On Friday 5 May, the European Commission opened infringement proceedings against Slovenia on the seizure of information belonging to the European Central Bank (ECB) from the Central Bank of Slovenia by the national authorities on 6 July 2016.
In a letter to the Slovenian Prosecutor General and the President of the European Commission in July 2016, the President of the ECB, Mario Draghi, formally protested at this “unlawful seizure of information”, adding that the ECB would “explore possible appropriate legal remedies under Slovenian law”.
The Commission, working closely with the ECB, sent a letter of formal notice to the Slovenian authorities, opening an infringement procedure for a possible violation of protocol no. 7 on the privileges and immunities of the European Union, which protects the inviolability of the ECB's archives and upholds the duty of sincere cooperation.
In its press release, the Commission urges the national authorities to start constructive discussions with the European Central Bank in order to reach a cooperative solution to conclude the investigations in line with EU law.
The Slovenian authorities now have two months to reply to the Commission's letter and to provide the information requested. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)