Article 44 General principles regarding supervisory cooperation

This brief but important article establishes a general duty of cooperation between supervisors.

It sits within the broader framework of supervisory coordination in the directive and acts as a foundational principle supporting more detailed cooperation mechanisms found in surrounding articles.

The article makes clear that supervisors must cooperate regardless of their nature or status, meaning differences in institutional type or national structure cannot be used as a reason to limit cooperation.

It also specifies that cooperation can take a practical form, including one supervisor conducting inquiries on behalf of another and sharing the results.

Important points:

• Member States are required to ensure supervisors cooperate with each other to the greatest extent possible.
• Cooperation explicitly extends to conducting inquiries on behalf of another supervisor and exchanging the information obtained.
• The obligation applies regardless of the respective nature or status of the supervisors involved.