22. 5. 87 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 137/9 
ORIGINAL PROPOSAL AMENDED PROPOSAL 
Sixth, seventh and eighth recitals unchanged 
whereas it would therefore be expedient to extend the 
plan to 31 December 1988 with the new title of 
'Strategic Programme for Innovation and Technology 
Transfer — definition phase' (SPRINT Programme), 
and it would be appropriate to fix an updated list of 
priority actions for the same period, whereas it would therefore be expedient to extend the 
plan in the meantime to 31 December 1988 with the new 
title of 'Strategic programme for Innovation and 
Technology Transfer — definition phase' (SPRINT 
Programme), and it would be appropriate to fix an 
updated list of priority actions for the same period, 
whereas it is necessary to include the subject matter of 
this decision in the coordinated Community programme 
Tenth recital unchanged 
Articles and Annex unchanged 
Proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 729/70 on the 
financing of the common agricultural policy as regards the system of advance payments in the 
Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund 
COM(87) 212 final 
(presented by the Commission to the Council on 6 May 1987) 
(87/C 137/10) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 43 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European Par­
liament, 
Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 729/70 on the 
financing of the common agricultural policy (x), as last 
amended by Regulation (EEC) No 3769/85 (2), 
introduced a system whereby budgetary funds earmarked 
to cover the expenditure of the Guarantee Section of the 
European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund 
are made available to the authorities and bodies 
designated to pay out such expenditure; 
Whereas, under this system, the said expenditure is 
charged to the budget of the European Communities, in 
the first instance, on the basis of the forecasts made by 
the Member States and whereas the accounting entries 
relating to the expenditure actually incurred by the 
designated authorities and bodies are made at a later 
stage, the sums initially charged to the budget being 
adjusted as necessary; Whereas there may be large disparities between these 
two accounting operations, which makes it more difficult 
to manage the Community's budgetary appropriations 
and the Community funds held by the Member States; 
Whereas there should be a stage-by-stage changeover to 
a system whereby the authorities and bodies designated 
for the purpose validate the payment of the said 
expenditure but the latter is paid by the Commission 
after it has been charged to the Community budget; 
Whereas, at a first stage, the said expenditure should be 
charged to the Community budget, on the basis of the 
monthly statements of expenditure actually incurred, 
instead of on the basis of forecasts; 
Whereas, consequently, Member States must make 
available to the designated authorities and bodies the 
necessary funds for paying such expenditure until the 
latter has been charged to the budget in this way; 
Whereas, as a second stage, the said statements should 
be forwarded to the Commission by electronic 
transmission on a more frequent basis, thus enabling 
expenditure to be charged to the budget more rapidly 
and at shorter intervals; 
O OJ No L 94, 28. 4. 1970, p. 13. 
O OJ No L 362, 31. 12. 1985, p. 17. Whereas the settlement of the said expenditure by the 
Commission does not remove the need for clearing the 
annual accounts of the Member States; 
No C 137/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 5. 87 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
Regulation (EEC) No 729/70 is hereby amended as 
follows: 
(1) Article 4 is amended as follows: 
Paragraph 2 is replaced by the following: 
'Member States shall make available to the 
designated authorities and bodies the financial 
resources with which to make the payments referred 
to in paragraph 1'. 
(2) Article 5 is amended as follows: 
Paragraph 1 (a) is replaced by the following: 
'Statements of expenditure incurred and estimates of 
expenditure to be incurred'. 
Paragraph 2 is replaced by the following: 
'2. The Commission, after consulting the Fund 
Committee referred to in Article 11, shall clear the 
accounts of the designated authorities and bodies on 
the basis of the documents referred to in paragraph 1 
(b) by no later than 30 November of the second year 
following the financial year in question'. 
(3) The following Article is inserted: 
'Article 5 a 
1. The Commission shall reimburse to the 
Member States the expenditure incurred by their 
authorities and bodies: (a) until a date to be set by the Commission in 
accordance with the procedure laid down in 
Article 13, at monthly intervals on the basis of 
the documents referred to in Article 5 (1) (a); 
(b) after the date referred to in (a) above, at shorter 
intervals on the basis of the data transmitted 
electronically. 
2. After a date to be set by the Council acting by 
a qualified majority on a proposal from the 
Commission, the Commission shall make the 
expenditure referred to in Article 1 (2) on the basis 
of the data forwarded by the designated authorities 
and bodies. 
3. The dispositions of paragraphs 1 and 2 apply 
without prejudice to the clearance of accounts 
mentioned in paragraph 2 of Article 5. 
4. The detailed rules for applying this Article shall 
be adopted in accordance with the procedure laid 
down in Article 13.' 
(4) The following Article is inserted: 
Article 5b 
To accommodate any difficulties which certain 
Member States might encounter in setting up the 
system provided for in Article 5a (1), appropriate 
measures enabling some or all of the interest to be 
charged to the Community may be adopted accord­
ing to the procedure laid down in Article 13.' 
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirely and 
directly applicable in all Member States.