33As to the justification of that crystallisation of the content of the preliminary complaint, it must be remembered, first, that it is settled case-law that the pre-litigation procedure is intended to allow, as a priority, an amicable settlement of the differences arising between officials or other servants and the administration. In order for such a procedure to achieve its objective, it is necessary that the appointing authority be in a position to know with sufficient precision the criticisms formulated by the persons concerned against the contested decision (see, to that effect, Case 58/75 Sergy v Commission [1976] ECR 1139, paragraph 32). The Court also points out that the administration must not interpret complaints in a restrictive manner, but must, on the contrary, examine them with an open mind.
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