, adjusting it to the subsidy granted by the budget authority.

The statement thus adopted shall be forwarded to the Commission forthwith.

The statement and the list of posts shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Communities, at the same time as the budget of the Communities.

Article 15

The statement of revenue and expenditure shall be subdivided into titles, chapters, articles and items according to the nature of the revenue or expenditure or the intended purpose thereof, following a decimal classification system.

It shall show:

1. as regards the statement of revenue:

(a) the revenue for the financial year in question;

(b) the revenue entered for the preceding financial year and the revenue established for the last financial year for which accounts have been closed;

(c) appropriate remarks on each revenue heading;

2. as regards the statement of expenditure:

(a) the appropriations made available for the financial year in question divided into titles, chapters, articles and items;

(b) the appropriations made available for the preceding financial year and the actual expenditure in the last financial year for which the accounts have been closed, increased by the amounts carried forward, using the same classification;

(c) appropriate remarks on each subdivision;

(d) in an annex, an establishment plan setting the number of permanent and temporary posts for each grade in each category and indicating the number of posts authorized for the preceding year.

Article 16

The establishment plan drawn up by the budgetary authority shall constitute an absolute limit for the Centre; no appointment may be made in excess of the limit set.

Instances of half-time work authorized by the Director in accordance with Article 29a of Council Regulation (ECSC, EEC, Euratom) No 1859/76 of 29 June 1976 laying down the conditions of employment of staff of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training ( 4 ) may be compensated for by the recruitment of other staff within the limits laid down by the budget authority in the budgetary procedure.

TITLE III

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STATEMENT OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE

SECTION I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 17

The statement of revenue and expenditure shall be implemented in accordance with the principle that the authorizing officers and accounting officers are different individuals.

The appropriations shall be administered by the authorizing officer who alone is empowered to enter into commitments regarding expenditure, establish entitlements to be collected and issue recovery orders and payment orders. The operations of collection or payment shall be carried out by the accounting officer. The duties of authorizing officer, financial controller and accounting officers shall be mutually incompatible.

Article 18

The Management Board of the Centre shall implement the statement of revenue and expenditure on its own responsibility in accordance with this Regulation and within the limits of the appropriations allotted.

With the exception of the cases provided for in Articles 23, 30, 38 and 41 involving decisions overruling the financial controller, the Management Board shall delegate its powers under conditions to be laid down by it and within the limits which it lays down in the act of delegation which shall be communicated to the delegatee, the accounting officers, the financial controller and the Court of Auditors.

Those so empowered may act only within the limits of the powers expressly conferred upon them.

Article 18a

Where revenue and expenditure operations are managed by means of integrated computer systems, the provisions of Sections II and III and of Title VI shall apply with due allowance for the possibilities and requirements deriving from computerized management. To this end:

— the supporting documents may remain with the authorizing officer or the accounting officer for the purposes of checking,

— signatures and approvals may be added in appropriate computerized form.

The conditions for implementing this Article shall be determined by the implementing rules provided for in Article 76.

Article 19

The financial controller of the Commission shall be responsible for checking the commitment and payment of all expenditure and the establishment and recovery of all revenue of the Centre, in accordance with the principles laid down in Article 2.

Monitoring shall be carried out by that official by means of inspection of the files relating to expenditure and revenue and, if necessary, on the spot.

The financial controller may be assisted in his duties by one or more assistant financial controllers.

The financial controller must be consulted on the setting up of the accounting systems of the Centre. He shall have access to the data of such systems.

Article 20

The collection of revenue and the payment of expenditure shall be carried out by an accounting officer nominated by the Management Board.

Subject to the second subparagraph of Article 42, and to Article 43, the accounting officer alone is empowered to manage funds and assets. He shall be responsible for their safe-keeping.

He shall be responsible for preparing the financial statement provided for in Articles 66 and 67.

He may be assisted in his duties by one or more assistant accounting officers, nominated under the same conditions as the accounting officer.

The special rules applicable to the accounting officer and to assistant accounting officers shall be laid down in the implementing rules provided for in Article 76.

Article 21

1. The appropriations shall be classified by chapter and article.

2. The appropriations entered under a chapter of expenditure may not be used for the purposes of any other chapter of expenditure.

3. However, the Management Board may propose to the Commission that appropriations be transferred from one chapter to another.

The Commission shall act within one month. If it has not so acted, the transfers shall be deemed to be approved.

The Management Board or, by delegation, the Director of the Centre may authorize transfers between articles on behalf of the Centre.

The Commission shall be informed of such transfers.

4. Every proposal for a transfer within a chapter or between chapters shall be subject to the approval of the Financial Controller who shall attest that the appropriations are available.

4a. Appropriations may be transferred only to budget headings for which the statement of expenditure has authorized appropriations or carried a token entry.

5. This Article shall apply to the appropriations for revenue allocated for a specific purpose within the meaning of Article 3 (2) only as long as that revenue is not used for any other purpose.

Article 22

Notwithstanding Article 4:

(a) the following deductions may be made from all bills, invoices or statements, which shall then be passed for payment of the net amount:

— fines imposed on a party to a contract or an accepted tender;

— adjustments of amounts paid in error which can be achieved by means of deduction beforehand against a payment of the same kind of expenditure out of appropriations under the chapter, article and financial year in respect of which the excess payment was made;

— the value of vehicles, apparatus, equipment and installations taken in part exchange in accordance with commercial usage upon purchase of new apparatus, vehicles, equipment and installations of the same kind.

Discounts, refunds and rebates on invoices and bills shall not be recorded as separate revenue;

(b) the following sums may be reused under the heading to which the initial expenditure was charged:

— revenue arising from the refund of amounts paid in error against appropriations entered in the statement of revenue and expenditure,

— proceeds from the supply of goods and services to other institutions or bodies, including refunds by such institutions or bodies of mission allowances paid on their behalf,

— insurance payments received,

— revenue from payments connected with lettings,

— revenue from the sale of publications and films,

— refunds of taxes — incorporated in the price of the products or services provided to the Centre — effected by Member States pursuant to the provisions of the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Communities,

— revenue from the supply of goods and services against payment;

— proceeds from the sale of vehicles, equipment and installations and scientific and technical apparatus, equipment and materials which are being replaced or scrapped.

Such sums must be reused before the end of the financial year following that in which the revenue was collected.

The chart of accounts shall include suspense accounts to record reuse operations in both revenue and expenditure;

(c) adjustments may be made in respect of exchange differences occurring in budget operations. The final gain or loss shall be included in the balance for the year.

SECTION II

REVENUE AND MANAGEMENT OF AVAILABLE FUNDS

Article 23

1. All measures which may give rise to or modify a debt due to the Centre must be preceded by a proposal from the authorizing officer. Such proposals shall be sent to the financial controller for his approval and to the accounting officer for provisional registration. They shall mention, in particular, the type of revenue, the estimated amount thereof and the item to which it is to be booked and also the name and description of the debtor. They shall be registered after approval by the financial controller. The purpose of the approval of the financial controller shall be to establish that:

(a) the revenue is booked to the correct item;

(b) the proposal is in order and conforms to the relevant provisions, in particular in the statement of revenue and expenditure, the rules applying to the Centre and all acts made in implementation of those regulations, and to the principles of sound financial management referred to in Article 2.

The financial controller may withhold his approval. The Management Board may, by a decision stating the full reasons therefor, and on its sole responsibility, overrule this refusal. This decision shall be final and binding; it shall be communicated for information to the financial controller. The Management Board shall inform the Court of Auditors of all such decisions within one month.

2. The competent authorizing officer shall draw up, in respect of every debt established, a recovery order which shall be sent with supporting documents to the financial controller for his prior approval. Such recovery orders shall, after they have received the approval of the financial controller, be registered by the accounting officer.

The purpose of the approval of the financial controller shall be to establish that:

(a) the revenue is booked to the correct item;

(b) the order is in order and conforms to the relevant provisions;

(c) the supporting documents are in order;

(d) the debtor is correctly described;

(e) the due date is indicated;

(f) the principles of sound financial management referred to in Article 2 have been applied;

(g) the amount and currency of the sum to be recovered are correct.

If the financial controller's approval is withheld, the second subparagraph of paragraph 1 shall apply.

Article 24

1. The accounting officer shall assume responsibility for the recovery orders duly drawn up.

He shall exercise all due diligence to ensure that the resources due to the Centre are recovered at the due dates indicated in the recovery orders, and shall ensure that the rights of the Centre are safeguarded.

The accounting officer shall inform the authorizing officer and the financial controller of any revenue not recovered within the time limits laid down.

2. If the authorizing officer waives the right to recover an established debt, he shall send beforehand a proposal for cancellation to the financial controller for his approval and to the accounting officer for information.

The purpose of the approval of the financial controller shall be to establish that the waiver is in order and conforms with the principles of sound financial management referred to in Article 2. The proposal concerned shall be registered by the accounting officer.

If approval is withheld, the Management Board may, by a decision stating the full reasons therefor, and on its sole responsibility, overrule this refusal. This decision shall be final and binding; it shall be communicated for information to the financial controller.

The Management Board shall inform the Court of Auditors of all such decisions within one month.

When the financial controller finds that a document establishing a debt has not been drawn up, or that a sum due has not been recovered, he shall inform the Management Board thereof.

Article 25

A receipt shall be issued in respect of all cash payments made to the accounting officer.

Article 26

The subsidy entered in the budget of the Communities shall be paid to the Centre in quarterly instalments, by the 15th day of each quarter, on the basis of the estimate referred to in the third indent of Article 12 (1) and in accordance with actual requirements.

SECTION III

COMMITMENT, CLEARANCE, AUTHORIZATION AND PAYMENT OF EXPENDITURE

1.

Commitment of expenditure

Article 27

1. All measures which may give rise to expenditure chargeable to the statement of revenue and expenditure must be preceded by a proposal for commitment of expenditure from the authorizing officer. A provisional commitment may be entered into in respect of current expenditure.

2. The implementing conditions in respect of paragraph 1 above shall be determined by the implementing rules provided for in Article 76. These conditions shall ensure that an exact account is kept of commitments and authorizations in terms of actual needs.

Article 28

Without prejudice to the provisions of Article 18a, proposals for commitments, accompanied by supporting documents, shall be transmitted to the financial controller and to the accounting officer; they shall show, in particular, the purpose of the expenditure, the estimated amount involved, indicating the currency where possible, the budget item to which it is to be charged and also the name and description of the creditor; they shall be registered, after approval by the financial controller, in accordance with the implementing rules provided for in Article 76.

Article 29

The Financial Controller's approval of proposals for commitments of expenditure shall serve to certify that:

(a) the expenditure has been correctly charged;

(b) the appropriations are available;

(c) the expenditure is in order and conforms to the relevant provisions, in particular, of the statement of revenue and expenditure and the Regulations applying to the Centre, and of all acts made in implementation of these Regulations;

(d) the principles of sound financial management referred to in Article 2 have been applied.

Approval may not be conditional.

Article 30

Where the Financial Controller withholds his approval he shall furnish a written statement of his reasons therefor. The authorizing officer shall be notified accordingly.

Where approval is withheld and the authorizing officer maintains his proposal, the matter shall be referred for a decision to the Management Board.

Except where the availability of the appropriations is in doubt, the Management Board may, by means of a decision stating the full reasons therefor, and on its sole responsibility, overrule such a refusal. This decision shall be implemented; it shall be communicated for information to the Financial Controller. The Management Board shall inform the Court of Auditors of all such decisions within one month.

2.

Clearance of expenditure

Article 31

The purpose of clearance of expenditure by the authorizing officer shall be:

— to verify the creditor's claim;

— to determine or verify the existence and the amount of the debt; and

— to verify the conditions under which payment falls due.

Article 32

Clearance of expenditure shall be subject to the submission of supporting documents attesting the creditor's claim and the service rendered or the existence of a document justifying payment.

The authorizing officer empowered to clear expenditure shall personally check the supporting documents or shall, on his own responsibility, ascertain that this has been done.

3.

Authorization of expenditure

Article 33

Authorization shall be the formal step whereby the authorizing officer, by the issue of a payment order, instructs the accounting officer to pay an item of expenditure which he has cleared.

Article 34

The payment order shall state:

— the financial year against which the payment shall be charged,

— the Article in the statement of revenue and expenditure and any other subdivision that may apply,

— the amount to be paid (in figures and words), expressed in ecus or in national currency,

— the name and address of the payee,

— the purpose of the expenditure,

— and the method of payment, wherever possible.

The payment order shall be dated and signed by the authorizing officer.

Article 35

The payment order shall be accompanied by the original supporting documents, which shall bear or be accompanied by a statement certifying the correctness of the amounts to be paid, the receipt of the supplies and the performance of the service and, if appropriate, the entry of the goods in the inventory referred to in Article 52.

It shall show the numbers and dates of the relevant approvals of commitments. Copies of supporting documents, certified as true copies by the authorizing officer, may, in some cases, be accepted in place of the originals.

Article 36

1. For payments by instalment, the first payment order shall be accompanied by documents establishing the creditor's claim to payment of the instalment in question. Subsequent payment orders shall refer to the supporting documents already furnished, and repeat the reference number of the first payment order.

2. The authorizing officer may grant advances to personnel if a provision laid down by regulation specifically provides therefor.

The authorizing officer may grant advances to cover disbursements to be effected by a member of the staff on behalf of the Centre.

Apart from the imprest accounts referred to in Article 43, no advance may be paid unless it has been approved beforehand by the financial controller.

Article 37

Without prejudice to Article 18a, payment orders shall be sent for prior approval to the financial controller.

The purpose of this prior approval shall be to establish that:

(a) the payment order was properly issued;

(b) the payment order agrees with the commitment of expenditure and that the amount thereof is correct, taking account of the principles and requirements of sound financial management referred to in Article 2;

(c) the expenditure is charged to the correct item;

(d) the appropriations are available;

(e) the supporting documents are in order;

(f) the payee is correctly named and described.

Article 38

Should approval be withheld, Article 30 shall apply.

Article 39

After approval the original of the payment order, together with all supporting documents, shall be forwarded to the accounting officer.

4.

Payment of expenditure

Article 40

Payment shall be the final action whereby the Centre is discharged of its obligations towards its creditors.

Payment shall be made by the accounting officer within the limits of the funds available.

In the event of an error or of the validity of the discharge being contested or of failure to observe the formalities prescribed by this Regulation, the accounting officer must suspend payment.

Article 41

If payment is suspended, the accounting officer shall give the reasons therefor in a written statement which he shall send forthwith to the authorizing officer and, for information, to the Financial Controller.

Except where the validity of the discharge is contested, the authorizing officer may place the matter before the authority appointed by the Centre in the manner laid down in the rules of procedure of the Centre. The said authority may require in writing, and on its own responsibility, that payment be effected.

Article 42

Payments shall be effected as a general rule through a bank account or post office giro account.

The procedure for opening, administering and using such accounts shall be determined by the implementing measures provided for in Article 76. These measures shall, in particular, indicate expenditure the payment of which must necessarily be effected either by cheque or by post office or bank transfer order, and shall receive the joint signature on cheques and on post office or bank transfer orders of two duly authorized officials, one signature necessarily being that of the accounting officer, an assistant accounting officer, or an administrator of an imprest account.

5.

Imprests

Article 43

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.

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

These measures shall contain specific provisions concerning in particular:

— the appointment of administrators of imprest accounts,

— the nature and maximum amount of each item of expenditure to be incurred,

— the maximum amount of the imprest which may be advanced,

— the time within which supporting documents must be produced,

— the responsibility of the administrators of imprest accounts.

SECTION IIIa

MANAGEMENT OF POSTS

Article 43a

1. The following shall be established:

(a) a file identifying the posts and containing a job description for each category A post;

(b) an organization chart showing the organization of the departments detailing the tasks of each administrative unit.

2. If the note ‘to be abolished’ is placed against a post in the statement of revenue and expenditure, it may no longer be filled when the next vacancy arises in the same career.

TITLE IV

CONCLUSION OF CONTRACTS, INVENTORY, ACCOUNTANCY

SECTION I

CONTRACTS FOR THE SUPPLY OF GOODS AND SERVICES FOR BUILDING WORKS, AND HIRE CONTRACTS

Article 44

1. Contracts for the purchase or hiring of buildings or goods, for the provision of services or for the performance of construction work shall be in writing. Apart from contracts relating to the purchase of a building already constructed or to the leasing of a building, all such contracts shall be concluded after an invitation to tender has been issued either by the automatic public tendering procedure or the discretionary tendering procedure.

However, contracts may be made by private treaty in the circumstances referred to in Article 46.

Contracts may be made against invoice or bill of costs in cases provided for in Article 50.

2. Invitations to competitive tender shall, as a general rule, be published in all the Member States, and, where appropriate, in non-member countries, in so far as this is compatible with the development of the relevant industries in the Communities. However, the distribution of such invitations to tender may be restricted, where the scale or nature of the goods or services is such that they are not appropriate for a general invitation to competitive tender.

Article 45

1. The award of contracts shall be an administrative procedure prior to the letting of a contract following an invitation to competitive tender. Its effect shall be to confer publicly on the tenderer whose tender is the lowest — out of all those which are entered in due and proper form, meet the conditions laid down, and are comparable with each other — the right to the final award of the contract, after approval by the authorizing officer. The award of contract shall be termed public or open, where it is open to all comers to submit a tender; it shall be termed restricted where tenders may be entered only by those whom it has been decided to consult because of their special qualifications.

2. A contract following an invitation to tender is a contract entered into by the contracting parties following an invitation to competitive tender. In this case, the offer considered the most attractive may be freely chosen, taking into account the cost of performance, operating costs involved, technical merit, the time for performance, together with the financial guarantees and the guarantees of professional competence put forward by each of the tenderers.

An invitation to tender shall be termed public or open where a general invitation to competitive tender is involved; it shall be termed restricted where it is addressed only to those whom it has been decided to consult because of their special qualifications.

3. The procedure for issuing an invitation to competitive tender, both as regards the award of contract and invitations to tender, shall be specified in the implementation procedure referred to in Article 76.

Article 46

Contracts may be made by direct agreement:

(a) where the contract for the purchase or hiring of goods, for the provision of services or for building works involves an amount not exceeding the limit laid down in the implementing rules provided for in Article 126 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the Communities, the Centre being bound, however, as far as possible and by all appropriate means, to enable suppliers who are likely to be able to supply the goods and services in question to compete;

(b) where the purchase or hiring of goods, the provision of services or the building works are so urgently needed that it is not possible to wait for one of the tendering procedures specified in Article 45 to be carried out;

(c) where the award of contract procedure or invitations to tender do not give any result or where the prices quoted are not acceptable;

(d) where for technical, practical or legal reasons, the supply of goods and services can be carried out only by a particular contractor or supplier;

(e) for contracts for the supply of additional goods and services or for additional building works which technically cannot be separated from the main contract.

Article 47

There shall be no discrimination between nationals of Member States on grounds of nationality in respect of contracts entered into by the Centre.

Article 48

Contracts involving amounts exceeding the amount laid down in the implementing rules provided for in Article 126 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the Commission shall be subject to the authorization of the Management Board.

Article 49

By way of guarantee of the performance of the contracts, it may be required of the suppliers or contractors by a clause included among the warranty clauses, that they make a preliminary deposit.

The amount of the deposit shall be fixed:

— according to the usual trade terms of supply contracts;

— according to the special conditions governing building contracts.

For building works involving an amount exceeding the limit laid down in the implementing rules provided for in Article 126 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the Communities, a deposit shall be obligatory. A security may be retained until final acceptance of delivery.

Where a contract has not been performed or completion has been late, the Centre shall ensure that it is adequately compensated in respect of all damages, interest and costs by the deduction of the amount from the deposit, whether this has been lodged directly by the supplier or contractor, or by a third party.

Article 50

Contracts may be made against invoice or bill of costs where the estimated value of the goods, services or works does not exceed the limits laid down by the implementing rules provided for in Article 126 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the Communities.

Article 51

When concluding contracts referred to in this Regulation, the Centre shall comply with the directives adopted by the Council in implementation of the Treaty with respect to public works, supplies and services whenever the amounts involved are equal to or greater than the amounts provided for in those directives.

SECTION II

INVENTORY OF MOVABLE AND IMMOVABLE PROPERTY

Article 52

Permanent inventories showing the quantity and value of all movable and immovable property belonging to the Centre shall be kept in accordance with a model drawn up by the Commission. Only movable property exceeding a specific value laid down in the implementing rules provided for in Article 76 shall be entered in those inventories.

The Centre shall carry out its own inspection to ascertain that entries in the inventory correspond to the facts.

Article 53

The sale of movable property shall be suitably advertised as laid down in the measures of implementation taken under Article 76.

Apart from through sales by public auction, staff of the Centre may not acquire any movable property sold by the Centre.

Article 54

A statement or record shall be drawn up by the authorizing officer and authenticated by the financial controller whenever any property in the inventory is sold, given away free of charge, scrapped, hired out, or missing on account of loss, theft or any other reason.

The statement or record shall indicate in particular any obligation that may devolve on a member of the staff of the Centre or any other person to replace the item in question.

If immovable property or large installations are made available free of charge, they must be covered by contracts approved by the Financial Controller, and shall be the subject of an annual communication to the Commission when the estimate of revenue and expenditure is presented.

Article 55

Every purchase of movable or immovable property as defined in Article 52 shall, before payment is made, be entered in the permanent inventory.

That entry shall be recorded in the corresponding invoice or annexed document prepared with a view to paying the expenditure in question.

SECTION III

ACCOUNTS

Article 56

The accounts shall be kept in ecus by the double entry method, on the basis of the calendar year. They shall show all revenue and expenditure for the financial year; they shall be authenticated by supporting documents. They may in addition be kept in the currency of the country where the Centre has its seat.

The revenue and expenditure account and the balance sheet shall be drawn up in ecus.

Article 57

The chart of accounts shall make a clear distinction between budgetary accounts and cash accounts.

It shall comprise two parts:

(a) accounts of budgetary expenditure and revenue, which show the detailed implementation of the statement of revenue and expenditure;

(b) the balance sheet accounts, which disclose the assets of the Centre.

These accounts shall show the expected effect of the Centre's legal obligations.

The accounts shall make it possible to draw up an annual balance of assets and a monthly statement of revenue and expenditure by chapter and article.

These statements shall be forwarded to the financial controller, the authorizing officer and the Court of Auditors.

Article 58

Any advance, other than regular advances which are periodically re-examined, shall be entered in a suspense account and settled at the latest during the financial year which follows the payment of this advance.

However, the advances referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 36 (2) shall be settled as a general rule within six weeks following completion of the project for which they were granted.

Article 59

The detailed conditions for the establishment and operation of the chart of accounts for transactions relating both to assets and to the implementation of the budget shall be determined by the implementing rules provided for in Article 76.

Article 60

The accounts shall be closed at the end of the financial year to enable the balance sheet and the revenue and expenditure account referred to in Title VI to be drawn up. The revenue and expenditure account shall be submitted to the Financial Controller.

TITLE V

RESPONSIBILITIES OF AUTHORIZING OFFICERS, FINANCIAL CONTROLLERS, ACCOUNTING OFFICERS AND IMPREST-HOLDERS

Article 61

Authorizing officers who, when establishing entitlements to be recovered or issuing recovery orders, entering into commitments of expenditure or signing payment orders do so without complying with this Regulation and the rules for its implementation shall be liable to disciplinary action and, where appropriate, to pay compensation. The same shall apply if they omit to draw up a document establishing a debt due or if they neglect to issue recovery orders or are, without justification, late in issuing them.

The same shall apply if they neglect to issue payment orders or are, without justification, late in issuing them, thereby rendering the Centre liable to civil action by third parties.

Article 62

1. Accounting officers and assistant accounting officers shall render themselves liable to disciplinary action and, where appropriate, to payment of compensation as regards payments made by them in disregard of the third paragraph of Article 40.

They shall render themselves liable to disciplinary action and to payment of compensation as regards any loss or deterioration of the monies, assets and documents in their charge where such loss or deterioration result from an intentional mistake or serious negligence on their part.

Under the same conditions, they shall be responsible for the correct execution of orders received by them in respect of the use and the administration of bank and post office giro accounts, and in particular:

(a) where the recoveries or payments made by them do not agree with the amounts on the corresponding recovery or payment orders;

(b) where they effect payment to a party other than the payee entitled.

2. Administrators of advance funds shall render themselves liable to disciplinary action and, where appropriate, to payment of compensation in the following cases:

(a) where they cannot show due warrant with proper documents for payments made by them;

(b) where they effect payments to parties other than entitled payees.

They shall be liable to disciplinary action and to payment of compensation in respect of any loss or deterioration of the monies, assets and documents in their charge where such loss or deterioration results from an intentional mistake or serious negligence on their part.

3. The accounting officer, assistant accounting officers and administrators of advanced funds shall insure themselves against the risks arising under this Article.

The Centre shall cover the insurance costs relating thereto.

Article 63

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 1859/76.

Article 64

The Centre shall be allowed a period of two years from the date when the revenue and expenditure account is submitted to take a decision on the final discharge to be given to accounting officers for the transactions relating thereto.

TITLE VI

PRESENTING AND AUDITING THE ACCOUNTS

SECTION I

PRESENTING THE ACCOUNTS

Article 65

The Management Board shall draw up each year a revenue and expenditure account of the Centre.

The revenue and expenditure account shall cover all revenue and expenditure transactions relating to the preceding financial year. It shall be submitted in the same form and following the same subdivisions as the statement of revenue and expenditure.

The revenue and expenditure account shall be preceded by an analysis of the financial management in respect of the year in question. For the drawing up of this analysis, the Centre shall supply details on the realization of the principles and objectives as referred to in Article 2.

Article 66

The revenue and expenditure account shall include the following tables subdivided in accordance with the nomenclature of the Centre's statement of revenue and expenditure:

1. a table of revenue comprising:

— estimated revenue for the financial year,

— amendments to the revenue estimates as a result of supplementary or amending statements,

— entitlements established in the course of the financial year,

— entitlements still to be collected from the preceding financial year,

— revenue collected during the financial year and revenue carried over pursuant to Article 6 (3),

— amounts still to be collected at the end of the financial year,

— the cancellation of established entitlements.

Statements shall be attached, where appropriate, to this table, showing the balances and gross amounts of the transactions referred to in Article 22;

2. a table showing the movement in appropriations for the financial year, indicating:

— the initial appropriations,

— any amendments to appropriations made by means of transfers,

— any amendments made by means of supplementary or amending statements,

— the final appropriations for the financial year,

— appropriations carried over under Article 6;

3. a table showing the use of the appropriations allocated for the financial year, indicating:

— the commitments entered into and chargeable to the financial year,

— the payments made and chargeable to the financial year,

— the sums still to be paid at the close of the financial year,

— the appropriations carried over pursuant to Article 6,

— cancelled appropriations.

Where appropriate, a statement shall be attached to this table, showing the balances and gross payments arising from the transactions referred to in Article 22;

4. a table showing the use of appropriations carried over from the preceding financial year, indicating:

— the amount of appropriations carried over,

— the payments made from appropriations which have been carried over,

— the unused appropriations to be cancelled.

Article 67

1. The Management Board shall also draw up a blance sheet of assets and liabilities of the Centre as at 31 December of the preceding financial year.

A statement of accounts showing the movements and balances of the accounts at the same date shall be attached thereto.

The balance sheet shall include, on the assets side, the amount of revenue to be collected and, on the liabilities side, the amount of expenditure chargeable to the financial year, which have not yet been entered in the accounts.

2. These documents shall be submitted to the financial controller.

Article 68

The Management Board shall, by 31 March at the latest, send the revenue and expenditure account, the financial analysis and the balance sheet of the Centre for the preceding financial year to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Court of Auditors.

SECTION II

CHECKING THE ACCOUNTS

Article 69

The Court of Auditors shall exercise its powers in respect of the Centre in accordance with the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities.

Article 70

The Centre shall forward to the Court of Auditors, on a quarterly basis and at the latest within the month which follows the end of the quarter, the documents supporting the accounts, in particular the documents and certificates in respect of the correct application of the provisions which govern the implementation of the statement of revenue and expenditure and relating to the commitment and payment of expenditure and the establishment and collection of revenue.

The Court of Auditors may question the Centre on the subject of the said supporting documents.

Article 71

The Centre shall afford the Court of Auditors all the facilities and give it all the information which the Court of Auditors may consider necessary for the performance of its task.

In particular, the Centre shall place at the disposal of the Court of Auditors all documents concerning the conclusion of contracts and all accounts of cash or materials, all accounting records or supporting documents, and also administrative documents pertaining thereto, all documents relating to revenue and expenditure, all inventories, all lists of posts in the departments, which the Court of Auditors may consider necessary for auditing the revenue and expenditure account on the basis of records or on the spot and all documents and data created or stored on a magnetic medium.

To this end, the officials whose operations are inspected by the Court of Auditors shall in particular:

(a) make available their cash in hand, and present any other cash, securities and all types of assets, and the supporting documents in respect of their stewardship, with which they are entrusted, and also any books, registers and other documents relating thereto;

(b) present the correspondence and any other document required for the full implementation of the audit.

The information supplied under (b) may be requested only by the Court of Auditors.

The Court of Auditors shall be empowered to audit the documents in respect of the revenue and expenditure which are held in the department of the Centre and, in particular, in the department responsible for decisions in respect of such revenue and expenditure.

The task of establishing that the revenue has been received and the expenditure incurred in a lawful and proper manner, and that the financial management has been sound, shall extend to the utilization, by bodies outside the Centre, of Community funds received by way of aid.

The grant of aid to beneficiaries outside the Centre shall be subject to the agreement in writing by the recipients of an audit being carried out by the Court of Auditors on the utilization of the amounts granted.

Article 72

The report of the Court of Auditors established in accordance with Article 206a of the EEC Treaty shall be governed by the following provisions:

1. the Court of Auditors shall transmit to the Centre and the Commission, by 15 July at the latest, any comments on the accounts and the balance sheet which are, in its opinion, of such a nature that they should appear in the annual reports. These comments must remain confidential. The Centre shall address its reply to the Court of Auditors and simultaneously to the Commission by 31 October at the latest;

2. the Court of Auditors' report shall contain an assessment of the soundness of financial management;

3. the Court shall take all necessary steps to ensure that the replies of the Centre to its comments are published immediately following those comments;

4. the Court of Auditors shall transmit to the authorities responsible for giving discharge, to the Centre and to the Commission, by 30 November at the latest, its annual report accompanied by the replies and it shall ensure publication thereof in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Article 74

1. The European Parliament, upon a recommendation from the Council acting by a qualified majority, shall, before 30 April of the following year, give a discharge to the Management Board in respect of the implementation of the statement of revenue and expenditure. If that date cannot be met, the Parliament or the Council shall inform the Management Board of the reasons for the postponement.

If the European Parliament postpones the decision giving discharge, the Management Board shall make every effort to take measures, as soon as possible, to facilitate removal of the obstacles to that decision.

2. The discharge decision shall cover the accounts of all revenue and expenditure of the Centre, the resulting balance and the assets and liabilities of the Centre shown in the balance sheet. It shall include an assessment of the responsibility of the Management Board's budgetary management over the past financial year.

3. The financial controller shall take account of the comments in the decisions giving discharge.

4. The Management Board shall take all appropriate steps to act on the comments appearing in the decisions giving discharge.

5. By 15 December of the year in which the decision giving discharge is taken, the Centre shall report on the measures taken in the light of these comments, and, in particular, on the instructions given to those of its departments which are responsible for the implementation of the budget. Such reports shall be transmitted to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission and the Court of Auditors.

The Centre must also give an account, in an annex to the revenue and expenditure account for the next financial year, of the measures taken in the light of the comments appearing in the decisions giving discharge.

6. Supporting documents pertaining to the accounts and the preparation of the revenue and expenditure account and the balance sheet shall be kept for a period of five years following the date of the decision giving discharge in respect of the implementation of the statement of revenue and expenditure.

However, the documents relating to transactions not finally closed shall be kept for longer than the said period until the end of the year following the year in which such transactions are finally closed.

TITLE VII

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 75

The Management Board shall inform the Court of Auditors, as soon as possible, of all decisions and rules taken pursuant to Articles 3, 6, 8, 14 and 21.

The Court of Auditors and the financial controller shall be informed of the appointment of authorizing officers, the accounting officer, assistant according officers and administrators of advance funds and of the acts of delegation or appointment pursuant to Articles 18, 20 and 43.

The Management Board shall transmit to the Court of Auditors any rules of procedure they adopt in respect of financial matters.

Article 75a

Until the entry into force of the implementing rules provided for in Article 126 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the Communities, the limit values to be specified for the purposes of Articles 46, 48, 49 and 50 shall be as follows:

— Article 46, point (a): the limit below which contracts may be made by private treaty shall be ECU 10 000,

— Article 48: the limit above which the authorization of the Management Board shall be required shall be ECU 35 000,

— third paragraph of Article 49: the threshold for compulsory security shall be ECU 250 000,

— Article 50: the limits below which contracts may be made against invoice or bill of costs shall be ECU 750 and 2 000 respectively for expenditure away from the Centre.

Article 76

On a proposal by the Director and with the assent of the Financial Controller the Management Board shall establish the procedures required for implementing this Regulation.

Article 77

This Regulation shall enter into force on the fifth day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

( 1 ) OJ No L 39, 13. 2. 1975, p. 1.

( 2 ) OJ No C 100, 3. 5. 1976, p. 13.

( 3 ) OJ No L 116, 1. 5. 1973, p. 1.

( 4 ) OJ No L 214, 6. 8. 1976, p. 1.

Council Regulation (EEC) No 1416/76 of 1 June 1976 on the financial provisions applying to the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training