Article 2
1. All requests for information, notification, recovery or precautionary measures pursuant to Articles 5(1), 8, 10 and 16(1) of Directive 2010/24/EU (hereinafter ‘the requests for assistance’) and all accompanying instruments, forms and other documents, as well as any other information communicated with regard to these requests shall be sent by the CCN network, unless this is impracticable for technical reasons. 2. Documents transmitted in electronic form or print outs thereof shall be deemed to have the same legal effect as documents transmitted by post. 3. If a request cannot be transmitted by CCN network, it shall be transmitted by post. In that case the following rules shall apply: (a) the request shall be signed by an official of the applicant authority, duly authorised to make such a request; (b) the standard form accompanying the notification request, referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 8(1) of Directive 2010/24/EU (hereafter ‘the uniform notification form’) or the uniform instrument permitting enforcement in the requested Member State referred to in Article 12 of that Directive shall be signed by a duly authorized official of the applicant authority; (c) if the request is accompanied by a copy of a document other than the uniform notification form or the uniform instrument permitting enforcement in the requested Member State, the applicant authority shall certify the conformity of this copy with the original, by stating in this copy, in the official language or one of the official languages of the Member State in which it is situated, the words ‘certified a true copy’, the name of the certifying official and the date of that certification. For the purposes of point (b) of the first subparagraph, the Member States shall use the uniform notification form established in accordance with the model set out in Annex I to this Regulation and the uniform instrument permitting enforcement in the requested Member State established in accordance with the model set out in Annex II to this Regulation. 4. Where the uniform notification form or the uniform instrument permitting enforcement in the requested Member State are transmitted by electronic means, their structure and lay-out may be adapted to the requirements of the electronic communication system in order to facilitate the communication between the competent authorities, provided that the set of data and information therein is not substantially altered with regard to the models set out in Annexes I and II.