1.The costs arising from migration, the comprehensive test, the test on supplementary information, maintenance and development measures at Central SIS II level or concerning the communication infrastructure shall be borne by the general budget of the Union.
2.The costs arising from installation, migration, testing, maintenance and development of the national systems as well as from the tasks to be performed by the national systems under this Regulation shall be borne by each Member State concerned as it is provided for by Article 119(2) of the Schengen Convention.
3.Complementing the financial assistance provided by the External Borders Fund, the Union may provide a financial contribution to the expenditures of the Member States for their migration and migration related testing activities performed under Articles 8, 9, Article 10(8) and Article 11 of this Regulation to cover specific and well-defined activities.
The Union contribution related to the activities referred to in the first subparagraph shall take the form of grants as provided for by Title VI of the Financial Regulation. That contribution shall not exceed 75 % of the eligible expenditures of each Member State and it shall not exceed EUR 750 000 per Member State. The Commission shall appraise, decide and administer the co-financing operation in accordance with the budgetary and other procedures, in particularly those laid down in the Financial Regulation.
Each Member State requesting such a financial contribution shall prepare a financial forecast indicating a breakdown of the operational as well as administrative costs of the activities related to the testing and migration. Where Member States use Union funds for their expenditures, those expenditures shall be reasonable and comply with the principles of sound financial management, in particular, value for money and cost-effectiveness. Member States shall present a report to the Commission on their use of the Union contribution by not later than six months following the date of switchover fixed by the Council, acting in accordance with Article 55(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006.
Where the Union contribution is not implemented or is implemented inadequately, partially or late, the Union may reduce, withhold or terminate its financial contribution. Where the Member States do not contribute or contribute only partially or late to the financing of activities referred to in the first subparagraph, the Union may reduce its financial contribution.
4.The Court of Auditors shall be entitled to carry out the appropriate audits in liaison with national audit bodies or with the competent national departments. The Commission shall be empowered to carry out all the checks and inspections necessary to ensure the proper management of the Union funds and to protect the Union’s financial interest against any fraud or irregularity. To this end, the Member States shall make available all the relevant documents and records to the Commission and the Court of Auditors.
5.The costs of installing and operating the technical support function referred to in Article 92(3) of the Schengen Convention, including the cost of lines connecting the national sections of SIS 1+ to the technical support function, and of activities performed in conjunction with tasks conferred upon France for the purpose of this Regulation shall be borne jointly by the Member States as it is provided for by Article 119(1) of the Schengen Convention.