$_{-}$  Vienna Convention for the protection of the Ozone Layer and its Montreal Protocol  on substances that deplete the Ozone Layer;  $_{-}$  Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous  Wastes and their Disposal (Basel Convention);  $_{-}$  Stockholm  Convention  on  Persistent  Organic  Pollutants  (Stockholm  POPs  Convention);  $_{-}$  Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous  Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (UNEP/FAO) (The PIC Convention)  Rotterdam, 10 September 1998, and its 3 regional Protocols.  9.a.4  The contractor or any of its subcontractors, agents or personnel shall not abuse of its  entrusted power for private gain. The contractor or any of its subcontractors, agents or  personnel shall not receive or agree to receive from any person or offer or agree to give to  any person or procure for any person, gift, gratuity, commission or consideration of any  kind as an inducement or reward for performing or refraining from any act relating to the  performance of the contract or for showing favour or disfavour to any person in relation  to the contract. The contractor shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and  codes relating to anti-bribery and anti-corruption.  9.a.5  The payments to the contractor under the contract shall constitute the only income or  benefit it may derive in connection with the contract. The contractor and its staff must not  exercise any activity or receive any advantage inconsistent with their obligations under  the contract.  9a.6  The execution of the contract shall not give rise to unusual commercial expenses.  Unusual commercial expenses are commissions not mentioned in the contract or not  stemming from a properly concluded contract referring to the contract, commissions not  paid in return for any actual and legitimate service, commissions remitted to a tax haven,  commissions paid to a recipient who is not clearly identified or commission paid to a  company which has every appearance of being a front company. The European  Commission may carry out documentary or on-the-spot checks it deems necessary to find  evidence in case of suspected unusual commercial expenses.  The respect of the code of conduct set out in the present Article constitutes a contractual  obligation. Failure to comply with the code of conduct is always deemed to be a breach of  the contract under Article 35 of the General Conditions. In addition, failure to comply  with the provision set out in the present Article can be qualified as grave professional  misconduct that may lead either to suspension or termination of the contract, without  prejudice to the application of administrative sanctions including exclusion from  participation in future contract award procedures. 9.b.1  The contractor shall take all necessary measures to prevent or end any situation that could  compromise the impartial and objective performance of the contract. Such conflict of  interests could arise in particular as a result of economic interest, political or national  affinity, family or emotional ties, or any other relevant connection or shared interest. Any  conflict of interests which may arise during performance of the contract shall be notified  to the contracting authority without delay. In the event of such conflict, the contractor  shall immediately take all necessary steps to resolve it.  Article 9b  Conflict of interest  August 2020 c4e_annexigc_en  Page 8 of 36 