ARTICLE 8. CODE OF CONDUCT  Page 4 of 19  8.6. The Consultant and its staff shall maintain professional secrecy, for the duration of the contract and  after completion thereof. In this connection, except with the prior written consent of the Contracting  Authority, neither the Consultant nor the personnel employed or engaged by it shall at any time  communicate to any person or entity any confidential information disclosed to them or discovered by  them, or make public any information as to the recommendations formulated in the course of or as a  result of the services. Furthermore, they shall not make any use prejudicial to the Contracting  Authority, of information supplied to them and of the results of studies, tests and research carried out  in the course and for the purpose of performing the contract.  8.5. The Consultant shall not have the benefit, whether directly or indirectly, of any royalty, gratuity or  commission in respect of any patented or protected Article or process used in or for the purposes of  the contract or the project, without the prior written approval of the Contracting Authority.  8.4. The payments to the Consultant under the contract shall constitute the only income or benefit it may  derive in connection with the contract and neither it nor its personnel shall accept any commission,  discount, allowance, indirect payment or other consideration in connection with, or in relation to, or in  discharge of, its obligations under the contract.  8.3. If the Consultant or any of its sub-contractors, personnel, agents or servants offers to give or agrees  to offer or to give or gives to any person, any bribe, gift, gratuity or commission as an inducement or  reward for doing or forbearing to do any act in relation to the contract or any other contract with the  Contracting Authority, or for showing favour or disfavour to any person in relation to the contract or  any other contract with the Contracting Authority, then the Contracting Authority may terminate the  contract, without prejudice to any accrued rights of the Consultant under the contract.  8.2. For the period of execution of the contract, the Consultant and its personnel shall respect human rights  and undertake not to offend the political, cultural and religious practices prevailing in the beneficiary  country. The Consultant shall respect internationally agreed core labour standards,e.g. 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.  8.1. The Consultant shall at all time act loyally and impartially and as a faithful adviser to the Contracting  Authority in accordance with the rules and/or code of conduct of its profession as well as with  appropriate discretion. It shall, in particular, refrain from making any public statements concerning the  project or the services without the prior approval of the Contracting Authority, and from engaging in  any activity which conflicts with its obligations towards the Contracting Authority under the contract. It  shall not commit the Contracting Authority in any way whatsoever without its prior written consent, and  shall, where appropriate, make this obligation clear to third parties.  7.8. The Consultant shall give written notification to the Contracting Authority of the name and address of  its contact, bank account and auditor(s) for the Contract. The Consultant must use the form in Annex  VI for notification of its bank account. The Contracting Authority shall have the right to oppose the  Consultant's choice of bank account or auditor.  7.7. Unless otherwise requested or agreed by the European Commission, the Consultant shall take the  necessary steps to ensure that the financial contribution of the EU is given adequate publicity. These  steps must follow the rules applicable in the Communication and Visibility Manual for EU External  Actions defined and published by the European Commission.  7.6. Any alteration of the composition of the consortium without the prior written consent of the Contracting  Authority shall be considered to be a breach of contract.  7.5. If the Consultant is a consortium of two or more persons, all such persons shall be jointly and severally  bound to fulfil the terms of the contract. The person designated by the consortium to act on its behalf  for the purposes of this contract shall have the authority to bind the consortium.  7.4. The Consultant shall treat all documents and information received in connection with the contract as  private and confidential, and shall not, save in so far as may be necessary for the purposes of the  performance thereof, publish or disclose any particulars of the contract without the prior consent in  writing of the Contracting Authority or the Project Manager after consultation with the Contracting  Authority. If any disagreement arises as to the necessity for any publication or disclosure for the  purpose of the contract, the decision of the Contracting Authority shall be final. 