1. The procedure shall be conducted in one of the official languages of the Institutions of the European Union. The applicant shall choose the official language in which the procedure shall be conducted. The language of the procedure shall be used in the oral statements and in the written documentation of the parties and in the minutes and decisions of the Joint Supervisory Body.
2. Documents in a language other than the procedural language shall be accompanied by a translation into the procedural language. Where documents are lengthy, the translation submitted may be restricted to excerpts or summaries. The Joint Supervisory Body may, by virtue of its office or upon application from a party, require a full translation at any time.
3. Where necessary, interpretation services and translations shall be provided for each member of the Joint Supervisory Body and for the parties. The decisions of the Joint Supervisory Body shall be translated into all official languages of the institutions of the European Union.
4. In cases where none of the official languages of the institutions of the European Union is accessible to the applicant, the complaint may be lodged in another language. The applicant is obliged to submit a summary in one of the official languages. The chair or rapporteur shall have the complaint translated into the chosen language.
Article 15
Institution of the procedure
1. The appeal shall be lodged by submission of a written complaint at the Secretariat of the Joint Supervisory Body within 30 days of receiving Eurojust decision.
2. The applicant shall outline the basis of the complaint. It must be clear who is complaining, what he or she is complaining about and on what grounds. The complaint shall be accompanied by any supporting documentation available. The applicant may withdraw his or her appeal at any time.
3. The Secretariat shall acknowledge the receipt of the complaint within four weeks and give general information on the course of the procedure.
4. If the complaint does not meet the requirements, the Secretariat shall invite the applicant to rectify any omissions within four weeks.
5. Appeals which do not meet the requirements shall be refused by the Joint Supervisory Body on the proposal of the chair or of the rapporteur.
Article 16
Preliminary consideration
1. If the complaint meets the requirements, it shall be considered by the Joint Supervisory Body.
2. A copy of the complaint shall be forwarded to Eurojust for its observations, which shall be submitted within four weeks, extension for two further weeks being possible.
3. The Joint Supervisory Body may request the College of Eurojust to nominate a representative for the appeal. The applicant shall be informed of this decision. The relevant national Members shall be sent a copy of the observations from the applicant in order to enable them to submit their own observations, to be submitted within four weeks, extension for two further weeks being possible.
4. After the observations have been received or the deadlines have expired, the complaint shall be dealt with by the Joint Supervisory Body within the ensuing three months.