Article 13Professional secrecy and disclosure of information

1. All information acquired by the competent authority or the Commission in the course of performing their duties which is by its nature confidential or which is provided on a confidential basis shall be covered by the obligation of professional secrecy. Such information shall not be disclosed by the competent authority or the Commission without the express prior permission of the person or authority that provided it or by virtue of Union or national law.

2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, the competent authorities and the Commission may share such information with each other, the customs authorities, the authorities in charge of administrative or criminal penalties, and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, for the purposes of ensuring compliance of persons with their obligations under this Regulation and the application of customs legislation. Such shared information shall be covered by professional secrecy and shall not be disclosed to any other person or authority except by virtue of Union or national law.