Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 15 U.K. Cooperation between the Member States and the Commission (OLAF) and other Union institutions, bodies, offices or agencies

1. Without prejudice to the rules on cross-border cooperation and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, the Member States, Eurojust, the European Public Prosecutor's Office and the Commission shall, within their respective competences, cooperate with each other in the fight against the criminal offences referred to in Articles 3, 4 and 5. To that end the Commission, and where appropriate, Eurojust, shall provide such technical and operational assistance as the competent national authorities need to facilitate coordination of their investigations.

2. The competent authorities in the Member States may, within their competences, exchange information with the Commission so as to make it easier to establish the facts and to ensure effective action against the criminal offences referred to in Articles 3, 4 and 5. The Commission and the competent national authorities shall take into account in each specific case the requirements of confidentiality and the rules on data protection. Without prejudice to national law on access to information, a Member State may, to that end, when supplying information to the Commission, set specific conditions covering the use of information, whether by the Commission or by another Member State to which the information is passed.

3. The Court of Auditors and auditors responsible for auditing the budgets of the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies established pursuant to the Treaties, and the budgets managed and audited by the institutions, shall disclose to OLAF and to other competent authorities any fact of which they become aware when carrying out their duties, which could be qualified as a criminal offence referred to in Article 3, 4 or 5. Member States shall ensure that national audit bodies do the same.