Transparency inspections

An inspection begins with a written notice stating the purpose, the period and the documents requested. The operator has fifteen days to supply them. Officers examine the register, a sample of due diligence files and the declarations sent, and may ask questions.

A report is then drawn up. The operator has thirty days to respond. If there is no breach, the file is closed. Otherwise, a proportionate sanction is imposed.

The operator inspected has the right to be informed of the grounds for the inspection, to be assisted by an adviser, to submit written observations and to challenge the report. Officers are bound by professional secrecy: the data obtained may be used only for the compliance inspection.

It also has the right to a proportionate inspection: a small gallery is not inspected like a large house, and requests for documents must remain reasonable.

Beyond sanction, an inspection is an opportunity to improve practices. Each year, the Observatory publishes an anonymised summary of findings: the most frequent breaches, good practices noted, desirable developments. Operators use it as a self-assessment grid.

Since 2023, a self-diagnosis tool has allowed an operator to inspect itself against the same criteria as the authority. Operators that use it regularly are inspected less often.