Artikel 7

1. Except as provided for in the second sentence of this paragraph the staff of the Secretariat shall be governed by the staff rules adopted by the Council under the provisions of Article 5.2(b). Where the conditions of employment of a staff member of the Secretariat are not governed by the said rules, they shall be governed by the law applicable in the country where the person concerned is carrying out his duties.
2. Staff shall be recruited on the basis of their qualifications, account being taken of the international character of EUMETSAT. No post may be reserved to nationals of a specific Member State.
3. Staff of national bodies of the Member States may be employed by and made available to EUMETSAT for a specific period.
4. The Council shall, in conformity with Article 5.2(e), approve appointments and dismissals of senior staff as defined in the staff rules. Other staff members shall be appointed and may be dismissed by the Director-General acting under authority delegated by the Council. The Director-General shall have authority over the Secretariat staff as a whole.
5. The Member States shall respect the international character of the responsibilities of the Director-General and members of the Secretariat. In the exercise of their duties, the Director-General and members of the Secretariat shall neither seek nor accept instructions from any Government or any authority external to EUMETSAT.