Article 7 Unsolicited cooperation and exchange of information

Article 7 is a brief, procedural article that complements the earlier provisions on formal requests for cooperation and information exchange.

Where Articles 4 to 6 deal with the process for handling specific, targeted requests, Article 7 addresses the alternative scenario: the voluntary, unsolicited sharing of information or cooperation that arises outside of any formal request.

In those cases, a specific form must be used for any such communications.

Important points:

• The submitting body is required to use the form set out in Annex IV for all unsolicited cooperation and information exchanges.
• This obligation also applies to any follow-up communications arising from that unsolicited information sharing.
• This article covers the scenario where no specific request has been made, distinguishing it from the formal request process governed by earlier articles.