Competent authority
Article 76
1. Member States shall designate a competent authority to carry out tasks in accordance with this Directive. They shall ensure that the competent authority: (a) is functionally separate from any other body or organisation concerned with the promotion or utilisation of practices under this Directive, in order to ensure effective independence from undue influence on its regulatory function; (b) is given the legal powers and human and financial resources necessary to fulfil its obligations. 2. Where a Member State has more than one competent authority for a given area of competence, it shall designate one point of contact for communication with the competent authorities of other Member States. Where it is not reasonably practicable to list all such points of contact for different areas of competence, Member States may designate a single point of contact. 3. Member States shall forward to the Commission the name and address of the points of contact and their respective areas of competence to enable rapid communication, where appropriate, with their authorities. 4. Member States shall forward to the Commission any changes to the information referred to in paragraph 3. 5. The Commission shall communicate the information referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4 to all points of contact in a Member State and shall publish it periodically in the Official Journal of the European Union , at intervals of no more than two years.