Cooperation agreement between the European Central Bank and the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia
Date: 2020-10-20
Institutions: European Central Bank
Subjects: North Macedonia, central bank, cooperation agreement, counterfeiting, disclosure of information, euro, exchange of information, fight against crime, fraud, paper money

. ' 

COOPERATION AGREEMENT 

between

THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK 

and

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VERIUT 

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THE NATIONAL BANK OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA 

PREAMBLE 

THIS COOPERATION AGREEMENT (hereinafter "the Agreement") is concluded 

BETWEEN 

The European Central Bank, having its seat at Sonnemannstrasse 20, 60314 Frankfurt am Main, 

Germany 

and 

The National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia (NBRNM),  having its seat at Blvd  Kuzman 

Josifovski - Pitu 1, 1 000, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia. 

Referred to collectively as the "Parties" or individually as a "Party", 

Recalling that the European Central Bank has the exclusive right to authorise the issue of banknotes 

within those Member States of the European Union whose currency is the euro and that this exclusive 

right includes the responsibility for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting, 

Acknowledging that the European Central Bank has an active role in the prevention and detection of the 

counterfeiting of the euro;  that Guideline ECB/1999/3 on certain provisions regarding  euro  banknotes,  as 

amended on 26 August 1999 1, established the Counterfeit Analysis Centre ("CAC") within the European 

Central Bank, in order to centralise the technical analysis of counterfeit euro banknotes and data relating 

to the counterfeiting of the euro; and that Council Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 of 28 June 2001 laying 

down measures necessary for the protection of the euro against counterfeiting 2·  in particular Article 3 

thereof, provides that the European Central Bank shall gather and store technical and statistical data 

relating to counterfeit euro banknotes discovered in non-member countries, 

1 
2 

OJ  L 258, 5.10.1999,  p. 32.
OJ  L 181, 4.7.2001,  p. 6.

2 

Noting that the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia is competent, in accordance with the 

national legislation applicable to it3 to investigate and analyse all counterfeit banknotes seized or 

recovered by the banks  and the police irrespective of whether they are of domestic or foreign currency, 

and to store all such counterfeits, and 

Sharing a joint determination to combat the threats arising from the counterfeiting of the euro in general, 

and wanting to co-ordinate  their efforts within the framework of the missions assigned to them, and to 

cooperate. within their respective competencies, in particular in the field of detection of counterfeit euro 

banknotes, 

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS: 

Article  1 

Purpose 

1.

The purpose of this Agreement is to establish a framework for cooperation between the Parties,

within their respective competences and subject to their respective rules and regulations. thus

facilitating the prevention and detection of counterfeiting of euro banknotes in the Republic of North

Macedonia.

2.

This Agreement is without prejudice to the rights and obligations established in the agreements and

other arrangements between the National  Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia and Interpol,

as well as to those established in the Agreements and other arrangements between the European

Central Bank and Interpol or Europol respectively.

Miele 2 

Exchange of information 

Subject to the Parties' internal rules and regulations and to such arrangements as may be necessary for 

the safeguarding of confidential information, exchange of information and documents concerning matters 

of common interest as indicated in Article  1 ( 1 ), shall take place between the Parties for the purpose of 

and in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, and shall not include personal data. 

3 

In particular, Article 29 of the Law on the National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia (published in the Official 
Gazette No. 158/2010,  64/2012; 123/2012; 43/2014; 153/2015; 6/2016; 83/2018) and Decision on establishing 
the  procedure  for  detection  and  withdrawal  of  counterfeit  money  (published  in  the  Official  Gazette  No. 
42/04.04.2011 ). 

3 

Article 3 

Obligations of the European Central Bank 

1.

The European  Central  Bank shall provide the National  Bank of the Republic of  North  Macedonia

with information regarding the technical specifications and technical features of legal tender euro

banknotes upon the request of the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia.

2.

The European Central Bank shall provide the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia

with sufficient technical data relating to counterfeit euro banknotes that have been classified as

common classes so as to enable the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia to identify

them.

3.

To the extent possible the European Central Bank shall stand ready to consult with the National

Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia in order to facilitate the proper implementation of this

Agreement.

Article 4 

Obligations of the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia 

1.

Whenever the National  Bank of the Republic of North  Macedonia receives information concerning a

new type of euro banknote counterfeit,  which does not  yet correspond to any of the common

classes of which  the  European Central Bank has informed it, the National Bank of the Republic of

North Macedonia shall promptly send  samples of any such new type of euro banknote counterfeit

received by it or otherwise in its possession to the European Central Bank. The number of samples

required shall be agreed on a case by case basis by the Parties.

2.

The samples shall be accompanied by a completed form "Reported  Euro Counterfeits",  which shall

include, if available, the following information:

(a)

(b)

(c)

the total number of the counterfeits that have been seized or recovered;

the date and location of the seizures or recoveries; and,

an assessment of whether or not the source of the counterfeits has been identified by  the

competent authority.

The template form "Reported Euro Counterfeits" is laid down in the Annex. 

If for any reason it is not possible for the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia to send 

the European Central Bank any of the samples referred to in paragraph 1, it shall instead send 

scanned images of such samples as laid down in the Annex, together with a completed form 

"Reported Euro Counterfeits". 

3.

In addition to submitting either a sample, or scanned images of every new type of suspected

counterfeit euro banknotes to the European Central Bank the National Bank of the Republic of

North Macedonia shall, on a monthly basis, send to the European Central Bank statistical reports

4 

 
on all euro counterfeits discovered in a particular month in the Republic of North Macedonia. The 

European Central bank shall provide the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia with a 

template for this statistical information. 

4.

Within 6 months after the date when this Agreement enters into force the National Bank of the

Republic of North Macedonia shall provide the European Central Bank with a statistical overview of

all counterfeit euro banknotes that have been found in Republic of North Macedonia prior to this

date. The template mentioned in paragraph 3 of this Article shall be used for this report.

5.

The National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia shall take all necessary and feasible

measures, according to its national legal system, to ensure that there is no breach of the copyright

of the euro banknote designs held by the European Central Bank.

Article 5 

Major incidents 

The European Central Bank and the National Bank of the Republic of North Macedonia shall inform each 

other immediately of major counterfeit incidents concerning euro banknotes. 

Article 6 

Means of communication  between  Parties 

All information exchanged between the European Central Bank and the National Bank of the Republic of 

North Macedonia shall be exclusively communicated by means of secure communication. The Parties 

shall agree the means of secure communication separately. All files sent electronically shall be encrypted. 

Article 7 

Contact persons 

The Parties shall designate the contact persons for the purposes of this Agreement separately by an 

exchange of letters between the President of the European Central Bank  and the Governor of the 

National  Bank of the Republic of North  Macedonia. 

Article 8 

Security and confidentiality 

1.

The Parties shall ensure that all information received on the basis of this Agreement, as well as the

processing  of such information, is always  subject to security and confidentiality standards, which

are at least equivalent to the standards applied by the originating Party to such information. All

such information shall receive a level of protection, which is at least equivalent to the level of

protection offered by the measures applied to that information by the originating Party.

5 

• •  

... 

2.

3.

4.

The Parties shall exchange information on their respective security and confidentiality standards as

applied to counterfeit banknotes.

Either Party may, for justified reasons, specify restrictions on the usage of information supplied on

the basis of this Agreement. The receiving Party shall comply with any such restrictions.

The Parties' obligation to ensure that all information received on the basis of this Agreement is

always subject to the security and confidentiality standards defined in paragraph 1 shall continue

even after this Agreement has terminated.

Article 9 

Liability 

The Party causing damage to the other Party or to an individual as a result of unauthorised or incorrect 

information processing under this Agreement shall be liable for such damage. 

Article 10 

Failure to comply and settlement of disputes 

.  , 

1.

Each Party may cease to provide information in accordance with this Agreement to the other Party

in the event of the latter's breach of this Agreement.

2.

In case of any dispute between the Parties arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, the

Parties shall endeavour to resolve such dispute amicably in private.

Article 11 

Final provisions 

1.

2.

3.

Either  Party may terminate this Agreement with 12 months' prior notice.

This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of signature by both Parties.

This Agreement shall be published on the European  Central  Bank's website.

Done in four copies in the English language. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being fully authorised thereto, have on behalf of the Parties 

signed the present Agreement. 

6 

 
.. ..

... 

At Frankfurt am  Main 

At Skopje 

On behalf of the European Central Bank 

On behalf of the National Bank of 

North Macedonia 

Cl�� 

Christine Lagarde 

ECB President 

Date  �.  J.c.  ZOW 

Date 

7 

 
.. 

TRANSMISSION OF IMAGES OF COUNTERFEIT EURO BANKNOTES 

ANNEX 

For each case of counterfeit euro banknotes sent electronically, there should be: 

1.

The entire front and reverse of the banknote, shown flat and undistorted, scanned as a 24-bitmap

image at a resolution 100 dots per inch (dpi) for the screen image or 400 dots per inch (dpi) for the

printed image.

2.

Any regions of special interest (e.g. microtext) should also be scanned as a 24-bitmap image at a

resolution of 100 dots per inch ( dpi) for the screen image or 400 dots per inch ( dpi) for the printed

image.

TEMPLATE FORM REPORTED EURO COUNTERFEITS 

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