Page 498 - Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)

Confidentiality

11. Written submissions to the panel shall be treated as confidential,
but shall be made available to the Parties to the dispute and,
where provided for in Article 19.10 (Third Parties), the Third
Parties. The Parties to the dispute, the Third Parties, and the
panel shall treat as confidential, information submitted by a Party
to the dispute or a Third Party to the panel which that Party has
designated as confidential. For greater certainty, nothing in this
paragraph shall preclude a Party to the dispute or a Third Party
from disclosing statements of its own positions to the public,
provided that there is no disclosure of statements or information
submitted by a Party to the dispute or a Third Party to the panel
which that Party has designated as confidential. A Party to the
dispute or a Third Party shall, on request of a Party, provide a
non-confidential summary of the information contained in its
written submissions that could be disclosed to the public.

Additional Information and Technical Advice

12. Each Party to the dispute and each Third Party shall respond
promptly and fully to any request by a panel for such information
as the panel considers necessary and appropriate.

13. On request of a Party to the dispute or on its own initiative, a panel
may seek additional information and technical advice from any
individual or body which it deems appropriate. However, before
doing so the panel shall seek the views of the Parties to the
dispute. Where the Parties to the dispute agree that the panel
should not seek the additional information or technical advice, the
panel shall not do so. The panel shall provide the Parties to the
dispute with any additional information or technical advice it
receives and an opportunity to provide comments. Where the
panel takes into account the additional information or technical
advice in preparation of its report, it shall also take into account
any comments by a Party to the dispute on the additional
information or technical advice.

Reports of the Panel

14. The panel established pursuant to Article 19.11 (Establishment
and Reconvening of a Panel) shall issue its interim report to the
Parties to the dispute within 150 days of the date of its
establishment. In cases of urgency including those which
concern perishable goods, the panel shall endeavour to issue its
interim report within 90 days of the date of its establishment.

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