Introductory text

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the financing of the common agricultural policy^f1, and in particular Article 7(3) thereof,

After consulting the Fund Committee,

Whereas:

Commission Decision 2004/451/EC of 29 April 2004 on the clearance of the accounts of Member States’ expenditure financed by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), Guarantee Section, for the 2003 financial year^f2, cleared the accounts of all the paying agencies except for the Belgian paying agencies ALT, ALP and BIRB, the German paying agencies Baden Württemberg, Bayern StMELF, Bayern-Umwelt, Berlin, Hamburg and Niedersachsen, the Spanish paying agency Navarra, the French paying agencies CNASEA, FIRS, OFIVAL, ONIC, ONIFLHOR, ONIOL, ONIVINS and SDE, the Luxembourg paying agency ministère de l’agriculture, the Dutch paying agencies HPA and Laser, the Portuguese paying agency INGA, the Swedish paying agency Swedish Board of Agriculture and the United Kingdom paying agencies CCW, DARD, FC, NAW, RPA and SEERAD.

Following the transmission of new information by Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and after additional checks, the Commission can now take a decision on the veracity, completeness, and accuracy of the accounts submitted by the Belgian paying agencies ALT, ALP and BIRB, the German paying agencies Baden Württemberg, Bayern StMELF, Berlin, Hamburg and Niedersachsen, Spanish paying agency Navarra, the French paying agencies CNASEA, FIRS, OFIVAL, ONIC, ONIFLHOR, ONIOL, ONIVINS and SDE, the Luxembourg paying agency ministère de l’agriculture, the Dutch paying agencies HPA and Laser, the Portuguese paying agency INGA, the Swedish paying agency Swedish Board of Agriculture and the United Kingdom paying agencies CCW, FC, RPA and SEERAD.

In clearing the accounts of the Belgian, German, Spanish, French, Luxembourg, Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish and British paying agencies concerned, the Commission must take account of the amounts already withheld from Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom on the basis of Decision 2004/451/EC.

In accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 this Decision is taken without prejudice to decisions taken subsequently by the Commission, excluding from Community financing expenditure not effected in accordance with Community rules,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: