No L 66/24 Official Journal of the European Communities 18. 3. 93 COMMISSION REGULATION (EEC) No 619/93 of 17 March 1993 on improving the quality of milk in the Community THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1079/77 of 17 May 1977 on a co-responsibility levy and on measures for expanding the markets in milk and milk products ('), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1374/92 (%), and in particular Article 4 thereof, Whereas provision should be made, amongst the measures for expanding the markets in milk products referred to in the fourth indent of Article 4 (2) of Regula- tion (EEC) No 1079/77, for measures to improve the quality of milk throughout the Community with a view to facilitating the application of Council Directive 92/46/EEC of 16 June 1992 laying down the health rules for the production and placing on the market of raw milk, heat-treated milk and milk-based products (*); whereas the said Directive must be incorporated into natxonal law before 1 January 1994, Whereas for administrative reasons the organizations possessing the necessary qualifications and experience should be invited to propose detailed programmes which these organizations would themselves carry out; Whereas, as regards the other arrangements, the main provisions of earlier Regulations, amended in the light of relevant experience, may be repeated ; Whereas the Management Committee for Milk and Milk Products has not issued an opinion in the time limit laid down by its Chairman, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 1. Under the conditions laid down in this Regulation, measures to improve the quality of milk in particular to facilitate the entry into force of Council Directive 92/46/EEC, shall be encouraged throughout the Commu- nity. () OJ No L 131, 26. 5. 1977, p. 6. () O No L 147, 29. 5. 1992, p. 3. () OJ No L 268, 14. 9. 1992, p. 1. ‘2.  The measures shall be completed before by 31 December 1995. 3. The time limit fixed in paragraph 2 shall not prevent subsequent agreement to an extension of that limit where the party to a contract makes the appropriate application to the competent authority at least three months before the expiry date and proves. that, due to exceptional circumstances beyond his control, he is unable to meet the. deadline originally stipulated. However, this extension may not exceed six months. “Article 2 1. The measures referred to in Article 1 (1) shall be proposed and carried out by organizations which : (a) have the necessary qualifications and experience ; (b) give guarantees that they are capable of ensuring the satxsfactory completion of the work. 2.  Community financing shall be hmlted to 70 %. 3. In applying paragraph 2, no account shall be taken of administrative expenses incurred in carrylng out the measures in question. 4. Financing of the contractor’s genefal expenses, including any expenses incurred by subcontractors, shall be limited to 2 % of the total eligible amount, up to a maximum - of ECU 10000, on condition that such expenses appear in the proposal. A contractor may only claim the maximum amount of ECU 10 000 on a single occasion, even if he concludes several contracts. If the total amount of general expenses exceeds ECU 2 000, they must be fully justified. Article 3 1. Interested parties shall forward to the competent authority designated by the Member State in which their head office is situated, hereinafter referred to as ‘the competent authority’, detailed proposals concerning the measures referred to in Article 1 (1), together with a summary setting out the main points of the proposed measures. Proposals must reach the competent authority by 15 May 1993. Where this date is not complied with, proposals shall be considered invalid. 2. Further rules for the submission of proposals shall be as set out in the Annex.