Commission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries

The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, hereinafter referred to as ‘the group’, or the ‘STECF group’ is hereby set up.

In the field of conservation and management of living marine resources, including biological, economic, environmental, social and technical considerations, the group’s task shall be: (a) to assist the Commission in the preparation of legislative proposals, delegated acts or policy initiatives. (b) to monitor the evolution of policy and bring about an exchange of experience and good practise.

1 The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, aquaculture or similar disciplines. The Commission may require the adoption of such an opinion within a defined period. In agreement with the Commission services the group may also provide opinions on its own initiative to the Commission on such matters.

2 The chair of the group may advise the Commission to consult the group on a specific question.

1 The group shall be composed of not less than 30 members and not more than 35 members.

2 Members shall be individuals appointed in a personal capacity. They shall act independently and in the public interest.

3 Members shall be appointed by the Director-General of DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries from experts with competence in the areas referred to in Article 2 and Article 3(1), and who have responded to the call for applications. The appointment shall include the date when members shall start their term of office. When defining the composition of the group, the Commission shall aim at ensuring, as far as possible, gender balance and a balanced geographical distribution which reflects the diversity of fisheries and aquaculture within the Union, taking into account the outcome of the selection procedure.

4 Members are appointed for three years. They shall remain in office until the end of their term of office, unless they are replaced in accordance with paragraph 6. Their term of office may be renewed. In case the replacement or renewal of the group members has not taken place on the date of the expiry of the three-year period, the members of the group shall remain in office until their replacement or the renewal.

5 Suitable candidates who are not appointed may be included on a reserve list established by the Commission. The reserve list may be used by the Commission for replacement of members who leave the group in accordance with paragraph 6 of this Article. The Commission shall ask applicants for their consent before including their names on the list. Such replacements shall be appointed in accordance with the same conditions as members.

6 Members who are no longer capable of contributing effectively to the group’s deliberations, who resign or who do not comply with the conditions set out in paragraph 3 of this Article, or Article 339 of the Treaty, may be replaced for the remainder of their term of office.

7 The names of members shall be published in the Register of Commission expert groups and other similar entities (‘the Register’) .

8 Personal data shall be collected, processed and published in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001.

1 Experts applying to be appointed as members of the STECF group must disclose any circumstances that may compromise or be reasonably perceived to compromise the expert’s capacity to act independently and in the public interest when providing advice to the Commission, including any relevant circumstances relating to their family members. In particular, the Commission services shall require those experts to submit a declaration of interests (‘DOI form’) and a curriculum vitae, as part of the application procedure. The DOI form shall consist of a series of questions requesting experts to disclose any interest relevant to the subject of the work to be performed. Submission of a duly completed DOI form shall be necessary in order for an individual to be appointed as a member of the group. The declarations of interests shall be made publicly available, as long as the experts in question are members of the group.

2 If the responsible Commission service concludes that, in light of the assessment of DOIs, no conflict of interest exists, the expert in question may be appointed in a personal capacity, provided he/she possesses the expertise required.

3 Members shall be required to inform the competent Commission services as soon as there is any change in the information previously provided, in which case they would be required to submit immediately a newly completed DOI form describing relevant changes.

1 The STECF group shall elect a chair and two vice-chairs from amongst its members by a simple majority for a period of three years. The chair and the vice-chairs of the group may not be elected for the same position for more than two consecutive periods.

2 The chair of the group may appoint rapporteurs from among group members. For particularly complex questions of a multidisciplinary nature, more than one rapporteur may be appointed.

3 The Commission services may invite experts from outside the group with specific competence in a subject on the agenda to take part in the work of the group or the sub-group on an ad hoc basis (external experts).

4 In agreement with the Commission services, the STECF group may set up sub-groups to examine specific questions on the basis of the terms of reference defined by the Commission. The sub-groups shall consist of at least two group members and external experts. Sub-groups shall report to the group within a given time frame in accordance with those terms of reference. Such sub-groups shall be disbanded as soon as their mandate is fulfilled.

5 The Commission shall provide the secretariat for the group and its sub-groups. The secretariat shall be responsible for providing technical and administrative support and coordination to facilitate the efficient functioning of the group and to organise meetings for its sub-groups. Where necessary, the secretariat shall coordinate activities of the group and its sub-groups with those of other European Union and international bodies. Commission representatives with an interest in the proceedings may attend meetings of the group and its sub-groups. Meetings of the expert group and the sub-groups shall, in principle, be held on Commission premises.

6 All relevant documents such as agendas, minutes and participants submissions shall be made available either in the Register or via a link from the Register to a dedicated website, where information can be found. Access to dedicated websites shall not be submitted to user registration or any other restriction. Exceptions to publication shall be foreseen where disclosure of a document would undermine the protection of a public or private interest as defined in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council .

7 The group shall adopt its rules of procedure on the basis of the standard rules of procedure for expert groups.

1 Members of the STECF group and external experts shall comply with the obligations of professional secrecy laid down by the Treaties and their implementing rules, as well as with the Commission’s rules on security regarding the protection of EU classified information, laid down in the Annex to Commission Decisions (EU, Euratom) 2015/443 and 2015/444 . Should they fail to respect these obligations, the Commission may take all appropriate measures.

2 The deliberations of the group shall be confidential. In agreement with the Commission’s services, the group may, by a simple majority of its members, decide to open its deliberations to the public.

1 Members of the STECF group and the external experts shall be entitled to a special allowances for their preparatory work and/or participation in the activities of the group and related external meetings, as set out in the Annex.

2 Travel and subsistence expenses incurred by group members and external experts through participation in the meetings of the group or sub-groups and related external meetings shall be reimbursed by the Commission in accordance with the provisions in force within the Commission.

3 Those expenses shall be reimbursed within the limits of the available appropriations allocated under the annual procedure for the allocation of resources.

Members of the STECF group, appointed in accordance with Article 4 of Decision 2005/629/EC shall remain in office as members of the Committee established by the present Decision until the new members of the group are appointed in accordance with Article 4 of the present Decision. The provisions of this Decision shall apply to them.

Decision 2005/629/EC is repealed.