2.Without exceeding the amount laid down in paragraph 1, the Union’s contribution shall be at least one third of the contributions of the Participating States referred to in point (a) of Article 7(1). It shall cover operational costs, including the costs of the evaluation of proposals, and administrative costs. Where during the lifetime of Eurostars-2 the rate of the Union’s contribution needs to be adapted, the Union’s contribution may go up to a maximum of half of the contributions of the Participating States referred to in point (a) of Article 7(1).