Detailed rules for the application of time limits applicable for validation and payment operations should be laid down, taking into account Directive 2011/7/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 on combating late payment in commercial transactions (6) in order to ensure there is no undue delay for payments to recipients.

Detailed rules for the application of time limits applicable for validation and payment operations should be laid down, taking into account Directive 2011/7/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 on combating late payment in commercial transactions in order to ensure there is no undue delay for payments to recipients.

The Directive to combat late payment adopted by the Council in January 2011 requires public authorities to pay within 30 days and sets an upper limit of 60 days for business to business payments, unless businesses expressly agree otherwise and if it is not grossly unfair to the creditor[6].

On 5 October 2006 the Court upheld the Commission's position when it ruled that certain Member States were wrong to refuse to pay certain categories of resources into the Community budget, in this case instalments of traditional own resources recovered under a payment plan (Belgium)[14] and guaranteed and uncontested duties resulting from undischarged transit operations conducted in the form of Community transit (Belgium)[15] or under a TIR carnet (Germany[16] and Belgium).[17] On the same day the Court rejected a case brought against the Netherlands in connection with the burden of proof, but agreed that Member States must report infrin ...[+++]gements or irregularities as soon as they are aware of them and thus before expiry of the time limits (Article 11(1) of the TIR Convention); this applies mutatis mutandis to payment demands (Article 11(2) of the TIR Convention).

Finally, the time-limits applicable to validation and payment operations should be laid down, account being taken of Directive 2000/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 June 2000 on combating late payment in commercial transactions(5).

2. Creditors may not proceed against a member for payment in respect of debts and other liabilities, in accordance with the conditions laid down in paragraph 1, before the liquidation of a grouping is concluded, unless they have first requested the grouping to pay and payment has not been made within an appropriate period.