The European Commission has published a set of Decisions (2009/85/EC, 2009/86/EC and 2009/87/EC) adopted in January 2009, concerning the clearance of the accounts of certain paying agencies in Estonia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Austria, Belgium and Germany concerning expenditure financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and expenditure in the field of rural development measures, as well as expenditures, financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF). All these Decisions concern the 2007 financial year.

The European Commission has, with these three Decisions, cleared the accounts of some remaining paying agencies for the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF), for the 2007 financial year.

European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)

Commission Decision 2008/397/EC gave clearance, for the 2007 financial year, to the accounts of all the paying agencies except for the Austrian paying agency ‘AMA’, the Belgian paying agencies ‘ALV’ and ‘Région wallonne’, the German paying agencies ‘Baden-Württemberg’ and ‘Bayern’, the Greek paying agency ‘OPEKEPE’, the Finnish paying agency ‘MAVI’ and the Portuguese paying agency ‘IFAP’.

Following the transmission of new information and after additional checks, the Commission can now take a decision concerning expenditure financed by the EAFRD on the integrality, accuracy and veracity of the accounts submitted by:

• The Austrian paying agency ‘AMA’
• The Belgian paying agencies ‘ALV’ and ‘Région wallonne’
• The German paying agencies ‘Baden-Württemberg’ and ‘Bayern’.

European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF)

Commission Decision 2008/396/EC cleared, for the same 2007 financial year, the accounts of all the paying agencies except for certain agencies notably in Estonia, Greece, Italy, Finland, Malta, the Netherlands and Portugal

Following the Commission Decision, the accounts of the following agencies have been granted clearance, concerning expenditure financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF), in respect of the 2007 financial year:

• Estonian paying agency ‘PRIA’
• Dutch paying agency ‘Dienst Regelingen’
• Portuguese paying agency ‘INGA’

Furthermore, in respect to the expenditure in the field of rural development measures financed by the EAGF, Commission has also cleared the accounts of the Estonian paying agency ‘PRIA’ for the 2007 financial year.