L 3318 Official Journal of the European Union 29.11.2006 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1754/2006 of 28 November 2006 laying down detailed rules for the granting of Community financial assistance to Community reference laboratories for feed and food and the animal health sector THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Decision 90/424/EEC of 26 June 1990 on expenditure in the veterinary field ('), and in particular Article 28(2) thereof, Whereas: Community reference laboratories fulfil the tasks and obligations laid down in Community veterinary legis- lation and in Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on official controls performed to ensure the veri- fication of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules (3 in order to assist the Community. Pursuant to Article 32(7) of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004, Community reference laboratories may be granted a Community financial contribution in accordance with Article 28 of Decision 90/424/EEC. The eligibility criteria for the expenditure of the Community reference laboratories receiving financial assistance pursuant to Article 28 of Decision 90/424[EEC and the procedures for the submission of expenditure and the conduct of audits were set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No 156/2004 (3). (") OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 19. Decision as last amended by Decision 2006/53EC (O] L 29, 2.2.2006, p. 37). (®» O] L 165, 30.4.2004, p. 1. Corrected version in O] L 191, 28.5.2004, p. 1. () O] L 27, 30.1.2004, p. 5. (4) (4 O] L 209, 11.8.2005, The level of the annual Community financial assistance for the operation of certain laboratories is decided upon each year by specific decisions in the field of veterinary public health, animal health and residues. Since a number of changes are to be made to Regulation (EC) No 156/2004, that Regulation should be replaced in the interest of clarity, while taking account of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004. These changes concern in particular the introduction of a partnership agreement defining the respective roles and responsibilities of each of the parties, and of a specific agreement, an update of the provisions relating to VAT and the updating of expenditure relating to missions and workshops. This partnership agreement must run for five years in order to enable an operational network of national reference laboratories to be set up in new fields, new methods of analysis to be developed and the performance of national reference laboratories to be evaluated correctly. A sound financial management justifies the application of this Regulation from the beginning of 2007. However, the laboratories must be given the opportunity to modify the estimated operating budget for 2007 in line with the provisions of this Regulation. For financial control purposes, Articles 9, 36 and 37 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy (%) are applicable. The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, p- 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu- lation (EC) No 320/2006 (OJ L 58, 28.2.2006, p. 42).