Article 8 Operation
United Kingdom
The Platform shall be chaired by the representative of the Commission. The Chair shall be assisted by two Co-Chairs chosen from among the senior representatives.
The Chair and the Co-Chairs shall constitute the Bureau.
The Bureau shall prepare and organise the work of the Platform in conjunction with a Secretariat, which shall function as secretariat to the Platform, including the Bureau and working groups. The Secretariat shall be provided by the Commission.
The Platform shall meet at least twice a year.
In executing its mission, the Platform shall adopt decisions on:
its rules of procedure;
2-year work programmes setting out, inter alia, its priorities and a concrete description of the activities referred to in Article 6;
reports of the Platform every 2 years;
the establishment of working groups to examine issues specified in its work programmes including the practical arrangements for those working groups, which are to be dissolved once their mandates are fulfilled.
The Platform shall adopt the decisions referred to in this paragraph by simple majority. The representative of the Commission and the senior representatives shall each have one vote.
The Bureau may, where appropriate, invite experts with a specific competence in the subject under discussion on a case-by-case basis to participate in the Platform's or in a working group's deliberations.
The Platform shall be assisted by the Secretariat referred to in paragraph 1. The Secretariat shall prepare the meetings of the Platform, the Platform's draft work programmes and draft reports, and shall follow up on the Platform's meetings and the conclusions thereof.
The Commission shall regularly inform the European Parliament and the Council about the activities of the Platform, including with regard to joint meetings with expert groups and committees. It shall submit the Platform's work programmes and reports to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.