The Commission shall appoint the hearing officer. The appointment shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Any interruption, termination or transfer of the hearing officer shall be the subject of a reasoned decision of the Commission. That decision shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

The hearing officer shall be attached, for administrative purposes, to the member of the Commission with special responsibility for competition (hereinafter ‘the competent member of the Commission’).

Where the hearing officer is unable to act, his or her role shall be carried out by another hearing officer. If no hearing officer is able to act, the competent member of the Commission, where appropriate after consultation of the hearing officer, shall designate another competent Commission official, who is not involved in the case in question, to carry out the hearing officer’s duties.

In case of an actual or potential conflict of interests, the hearing officer shall refrain from acting on a case. Paragraph 3 shall apply.