1. Except in cases of force majeure, where an application for an intermediate payment and the relevant documents are submitted late, the payment shall be reduced by 3 % for each whole month by which it is overdue.
2. The payments to be made may take up the whole of the Community financial contribution, leaving no balance to pay; whereas, in order to avoid that risk and in the interests of sound financial management, it should be stipulated that the advance and the various intermediate payments cannot exceed 75 % of the Community contribution; whereas, in the same interests, the application for the balance should be made by the competent body within a set time limit.