Decision 2017/1507 - Amendment of Decision 2005/37/EC establishing the European Technical and Scientific Centre (ETSC) and providing for coordination of technical actions to protect euro coins against counterfeiting - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 222/25

The European Technical and Scientific Centre (ETSC) provides coordination for technical actions of the competent national authorities to protect euro coins against counterfeiting. ETSC was established within the Commission, attached to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), by Commission Decision 2005/37/EC (3).

In 2014, the Commission decided to reorganise its services and to transfer the tasks related to the preparation of legislative and regulatory initiatives of the Commission with the objective of the protection of the euro against counterfeiting, and of support in that area through training and technical assistance from OLAF to the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN). Commission Decision 1999/352/EC, ECSC, Euratom (4) was amended to reflect that change.

Since the adoption of Decision 2005/37/EC, a number of additional legal acts have been adopted which allocate tasks to the ETSC. Thus, the ETSC fulfils obligations under Regulation (EU) No 1210/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5), Council Regulation (EC) No 2182/2004 (6) and Council Regulation (EC) No 2183/2004 (7), and contributes to the fulfilment of the objectives of the ‘Pericles 2020’ programme pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 331/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council (8) and Council Regulation (EU) 2015/768 (9). Those tasks should be added to the tasks expressly mentioned in Decision 2005/37/EC.

Commission Decision 2005/37/EC should therefore be amended accordingly,

Article 1 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 1

• 1. 

  The European Technical and Scientific Centre (ETSC) is established within DG ECFIN in Brussels.

• 2. 

  For the application of this Decision, the Director-General of DG ECFIN is empowered to take the necessary actions and to conclude administrative arrangements with authorities of third countries and private entities enabling the ETSC to carry out its tasks. Those administrative arrangements may concern, in particular, the transmission and exchange of technical information.’;

Article 2 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 2

The ETSC shall perform the following tasks:

(*1)  Regulation (EU) No 331/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 establishing an exchange, assistance and training programme for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting (the ‘Pericles 2020’ programme) and repealing Council Decisions 2001/923/EC, 2001/924/EC, 2006/75/EC, 2006/76/EC, 2006/849/EC and 2006/850/EC (OJ L 103, 5.4.2014, p. 1)."

(*2)  Regulation (EU) No 1210/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2010 concerning authentication of euro coins and handling of euro coins unfit for circulation (OJ L 339, 22.12.2010, p. 1)."

(*3)  Council Regulation (EC) No 2182/2004 of 6 December 2004 concerning medals and tokens similar to euro coins (OJ L 373, 21.12.2004, p. 1)’;"

in the last sentence of Article 3, the word ‘OLAF’ is replaced by ‘DG ECFIN’.