Article 6
Dedicated communication channels
1. Member States shall ensure that competent authorities establish independent and autonomous communication channels, which are both secure and ensure confidentiality, for receiving and following-up the reporting of infringements (‘dedicated communication channels’).
2. Dedicated communication channels shall be considered independent and autonomous, provided that they meet all of the following criteria:
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(a) |
they are separated from general communication channels of the competent authority, including those through which the competent authority communicates internally and with third parties in its ordinary course of business; |
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(b) |
they are designed, set up and operated in a manner that ensures the completeness, integrity and confidentiality of the information and prevents access to non-authorised staff members of the competent authority; |
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(c) |
they enable the storage of durable information in accordance with Article 7 to allow for further investigations. |
3. The dedicated communication channels shall allow for reporting of actual or potential infringements in at least all of the following ways:
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(a) |
written report of infringements in electronic or paper format; |
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(b) |
oral report of infringements through telephone lines, whether recorded or unrecorded; |
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(c) |
physical meeting with dedicated staff members of the competent authority. |
4. The competent authority shall provide the information referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 4 to the reporting person before receiving the report of infringement, or at the moment of receiving it at the latest.
5. Competent authorities shall ensure that a report of infringement received by means other than dedicated communication channels referred to in this Article is promptly forwarded without modification to the dedicated staff members of the competent authority by using dedicated communication channels.