CHAPTER IVADVANCE PAYMENTS
Article 17
The provisions of this Chapter shall apply in all cases where specific Union rules provide that a sum may be advanced before the obligation has been met.
Article 18
1.
The security shall be released when:
(a)
final entitlement to the sum granted as advance has been established; or
(b)
the sum granted, plus any addition provided for in the specific Union rules, has been repaid.
2.
Once the deadline for showing final entitlement to the sum granted has passed without production of evidence of entitlement, the competent authority shall immediately follow the procedure in Article 28.
The deadline may be postponed in a case of force majeure.
However, where Union legislation so provides, evidence may still be produced after that date against partial repayment of the security.
3.
If the force majeure provisions in Union legislation permit repayment of the advance alone, the following further conditions shall apply:
(a)
the circumstances claimed as force majeure shall be notified to the competent authority not later than 30 days after the day on which information was received by the party concerned that circumstances indicating a possible case of force majeure had arisen; and
(b)
the party concerned shall repay the sum advanced or the relevant part of it within 30 days from the date on which the competent authority issues a request for repayment.
If the conditions laid down in points (a) and (b) are not respected, the terms of repayment shall be the same as if circumstances of force majeure had not occurred.