1. Where one or several Member States are identified as having entered or supplied the data having triggered a hit in accordance with Article 20(7) following verification under Article 22, the ETIAS Central Unit shall notify the ETIAS National Unit of the Member State(s) involved, thereby launching a consultation process between them and the ETIAS National Unit of the Member State responsible.
2. The ETIAS National Units of the Member States consulted shall have access to the application file for the purpose of the consultation.
3.
The ETIAS National Unit of the Member States consulted shall:
(a)
provide a reasoned positive opinion on the application; or
(b)
provide a reasoned negative opinion on the application.
The positive or negative opinion shall be recorded in the application file by the ETIAS National Unit of the Member State consulted.
For the purpose of the manual processing pursuant to Article 26, the reasoned positive or negative opinion shall only be visible by the ETIAS National Unit of the Member State consulted and by the ETIAS National Unit of the Member State responsible.
4. The ETIAS National Unit of the Member State responsible may also consult the ETIAS National Units of one or several Member States following the reply of an applicant to a request for additional information. Where such additional information was requested on behalf of a Member State consulted pursuant to Article 27(1), the ETIAS National Unit of the Member State responsible shall consult the ETIAS National Unit of the consulted Member State following the reply of the applicant to that request for additional information. In such cases, the ETIAS National Units of the Member States consulted shall also have access to the relevant additional information or documentation provided by the applicant following a request from the ETIAS National Unit of the Member State responsible in relation to the matter for which they are being consulted. Where several Member States are consulted, the ETIAS National Unit of the Member State responsible shall ensure the coordination.
5. The ETIAS National Unit of the Member States consulted shall reply within 60 hours of the notification of the consultation. A failure to reply within the deadline shall be considered to be a positive opinion on the application.
6. During the consultation process, the consultation request and the replies thereto shall be transmitted through the software referred to in point (m) of Article 6(2) and shall be made available to the ETIAS National Unit of the Member State responsible.
7. Where the ETIAS National Unit of at least one Member State consulted provides a negative opinion on the application, the ETIAS National Unit of the Member State responsible shall refuse the travel authorisation pursuant to Article 37. This paragraph is without prejudice to Article 44.
8. Where necessary in cases of technical problems or unforeseen circumstances, the ETIAS Central Unit shall determine the Member State responsible and Member States to be consulted and shall facilitate the consultations between Member States referred to in this Article.