Without prejudice to the operator’s responsibilities, Member States shall set up or appoint the competent authority or authorities responsible for carrying out the duties laid down in this Directive (‘the competent authority’) and, if necessary, bodies to assist the competent authority at technical level. Member States which set up or appoint more than one competent authority shall ensure that the procedures for carrying out their duties are fully coordinated.

The competent authorities and the Commission shall cooperate in activities in support of implementation of this Directive, involving stakeholders as appropriate.

Member States shall ensure that competent authorities accept equivalent information submitted by operators in accordance with other relevant Union legislation, which fulfils any of the requirements of this Directive, for the purposes of this Directive. In such cases the competent authorities shall ensure that the requirements of this Directive are complied with.