Suspension of payments

1.   The Commission may suspend all or part of payments, except for pre-financing, after having given the Member State the opportunity to present its observations, if any of the following conditions is met:
(a)
the Member State has failed to take the necessary action to remedy the situation giving rise to an interruption under Article 96;
(b)
there is a serious deficiency;
(c)
the expenditure in payment applications is linked to an irregularity that has not been corrected;
(d)
there is a reasoned opinion by the Commission in respect of an infringement procedure under Article 258 TFEU on a matter that puts at risk the legality and regularity of expenditure.
2.   The Commission shall end the suspension of all or part of payments when the Member State has taken the measures remedying the elements referred to in paragraph 1.
3.   The Fund-specific rules for the EMFAF may lay down specific bases for suspension of payments linked to non-compliance with rules applicable under the Common Fisheries Policy.