Press Release: European Commission appoints new Hearing Officer

The European Commission has appointed John Temple Lang as Hearing Officer in the Directorate General for Competition. The position of Hearing Officer was created in 1982 in order to reinforce the rights of defence of parties in competition proceedings. The Hearing Officer organises hearings of all parties involved in a competition case and is responsible for certain procedural decisions related to the confidentiality of documents and the admission of third parties to a hearing. He reports on the outcome of the hearings to the Commissioner and the Director General for Competition