Article 15 Composition and operation of the crisis unit

The crisis unit shall be composed of the members of the network of crisis coordinators (or their alternates) from the Commission, the EFSA, at least from the Member States directly concerned and, if required, specialised representatives of the Commission, EFSA, ECDC and, when relevant, other Union agencies and the Member State(s) directly concerned. Communication specialists of the relevant bodies at national and Union level shall also be part of the crisis unit.

The crisis unit may also consider consulting other experts or the whole network of crisis coordinators, if necessary for the management of the crisis, and may request permanent or ad hoc assistance from specific experts.

The Commission's crisis coordinator (or his/her alternate) shall chair the crisis unit. He/she shall ensure the smooth operation of the crisis unit and the distribution of tasks amongst members, taking into account their competence. As soon as the crisis unit is set up, the Chair shall invite members of the crisis coordinators' network for a first meeting.

The Chair shall ensure coordination between the work of the crisis unit and the decision-making process. He/she shall be assisted by the appropriate technical expert(s) of the concerned technical unit(s) in the Commission.

Crisis coordinators from affected Member States shall ensure participation in the meetings, audio- and video-conferences of the crisis unit in terms of availability, expertise and level of responsibility. EFSA, ECDC and the concerned EURL shall provide scientific and technical assistance within their competence as necessary.

The crisis unit shall be responsible for maintaining close contact and information sharing with the concerned stakeholders.

The crisis unit shall be responsible for the preparation of the coordinated communication strategy towards the public and in particular on setting evidence-based messages in real-time.

The Commission shall provide sufficient secretarial support for organising meetings of the crisis unit (e.g. drafting of minutes and other administrative needs) and make available to the crisis unit the human and material resources necessary for its smooth operation (e.g. meeting rooms, means of communication, etc.). The crisis unit shall use the technical arrangements in place for the existing alert networks to communicate or disseminate information, particularly to distribute requests for information and to collect this information.