
Article 1 
Unless otherwise provided, the terms used in this Decision have the same meaning as those defined in the ethics framework of the ECB.
Article 2 
Where reports of information on breaches received through the whistleblowing tool refer to a high-level ECB official as a person to whom a breach is attributed or with whom that person is associated, the competent authority to assess such reports and give feedback to the whistleblower, and/or to follow up on such reports, shall be:

((a)) the President; or
((b)) where the high-level ECB official referred to in the report is the President, the Vice-President.
Article 3 

1. Reports of information on breaches received through the whistleblowing tool which refer to a high-level ECB official as a person to whom a breach is attributed or with whom that person is associated shall be followed up in accordance with Decision (EU) 2016/456 of the European Central Bank (ECB/2016/3) where such reports fall within the scope of that Decision.
2. Where the reports of information on breaches referred to in paragraph 1 do not fall within the scope of Decision (EU) 2016/456 (ECB/2016/3), they shall be followed up in accordance with Administrative Circular 01/2006 on internal administrative inquiries.
3. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, the competent authority designated under Article 2 may:
(a) prior to concluding whether or not the information received justifies an internal inquiry, forward the information received to the ECB’s Ethics Committee for its advice on the matter;
(b) if they conclude that the information received justifies an internal administrative inquiry, decide, in derogation from Article 4(1) to (4) of Administrative Circular 01/2006, to directly open an administrative inquiry, and take the relevant decision in accordance with Article 4(5) and (6) of Administrative Circular 01/2006, including the possibility that the competent authority designated under Article 2 exceptionally decides to carry out the administrative inquiry themself, designating in this case either an individual or a panel, with adequate seniority, to conduct the inquiry.
Article 4 
This Decision shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Done at Frankfurt am Main, 27 October 2020.
The President of the ECB
Christine LAGARDE