obligation of professional secrecy

The members of the Committee shall be required not to disclose information covered by the obligation of professional secrecy.

Later the Ministry of Defence vacated the obligation of professional secrecy for current and previous employees in regard to information about the matter.

For this reason, we need to define modalities for the treatment of classified information, documents and other information covered by the obligation of professional secrecy.

Any information or documentation coming into the Commission's possession as a result of the exercise of their powers under the competition rules are covered by an obligation of professional secrecy.

The Council gave ground on the Member States being allowed, in accordance with their own legal traditions, to let legal advice continue to be covered by the obligation of professional secrecy.

Furthermore, for the rules to be implemented, the Ombudsman may agree with the relevant institutions the operational conditions for access to classified information or other information covered by the obligation of professional secrecy.

Article 6(3) therefore gives all Member States the option, depending on their own national legal traditions, of providing for the obligation of professional secrecy to be observed in the area of legal advice.

Whilst we of course welcome more stringent measures, they should not lead to a watering down of the obligation of professional secrecy for various professions, and above all for lawyers, notaries and tax consultants.

Mr President, the thorny problem in the text before us is, of course, the balance between the legally recognised obligation of professional secrecy, on the one hand, and, on the other, the duty to pass information which assists the fight against money laundering to the appropriate authorities.