Article 7 — Cooperation and exchange of information

1. The authorising authority is the customs authority, unless a Member State designates another authority for that purpose. Where a Member State designates an authority other than the customs authority as the authorising authority, that Member State shall inform the Commission thereof. 2. Authorising authorities shall cooperate and exchange the information received on imports of natural gas with regulatory authorities, competent authorities and, where applicable, customs authorities, as well as with OLAF, EPPO, ACER and the Commission, in line with their respective tasks, responsibilities and competences and to the extent possible, in order to ensure the effective assessment of whether Articles 3 and 4 are complied with. In particular, they shall share information concerning potential circumvention practices identified during the implementation of this Regulation. 3. Authorising authorities and, where applicable, customs authorities shall provide relevant information to the Commission allowing it to monitor if the specific conditions described in Article 4(1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) continue to be fulfilled. When doing so, the Commission shall in particular monitor whether those provisions are used for circumvention. 4. In addition to the information provided in accordance with paragraph 3, authorising authorities and, where applicable, customs authorities shall inform regulatory authorities, competent authorities, ACER and the Commission, on a monthly basis, on the key elements concerning the developments on imports of natural gas that originates in or is exported, directly or indirectly, from the Russian Federation, such as quantities imported under long-term or short-term supply contracts, entry points or contract partners. That information shall also cover key developments concerning natural gas that originates in or is exported, directly or indirectly, from the Russian Federation and which enters the Union under a transit procedure as referred to in Article 5(10). 5. Authorising authorities and, where applicable, customs authorities from different Member States shall exchange, to the extent necessary, information received on natural gas imports and cooperate with one another in order to ensure efficient enforcement of this Regulation and avoid circumvention. They shall make use of existing tools and databases allowing for the effective exchange of relevant information between national authorities in their Member State and authorities in other Member States, or put such tools in place where necessary. 6. By 1 July 2026 and 1 July 2027, ACER shall, based on the data received under this Regulation and on information in its possession, publish a report providing an overview of contracts for the supply of natural gas that originates in or is exported, directly or indirectly, from the Russian Federation, and assessing the impact of diversification on energy markets. Where relevant, the report shall also cover data on natural gas that originates in or is exported, directly or indirectly, from the Russian Federation entering the Union under a transit procedure as referred to in Article 5(10). 7. The Commission and ACER shall, where appropriate, share relevant information in their possession on contracts for the import of natural gas that originates in or is exported, directly or indirectly, from the Russian Federation with authorising authorities and, where applicable, customs authorities in order to facilitate the enforcement of this Regulation. 8. Where relevant for the fulfilment of the obligations on the exchange of information in accordance with this Article, Council Regulation (EC) No 515/97 shall apply mutatis mutandis.