Article 26Substantiated concerns

1. Member States shall ensure that natural and legal persons are entitled to submit substantiated concerns, through easily accessible channels, to any supervisory authority when they have reasons to believe, on the basis of objective circumstances, that a company is failing to comply with the provisions of national law adopted pursuant to this Directive.

2. Member States shall ensure that, where persons submitting substantiated concerns so request, the supervisory authority takes the necessary measures for the appropriate protection of the identity of that person and their personal information, which, if disclosed, would be harmful to that person.

3. Where a substantiated concern falls under the competence of another supervisory authority, the authority receiving the substantiated concern shall transmit it to that authority.

4. Member States shall ensure that supervisory authorities assess the substantiated concerns in an appropriate period of time and, where appropriate, exercise their powers as referred to in Article 25.

5. The supervisory authority shall, as soon as possible and in accordance with the relevant provisions of national law and in compliance with Union law, inform persons referred to in paragraph 1 of the result of the assessment of their substantiated concerns and shall provide the reasoning for that result. The supervisory authority shall also inform persons submitting such substantiated concerns who have, in accordance with national law, a legitimate interest in the matter, of its decision to accept or refuse any request for action, as well as of a description of the further steps and measures, and practical information on access to administrative and judicial review procedures.

6. Member States shall ensure that persons submitting substantiated concerns in accordance with this Article and having, in accordance with national law, a legitimate interest in the matter, have access to a court or other independent and impartial public body competent to review the procedural and substantive legality of the decisions, acts or failure to act of the supervisory authority.