Article 3

The Member States shall designate the departments and bodies empowered to make payments in respect of the expenditure referred to in this Regulation. Should this not already have been done, they shall inform the Commission as soon as possible of the status of such departments and bodies and of the administrative and accounting rules under which they operate, and shall annually forward any report or part of a report concerning such expenditure drawn up by them or by the relevant supervisory authorities.

In respect of this expenditure the Commission shall, after consulting the Committee referred to in Article 11 of Regulation (EEC) No 729/70^f1,

• grant advances to the Member States concerned, periodically and at their request;

• audit the accounts of the Member States on the basis of supporting documents forwarded by them.