Article 57Mutual assistance

1. Digital Services Coordinators and the Commission shall cooperate closely and provide each other with mutual assistance in order to apply this Regulation in a consistent and efficient manner. Mutual assistance shall include, in particular, exchange of information in accordance with this Article and the duty of the Digital Services Coordinator of establishment to inform all Digital Services Coordinators of destination, the Board and the Commission about the opening of an investigation and the intention to take a final decision, including its assessment, in respect of a specific provider of intermediary services.

2. For the purpose of an investigation, the Digital Services Coordinator of establishment may request other Digital Services Coordinators to provide specific information in their possession as regards a specific provider of intermediary services or to exercise their investigative powers referred to in Article 51(1) with regard to specific information located in their Member State. Where appropriate, the Digital Services Coordinator receiving the request may involve other competent authorities or other public authorities of the Member State in question.

3. The Digital Services Coordinator receiving the request pursuant to paragraph 2 shall comply with such request and inform the Digital Services Coordinator of establishment about the action taken, without undue delay and no later than two months after its receipt, unless:

(a)

the scope or the subject matter of the request is not sufficiently specified, justified or proportionate in view of the investigative purposes; or

(b)

neither the requested Digital Service Coordinator nor other competent authority or other public authority of that Member State is in possession of the requested information nor can have access to it; or

(c)

the request cannot be complied with without infringing Union or national law.

The Digital Services Coordinator receiving the request shall justify its refusal by submitting a reasoned reply, within the period set out in the first subparagraph.