S.L. 164.6 Art. 15Secure communication channel.

(1) The International Relations Unit and the designated law enforcement authorities listed in the Schedule shall use

Europol’s Secure Information Exchange Network Application (SIENA) as the default channel to send requests for information, to provide information pursuant to such requests or to provide information on their own initiative in accordance with regulations 9 to 13 and 14.

(2) SIENA shall not be used to send requests for information or to send information on their own or pursuant to a request under regulations 7 to 11 and 14 in one (1) or more of the following cases:

(a) the exchange of information requires the involvement of third countries or international organisations or there are objective reasons to believe that such involvement will be required at a later stage, including through the Interpol communication channel;

(b) the urgency of the request for information requires the temporary use of another communication channel;

(c) an unexpected technical or operational incident prevents the International Relations Unit or the competent law enforcement authorities from using SIENA to exchange the information.

(3) It shall be ensured that the International Relations Unit and all designated law enforcement authorities listed in the Schedule are directly connected to SIENA, including where appropriate, through mobile devices, for the purposes of these regulations.