abstract: I will consider a variant of the classical Bolza problem in the calculus of variations, where the integral to be minimized ranges from \(t=0\) to \(t=\infty\). What are the boundary conditions that will supplement the Euler-Lagrange equations ? More precisely, what is the growth condition on the solution when \(t\) goes to \(\infty\) ? Economists know it as the "transversality condition at infinity", and use it as a matter of course, but the mathematical situation is far from clear. I will describe the problems with this approach and suggest instead the royal road of Caratheodory