COMPETENT NATIONAL AUTHORITIES

The Andorran Financial Authority (AFA) and the Police Department are designated as the national authorities that are competent to detect counterfeit notes and coins.

The AFA is the competent authority with regard to euro notes and coins that are not appropriate for circulation, and it is also the competent authority to implement the technical standards necessary for the effectiveness of the implementation of Law 17/2013 of 10 October on the introduction of the euro within the framework of the Monetary Agreement signed between the Principality of Andorra and the European Union and the Regulations that implement this Law.

The AFA is also the competent authority to exercise disciplinary power over the entities that operate in the financial system while the Ministry responsible for the Interior, on which the Department of Police depends, is the competent authority to exercise disciplinary power over natural persons and entities that do not operate in the Andorran financial system.

The Centre Nacional d’Anàlisi (CNA) is the competent authority to gather and analyse technical and statistical information on the counterfeiting of euro notes; in this regard, the AFA is authorised to act as a CNA.

The Centre Nacional d’Anàlisi de Monedes (CNAM) is the competent authority to gather and analyse technical and statistical information on the counterfeiting of euro coins; in this regard, the AFA is authorised to act as a CNAM.

The Criminal Police Area of the Department of Police is designated as a Oficina Central Nacional (OCN), and it is the authority with competences to gather information on the counterfeiting of the euro and to proceed with its analysis.

The functions of the OCN include centralising any information that the investigation, prevention and suppression of the counterfeit currency might provide.

The OCN also issues any communications required to fulfil existing agreements or any agreements that may be established with Interpol and Europol in the future.

The functions of the OCN shall be developed in coordination with:

• The issuing service of the Ministry responsible for finance;
• Other areas, units and groups of the Department of Police; and
• The central offices of the other member countries of the Geneva Convention.

The Ministry responsible for the Interior is the competent authority to exercise the disciplinary power over natural persons and entities that do not operate in the financial system.