The European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) were developed in order to attain the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as defined by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). These funds are both financed from the general budget of the European Communities and administered by the Paying Agencies (PA), through shared management with Member States, as stated in Article 3 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013.
For measures relating to operations financed by the EAGF and the EAFRD the Agriculture and Rural Payments Agency’s (ARPA) Accounts Unit is responsible to communicate to the Commission, declarations of expenditure (including reporting of assigned revenue), estimates of financial requirements (forecasts) and the annual financial year-end accounts. These tasks are carried out in-line with the requirements stipulated in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014.
The main purpose of the Unit is to guarantee true and fair view in accounting/reporting of all the transactions and that the communication of such reports respect stipulated deadlines as established in Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014.
1. Expenditure Reporting
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014, Article 8(1) states that each Paying Agency shall keep a set of separate accounts for both the EAGF and the EAFRD. This is in line with Articles 4(1), 5 and 43 of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 and the use of the funds made available to it to defray the corresponding expenditure. Those accounts shall enable the financial data for the EAGF and the EAFRD to be distinguished and provided separately.
Included within these accounts one may find the expenditure incurred and revenue collected during a specific period of time. These are consolidated and reported to the Commission through electronic means, in respect to set deadlines, as established by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 908/2014.
2. Debtors’ Management
Article 54 (1) of Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 states that for any undue payment following the occurrence of irregularity or negligence, Member States shall request recovery from the beneficiary. The corresponding amounts shall be recorded at the time of the recovery request in the debtors' ledger of the paying agency.”
Member States should adopt all legislative, regulatory and administrative provisions and take any other measures necessary to ensure effective protection of the financial interests of the Community in particular to:
Prevent and pursue irregularities;
Recover undue payments plus interest, and bring legal proceedings to that effect as necessary.
Following the recognition of debts, Member States are obliged to recover the amounts due: either through Set-Offs or Payment at bank.
According to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 908/2014, Member States shall off-set any still outstanding debt of a beneficiary which has been established in accordance with national law against any future payment to be made by the paying agency responsible for the recovery of the debt to the same beneficiary.
Payments at Bank can be made when the debtor pays directly his debt at ARPA’s Irregularity bank account.
A receipt is issued for any amount recovered.
Meetings abroad
In view that ARPA operates through shared management with the EU Commission, its officials attend monthly meetings in order to remain informed on new developments occurring in both the agricultural market and legal development.