Article 4 Independence

In the performance of their tasks, the members of the Board shall act independently and shall neither seek nor take instructions from the Union's institutions or bodies, from any government of a Member State or from any other public or private body. The members of the secretariat shall take instructions only from the Board.

The members of the Board shall disclose any potential conflict of interest with respect to a particular assessment or opinion to the Chair, who shall take any appropriate measure, and may decide that the member concerned shall not participate in the preparation and adoption of that assessment or opinion. As regards the Chair, any such difficulty shall be settled by decision of the Board.