L 140/26 Official Journal of the European Union 30.5.2008 EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK DECISION OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK of 15 May 2008 on security accreditation procedures for manufacturers of euro secure items for euro banknotes (ECB/2008/3) (2008/402[EC) THE GOVERNING COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 106(1) thereof, Having regard to the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank (hereinafter the ESCB Statute), and in particular Article 16 thereof, Whereas: (1)  Article 106(1) of the Treaty and Article 16 of the ESCB Statute provide that the European Central Bank (ECB) has the exclusive right to authorise the issue of euro banknotes within the Community. This right includes the competence to take measures to protect the integrity of euro banknotes as a means of payment. (20  To maintain the general public’s confidence in euro banknotes as a means of payment, it is necessary to specify minimum security rules for the production, processing, storage and transport of euro banknotes and their components, and other related materials and information requiring security protection, the loss, theft or publication of which could damage the integrity of euro banknotes or contribute to the production of coun- terfeit euro banknotes or their components. All entities involved in such activities should comply with the security rules, the content of which may, however, vary depending on the type of activity. (3) It is necessary to establish a security accreditation procedure which confirms that manufacturers comply with the security rules, as well as procedures to ensure ongoing compliance with the security rules and moreover to provide for various types of consequences in the event of non-compliance with them. Such conse- quences range from giving a warning to revoking security accreditation and should be proportionate to the nature of the instance of non-compliance identified. (4)  The ECB is responsible for establishing and maintaining a system that ensures that euro secure items may only be delivered to euro area national central banks, national central banks of Member States that are preparing to adopt the euro (subject to a decision of the Governing Council), other accredited manufacturers and/or the ECB. (5) It is necessary to amend Guideline ECB/2004/18 of 16 September 2004 on the procurement of euro banknotes (1), accordingly, HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: SECTION I GENERAL PROVISIONS Article 1 Definitions For the purposes of this Decision: (@) ‘NCB’ means the national central bank of a Member State that has adopted the euro; (b) ‘future Eurosystem NCB’' means the national central bank of a Member State that has not adopted the euro but has fulfilled the conditions set for the adoption of the euro and in relation to which a decision on the abrogation of the derogation (pursuant to Article 122(2) of the Treaty) has been taken; (c) ‘euro secure items’ means the first series of euro banknotes and their components and other related materials or infor- mation requiring security protection, the loss, theft or publi- cation of which could damage the integrity of euro banknotes or assist in the production of counterfeit euro banknotes or their components; () O] L 320, 21.10.2004, p. 21.