3.3.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities L 63/21 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 438/2001 of 2 March 2001 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 as regards the management and control systems for assistance granted under the Structural Funds THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the Structural Funds ('), and in particular Article 53(2) thereof, After consulting the Committee set up pursuant to Article 147 of the Treaty, After consulting the Committee on Agricultural Structures and Rural Development, After consulting the Committee on Structures for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Whereas: Article 38 of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 requires Member States to take a number of measures to ensure that Community funds are used efficiently and correctly and in accordance with the principles of sound financial management. 1) For this purpose, it is necessary for Member States to provide adequate guidance regarding the organisation of the relevant functions of managing and paying authori- ties laid down by Articles 32 and 34 of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999. Article 38 of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 requires the Member States to cooperate with the Commission in ensuring that they have smoothly running management and control systems and to give it all necessary assis- tance to undertake checks, including sample checks. In order to harmonise standards for the certification of expenditure for which payments from the Funds under Article 32(3) and (4) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 are claimed, the content of such certificates should be laid down and the nature and quality of the information on which they rely specified. To enable the Commission to carry out the checks referred to in Article 38(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1260/ 1999, Member States should supply it on request with () O] L 161, 26.6.1999, p. 1. ST e 2o PN AN ) LLeeeeee data which managing authorities require in order to fulfil the management, monitoring and evaluation requirements of that Regulation. It is necessary to lay down the content of such data and the format and means of transmission of computer files when data is supplied in electronic form in accordance with Article 18(3)(e) of the Regulation. The Commission should ensure that computerised and other data is kept confi- dential and secure. Commission Regulation (EC) No 206497 of 15 October 1997 establishing detailed arrangements for the imple- mentation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88 as regards the financial control by Member States of opera- tions co-financed by the Structural Funds (?), as amended by Regulation (EC) No 2406/98 (), should be replaced. However, the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 2064/97 should continue to apply to assistance granted for the programme period 1994 to 1999 under Council Regula- tion (EEC) No 2052/88 (¥, as last amended by Regula- tion (EC) No 3193/94 (). This Regulation should apply without prejudice to the provisions regarding on-site monitoring in the field of State aid laid down by Article 22 of Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 of 22 March 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 93 of the EC Treaty (°). This Regulation should apply without prejudice to the provisions of Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and inspections carried out by the Commission in order to protect the European Communities' financial interests against fraud and other irregularities (7). The provisions of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1681/94 of 11 July 1994 concerning irregularities and the recovery of sums wrongly paid in connection with the financing of the structural policies and the organ- isation of an information system in this field (¥) apply to assistance granted under Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 by virtue of the second paragraph of Article 54 and Article 38(1)(e) of that Regulation. This Regulation should apply in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, as referred to in Article 8(3) of Regulation (EC) No 12601999, and without prejudice to the institutional, legal and financial systems of the Member State concerned, as referred to in the last para- graph of Article 34(1) of that Regulation. 290, 23.10.1997, p. 1. 298, 7.11.1998, p. 15. 185, 15.7.1988, p. 9. 337, 24.12.1994, p. 11. 83, 27.3.1999, p. 1. 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2. 178, 12.7.1994, p. 43. | ol onlll onlll onll el anlll ol