Prefinancing arrangements
Article 35
1. Following its decision to approve the rural development programme, the Commission shall pay an initial prefinancing amount to the Member State for the whole programming period. This initial pre-financing amount shall be paid in instalments as follows: (a) in 2014: 1 % of the amount of support from the EAFRD for the entire programming period to the programme and 1,5 % of the amount of support from the EAFRD for the entire programming period to the programme, where a Member State has been receiving financial assistance since 2010, either in accordance with Articles 122 and 143 TFEU, or from the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), or is receiving financial assistance on 31 December 2013 in accordance with Articles 136 and 143 TFEU; (b) in 2015: 1 % of the amount of support from the EAFRD for the entire programming period to the programme and 1,5 % of the amount of support from the EAFRD for the entire programming period to the programme where a Member State has been receiving financial assistance since 2010, either in accordance with Articles 122 and 143 TFEU, or from the EFSF, or is receiving financial assistance on 31 December 2014 in accordance with Articles 136 and 143 TFEU; (c) in 2016: 1 % of the amount of support from the EAFRD for the entire programming period to the programme. If a rural development programme is adopted in 2015 or later, the earlier instalments shall be paid in the year of such adoption. 2. The total amount paid as prefinancing shall be reimbursed to the Commission if no expenditure is effected and no declaration of expenditure for the rural development programme is sent within 24 months of the date on which the Commission pays the first instalment of the prefinancing amount. 3. Interest generated on the prefinancing shall be posted to the rural development programme concerned and deducted from the amount of public expenditure indicated on the final declaration of expenditure. 4. The total prefinancing amount shall be cleared in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 51 of this Regulation before the rural development programme is closed.