Decision (EU) 2026/86 of the European Central Bankof 19 December 2025amending Decision (EU) 2016/456 (ECB/2016/3) as regards investigations in relation to the prevention of fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Union and amending Decision (EU) 2020/1575 (ECB/2020/54) as regards the follow-up to suspected breaches of professional duties where the person concerned is a high-level ECB official (ECB/2025/45)

Article 3 of Decision (EU) 2020/1575 (ECB/2020/54) is replaced by the following:

Article 3

Procedure for assessment and follow-up

1. Reports of information on breaches received through any of the reporting channels referred to in Article 0.4bis.2.1 of the European Central Bank Staff Rules (hereinafter the Staff Rules) 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.

1. 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 Annex XI to the Staff Rules.

1. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, the competent authority designated under Article 2 may:

(a) prior to concluding whether or not the information received justifies an administrative investigation, 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 administrative investigation, decide to open one, and take the relevant decisions of the appointing authority in accordance with Annex XI of the Staff Rules, and also exceptionally decide to carry out the tasks of the Director Internal Audit in accordance with Annex XI of the Staff Rules, designating in this case investigators with adequate seniority to conduct the inquiry.

Decision (EU) 2016/456 of the European Central Bank of 4 March 2016 concerning the terms and conditions for European Anti-Fraud Office investigations of the European Central Bank, in relation to the prevention of fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Union (ECB/2016/3) (OJ L 79, 30.3.2016, p. 34, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2016/456/oj).;

Article 3

Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on 1 February 2026.

Done at Frankfurt am Main, 19 December 2025.

The President of the ECB

Christine Lagarde