Article 1
Regulation (EC) No 2222/2000 is amended as follows: 1. In Article 2, the following point is added: "(j) 'exceptional natural disaster' means a natural disaster on an unusually large scale and causing intense damage and destruction." 2. In Article 5(1), the second and third indents are replaced by the following: "- project selection, except where for the measure in question in the approved Sapard agriculture and rural development programme (hereinafter referred to as the programme), there is only one designated beneficiary or the task of project selection has been granted to a designated body or bodies; - checking of applications for approval of projects against terms and conditions, eligibility and against the content of the programme, including, where appropriate, public procurement provisions." 3. Article 7(3) is replaced by the following: "3. Taking account of the requirements of Article 10, the Commission shall decommit any part of a commitment which has not been settled by the payment on account or for which it has not received an acceptable payment application by the following dates: (a) for appropriations corresponding to the 2000 annual allocation: 31 December 2004; (b) for appropriations corresponding to the annual allocation for 2001: 31 December 2005; (c) for appropriations corresponding to the annual allocations for 2002 and 2003: 31 December 2006; (d) for appropriations corresponding to the annual allocations for any year after 2003: 31 December of the second year following the year of the financial commitment concerned." 4. In Article 9(1), the second indent is replaced by the following: "- be based on declarations of expenditure incurred by the beneficiary. Such declarations shall include only projects selected and expenditure paid from the date of the Commission decision referred to in Article 3(1), except for feasibility and related studies concerning the selected projects and for technical assistance. However, where the Commission determines that an exceptional natural disaster has occurred, payments to beneficiaries for projects related to that disaster may benefit from a derogation replacing the requirement concerning declarations of expenditure by the possibility of payment of advances." 5. Article 10(1) is replaced by the following: "1. The Commission shall take into consideration only payment applications drawn up by the Sapard agency on a quarterly basis, presented in accordance with a form established by the Commission and transmitted by the national authorizing officer to the Commission within one month of the end of each quarter. However, supplementary applications may be submitted if justified on the basis of the risk of: - the net balance in the Sapard euro account being exhausted before the next quarterly application has been processed, or - decommitment being invoked as set out in Article 7(3)."