Article 31

1. The Commission’s power to impose fines in accordance with Article 29(10) shall be subject to a two-year limitation period. 2. Time shall begin to run on the day on which the Commission becomes aware of non-compliance with the expressly accepted priority-rated request. However, in the event of continuous or repeated non-compliance, time shall begin to run on the day on which the non-compliance ceases. 3. Any action taken by the Commission or the competent authorities of the Member States for the purposes of ensuring compliance with the priority-rated request shall interrupt the limitation period. 4. The interruption of the limitation period shall apply for all parties which are held responsible for the participation in the non-compliance. 5. Each interruption shall restart the limitation period. However, the limitation period shall expire, at the latest, on the day on which a period equal to twice the limitation period has elapsed without the Commission having imposed a fine. That period shall be extended by the time during which the limitation period is suspended because the decision of the Commission is the subject of proceedings pending before the Court of Justice of the European Union.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-10-27 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.