1. Each Member State shall designate one or, exceptionally, more resolution authorities that are empowered to apply the resolution tools and exercise the resolution powers.

2. Resolution authorities shall be national central banks, competent ministries, public administrative authorities or authorities entrusted with public administrative powers.

3. Where a resolution authority is entrusted with other functions, including supervisory functions, adequate structural arrangements shall be in place to avoid conflicts of interest between the functions entrusted to the resolution authority pursuant to this Directive and supervisory or other functions, without prejudice to the exchange of information and cooperation obligations required by paragraph 6.

Member States shall ensure that those arrangements ensure effective operational independence, including separate staff, reporting lines and decision-making processes of the resolution authority from any supervisory or other functions of that resolution authority.

4. The requirements laid down in paragraph 3 shall not preclude that:

(a) reporting lines converge at the highest level or senior management level of an organisation that subsumes different functions or authorities;