Once the date of the hearing is set in compliance with article 14, the defendant is under the imperative obligation to file his dossier with the Secretariat at the latest on the eighth day preceding the date of the arbitration hearing of which he has been notified. All evidence after this date may if challenged be declared to have been filed too late and therefore inadmissible by the Arbitration Tribunal.

Any counterclaim must be duly formulated at First Degree at the latest 8 days before the date set for the hearing and at the latest within 15 days from the first summons to appear before a Second Degree Arbitration Tribunal. Its acceptance is dependant on payment of arbitration fees according to Articles 41 and 43 before the hearing.

Any counterclaim shall afford to the claimant the possibility of requesting that the Arbitration Tribunal adjourn in order to enable him to present a statement. The Arbitration Tribunal will in this event set a date for the next hearing and the time limits governing exchange of documents and submissions.

The applicant for Second Degree proceedings must file his dossier with the Secretariat within 15 days after depositing the costs, the dossier of the other party having to be filed no later than the eighth day preceding the date of the hearing.

Upon a motivated request to do so, the time limit of 15 days provided for by the preceding paragraph may be exceptionally prorogued by the Chairman of the Arbitration Tribunal, who will then eventually decide to postpone the hearing to a later date.