Transmission and signature of documents
Article 22
1. Transmission of documents to and from the Commission shall take place through digital means, save where the Commission exceptionally allows that other means identified in paragraph (6) and (7) may be used. 2. Where a signature is required, documents submitted through digital means must be signed using at least one Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) complying with the requirements set out in Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (the “eIDAS Regulation”) ( 3 ) and its future amendments. 3. Detailed technical specifications regarding the means of transmission and signature shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and shall be made available on the website of the Commission's Directorate General for Competition. 4. With the exception of the forms included in Annexes I, II, and III, all documents transmitted electronically to the Commission on a working day shall be deemed to have been received on the day they were sent, provided that an automated acknowledgement of receipt shows in its timestamp that they were received that day. The forms included in Annexes I, II, and III transmitted electronically to the Commission on a working day shall be deemed to have been received on the day they were sent, provided that an automated acknowledgement of receipt shows in its timestamp that they were received that day before or during the opening hours indicated on DG Competition’s website. The forms included in Annexes I, II, and III transmitted electronically to the Commission on a working day after the opening hours indicated on DG Competition’s website shall be deemed to have been received on the next working day. All documents transmitted electronically to the Commission outside a working day shall be deemed to have been received on the next working day. 5. Documents transmitted electronically to the Commission shall not be deemed to be received if the documents or parts thereof : (a) are unusable (corrupted); (b) contain viruses, malware or other threats; (c) contain electronic signatures the validity of which cannot be verified by the Commission. In those cases, the Commission shall inform the sender without delay. 6. Documents transmitted to the Commission by registered post shall be deemed to have been received on the day of their arrival at the address published in the Official Journal of the European Union . This address shall be also indicated on the website of the Commission’s Directorate General for Competition. 7. Documents transmitted to the Commission by means of hand delivery shall be deemed to have been received on the day of their arrival at the address published in the Official Journal of the European Union , as long as this is confirmed in an acknowledgment of receipt by the Commission. This address shall be also indicated on the website of the Commission’s Directorate General for Competition.