Article 13 Amicus curiae submissions

Non-governmental persons established on the territory of a Party may submit amicus curiae briefs to the arbitration panel in accordance with paragraphs 2 to 5.

Unless the Parties agree otherwise within five days of the date of the setting up of the arbitration panel, the arbitration panel may receive unsolicited written submissions, provided that they are made within ten days of the date of the setting up of the arbitration panel, and those submissions, including any annexes thereto, are in no case longer than fifteen typed pages, including any annexes, and that they are directly relevant to the issue under consideration by the arbitration panel.

Each submission shall contain a description of the person making the submission, whether natural or legal, including the nature of that person's activities and the source of that person's financing, and specify the nature of the interest that that person has in the arbitration proceeding. The submission shall be drafted in the languages chosen by the Parties, in accordance with Article 16(1) and (2) of these rules of procedure.

The submissions shall be delivered to the Parties for their comments. The Parties may submit comments, within ten days of the delivery, to the arbitration panel.

The arbitration panel shall list in its ruling all the submissions it has received that conform to these rules. The arbitration panel shall not be obliged to address in its ruling the arguments made in such submissions. The arbitration panel shall submit to the Parties for their comments any submission it obtains.