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Member States shall not accredit any new additional paying agency after 7 December 2021, except for cases referred to in the second subparagraph, point (a), where, taking into account the constitutional provisions, additional regional paying agencies may be necessary.

3. For the purposes of Article 63(5) and (6) of the Financial Regulation, the person in charge of the accredited paying agency shall, by 15 February of the year following the agricultural financial year (‘financial year’) concerned, draw up and provide the Commission with the following:

(a) the annual accounts on the expenditure incurred in the execution of the tasks entrusted to that accredited paying agency, as provided for in Article 63(5), point (a), of the Financial Regulation, accompanied by the requisite information for the clearance in accordance with Article 53 of this Regulation;

(b) the annual performance report referred to in Article 54(1) of this Regulation and Article 134 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 showing that the expenditure was effected in accordance with Article 37 of this Regulation;

(c) an annual summary of the final audit reports and of controls carried out, an analysis of the nature and extent of errors and weaknesses identified in governance systems, as well as corrective action taken or planned, as provided for in Article 63(5), point (b), of the Financial Regulation;

(d) a management declaration as provided for in Article 63(6) of the Financial Regulation as to:

(i) the fact that the information is properly presented, complete and accurate, as provided for in Article 63(6), point (a), of the Financial Regulation, (ii) the proper functioning of the governance systems put in place, with the exception of the competent authority referred to in Article 8, the coordinating body referred to in Article 10 and the certification body referred to in Article 12 of this Regulation, ensuring that the expenditure was effected in accordance with Article 37 of this Regulation, as provided for in Article 63(6), points (b) and (c), of the Financial Regulation.

The deadline of 15 February referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph may be extended on an exceptional basis by the Commission to 1 March, upon communication by the Member State concerned, as provided for in Article 63(7), second subparagraph, of the Financial Regulation.

4. Where an accredited paying agency does not meet or no longer meets one or more of the minimum conditions for accreditation referred to in paragraph 2, first subparagraph, the Member State concerned, acting on its own initiative or at the request of the Commission, shall withdraw the accreditation of that paying agency unless the paying agency makes the necessary changes within a period to be determined by the competent authority of that Member State depending on the severity of the problem.

5. The paying agencies shall manage, and ensure the control of, the operations linked to public intervention for which they are responsible and they shall retain overall responsibility in that field.

Where support is provided through a financial instrument which is implemented by the EIB or another international financial institution in which a Member State is a shareholder, the paying agency shall rely on a control report supporting the payment applications submitted. Those institutions shall provide the Member States with the control report.

6. For the purposes of Article 33, for EAFRD expenditure, an additional performance report shall be provided, by 30 June 2030, in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Article and with Article 10(3), covering the period until 31 December 2029.

1. Paying agencies shall be departments or bodies of the Member States and, where applicable, of their regions responsible for the management and control of expenditure referred to in Article 5(2) and Article 6. With the exception of making payment, paying agencies may delegate performance of the tasks referred to in the first subparagraph.

2. Member States shall accredit, as paying agencies, departments or bodies which have an administrative organisation and a system of internal control which provide sufficient guarantees that payments are legal, regular and properly accounted for. To that end, paying agencies shall comply with minimum conditions for the accreditation with regard to the internal environment, control activities, information and communication and monitoring laid down by the Commission pursuant to Article 11(1), point (a). Each Member State shall, taking into account its constitutional provisions, restrict the number of its accredited paying agencies:

(a) to a single paying agency at national level or, where applicable, one per region; and

(b) to a single paying agency for the management of both EAGF and EAFRD expenditure where paying agencies exist only at national level. Where paying agencies are established at regional level, Member States shall, in addition, either accredit a paying agency at national level for aid schemes which, by their nature, have to be managed at national level, or confer the management of those schemes on their regional paying agencies. By way of derogation from the second subparagraph of this paragraph, Member States may maintain the paying agencies which have been accredited before 15 October 2020, provided that the competent authority, by means of the decision referred to in Article 8(2), confirms that they comply with the minimum conditions for accreditation referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph. Paying agencies which have not managed EAGF or EAFRD expenditure for at least three years shall have their accreditation withdrawn.