Article 18 General principles

Without prejudice to measures required to protect the essential interests of the security of the Union or public security or to comply with Union export control requirements, Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 shall apply to the deployment and exploitation phases of the Galileo programme and the exploitation phase of the EGNOS programme. Moreover, the following general principles shall also apply to the deployment and exploitation phases of the Galileo programme and to the exploitation phase of the EGNOS programme: open access and fair competition throughout the industrial supply chain, tendering on the basis of the provision of transparent and timely information, clear communication of the applicable procurement rules, selection and award criteria and any other relevant information allowing a level-playing field for all potential bidders.