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1. Where provided for in the relevant basic acts, the Commission may provide budget support to a third country where the following conditions are met:

(a) the third country’s management of public finances is sufficiently transparent, reliable and effective;

(b) the third country has put in place sufficiently credible and relevant sectoral or national policies;

(c) the third country has put in place stability-oriented macroeconomic policies;

(d) the third country has put in place sufficient and timely access to comprehensive and sound budgetary information.

2. The payment of the Union contribution shall be based on the fulfilment of the conditions referred to in paragraph 1, including the improvement of the management of public finances. In addition, some payments may also be conditional on the achievement of milestones, measured by objective performance indicators, reflecting results and reform progress over time in the respective sector.

3. In third countries, the Commission shall support the respect for the rule of law, the development of parliamentary control and audit and anti-corruption capacities and the increase of transparency and public access to information.

4. The corresponding financing agreements concluded with the third country shall contain:

(a) an obligation for the third country to provide the Commission with reliable and timely information which allows the Commission to evaluate the fulfilment of the conditions referred to in paragraph 2;

(b) a right for the Commission to suspend the financing agreement if the third country breaches an obligation relating to respect for human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law and in serious cases of corruption;

(c) appropriate provisions pursuant to which the third country is to commit to immediately reimburse all or part of the relevant operation funding, in the event that it is established that the payment of the relevant Union funds has been vitiated by serious irregularities attributable to that country. In order to process the reimbursement referred to in the first subparagraph, point (c), of this paragraph, Article 101(1), second subparagraph, may be applied.