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1. Without prejudice to the principle of energy solidarity, this Article shall apply when Member States which are indirectly connected via another Member State and have received a request for voluntary contribution pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Article contribute to provide the requested gas volumes pursuant to Article 13(1) or (2), using voluntary measures as referred to in Article 13(3), point (c).

2. The Member State requesting solidarity under Article 13 may send a request for a voluntary contribution on the basis of market-based measures simultaneously to one or more other, indirectly connected Member States to seek the most advantageous offer or combination of offers, on the basis of the cost, speed of delivery, reliability and diversification of gas supplies pursuant to Article 13(4).

Requests pursuant to the first subparagraph of this Article shall be submitted to the indirectly connected Member States potentially being able to provide gas volumes on the basis of voluntary measures, to the Commission and to the crisis managers designated pursuant to Article 10(1), point (g), at least 48 hours before the indicated delivery time for gas. Those requests shall include at least the information referred to in Article 13(8b), first subparagraph. Member States that receive the request pursuant to the first subparagraph of this Article shall respond to the requesting Member State, and inform the Commission and the crisis managers designated pursuant to Article 10(1), point (g), within 18 hours, indicating whether they can make an offer for gas volumes on the basis of voluntary measures. The response shall include at least the information referred to in Article 13(8a). Member States may respond by indicating their inability to contribute using market-based measures.

3. When the sum of the gas volumes resulting from the offers pursuant to Article 13(1) and (2) and offers pursuant to this Article do not reach the required volumes, offers pursuant to this Article shall be automatically selected. When the sum of the gas volumes resulting from the offers pursuant to Article 13(1) and (2) and offers pursuant to this Article exceed the required volumes, offers pursuant to this Article shall be taken into account in the process of selecting offers pursuant to Article 13(4), and the requesting Member State shall, after consulting all involved Member States, seek the most advantageous offer, or a combination of offers amongst offers pursuant to Article 13 or this Article, on the basis of cost, speed of delivery, reliability and diversification. Where contributions under this Article are selected by the requesting Member States, the request pursuant to Article 13(1) and (2) shall be reduced accordingly. The requesting Member State shall inform the Member States concerned which volumes it has selected within six hours of receipt of the offer and at least 24 hours before the indicated delivery time of gas.

4. Where an indirectly connected Member State provides a voluntary contribution on the basis of market-based measures to the requesting Member State pursuant to paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, fair compensation shall not exceed reasonable costs and may include the costs referred to in Article 13(8a), second subparagraph. The final amount of fair compensation shall be subject to the ex post control mechanism described in Article 13(8c).

5. The transmission system operators of the Member States concerned shall cooperate and exchange information using the ReCo System for Gas established by ENTSOG pursuant to Article 3(6), in order to identify the available interconnection capacities within six hours of a request of a Member State or the Commission. ENTSOG shall inform the Commission and the competent authorities of the Member States concerned accordingly.