1.The hearing officer shall be appointed by the Commission in accordance with the rules laid down in the Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union.
2.The appointment of the hearing officer shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Any interruption, termination of appointment or transfer of the hearing officer by whatever procedure shall be the subject of a reasoned decision of the Commission. That decision shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
3.The hearing officer shall be attached, for administrative purposes, to the member of the Commission responsible for trade policy.
4.Where the hearing officer is unable to act, the member of the Commission responsible for trade policy, where possible after consultation with the hearing officer, shall designate another official, who is not involved in the case concerned and has sufficient experience in trade proceedings, to carry out the hearing officer’s duties.