Article 4 Operation

The Director-General of DG JLS appoints the Chair of the group.

The group shall submit its opinions and reports to the Commission. The content of such reports and opinions is not binding on the Commission or any other EU Institution. The Commission may fix a deadline by which the opinion or report shall be delivered.

When an opinion or report is adopted unanimously by the group, the latter shall establish common conclusions and attach them to the minutes. If the group fails to reach unanimous agreement on an opinion or report, it shall inform the Commission of the dissenting views expressed.

In agreement with the Commission, sub-groups may be set up to examine specific questions under terms of reference established by the group; they shall be disbanded as soon as these have been fulfilled. Reports compiled by such sub-groups must be approved by the group and the same provisions in the above paragraph apply in cases where unanimous agreement is not reached.

The Commission’s representative may ask other experts or observers with specific competence on a subject on the agenda to participate in the group’s or sub-group’s deliberations if this is useful and/or necessary.

Information obtained by participating in the group’s or sub-group’s deliberations must be considered as confidential and may only be divulged if the Commission expressly says so. At the termination of their appointment each member of the group and/or its sub-groups remains bound by the rules of confidentiality.

The group and its sub-groups normally meet on Commission premises in accordance with the procedures and schedule established by it. The Commission will provide secretarial services. Commission officials with an interest in the proceedings may attend these meetings.

The group shall adopt its rules of procedure on the basis of the standard rules of procedure adopted by the Commission.

The Commission may publish on the Internet, in the original language of the document concerned, any résumé, conclusion, or partial conclusion or working document of the group that is not confidential in nature. The documents presented by the group will be subject to the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001^f1.