Aid certificate and payment
Article 3
1. Aid shall be granted on presentation of a certificate, (hereinafter referred to as ‘aid certificate’), which has been fully utilised. Presenting an aid certificate to the authorities responsible for making payments shall be tantamount to applying for the aid. Except in cases of force majeure or exceptional climatic conditions, certificates shall be presented within 30 days of the date on which they are charged. Where that time limit is overrun, the aid shall be reduced by 5 % per day of delay. The aid shall be paid by the competent authorities not later than 90 days after the date on which the utilised certificate is lodged, except in one of the following cases: (a) force majeure or exceptional climatic conditions; (b) where an administrative enquiry has been opened concerning entitlement to the aid; in such cases, payment shall take place only after entitlement has been recognised. 2. Aid certificates shall be drawn up on the basis of the specimen import licence set out in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 376/2008. Article 7(5) and Articles 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 25, 26, 28, 32 and 35 to 40 of Regulation (EC) No 376/2008 shall apply mutatis mutandis , without prejudice to this Regulation. 3. The entry ‘aid certificate’ shall be printed or stamped in box 20 (special particulars) of the certificate. 4. Boxes 7 and 8 of the certificate shall be struck out. 5. Box 12 of aid certificates shall show the last day of validity. 6. The amount of the aid applicable shall be that in force on the day on which the application for the aid certificate was lodged. 7. The competent authority shall issue aid certificates at the request of the parties concerned, subject to the limits of the forecast supply balances.