Article 15b Appointment and Term of Office of the Executive DirectorF1

The Executive Director shall be recruited as a temporary member of staff of the Agency in accordance with Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants.

The Executive Director shall be appointed by the Administrative Board on the grounds of merit and documented administrative and managerial skills, as well as relevant competence and experience, from a list of candidates proposed by the Commission, after an open and transparent competition, following the publication of a call for expressions of interest in the Official Journal of the European Union or elsewhere.

The candidate selected by the Administrative Board may be invited at the earliest opportunity to make a statement before the European Parliament and to answer questions from its Members.

The Chairperson of the Administrative Board shall represent the Agency for the purpose of concluding the Executive Director’s contract.

The Administrative Board shall take its decision to appoint the Executive Director by a two-thirds majority of its members.

The term of office of the Executive Director shall be five years. At the end of that term of office, the Commission shall carry out an assessment of the Executive Director’s performance taking into account the future tasks and challenges of the Agency.

On the basis of a proposal from the Commission, taking into account the assessment referred to in the first subparagraph, the Administrative Board may extend the term of office of the Executive Director once for a period of up to four years.

Any decision to extend the term of office of the Executive Director shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority of members of the Administrative Board.

An Executive Director whose term of office has been extended may not thereafter take part in a selection procedure for the same post.

The Administrative Board shall inform the European Parliament of its intention to extend the Executive Director’s term of office. Before the extension, the Executive Director may be invited to make a statement before the relevant committees of the European Parliament and answer Members’ questions.

The Administrative Board may dismiss the Executive Director, on the basis of a proposal of the Commission or of one third of its members, by means of a decision adopted by a two-thirds majority of its members.

The European Parliament and the Council may call upon the Executive Director for an exchange of views on the work and prospects of the Agency before those institutions, including with regard to the multiannual and the annual work programme. That exchange of views shall not touch upon matters relating to the security accreditation activities covered by Chapter III.