Article 18Reports of the hearing officer
1.
At the end of each year, the hearing officer shall prepare an Annual Report. The Annual Report shall contain information on the cases in which the hearing officer intervened, the type of decisions and recommendations he made and any recommendation for improving the trade proceedings. The Report shall be addressed to the member of the Commission responsible for trade policy. The Director-General for Trade and the Directorates concerned shall receive a copy of the Report.
2.
Summaries of the Annual Report shall be communicated to the Member States and the European Parliament and published on the website of the hearing officer.
3.
The hearing officer shall prepare regular reports for the member of the Commission responsible for trade policy summarising his activities and the issues which arose during these activities. The report shall outline the main policy issues, the decisions and the recommendations made by the hearing officer and how these recommendations were taken into account by the Commission services responsible for the investigation. A copy of this report shall be addressed to the Director-General for Trade.
4.
The hearing officer shall report on any hearing among interested parties with different interests and, in the fulfilment of his advisory role, may report to the member of the Commission responsible for trade policy and the Director-General on any other issue arising out of a trade proceeding or otherwise relevant for the effective application of European Union law principles in trade proceedings.
5.
The final report of the hearing officer in hearings among parties shall be submitted to the member of the Commission responsible for trade policy, the Director-General for Trade and the Director responsible. It shall be communicated to the competent representatives of the Member States and the interested parties.