Article 38d
On-site inspections
1.
In order to carry out its duties under this Regulation, ESMA may conduct all necessary on-site inspections at any business premises of the persons referred to in Article 38b(1).
2.
The officials and other persons authorised by ESMA to conduct an on-site inspection may enter any business premises of the persons subject to an investigation decision adopted by ESMA and shall have all the powers stipulated in Article 38b(1). They shall also have the power to seal any business premises and books or records for the period of, and to the extent necessary for, the inspection.
3.
In sufficient time before the inspection, ESMA shall give notice of the inspection to the competent authority of the Member State where the inspection is to be conducted. Where the proper conduct and efficiency of the inspection so require, ESMA, after informing the relevant competent authority, may carry out the on-site inspection without prior notice. Inspections in accordance with this Article shall be conducted provided that the relevant competent authority has confirmed that it does not object to those inspections.
4.
The officials and other persons authorised by ESMA to conduct an on-site inspection shall exercise their powers upon production of a written authorisation specifying the subject matter and purpose of the inspection and the periodic penalty payments provided for in Article 38i where the persons concerned do not submit to the inspection.
5.
The persons referred to in Article 38b(1) shall submit to on-site inspections ordered by decision of ESMA. The decision shall specify the subject matter and purpose of the inspection, appoint the date on which it is to begin and indicate the periodic penalty payments provided for in Article 38i, the legal remedies available under Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 as well as the right to have the decision reviewed by the Court of Justice.
6.
Officials of, as well as those authorised or appointed by, the competent authority of the Member State where the inspection is to be conducted shall, at the request of ESMA, actively assist the officials and other persons authorised by ESMA. Officials of the competent authority of the Member State concerned may also attend the on-site inspections.
7.
ESMA may also require competent authorities to carry out specific investigatory tasks and on-site inspections as provided for in this Article and in Article 38b(1) on its behalf.
8.
Where the officials and other accompanying persons authorised by ESMA find that a person opposes an inspection ordered pursuant to this Article, the competent authority of the Member State concerned shall afford them the necessary assistance, requesting, where appropriate, the assistance of the police or of an equivalent enforcement authority, so as to enable them to conduct their on-site inspection.
9.
If the on-site inspection provided for in paragraph 1 or the assistance provided for in paragraph 7 requires authorisation by a judicial authority according to national law, such authorisation shall be applied for. Such authorisation may also be applied for as a precautionary measure.
10.
Where a national judicial authority receives an application for the authorisation of an on-site inspection provided for in paragraph 1 or the assistance provided for in paragraph 7, that authority shall verify the following:
(a)
the decision adopted by ESMA referred to in paragraph 5 is authentic;
(b)
any measures to be taken are proportionate and not arbitrary or excessive.
For the purposes of point (b), the national judicial authority may ask ESMA for detailed explanations, in particular relating to the grounds ESMA has for suspecting that an infringement of this Regulation has taken place and the seriousness of the suspected infringement and the nature of the involvement of the person subject to the coercive measures. However, the national judicial authority shall not review the necessity for the investigation or demand that it be provided with the information on ESMA’s file. The lawfulness of ESMA’s decision shall be subject to review only by the Court of Justice following the procedure set out in Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.