{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2016-827/article-4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2016-827/article-4.json",
  "legislation": "eudn/2016/827",
  "legislation_title": "Commission Decision (EU) 2016/827 of 20 May 2016 on the renewal of the mandate of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2016-827",
  "path": "article/4",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "4",
  "heading": "Membership — Appointment",
  "text": "1. The EGE shall have up to 15 members. Members shall have competence in the remit referred to in Article 2.\n2. Members shall serve in a personal capacity. They shall advise the Commission in the public interest and independently from any outside influence. Members shall inform the Commission in due time of any conflict of interest which might undermine their independence.\n3. Members shall be appointed by the President of the Commission on the basis of a proposal from the Commissioner in charge of Research, Science and Innovation, following the submission of their candidacy to a call for expression of interest for membership of the EGE and a selection process overseen by an Identification Committee, based on the criteria set out in paragraphs 4 and 6 of this Article.\n4. When proposing the composition of the EGE, the Identification Committee shall aim at ensuring, as far as possible, a high level of expertise and pluralism, a geographical balance, as well as a balanced representation of relevant know-how and areas of interest, taking into account the specific tasks of the EGE, the type of expertise required and the response to the call for expression of interest. The EGE shall be independent, pluralist and multidisciplinary.\n5. Each member of the EGE shall be appointed for a term of 2 1 2 years. At the end of a term, his or her appointment may be renewed. Membership of the EGE shall be limited to a maximum of three terms.\n6. The following factors and criteria will be taken into account for the selection of candidates for membership of the Group:\n(a) The composition of the group shall ensure that independent advice of the highest quality can be provided, combining wisdom and foresight. The credibility of the group shall be built on the balance of qualities amongst the women and men who make it up, and they shall collectively reflect the breadth of perspectives across Europe. Gender balance shall be strictly taken into account, and due consideration accorded to age balance and geographical distribution.\n(b) The Members of the group shall be internationally recognised experts, with a track record of excellence and experience at the European and global level.\n(c) The Members shall reflect the broad cross-disciplinary scope of the group's mandate, embracing philosophy and ethics; natural and social sciences; and the law. However, they shall not perceive themselves as representatives of a particular discipline, worldview, or line of research; they shall have a broad vision which collectively reflects an understanding of important ongoing and emerging developments, including inter-, trans-, and multi-disciplinary perspectives, and the need for ethical advice at the European level.\n(d) Beyond their proven reputation, the membership shall collectively bring experience in providing ethical advice to policymakers, acquired across a broad range of Member States, and at European and international levels.\n(e) The group shall include members with experience in bodies such as advisory councils and committees, government advisors, national ethics councils, universities and research institutes. It may be valuable to the group to include members who have gained experience in more than one country and members from outside the European Union.\n7. The selection of the EGE members will be made on the basis of an open call for expression of interest, specifying the modalities for submitting a complete application. The Commission shall publish the call on the Europa website. A link from the Register of Commission expert groups and other similar entities (‘the register of expert groups’) to the Europa website will also be ensured.\n8. Nominations may be submitted, provided the nominee follows the modalities for submitting a complete application.\n9. The list of EGE members shall be published by the Commission in the Register of expert groups.\n10. Suitable candidates who are not appointed pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Article, shall be placed on a reserve list. The President of the Commission may appoint members from the reserve list.\n11. Where a member is no longer capable of contributing effectively to the work of the EGE, or resigns or does not comply with the conditions set out in Article 339 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the President of the Commission may appoint a replacement member from the reserve list, for the remaining duration of the original member's term of office.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2016/827/article/4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-11-01T15:13:57.908439+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}