9.7. Subject to Article 9.9, the contractor undertakes to treat in the strictest confidence and not make use of or divulge to third parties any information or documents which are linked to the performance of the contract without the prior consent of the contracting authority. The contractor shall continue to be bound by this undertaking after completion of the tasks and shall obtain from each member of its staff the same undertaking. However, use of the contract’s reference for marketing or tendering purposes does not require prior approval of the contracting authority, except where the contracting authority declares the contract to be confidential. 

9.8. If the contractor is a joint venture or a consortium of two or more persons, all such persons shall be jointly and severally bound in respect of the obligations under the contract, including any recoverable amount. The person designated by the consortium to act on its behalf for the purposes of the contract shall have the authority to bind the consortium and is the sole interlocutor for all contractual and financial aspects. The composition or the constitution of the joint venture or consortium shall not be altered without the prior consent of the contracting authority. Any alteration of the composition of the consortium without the prior consent of the contracting authority may result in the termination of the contract. 

9.9. Save where the European Commission requests or agrees otherwise, the contractor shall ensure the highest visibility to the financial contribution of the European Union. To ensure such publicity the contractor shall implement among other actions the specific activities described in the special conditions. All measures must comply with the rules in the Communication and Visibility Manual for EU External Actions published by the European Commission. 

9.10. Any records shall be kept for a 7-year period after the final payment made under the contract. In case of failure to maintain such records the contracting authority may, without formal notice thereof, apply as of right the sanction for breach of contract provided for in Articles 35 and 36. 

## Article 9a - Code of conduct 

9a.1 The contractor shall at all times act impartially and as a faithful adviser in accordance with the code of conduct of its profession. It shall refrain from making public statements about the project without the prior approval of the contracting authority. It shall not commit the contracting authority in any way without its prior consent and shall, where appropriate, make this obligation clear to third parties. 

Physical abuse or punishment, or threats of physical abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation, harassment and verbal abuse, as well as other forms of intimidation shall be prohibited. The contractor shall also provide to inform the contracting authority of any breach of ethical standards or code of conduct as set in the present Article. In case the contractor is aware of any violations of the abovementioned standards he shall report in writing within 30 days to the contracting authority 

9a.2 The contractor and its staff shall respect human rights and applicable data protection rules. 

9a.3 The contractor shall respect environmental legislation applicable in the country where the supplies have to be delivered and internationally agreed core labour standards, i.e. the ILO core labour standards, conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining, elimination of forced and compulsory labour, elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation, and the abolition of child labour, as well as applicable obligations established by these conventions: 

