Article 31

1. The competent customs departments shall notify without delay the Commission of the following:
(a) decisions granting applications, including the application and its attachments;
(b) decisions extending the period during which the customs authorities are to take action or decisions revoking the decision granting the application or amending it;
(c) the suspension of a decision granting the application.

2. Without prejudice to point (g) of Article 24 of Regulation (EC) No 515/97, where the release of the goods is suspended or the goods are detained, the customs authorities shall transmit to the Commission any relevant information, except personal data, including information on the quantity and type of the goods, value, intellectual property rights, customs procedures, countries of provenance, origin and destination, and transport routes and means.

3. The transmission of the information referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article and all exchanges of data on decisions concerning applications as referred to in Article 14 between customs authorities of the Member States shall be made via a central database of the Commission. The information and data shall be stored in that database.

4. For the purposes of ensuring processing of the information referred to in paragraphs 1 to 3 of this Article, the central database referred to in paragraph 3 shall be established in an electronic form. The central database shall contain the information, including personal data, referred to in Article 6(3), Article 14 and this Article.

5. The customs authorities of the Member States and the Commission shall have access to the information contained in the central database as appropriate for the fulfilment of their legal responsibilities in applying this Regulation. The access to information marked for restricted handling in accordance with Article 6(3) is restricted to the customs authorities of the Member States where action is requested. Upon justified request by the Commission, the customs authorities of the Member States may give access to the Commission to such information where it is strictly necessary for the application of this Regulation.

6. The customs authorities shall introduce into the central database information related to the applications submitted to the competent customs department. The customs authorities which have introduced information into the central database shall, where necessary, amend, supplement, correct or delete such information. Each customs authority that has introduced information in the central database shall be responsible for the accuracy, adequacy and relevancy of this information.

7. The Commission shall establish and maintain adequate technical and organisational arrangements for the reliable and secure operation of the central database. The customs authorities of each Member State shall establish and maintain adequate technical and organisational arrangements to ensure the confidentiality and security of processing with respect to the processing operations carried out by their customs authorities and with respect to terminals of the central database located on the territory of that Member State.