Council Decision 2008/975/CFSP (repealed)Show full title

CHAPTER 8 U.K. IMPLEMENTATION OF EXPENDITURE

Article 30 U.K. Principles

1. ATHENA's appropriations shall be used in accordance with the principles of sound financial management, that is in accordance with the principles of economy, effectiveness and efficiency.

2. Authorising officers shall be responsible for implementing ATHENA's revenue or expenditure in accordance with the principles of sound financial management to ensure that the requirements of legality and regularity are complied with. The authorising officers shall make budgetary and legal commitments, clear and authorise expenditure and carry out actions prior to this implementation of appropriations. An authorising officer may delegate his/her duties by a decision determining:

(a) staff at an appropriate level for such delegation;

(b) the extent of the conferred powers;

(c) the scope for beneficiaries to subdelegate their powers.

3. The implementation of appropriations according to the principle of the segregation of the authorising officer and the accounting officer shall be ensured. The duties of authorising officer and accounting officer shall be mutually incompatible. Any payment made on funds administered by ATHENA shall require the joint signature of an authorising officer and an accounting officer.

4. Without prejudice to this Decision, when the implementation of common expenditure is entrusted to a Member State, a Community institution or, as appropriate, an international organisation, that State, institution or organisation shall apply the rules applicable to the implementation of its own expenditure. When the administrator implements expenditure directly, it shall comply with the rules applicable to the implementation of the ‘Council’ section of the general budget of the European Communities.

5. However the administrator may provide the Presidency with elements for proposal to the Council or the Special Committee on rules for the implementation of common expenditure.

6. The Special Committee may approve rules for the implementation of common expenditure which depart from paragraph 4.

Article 31 U.K. Common costs incurred in preparation for, or further to, operations

The administrator shall perform the duties of authorising officer for expenditure covering the common costs incurred in preparation for, or further to, operations.

Article 32 U.K. Operational common costs

1. The operation commander shall carry out the duties of authorising officer for expenditure covering the operational common costs of the operation he/she commands. However, the administrator shall carry out the duties of authorising officer for expenditure covering the operational common costs incurred during the preparatory phase of a specific operation, which are implemented directly by ATHENA, or related to the operation after the end of its active phase.

2. The sums required for the implementation of expenditure on an operation shall be transferred by the administrator from ATHENA's bank account to the operation commander, upon his/her request, into the bank account opened on behalf of ATHENA, of which the operation commander has provided the details.

3. By way of derogation from Article 18(5), the adoption of a reference amount shall activate the right of the administrator and the operation commander, each in his/her area of competence, to commit and pay expenses for the operation concerned up to 30 % of the reference amount, unless the Council should set a higher percentage. The Special Committee, on the basis of a proposal from the administrator, may decide that additional expenditure may be committed and paid. The Special Committee may decide to refer the question to the competent preparatory bodies at the Council through the Presidency. This derogation shall no longer apply from the date of adoption of a budget for the operation concerned.

4. During the period prior to the adoption of a budget for an operation, the administrator and the operation commander or his/her representative shall report to the Special Committee every month, each reporting on the matters concerning him/her, as regards the expenses which are eligible as common costs for that operation. The Special Committee, on the basis of a proposal by the administrator, the operation commander or a Member State, may issue directives on the implementation of expenditure during this period.

5. By way of derogation from Article 18(5), in the case of imminent danger to the lives of personnel involved in a Union military operation, the operation commander for that operation may implement the necessary expenditure to save the lives of those personnel, in excess of the appropriations entered in the budget. He/she shall inform the administrator and the Special Committee as soon as possible. In such a case, the administrator shall, liaising with the operation commander, propose the transfers needed to finance this unexpected expenditure. If it is not possible to ensure sufficient funding for such expenditure by means of a transfer, the administrator shall propose an amending budget.