I. – No grant may be awarded if work has begun on the operation before the date on which the application is declared or deemed complete. Commencement of execution of the operation is constituted by the first legal act entered into for the purposes of carrying out the operation or, in the case of work carried out on a contract basis, by the constitution of supplies or the start of execution of the work. Studies or the acquisition of land required to carry out the project and carried out beforehand do not constitute the commencement of work. They may be taken into account when calculating the grant.
II. – By way of derogation from the provisions of I, the Prefect may notify the applicant, by a decision endorsed by the financial control authority, that the commencement of implementation of the operation before the date on which the application is complete does not automatically lead to rejection of the grant application.
III. – The applicant informs the Prefect of the start of execution of the operation.