Article 7 Liaison points and authorised users within implementing authorities and bodies

Liaison points shall be responsible for relations with the Commission as regards all issues related to the exclusion database.

Each Member State shall designate one liaison point for the funds it implements by shared management pursuant to Article 53(b) and the funds implemented by centralised indirect management by its national public-sector bodies pursuant to Article 54(2)(c) of the Financial Regulation. Exceptionally and for duly justified reasons, the Commission may approve more than one liaison point per Member State.

Each third country implementing funds by decentralised management pursuant to Article 53(b) of the Financial Regulation shall designate a liaison point at the request of the Commission service responsible.

Each implementing body implementing funds by joint management pursuant to Article 53(c) or by centralised indirect management pursuant to points (b), (c) or (d) of Article 54(2) of that Regulation, with the exception of national public-sector bodies, shall designate a liaison point at the request of the Commission service responsible.

However, the Commission service responsible shall not request designation of a liaison point where such a liaison point already exists.

When the Commission service responsible withdraws access of a liaison point to the exclusion database, it shall inform the accounting officer of the Commission accordingly.

Each Member State and each authority or body referred to in paragraph 3 shall communicate the names of the persons in charge of their respective liaison point to the accounting officer of the Commission. The accounting officer of the Commission shall publish the list of third countries and implementing bodies disposing of liaison points on the Commission’s internal Internet site.

Liaison points shall provide the implementing authorities or bodies with access to the information contained in the exclusion database.

Implementing authorities and bodies may designate authorised users among their staff members. The number of such authorised users shall be limited to persons for whom access to that database is indispensable for a proper exercise of their tasks. Each implementing authority or body shall keep a register of authorised users and give the Commission access to it upon request.

For the purpose of award of contracts connected with implementation of the budget or the European Development Fund, authorised users may proceed to active online consultation of the exclusion database. Where an online consultation is not possible, the authorised user may receive downloaded data. In the latter case, the data shall be updated at least on a monthly basis.

The authority or body having designated the liaison point or the authorised users shall provide for adequate security measures to prevent the information from being read or copied by unauthorised persons.