
Article 1 

1. Without prejudice to the continuation of the validity of the Multiannual Financing Agreements (hereinafter referred to as ‘MAFAs’) and the Annual Financing Agreements (hereinafter referred to as ‘AFAs’), as listed in Annex I, concluded between the European Commission, representing the European Community, on the one hand and the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia (hereinafter referred to as ‘the new Member States’) on the other, these Agreements shall continue to apply subject to the provisions of this Regulation.
2. Articles 2 and 4 of the MAFAs shall cease to apply.
3. The following provisions of the Annex to the MAFAs shall cease to apply:
(a) Articles 1 and 3 of Section A; however, any references to these Articles in the MAFAs or AFAs shall be construed as referring to the national accreditation decision in accordance with Article 4 of Section A;
(b) Article 14(2.6) and (2.7) of Section A;
(c) Articles 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 of Section C;
(d) Item 8 of Section F;
(e) Section G.
4. Article 12(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1266/1999 and Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 2222/2000 shall no longer apply to the new Member States with regard to the Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (Sapard).
Article 2 
By way of derogation from the last subparagraph of Article 4(7) and Article 5(4) of Section A of the Annex to the MAFAs and Article 5(4) of Regulation (EC) No 2222/2000, the Commission shall immediately be informed of any modifications in the implementation or paying arrangements of the Sapard Agency after its accreditation.
Article 3 

1. Article 7(8) of Section A of the Annex to the MAFAs is replaced by the following:'The final balance of the programme shall be paid:
((a)) if the National Authorising Officer submits to the Commission within the deadline for payment laid down in the final Annual Financing Agreement, a certified statement of expenditure actually paid in accordance with Article 9 of this Section;
((b)) if the final report on implementation has been submitted to and approved by the Commission;
((c)) when the Decision referred to in Article 11 of this section has been adopted.The payment shall not prejudice the adoption of a subsequent decision pursuant Article 12 of this section.'
2. The following subparagraph is added to Article 10(3) of section A of the Annex to the MAFAs:'However, interest not accounted for by projects assisted under the programme of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, respectively, shall be paid to the Commission in euro.'
Article 4 
The amount provided for in Article 2 of the AFA 2003 for the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, respectively, shall be replaced by the amounts referred to in Annex II.
Article 5 
At the end of Article 3 of each of the AFAs, the following subparagraph is added:
'Any part of the Community contribution referred to in Article 2 for which no contracts with the final beneficiaries have been signed as of the date referred to in the second subparagraph shall be notified to the Commission within three months of this amount being known'.
Article 6 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply as of its entry into force and shall continue to apply until 30 April 2007. However, Article 1(2) and (3) and Article 2 shall apply as of 1 May 2004. Any communications which were sent to the Commission between 1 May 2004 and the entry into force of this Regulation in accordance with the last subparagraph of Article 4(7) and Article 5(4) of Section A of the Annex to the MAFAs and Article 5(4) of Regulation (EC) No 2222/2000, shall be construed as having been sent in accordance with Article 2 of this Regulation.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
ANNEX I
1. 
The following MAFAs were concluded between the European Commission, representing the European Community, and


— the Czech Republic the tenth day of December in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Estonia the twenty-eighth day of May in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Hungary the fifteenth day of June in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Latvia the fourth day of July in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Lithuania the twenty-ninth day of August in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Poland the eighteenth day of May in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Slovakia the sixteenth day of May in the year two thousand and one and
— the Republic of Slovenia the twenty-eighth day of August in the year two thousand and one.

2.  A. 
The following AFAs for 2000 were concluded between the European Commission, representing the European Community, and


— the Czech Republic the tenth day of December in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Estonia the twenty-eighth day of May in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Hungary the fifteenth day of June in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Latvia the eleventh day of May in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Lithuania the twenty-ninth day of August in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Poland the eighteenth day of May in the year two thousand and one,
— the Republic of Slovakia the sixteenth day of May in the year two thousand and one and
— the Republic of Slovenia the sixteenth day of October in the year two thousand and one.
 B. 
The following AFAs for 2001 were concluded between the European Commission, representing the European Community, and


— the Czech Republic the nineteenth day of June in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Estonia the tenth day of July in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Hungary the twenty-sixth day of Mars in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Latvia the thirtieth day of May in the year two thousand and two,
— the Republic of Lithuania the eighteenth day of July in the year two thousand and two,
— the Republic of Poland the tenth day of June in the year two thousand and two,
— the Republic of Slovakia the fourth day of November in the year two thousand and two and
— the Republic of Slovenia the seventeenth day of July in the year two thousand and two.
 C. 
The following AFAs 2002 were concluded between the European Commission, representing the European Community, and


— the Czech Republic the third day of June in the year two thousand and four,
— the Republic of Estonia the eleventh day of December in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Hungary the twenty-second day of December in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Latvia the twelfth day of May in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Lithuania the sixth day of June in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Poland the fourteenth day of April in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Slovakia the thirtieth day of September in the year two thousand and three and
— the Republic of Slovenia the twenty-eighth day of July in the year two thousand and three.
 D. 
The following AFAs 2003 were concluded between the European Commission representing the European Community and


— the Czech Republic the second day of July in the year two thousand and four,
— the Republic of Estonia the eleventh day of December in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Hungary the twenty-second day of December in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Latvia the first day of December in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Lithuania the fifteenth day of January in the year two thousand and four,
— the Republic of Poland the tenth day of June in the year two thousand and three,
— the Republic of Slovakia the twenty sixth day of December in the year two thousand and three and
— the Republic of Slovenia the eleventh day of November in the year two thousand and three.

ANNEX II
(EUR)
Country Amount
Czech Republic 23 923 565
Estonia 13 160 508
Hungary 41 263 079
Latvia 23 690 433
Lithuania 32 344 468
Poland 182 907 972
Slovakia 19 831 304
Slovenia 6 871 397
Total 343 992 726