30.3.2005 Official Journal of the European Union L 81)7 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 488/2005 of 21 March 2005 on the fees and charges levied by the European Aviation Safety Agency (Text with EEA relevance) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1592/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2002 on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing a European Aviation Safety Agency ('), and in particular Article 53(1) thereof, After consulting the Management Board of the European Aviation Safety Agency, Whereas: (1) The revenues of the European Aviation Safety Agency (hereinafter the Agency) consist of a contribution from the Community and from any European third country which has entered into the agreements referred to in Article 55 of Regulation (EC) No 1592/2002, the fees paid by applicants for certificates and approvals issued, maintained or amended by the Agency, and charges for publications, handling of appeals, training and any other service provided by the Agency. (2)  The Agency’s revenue and expenditure should be in balance. (3) Fees and charges referred to in this Regulation should be demanded and levied by the Agency only, in euro. They should be set in a transparent, fair and uniform manner. (4)  The fees levied by the Agency should not jeopardise the competitiveness of the European industries concerned. Furthermore, they should be established on a basis which takes due account of the ability of small under- takings to pay. Moreover, the geographical location of the undertakings in the territories of the Member States should not be a discriminatory factor. (5)  The applicant should be informed, as far as possible, of the foreseeable amount to be paid for the service which will be provided and the way in which payment must be made before provision of the service starts. The criteria for determining the amount to be paid should be clear, uniform and public. Where it is impossible to determine this amount in advance, the applicant should be () O] L 240, 7.9.2002, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1701/2003 (O] L 243, 27.9.2003, p. 5). informed accordingly before provision of the service starts. In such a case, clear rules for assessing the amount to be paid during the provision of the service should be agreed before it is provided. (6)  The amount of the fees to be paid by the applicant should depend on the complexity of the task carried out by the Agency and the workload involved. (7)  The industry should enjoy good financial visibility and be able to anticipate the cost of the fees it will be required to pay. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure a balance between overall expenditure incurred by the Agency in carrying out certification tasks and overall income from the fees it levies. It should therefore be possible to review the levels of fees annually on the basis of the Agency’s financial results and forecasts. (8)  The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee estab- lished by Article 54(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1592/2002, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: CHAPTER 1 GENERAL PROVISIONS Article 1 This Regulation shall apply to the fees and charges levied by the European Aviation Safety Agency (hereinafter the Agency) as compensation for the services it provides, including the supply of goods. It determines in particular the matters for which fees and charges referred to in Article 48(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1592/2002 are due, the amount of those fees and charges and the way in which they are to be paid. Article 2 For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply: (a) ‘charges’ means the amounts levied by the Agency and payable by applicants for services, other than certification tasks, provided by the Agency;