1. Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the criminal offences referred to in Articles 7 to 14 are punishable by effective, proportionate and dissuasive criminal penalties.

2. Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that:

(a) the criminal offences referred to in Article 7 and 12 are punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least six years;

(b) the criminal offences referred to in Article 8 to 11 are punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least five years; and

(c) the criminal offence referred to in Article 13 is punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of at least four years.

3. Where a criminal offence referred to in Article 9 involves damage of less than EUR 10 000 or an advantage of less than EUR 10 000, Member States may provide for sanctions other than criminal sanctions.

4. Without prejudice to paragraphs 1 to 3, Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that natural persons who have been convicted of committing one of the criminal offences referred to in Article 7 to 14 may be subject to sanctions or measures imposed by a competent authority and that are not necessarily of a criminal nature, including:

(a) fines;

(b) the removal, suspension and reassignment from a public office;

(c) the disqualification from