10.7.2008 Official Journal of the European Union L 181/15 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 651/2008 of 9 July 2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 1653/2004 on a standard financial regulation for the executive agencies pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 laying down the statute for executive agencies to be entrusted with certain tasks in the management of Community programmes THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 of 19 December 2002 laying down the statute for executive agencies to be entrusted with certain tasks in the management of Community programmes ('), and in particular Article 15 thereof, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament, Having regard to the opinion of the Council of the European Union, Having regard to the opinion of the Court of Auditors (), Whereas: (1) Following the adoption of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1995/2006 of 13 December 2006 amending Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (), it is necessary to adapt Commission Regulation (EC) No 1653/2004 (*) in order to align it with Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities  (hereinafter: general Financial Regu- lation) (°). (2)  Other amendments became necessary in the light of experience gathered by the existing agencies. L 11, 16.1.2003, p. 1. C 216, 14.9.2007, p. 1. L 390, 30.12.2006, p. 1. L 297, 22.9.2004, p. 6. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1821/2005 (O] L 293, 9.11.2005, p. 10). (®) OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu- lation (EC) No 1525/2007 (O] L 343, 27.12.2007, p. 9). ) ) ) ) G) (10) It should be clarified that sound financial management requires effective and efficient internal control. The main features and objectives of internal control systems should be defined. The publication of the administrative budget of agencies should be simplified while preserving the prerogatives of the budgetary authority and of the Court of Auditors. The procedure regarding transfers to be adopted by the directors of agencies has proved to be unclear and time consuming in practice. It should therefore be streamlined and accelerated. Clarification regarding conflict of interest situations, new provisions regarding ex ante verification of similar indi- vidual transactions relating to certain routine expenditure items, provisions on the liability of authorising officers and the use of a direct debit system should also be introduced into the standard financial regulation. Accrued transparency vis-a-vis the budgetary authority should be ensured through new information requirements incumbent on the agencies in the budget procedure in particular as regards the number of contract staff and waivers to recovery of established amounts receivable. In order to ensure the transparency of the use of funds deriving from the budget, it is necessary to make available information on the beneficiaries of these funds within certain limits necessary to protect legitimate public and private interests. In order to strengthen the protection of the financial interest of the Communities, agencies should participate in fraud prevention activities of the European Anti-fraud Office. In order to ensure that personal data is kept for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the data were collected or for which they are further processed, specific requirement should be laid down as regards supporting documents.