Conditions for the accreditation of coordinating bodies
Article 2
1. Where more than one paying agency is accredited, in accordance with Article 10(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116, the Member State concerned shall accredit as coordinating bodies departments or bodies, which fulfil the conditions laid down in paragraph 2 and meet the criteria referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4. That Member State shall, by a formal act at ministerial level, decide on the accreditation of the coordinating body after it has satisfied itself that the administrative arrangements of that body guarantee that it is capable of fulfilling the tasks referred to in that Article. 2. In order to be accredited, the coordinating body shall ensure that: (a) declarations to the Commission are based on information from properly authorised sources; (b) the annual performance report referred to in Article 54(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 and Article 134 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 is covered by the scope of the opinion referred to in Article 12(2) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 and its transmission is accompanied by a management declaration covering the compilation of the entire report; (c) declarations to the Commission are properly authorised before transmission; (d) a proper audit trail exists to support the information transmitted to the Commission; (e) a record of information received and transmitted is securely stored in computerised format. 3. In order to be accredited, a coordinating body shall have an administrative organisation and a system of internal control as regards the compilation of the annual performance report, which complies with requirements set by the competent authority as regards the procedures involved, and especially the criteria on information and communication as set out in Annex II. 4. Member States may lay down further accreditation criteria to take account of the size, responsibilities and other specific features of the coordinating body.