Section 2(6).

THE HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES to this Protocol, Member States of the European Union,

REFERRING to the Council Act of 16 October 2001 establishing the Protocol to the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters between the Member States of the European Union,

TAKING ACCOUNT of the conclusions adopted at the European Council held in Tampere on 15 and 16 October 1999, and of the need to implement them immediately in order to achieve an area of freedom, security and justice,

BEARING IN MIND the recommendations made by the experts when presenting the mutual evaluation reports based on Council Joint Action 97/827/JHA of 5 December 1997 establishing a mechanism for evaluating the application and implementation at national level of international undertakings in the fight against organised crime,

CONVINCED of the need for additional measures in the field of mutual assistance in criminal matters for the purpose of the fight against crime, including in particular organised crime, money laundering and financial crime,

HAVE AGREED UPON THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS, which shall be annexed to, and form an integral part of, the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters between the Member States of the European Union of 29 May 2000, hereinafter referred to as the 2000 Mutual Assistance Convention:

Article 1 Request for information on bank accounts

1. Each Member State shall, under the conditions set out in this Article, take the measures necessary to determine, in answer to a request sent by another Member State, whether a natural or legal person that is the subject of a criminal investigation holds or controls one or more accounts, of whatever nature, in any bank located in its territory and, if so, provide all the details of the identified accounts.