1.Each Member State shall designate its competent authorities for the purposes of this Directive and notify the Commission thereof.
The competent authorities shall operate and perform their duties in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 882/2004.
2.Each Member State shall ensure that effective and continuous cooperation based on the free exchange of information relevant to the implementation of this Directive is established between the competent authorities it designates for the purposes of this Directive and any of its other authorities involved in regulating aquaculture, aquatic animals, and food and feed of aquaculture origin.
Information shall also, to the extent necessary, be exchanged between the competent authorities of the different Member States.
3.Each Member State shall ensure that the competent authorities have access to adequate laboratory services and state-of-the-art know-how in risk analysis and epidemiology, and that there is a free exchange of any information relevant to the implementation of this Directive between the competent authorities and laboratories.