PARAGRAPH OF ARTICLE 3 OF THE GENERAL PROVISIONS AND IN POINTS B.5.2.1 . AND B.5.2.2 . OF THE GUIDE TO STAFF REPORTS WERE INFRINGED WHEN THE PERIODIC REPORT WAS DRAWN UP BY THE FIRST ASSESSOR .
16 IT IS APPARENT FROM THE GENERAL PROVISIONS AND FROM THE GUIDE TO STAFF REPORTS THAT WHERE AN OFFICIAL HAS MOVED FROM ONE DEPARTMENT TO ANOTHER LESS THAN SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE END OF THE REFERENCE PERIOD, THE REPORT ON HIM IS TO BE PREPARED BY THE OFFICIAL EMPOWERED TO PREPARE REPORTS IN THE DEPARTMENT TO WHICH THE OFFICIAL WAS PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED . THAT ASSESSOR MUST FIRST CONSULT HIS COUNTERPART IN THE DEPARTMENT TO WHICH THE OFFICIAL HAS BEEN RE-ASSIGNED AND ALSO THE IMMEDIATE SUPERIOR OF THE OFFICIAL CONCERNED IN THE PREVIOUS DEPARTMENT . WHERE NECESSARY, THE OTHER SUPERIORS OF THE OFFICIAL IN THE NEW DEPARTMENT ARE ALSO TO BE CONSULTED . FINALLY, THE PERSONS THUS CONSULTED MUST SIGN THE PERIODIC REPORT AFTER IT IS SIGNED BY THE ASSESSOR AND RECORD THEIR OBSERVATIONS IN THE EVENT OF THEIR DISAGREEING WITH THE ASSESSOR .
17 IN THE PRESENT CASE IT IS APPARENT FROM THE DOCUMENTS BEFORE THE COURT THAT MR PICCIOLO' S PERIODIC REPORT WAS DRAWN UP BY MR VERHEYDEN, THE DIRECTOR OF THE PUBLICATIONS OFFICE, AND WAS THEN SIGNED BY MR PERRY, THE HEAD OF SPECIALIZED DEPARTMENT 0P4 IN THE PUBLICATIONS OFFICE AND BY MR VAN GOETHEM, A DIRECTOR IN DIRECTORATE-GENERAL XVIII, AND WAS FINALLY SIGNED BY MR VERHEYDEN .
18 IN THE FIRST PLACE, WHILST THE APPLICANT ALLEGES THAT MR PERRY AND MR VAN GOETHEM WERE CONSULTED AFTER THE PERIODIC REPORT WAS DRAWN UP BY MR VERHEYDEN, AND NOT BEFORE AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN UNDER THE APPLICABLE RULES, THAT FACT, EVEN IF IT WERE SUBSTANTIATED, CANNOT IN THIS CASE BE REGARDED AS A SUBSTANTIAL IRREGULARITY OF SUCH A KIND AS TO INVALIDATE THE REPORTING PROCEDURE . IT IS COMMON GROUND THAT MR PERRY AND MR VAN GOETHEM SIGNED THE REPORT ON MR PICCIOLO AND DID NOT AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADD OBSERVATIONS RECORDING ANY DISAGREEMENT WITH THE ASSESSMENTS OF THE FIRST ASSESSOR . THUS, BY IMPLICATION, THEY EXPRESSED THEIR AGREEMENT WITH THOSE ASSESSMENTS .
19 IN THE SECOND PLACE, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT, CONTRARY TO THE APPLICANT' S ASSERTION, MR PERRY, ALTHOUGH A MEMBER OF THE AUXILIARY STAFF, WAS FULLY ENTITLED TO TAKE PART IN THE REPORTING PROCEDURE AS THE IMMEDIATE SUPERIOR OF THE APPLICANT IN THE PUBLICATIONS OFFICE SINCE, AS HE IN FACT DISCHARGED THE FUNCTIONS OF HEAD OF SPECIALIZED DEPARTMENT 0P4, HE HAD EXERCISED RESPONSIBLITY OVER MR PICCIOLO, AN EMPLOYEE IN THAT DEPARTMENT, AS HIS SUPERIOR .
20 IN THE THIRD PLACE, MR PICCIOLO HAS NO GROUNDS FOR HIS CLAIM THAT, AS A RESULT OF HIS RE-ASSIGNMENT, HIS IMMEDIATE SUPERIOR IN DIRECTORATE-GENERAL XVIII SHOULD HAVE BEEN CONSULTED . IN FACT, AS IS APPARENT FROM THE APPLICABLE RULES, CONSULTATION OF THE OFFICIAL' S SUPERIORS IN HIS NEW DEPARTMENT, OTHER THAN THE SUPERIOR EMPOWERED TO PREPARE THE STAFF REPORT,