
Article 1 
The requirement of ex ante approval by the Commission of project selection and contracting for measures No 1 ‘Investments into Agricultural Holdings’ and No 2 ‘Improving the Processing and Marketing of Agricultural and Fishery Products’ by Croatia for in Article 12(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1266/1999 is hereby waived.
Article 2 
Management of the Sapard programme is conferred on a provisional basis:

1.. Directorate for Market and Structural Support in Agriculture, an organisational unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, acting as the Sapard Agency of Croatia, Avenija grada Vukovara 269D, 10000 Zagreb, for the implementation of measures No 1 ‘Investments into Agricultural Holdings’ and No 2 ‘Improving the Processing and Marketing of Agricultural and Fishery Products’ as defined in the Rural Development Programme that was approved by Decision C(2006) 301.
2.. The National Fund within the Ministry of Finances, Katančičeva 5, 10000 Zagreb, for the financial functions it is due to perform in the framework of the implementation of the Sapard programme for Croatia.
Article 3 
Expenditures pursuant to this Decision shall be eligible for Community co-finance only if incurred by beneficiaries from the date of this Decision or, if later, the date of the instrument making them a beneficiary for the project in question, except that for feasibility and related studies, provided in all cases it is not paid by the Sapard Agency prior to the date of this Decision.
Article 4 
Without prejudice to any decisions granting aid under the Sapard programme to individual beneficiaries, the rules for eligibility of expenditure proposed by Croatia by letter No ‘Klasa: 910-01/05–01/8, Urbroj: 513-05-06/06-28’ of 14 March 2006 and registered in the Commission on 21 March 2006 under No 08347, as modified by letter No ‘Klasa: 910-01/06–01/221, Urbroj: 513-05-06/06-9’ of 23 June 2006 and registered in the Commission on 11 July 2006 under No 20627, shall apply.
Done at Brussels, 29 September 2006.
For the Commission
Mariann FISCHER BOEL
Member of the Commission