Article 15Procedure for designation
1.The designation of an Examination Office shall be effected by a written agreement between the Office and the Examination Office providing for the performance of the technical examination of plant varieties by the Examination Office and for the payment of the fee referred to in Article 58 of the basic Regulation. In the case of a sub-office referred to in Article 14(2) of this Regulation, the designation shall be by internal rules on working methods issued by the Office.
2.The effect of the written agreement shall be such that acts performed or to be performed by members of the staff of the Examination Office in accordance therewith shall be considered, as far as third parties are concerned, to be acts of the Office.
3.Where the Examination Office intends to avail itself of the services of other technically qualified bodies in accordance with Article 56(3) of the basic Regulation, such bodies shall be named in the written agreement with the Office. Article 81(2) of the basic Regulation and Article 13(2) and (3) of this Regulation shall apply mutatis mutandis to the staff members concerned, who shall sign a written undertaking to observe confidentiality.
4.The Office shall pay the Examination Office a fee for the conduct of the technical examination, on the basis of full recovery of costs incurred. The Administrative Council shall determine uniform methods for calculating the costs and the uniform constituents of the costs, which shall apply to all designated Examination Offices.
5.The Examination Office shall periodically submit to the Office a breakdown of the costs of the technical examination performed and of the maintenance of the necessary reference collections. In the circumstances set out in paragraph 3, a separate auditing report of the bodies shall be submitted to the Office by the Examination Office.
6.Any cancellation of designation of an Examination Office may not take effect prior to the day on which revocation of the written agreement referred to in paragraph 1 takes effect.