1.   No revenue shall be collected and no expenditure effected unless booked to a line in the Agency's budget.

2.   No expenditure may be committed or authorised in excess of the appropriations authorised by the Agency's budget.

3.   An appropriation may be entered in the Agency's budget only if it is for an item of expenditure considered necessary.

4.   Interest generated by pre-financing payments made from the Agency's budget shall not be due to the Agency.

1.   The appropriations entered in the Agency's budget shall be authorised for a financial year which shall run from 1 January to 31 December.

2.   Commitment appropriations shall cover the total cost of the legal commitments entered into during the financial year or by 31 March of the following year for those legal commitments most of the preparatory stages of which have been undertaken by 31 December.

3.   Payment appropriations shall cover payments made to honour the legal commitments entered into in the financial year or preceding financial years.

4.   Given the needs of the Agency and subject to the approval by the Steering Board in accordance with Article 15, the unused appropriations may be entered in the estimate of revenue and expenditure of the following financial year. Those appropriations must be used first.

5.   Paragraphs 1 to 4 shall not prevent budgetary commitments for actions extending over more than one financial year being broken down over several years into annual instalments.

1.   Revenue and payment appropriations shall be in balance.

2.   The Agency may not raise loans within the framework of the Agency's budget.

3.   Any budgetary surplus arising from the Agency's general budget in a given financial year shall be considered as a credit available for the participating Member States and returned to them as a deduction from the third contribution of the following financial year.

1.   Appropriations shall be earmarked for specific purposes at least by title and chapter.

2.   The Authorising Officer may transfer appropriations from one chapter to another without limit and from one title to another up to a maximum of 10 % of the appropriations for the year shown on the line from which the transfer is made.

Beyond the limit referred to in the first subparagraph, the Authorising Officer shall propose to the Steering Board transfers of appropriations from one title to another. The Steering Board shall have three weeks to oppose such transfers. After that time limit they shall be deemed to be adopted.

The Authorising Officer shall inform the Steering Board of all transfers carried out under the first subparagraph. Proposals for transfers and transfers carried out shall be accompanied by appropriate and detailed supporting documents showing the implementation of appropriations and estimates of requirements up to the end of the financial year, both for the headings to be credited and for those from which the appropriations are drawn.

1.   Appropriations shall be used in accordance with the principle of sound financial management, namely in accordance with the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

2.   The principle of economy requires that the resources used by the Agency in the pursuit of its activities are made available in due time, in appropriate quantity and quality and at the best price.

The principle of efficiency concerns the best relationship between resources employed and results achieved.

The principle of effectiveness concerns the attainment of the specific objectives set and the achievement of the intended results.

1.   The Agency's budget shall be implemented in compliance with effective and efficient internal control.

2.   For the purposes of the implementation of the Agency's budget, internal control is defined as a process applicable at all levels of management and designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving the following objectives:

3.   Effective and efficient internal control shall be based on best international practices and include, in particular, the elements laid down in Article 32(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3), taking into account the structure and size of the Agency, the nature of the tasks entrusted to it and the amounts and financial and operational risks involved.

1.   The Agency's budget shall be established and implemented and the accounts presented in accordance with the principle of transparency.

2.   Subject to Article 35(3) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012, the Agency's budget, including the staff establishment plan and amending budgets, as adopted, shall be published on the internet site of the Agency within four weeks of their adoption.

1.   By 31 March each year, the Head of the Agency shall provide the Steering Board with a preliminary estimate of the draft general budget for the following year.

2.   By 30 June each year, the Head of the Agency shall propose a revised preliminary estimate of the draft general budget for the following year, together with the draft three-year Planning Framework to the Steering Board.

3.   By 30 September each year, the Head of the Agency shall propose the draft general budget together with the draft three-year Planning Framework to the Steering Board. The draft shall include:

4.   The Steering Board shall aim to ensure that the appropriations referred to in point (a)(ii) of paragraph 3 represent a significant share of the total appropriations referred to in paragraph 3. Those appropriations shall reflect actual needs and shall allow for an operational role for the Agency.

5.   The draft general budget shall be supported by detailed justifications and a staff establishment plan.

6.   The Steering Board, acting by unanimity, may decide that the draft general budget shall, furthermore, cover a particular project or programme where this is clearly for the common benefit of all participating Member States.

7.   The appropriations shall be classified in titles and chapters grouping expenditure by type or purpose, subdivided as necessary into articles.

8.   Each title may include a chapter entitled ‘provisional appropriations’. Those appropriations shall be entered where there is uncertainty, based on serious grounds, about the amount of appropriations needed or the scope for implementing the appropriations entered.

9.   Revenue shall consist of:

The draft general budget shall carry lines to accommodate earmarked revenue and, wherever possible, shall indicate the amount foreseen.

10.   The Steering Board, acting by unanimity, shall adopt the draft general budget by 31 December of each year. When doing so, the Steering Board shall be chaired by the Head of the Agency, or by a representative appointed by the Head of the Agency, or by a member of the Steering Board invited to do so by the Head of the Agency. The Chief Executive shall declare that the budget has been adopted and notify the participating Member States.

11.   If, at the beginning of a financial year, the draft general budget has not been adopted, a sum equivalent to not more than one twelfth of the budget appropriations for the preceding financial year may be spent each month in respect of any chapter or other subdivision of the budget. That arrangement shall not, however, have the effect of placing at the disposal of the Agency appropriations in excess of one twelfth of those provided for in the draft general budget in course of preparation. The Steering Board, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Chief Executive, may authorise expenditure in excess of one twelfth, provided that the overall budget appropriations for that financial year do not exceed those of the previous financial year. The Chief Executive may call for the contributions necessary to cover the appropriations authorised under this provision, which shall be payable within 30 days from dispatch of the call for contributions.

1.   In the case of unavoidable, exceptional or unforeseen circumstances, the Chief Executive may propose a draft amending budget to the Steering Board.

2.   The draft amending budget shall be drawn up, proposed, and adopted and notification given in accordance with the same procedure as the general budget. The Steering Board shall act with due account to the urgency of those circumstances.

1.   The Chief Executive shall perform the duties of Authorising Officer. The Authorising Officer shall implement the general budget in accordance with these financial rules and the principle of sound financial management, under his own responsibility and within the limits of the authorised appropriations. The Authorising Officer shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with the requirements of legality and regularity.

2.   The Chief Executive may delegate the powers of budget implementation to staff of the Agency, covered by Council Decision (EU) 2016/1351 (4) (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Staff Regulations of the Agency’), in accordance with the conditions laid down in these financial rules. Those so empowered may act only within the limits of the powers expressly conferred upon them.

3.   Technical expertise tasks and administrative, preparatory or ancillary tasks not involving the exercise of public authority or the use of discretionary powers of judgement may be entrusted by contract to external entities or bodies.

4.   The Chief Executive, having due regard to the risks associated with the management environment and the nature of the action financed, shall propose to the Steering Board and put in place the organisational structure and the internal control systems suited to the performance of his/her duties. The establishment of such structure and systems shall be supported by a risk analysis which takes into account their cost-effectiveness.

The Steering Board shall give its assent to decisions related to the organisational structure of the Agency.

The Chief Executive may establish an expertise and advice function designed to help him or her control the risks involved in his or her activities.

5.   The Authorising Officer shall conserve the supporting documents relating to operations carried out for a period of five years from the date of the decision granting discharge to the Agency in respect of implementation of the general budget for the year concerned.

6.   Article 31 of Decision (CFSP) 2015/1835 shall apply to the treatment of personal data.

1.   Each operation shall be subject at least to an ex ante control based on a desk review of documents and on the available results of controls already carried out relating to the operational and financial aspects of the operation.

Ex ante controls shall comprise the initiation and the verification of an operation.

Initiation and verification of an operation shall be separate functions.

2.   Initiation of an operation shall be understood as all the operations which are preparatory to the adoption of the acts implementing the Agency's budget.

3.   Ex ante verification of an operation shall be understood as all the ex ante checks put in place by the Authorising Officer in order to verify the operational and financial aspects. For a given transaction, the verification shall be carried out by staff other than those who initiated the operation.

4.   Ex ante controls shall verify the coherence among supporting documents requested and any other information available.

The extent in terms of frequency and intensity of the ex ante controls shall be determined by the Authorising Officer taking into account risk-based and cost-effectiveness considerations. In case of doubt, the Authorising Officer responsible for validating the relevant payment shall request complementary information or perform an on-the-spot control in order to obtain reasonable assurance as part of the ex ante control.

The purpose of the ex ante controls shall be to ascertain that:

For the purpose of controls, a series of similar individual transactions relating to routine expenditure on salaries, pensions, reimbursement of mission expenses and medical expenses may be considered by the Authorising Officer to constitute a single operation.

1.   The Authorising Officer may put in place ex post controls to verify operations already approved following ex ante controls. Such controls may be organised on a sample basis according to risk.

The ex post controls may be carried out on the basis of documents, and where appropriate, on the spot.

2.   The ex post controls shall be carried out by staff other than that responsible for the ex ante controls. The staff responsible for the ex post controls shall not be subordinate to the members of the staff responsible for the ex ante controls.

Staff responsible for controlling the management of financial operations shall have the necessary professional skills.

1.   The financial statements shall be presented in euro and shall comprise:

2.   The notes to the financial statements shall supplement and comment on the information presented in the statements referred to in paragraph 1 and shall supply all the additional information prescribed by internationally accepted accounting practice where such information is relevant to the Agency's activities.

1.   If a member of staff involved in the financial management and control of transactions considers that a decision he or she is required by his or her hierarchy to apply or to agree to is irregular or contrary to the principles of sound financial management or the professional rules which that member of staff is required to observe, he or she shall inform the Chief Executive in writing who shall also reply in writing. If the Chief Executive fails to take action or confirms the initial decision or instruction and the member of staff believes that such confirmation does not constitute a reasonable response to his or her concern, the member of staff shall inform the Head of the Agency.

2.   In the event of any illegal activity, fraud or corruption which may harm the interest of the Agency or of its members, the member of staff shall inform the authorities and bodies designated by the applicable legislation. The College of Auditors as well as any external auditors carrying out financial audits of the Agency shall inform the Authorising Officer of any suspected illegal activity, fraud or corruption which may harm the interest of the Agency or its members.

1.   The Steering Board shall appoint an accounting officer covered by the Staff Regulations of the Agency, who shall be totally independent in the performance of his or her duties within the Agency and responsible to the Steering Board. The accounting officer shall be responsible in the Agency for:

2.   The accounting officer shall obtain from the Authorising Officer all the information necessary for the production of accounts which give a true and fair view of the Agency's financial situation and of budgetary implementation. The Authorising Officer shall guarantee the reliability of that information.

3.   Before the adoption of the accounts by the Chief Executive, the accounting officer shall sign them off, thereby certifying that he or she has a reasonable assurance that the accounts present a true and fair view of the financial situation of the Agency.

For the purpose of the first subparagraph, the accounting officer shall verify that the accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting rules referred to in Article 39 and that all revenue and expenditure is entered in the accounts.

The authorising officer or his/her delegates shall remain fully responsible for the proper use of the funds they manage, the legality and regularity of the expenditure under their control and the completeness and accuracy of the information forwarded to the accounting officer.

The accounting officer shall be empowered to check the information received as well as to carry out any further checks he or she deems necessary in order to sign off the accounts.

The accounting officer shall make reservations, if necessary, explaining exactly the nature and scope of such reservations.

Subject to paragraph 4, only the accounting officer shall be empowered to manage cash and cash equivalents. The accounting officer shall be responsible for their safekeeping.

4.   The accounting officer may, in the performance of his or her duties, delegate certain tasks to staff members subject to the Staff Regulations of the Agency where this is indispensable for the performance of his or her duties in accordance with the financial rules of the Agency.

5.   Without prejudice to any disciplinary action, the accounting officer may at any time be suspended temporarily or definitively from his or her duties by the Steering Board. In such a case, the Steering Board shall appoint an interim accounting officer.

1.   Articles 16 to 26 are without prejudice to any liability under criminal law which the financial actors may incur as provided for in the applicable national law and in the provisions in force concerning the protection of the Agency's financial interests and the fight against corruption involving Union officials or officials of Member States.

2.   Each Authorising Officer and accounting officer shall be liable to disciplinary action and payment of compensation as laid down in the Staff Regulations of the Agency. In the event of illegal activity, fraud or corruption which may harm the interest of the Agency or of its members, the matter shall be submitted to the authorities and bodies designated by the applicable legislation, in particular to European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

3.   Any member of the staff may be required to compensate, in whole or in part, any damage suffered by the Agency as a result of serious misconduct on his or her part in the course of or in connection with the performance of his or her duties. The appointing authority shall take a reasoned decision after completing the formalities laid down by the applicable legislation with regard to disciplinary matters.

4.   As regards liability of authorising officers, Article 73(1) and (2) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 shall apply.

1.   Financial actors within the meaning of Chapter 2 of Title III and other persons involved in budget implementation and management, including acts preparatory thereto, audit or control, shall not take any action which may bring their own interests into conflict with those of the Agency.

Where such a risk exists, the person in question shall refrain from such actions and shall refer the matter to the Chief Executive who shall confirm in writing whether a conflict of interest exists. The person in question shall also inform his or her immediate supervisor. If the actor is the Chief Executive, he or she must refer the matter to the Head of the Agency.

Where a conflict of interest is found to exist, the person in question shall cease all activities in the matter. The Chief Executive, or the Head of the Agency in the event that the conflict of interest concerns the Chief Executive, shall take any further appropriate action.

2.   For the purposes of paragraph 1, a conflict of interest exists where the impartial and objective exercise of the functions of a financial actor or other person, as referred to in paragraph 1, is compromised for reasons involving family, emotional life, political or national affinity, economic interest or any other shared interest with a recipient.

1.   The Agency shall have an internal audit function which shall be performed in compliance with the relevant international standards.

2.   The internal auditor may neither be the Authorising Officer nor the accounting officer.

3.   The internal auditors shall advise the Agency on dealing with risks, by issuing independent opinions on the quality of management and control systems and by issuing recommendations for improving the conditions of implementation of operations and promoting sound financial management.

The internal auditor shall be responsible in particular for:

4.   The internal auditor shall perform his or her duties in relation to all activities and departments of the Agency. The internal auditor shall enjoy full and unlimited access to all information required to perform his or her duties. The internal auditor shall take note of the annual report of the Chief Executive and any other pieces of information identified.

5.   The internal auditor shall draw up an annual audit plan and submit it to the Chief Executive.

6.   The internal auditor shall take note of the report of the Authorising Officer under Article 19 and of any other pieces of information identified.

7.   The internal auditor shall report to the Chief Executive on his or her findings and recommendations.

The internal auditor shall also report in any of the following cases:

The Chief Executive shall ensure the regular monitoring of the implementation of audit recommendations.

Each year the Chief Executive shall send to the Steering Board a report containing a summary of the number and type of internal audits carried out, the recommendations made and the action taken on those recommendations. The Steering Board shall examine the information and whether the recommendations have been implemented fully and in a timely manner.

8.   The Agency shall make available the contact details of the internal auditor to any natural or legal person involved in expenditure operations, for the purposes of confidentially contacting the internal auditor.

9.   The reports and findings of the internal auditor shall be accessible to the public only after validation by the internal auditor of the action taken for their implementation.

1.   Implementation of revenue shall comprise drawing up estimates of amounts receivable, establishing entitlements to be recovered and recovering undue amounts. It shall also include the possibility of waiving established entitlements where appropriate.

2.   Amounts wrongly paid shall be recovered.

If actual recovery has not taken place by the due date stipulated in the debit note, the accounting officer shall inform the Authorising Officer and immediately launch the procedure for effecting recovery by any means offered at law, including where appropriate, by offsetting and, if this is not possible, by enforced recovery.

Where the Authorising Officer plans to waive or partially waive recovery of an established amount receivable, he or she shall ensure that the waiver is in order and is in accordance with the principles of sound financial management and proportionality. The waiver decision shall be substantiated. The waiver decision shall state that action has been taken to secure recovery and the points of law and fact on which it is based.

The accounting officer shall keep a list of amounts due to be recovered. The Agency entitlements shall be grouped in the list according to the date of issue of the recovery order. The accounting officer shall also indicate decisions to waive or partially waive recovery of established amounts. The list shall be added to the Agency's annual accounts.

3.   Any debt not repaid on the due date laid down in the debit note shall bear interest in accordance with Article 83 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 (5).

4.   Entitlements of the Agency in respect of third parties and entitlements of third parties in respect of the Agency shall be subject to a limitation period of five years.

1.   The determination of contributions where the GNI scale is applicable shall be as follows:

2.   The schedule for payment of contributions shall be as follows:

When payment is made within the deadline and received by the Agency no more than 10 days exceeding the deadline, no interest as stipulated in Article 29.3 shall be due to the Agency. When payment is late by more than 10 days, late interests shall be charged for the entire delay.

1.   To implement expenditure, the Authorising Officer shall make budgetary commitments and legal commitments, validate expenditure and authorise payments and undertake the preliminary steps for the implementation of appropriations.

2.   A budgetary commitment is the operation by which the appropriation necessary to cover subsequent payments to honour legal commitments is reserved. A legal commitment is the act whereby the Authorising Officer enters into or establishes an obligation which results in a charge. Budgetary commitments and legal commitments shall be adopted by the same Authorising Officer, except in duly justified cases.

Budgetary commitments shall fall into one of the following categories:

Budgetary commitments for actions extending over more than one financial year may be broken down over several years into annual instalments only where the basic act so provides or where they relate to administrative expenditure.

3.   Every item of expenditure shall be committed, validated, authorised and paid.

The validation of expenditure is the act whereby the Authorising Officer:

Authorisation of expenditure is the act by which the Authorising Officer, having verified that the appropriations are available, instructs the accounting officer to pay the validated expenditure.

4.   In respect of any measure which may give rise to expenditure chargeable to the Agency's budget, the Authorising Officer shall make a budgetary commitment before entering into a legal commitment with third parties.

5.   Year one of the Agency's three-year Planning Framework shall provide for the authorisation by the Steering Board for the operational expenditure of the Agency on the activities it covers, provided that the elements set out in this paragraph are clearly identified.

The Planning Framework shall comprise detailed objectives and expected results. It shall also contain a description of the action(s) to be financed and an indication of the amount allocated to each action.

Any substantial amendment to year one of the Agency's three-year Planning Framework shall be adopted by the same procedure as the initial Planning Framework.

The Steering Board may delegate the power to make non-substantial amendments to the Planning Framework to the Authorising Officer of the Agency.

1.   As regards procurement, Title V of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 and Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 shall apply subject to paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article.

2.   For contracts with a value between EUR 60 000 and the thresholds laid down in Article 118 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 the procedure set out in Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 for contracts with a low value not exceeding EUR 60 000 may be used.

3.   The Agency may conclude a contract, without having recourse to a public procurement procedure, with the European Commission, the interinstitutional offices, the Translation Centre for bodies of the European Union established by Council Regulation (EC) No 2965/94 (7) and with other Union bodies for the supply of goods, provision of services or performance of work that the latter provide.

1.   The Agency may be associated, at its request, as contracting authority, in the award of Commission or interinstitutional contracts and with the award of contracts of other Union bodies or agencies.

2.   In the context of collaborative activities with Member States, such as those referred to in Chapter IV of Decision (CFSP) 2015/1835, the Agency may use joint procurement procedures.

3.   In the case of a joint procurement procedure between the Agency and the contracting authority from one or more Member States, the procedural provisions applicable to the Agency shall apply.

Where the share pertaining to or managed by the contracting authority of one or more Member States in the total estimated value of the contract is equal to or above 50 %, or in other duly justified cases, the procedural rules of Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (8), Directive 2009/81/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (9), or any other legal act of the Union which may be applicable in light of the subject matter in question, shall apply.

4.   The Agency may use joint procurement procedures with contracting authorities of the host Member State to cover its administrative needs. In such case, Article 133 of Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 shall apply mutatis mutandis.

1.   As regards prizes, Title VII of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 and Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 shall apply subject to paragraph 2 of this Article.

2.   Contests for prizes with a unit value of EUR 10 000 or more may only be published if they are provided for in the Planning Framework of the Agency.

1.   Where a procedural act of an Authorising Officer adversely affects the rights of an applicant or tenderer, beneficiary or contractor, it shall contain an indication of the available means of administrative and/or judicial redress for challenging this act.

2.   In particular, the nature of the redress, the body or bodies before which it can be brought, as well as time limits for their exercise shall be indicated.

1.   The accounting system shall consist of general accounts and budgetary accounts. The accounts shall be kept in euro on the basis of the calendar year.

2.   The general accounts shall record, in chronological order using the double entry method, all events and operations which affect the economic and financial situation and the assets and liabilities of the Agency.

3.   The budgetary accounts shall provide a detailed record of the implementation of the Agency's budget. They shall record all budgetary revenue and expenditure operations.

1.   The Steering Board shall appoint a College of Auditors to perform the external audit function of the administrative and operational budgets, financial accounts and financial statements of the Agency. The audit shall be conducted in conformity with accepted international standards on auditing and, subject to approval by the Steering Board, in accordance with additional terms of reference.

At least every three years, the College shall provide independent assurance and advice to the Steering Board that activities of the Agency have been carried out in compliance with the principles of sound financial management. To perform that task, the College may resort to temporary additional staff, in agreement with the Steering Board.

2.   The College of Auditors shall be composed of at least three auditors from different participating Member States, supported by staff nominated by the College. That staff member may remain as long as the member of the College of Auditors who nominated him or her remains in office.

3.   The members of the College of Auditors shall be appointed for a period of three subsequent audits. A fair rotation amongst the participating Member States wishing to send auditors shall be ensured.

4.   The Steering Board shall appoint the College of Auditors from candidates proposed by the participating Member States. The candidates shall preferably be members of the highest national audit institution of the participating Member States and offer adequate guarantees of security and independence. They shall be available to carry out tasks on behalf of the Agency as needed. In carrying out those tasks:

5.   Each year, the College of Auditors shall elect its chairman for the forthcoming financial year. It shall adopt the rules applicable to audits carried out by its members in accordance with the highest international standards on auditing. The College of Auditors shall approve the audit reports drawn up by its members before their transmission to the Chief Executive and to the Steering Board.

6.   The auditors shall ensure that they respect the confidentiality of the information and protect the data of which they acquire knowledge during their audit task, in accordance with the rules applicable to that information and data.

7.   The auditors shall have access, without delay and without giving prior notice, to the documents and to the contents of all data supports relating to that revenue and expenditure and to the premises where those documents and supports are kept. They may make copies. The persons involved in implementing the Agency's revenue and expenditure shall give the Chief Executive and the persons responsible for the audit of that expenditure the necessary assistance in performing their tasks. Expenses related to the audit shall be charged to the general budget.

8.   On the proposal by the Chief Executive or by one of the Member States, the Steering Board may decide on case-by-case basis to use other external bodies for special reviews in coordination with the assignment of the College of Auditors.

9.   In specific cases, national audit authorities of participating Member States can, at their own cost and with the agreement of the Steering Board, obtain any information and inspect any documents they deem necessary for auditing of the respective national share or reporting to government and parliament, without infringing on the other participating Member States and the responsibilities of the College of Auditors and in compliance with the rules of the Agency, in particular data protection rules.

1.   By 31 March following the end of the financial year, the Chief Executive shall submit to the College of Auditors, for examination and their opinion, a draft of the annual accounts of the Agency as referred to in Article 19.

2.   By 30 June following the end of the financial year, the College of Auditors shall submit to the Chief Executive its annual audit report containing the opinion and observations of the College on the draft annual accounts referred to in paragraph 1.

3.   By 15 July following the end of the financial year, the Chief Executive shall submit to the Steering Board the final audited annual accounts and the audit report accompanied by the Agency's replies.

4.   By 30 October following the end of the financial year, the Steering Board shall approve the audited annual accounts and grant the discharge to the Chief Executive and the accounting officer for the financial year.

5.   Once approved by the Steering Board, the audited annual accounts shall be notified in the Official Journal of the European Union.

6.   All the accounts and inventories shall be retained by the Accounting officer for a period of five years from the date on which the corresponding discharge was granted.

1.   OLAF may carry out investigations, including on-the-spot checks and inspections, in accordance with the provisions and procedures laid down in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (10) and Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 (11) with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Agency in connection with a grant or contract funded by the Agency.

2.   Without prejudice to paragraph 1, contracts, agreements and decisions of the Agency shall contain provisions expressly empowering the College of Auditors and OLAF to conduct audits and investigations, according to their respective competences.