Article 5 Intervention of the hearing officer

Interested parties may request the intervention of the hearing officer in trade proceedings. Any request shall be submitted in good time, bearing in mind the time constraints of the proceedings. Interested parties shall request the intervention of the hearing officer at the earliest possible time following the occurrence of the event justifying such intervention.

The hearing officer may also act at the request of the member of the Commission responsible for trade policy, the Director-General, the Director responsible for a trade proceeding or their delegate, or a Director of another service consulted on a trade proceeding.

Any request for intervention of the hearing officer shall be made in writing and shall state the issues to be brought to the attention of the hearing officer, including an explanation on how the applicant's rights of defence are affected.

Any final legal act or proposal of the Commission shall be accompanied by a note from the hearing officer stating whether they intervened in the proceeding concerned and the nature of any intervention.

The hearing officer shall receive a copy of the consultations launched by the competent Commission services pursuant to Article 23(3) of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission.