The Litigation Unit is responsible for:

• replying to administrative complaints which may be lodged under relevant provisions of the Staff Regulations; and for
• representing the Secretary General, and where appropriate by having recourse to external experts , in internal procedures, in particular before the Administrative Tribunal of the Council of Europe, and in any litigation with third parties.

Appeals before the Administrative Tribunal

When an administrative complaint has been rejected, the claimant may appeal to the Administrative Tribunal set up by the Committee of Ministers. To this end, the claimant has sixty days from the date of notification of the decision of the Secretary General.
The Litigation Unit represents the Secretary General in the written procedure (exchange of submissions and at the hearing before the Tribunal (oral argument).
The Administrative Tribunal
Once a decision is reached, the Litigation Unit is responsible for the follow-up of the execution of the decision within thirty days from the date on which it was delivered and informs the Tribunal of the measures taken.

Litigation with third parties

The Litigation Unit is responsible for defending the interests of the Council of Europe and its staff members, in accordance with the appropriate modalities of the type of action introduced by the third party.