Article 8 Cooperation Programme Beneficiaries

(1) The lead beneficiary as defined in point (j) of Article 2 of this Agreement shall sign the subsidy contract with the Managing Authority.

(2) The lead beneficiary shall assume responsibility for ensuring the implementation of the entire project. All beneficiaries shall actively cooperate in the development and implementation of projects. In addition, they shall cooperate in the staffing or financing of projects. Each beneficiary shall be legally and financially responsible for the activities that it is implementing and for the share of the project budget that it receives.

(3) The lead beneficiary and the other beneficiaries shall conclude a partnership agreement. The partnership agreement shall guarantee the sound financial management of the funds allocated to the project and regulate inter alia the recovery of unduly paid funds between them.

(4) For the purposes of this Agreement, funds received under the financial contribution of the Russian Federation and under the financial contribution of the ENI by Russian beneficiaries in the Russian Federation shall not be considered as foreign financing as defined in the national legislation of the Russian Federation.