# C_2009308EN.01002201.xml

| 18.12.2009 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 308/22 |
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18.12.2009

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 308/22

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Call for applications regarding Commission Decision 2009/427/EC setting up the expert group for technical advice on organic production

2009/C 308/10

1.   Background

Background

By Commission Decision 2009/427/EC (1), the Commission set up the expert group for technical advice on organic production, hereinafter referred to as ‘the group’.

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The group’s task shall be to assist the Commission in:

| (a) | evaluating products, substances and techniques which can be used in organic production, taking into account the objectives and principles laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 (2), |
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(a)

evaluating products, substances and techniques which can be used in organic production, taking into account the objectives and principles laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 (2),

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| (b) | improving existing rules and developing new production rules, |
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(b)

improving existing rules and developing new production rules,

| (c) | bringing about an exchange of experience and good practices in the field of organic production. |
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(c)

bringing about an exchange of experience and good practices in the field of organic production.

The Commission may consult the group on any matter in the field of organic production.

The Commission is therefore calling for applications with a view to appointing the members of the group and establishing the relevant pool list.

2.   Features of the group

Features of the group

2.1.   Composition

Composition

The group should be composed of scientists and other experts with competences related to organic production and should deliver independent, excellent and transparent technical advice to the Commission.

It shall consist of 13 members appointed by the Commission from specialists with competence in the areas referred to in this call who have presented an application and have been selected accordingly.

The Commission will also establish the pool list of candidates that could not be appointed as permanent members although they were considered suitable for a position in the group in the course of the selection procedure. A maximum of 91 experts will be selected for the pool list.

The pool list can be used to appoint replacements for members of the group or to appoint members of subgroups. In agreement with the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, subgroups may be set up to examine specific questions under terms of reference established by the group. Such groups shall be dissolved as soon as their mandates are fulfilled.

Subgroups shall each be composed of up to seven members from the members of the group or from the pool list referred to in Article 4(3) of Decision 2009/427/EC.

2.2.   Term of the appointment

Term of the appointment

Members of the group are appointed for a three-year renewable term of office and may not serve for more than three consecutive mandates. They shall remain in office until such time as they are replaced in accordance with Article 4(6) of Decision 2009/427/EC or their term of office ends.

The composition of the group and of the pool list will be reviewed every three years by launching a call for applications.

2.3.   Independence and confidentiality

Independence and confidentiality

The members of the group and of the subgroups shall be appointed in a personal capacity and shall advise the Commission independently of any outside influence.

Members appointed in a personal capacity shall each year sign an undertaking to act in the public interest and a declaration indicating the absence or existence of any interest which may undermine their objectivity. They shall also declare at each meeting any specific interest which may be considered prejudicial to their independence in relation to the items on the agenda.

They shall also respect the conditions of confidentiality mentioned in Article 5(4) of Decision 2009/427/EC.

2.4.   Transparency

Transparency

The names of members appointed in a personal capacity in the group and in the subgroups and those included in the pool list shall be published on the Internet site of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and in the Register of Expert Groups.

The members’ names will be collected, processed and published in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regards to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (3).

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2.5.   Attendance at meetings

Attendance at meetings

Applicants should be prepared to attend meetings systematically, to contribute actively to discussions in the group and in the subgroups, to examine documents and to act as ‘chairs’ or ‘vice-chairs’ and/or ‘rapporteurs’ on an ad hoc basis.

The group and its subgroups shall normally meet on Commission premises in accordance with the procedures and schedule established by it.

The Commission shall reimburse travel and, where appropriate, subsistence expenses for members and experts in connection with the group’s activities in accordance with the Commission’s rules on the compensation of external experts.

No remuneration shall be paid for services rendered under Decision 2009/427/EC.

Meeting expenses are reimbursed within the limits of the annual budget allocated to the group by the responsible Commission services.

Most of the working documents will be in English and meetings will normally be conducted in English.

Applicants should take into account that meetings generally involve preparatory work.

3.   Application procedure

Application procedure

Interested individuals are required to submit their application to the European Commission.

An application will be deemed admissible only if it includes the following documents:

| 1. | Covering letter (see Annex 1) in particular explaining the applicant’s motives for answering this call. |
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1.

Covering letter (see Annex 1) in particular explaining the applicant’s motives for answering this call.

| 2. | Selection form (see Annex 2) where applicants must describe their professional experience and expertise as against the criteria listed in this call. |
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2.

Selection form (see Annex 2) where applicants must describe their professional experience and expertise as against the criteria listed in this call.

| 3. | Self-assessment form (see Annex 3). |
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3.

Self-assessment form (see Annex 3).

| 4. | Privacy statements: register of expert groups, call for applications and group activities and organisation of meetings (see Annex 4a and b). |
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4.

Privacy statements: register of expert groups, call for applications and group activities and organisation of meetings (see Annex 4a and b).

| 5. | Declaration of commitment (see Annex 5). |
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5.

Declaration of commitment (see Annex 5).

| 6. | Declaration of interests and of conduct (see Annex 6). |
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6.

Declaration of interests and of conduct (see Annex 6).

| 7. | Declaration concerning confidentiality (see Annex 7). |
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7.

Declaration concerning confidentiality (see Annex 7).

| 8. | A curriculum vitae (CV), preferably not exceeding three pages, where applicants must document their professional experience and expertise in full. The CV should also contain information required in this call under Chapter 4. The requirements, Section A. Eligibility criteria, point (1), (2), (3) and (6), in particular: university diploma, number of years of experience, nationality, and level of knowledge of the English language, as explained below. All CVs should be submitted in the European format:
  http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/vernav/Europasss+Documents/Europass+CV.csp |
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8.

A curriculum vitae (CV), preferably not exceeding three pages, where applicants must document their professional experience and expertise in full. The CV should also contain information required in this call under Chapter 4. The requirements, Section A. Eligibility criteria, point (1), (2), (3) and (6), in particular: university diploma, number of years of experience, nationality, and level of knowledge of the English language, as explained below. All CVs should be submitted in the European format:

Eligibility criteria

http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/vernav/Europasss+Documents/Europass+CV.csp

| 9. | Check list for applications (see Annex 8). |
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9.

Check list for applications (see Annex 8).

All the documents listed above should be duly filled in, legible, and signed. They will also be accessible from the European Commission Organic Farming website http://www.organic-farming.eu in PDF and WORD format in order to allow them to be downloaded, filled in and signed.

All the documents listed above will be used in the selection procedure.

Each application must be completed in one of the official languages of the European Union, clearly indicating the applicant’s nationality and including the necessary documentation.

However, applications in English would facilitate the evaluation procedure. If another language is used, it would be desirable to include a summary of the CV in English.

applications in English would facilitate the evaluation procedure

Supporting documents (e.g. publications) may be requested at a later stage.

4.   The requirements

The requirements

QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE

A.   Eligibility criteria

Eligibility criteria

| 1. | University level of education corresponding to a complete cycle of studies attested by a diploma of minimum three years, in areas including at least one of the following categories from (a) to (m):






  (a) | plant production in particular plant protection |
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1.

University level of education corresponding to a complete cycle of studies attested by a diploma of minimum three years, in areas including at least one of the following categories from (a) to (m):

(a)

plant production in particular plant protection

| (b) | plant production in particular plant nutrition |
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(b)

plant production in particular plant nutrition

| (c) | animal husbandry in particular animal nutrition |
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(c)

animal husbandry in particular animal nutrition

| (d) | animal husbandry in particular animal health |
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(d)

animal husbandry in particular animal health

| (e) | animal husbandry in particular animal welfare |
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(e)

animal husbandry in particular animal welfare

| (f) | aquaculture |
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(f)

aquaculture

| (g) | beekeeping |
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(g)

beekeeping

| (h) | food additives and processing aids |
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(h)

food additives and processing aids

| (i) | food technology/processes |
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(i)

food technology/processes

| (j) | soil science |
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(j)

soil science

| (k) | toxicology |
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(k)

toxicology

| (l) | market research |
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(l)

market research

| (m) | ecology. |
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(m)

ecology.

| 2. | A total period of at least 10 years, at the date of submitting the application, of technical and/or scientific professional experience in one, or preferably more, of the categories referred to in points (a) to (m) under this chapter Section A. Eligibility criteria (1), since obtaining the diploma mentioned above under point (1). |
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2.

A total period of at least 10 years, at the date of submitting the application, of technical and/or scientific professional experience in one, or preferably more, of the categories referred to in points (a) to (m) under this chapter Section A. Eligibility criteria (1), since obtaining the diploma mentioned above under point (1).

Eligibility criteria

| 3. | Applicants must be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or a European Free Trade Association (EFTA) state or a candidate country at the date of publication of this call. |
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3.

Applicants must be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or a European Free Trade Association (EFTA) state or a candidate country at the date of publication of this call.

| 4. | Applicants must complete the Declaration of interests and of conduct included in the application in an extensive, accurate and complete manner. |
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4.

Applicants must complete the Declaration of interests and of conduct included in the application in an extensive, accurate and complete manner.

| 5. | Applicants must present all the documentation referred to in points (1) to (9) of Chapter 3. Application procedure. |
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5.

Applicants must present all the documentation referred to in points (1) to (9) of Chapter 3. Application procedure.

| 6. | Good knowledge of the English language. |
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6.

Good knowledge of the English language.

B.   Selection criteria

Selection criteria

The Commission will take the following criteria into account when assessing applications:

| — | proven technical and/or scientific excellence and experience in one or, preferably, more categories referred to in points (a) to (m), under this chapter Section A. Eligibility criteria (1), in the field of organic production, |
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proven technical and/or scientific excellence and experience in one or, preferably, more categories referred to in points (a) to (m), under this chapter Section A. Eligibility criteria (1), in the field of organic production,

Eligibility criteria

| — | proven technical and/or scientific excellence in one or, preferably, more categories mentioned from (a) to (m) under this chapter Section A. Eligibility criteria (1), |
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—

proven technical and/or scientific excellence in one or, preferably, more categories mentioned from (a) to (m) under this chapter Section A. Eligibility criteria (1),

Eligibility criteria

| — | experience of working with legislation, policy, and standards in the field of organic production at national and/or international level, |
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—

experience of working with legislation, policy, and standards in the field of organic production at national and/or international level,

| — | experience of working with production systems in relation to animal, plant, food production (whole system approach) preferably in the field of organic production, |
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—

experience of working with production systems in relation to animal, plant, food production (whole system approach) preferably in the field of organic production,

| — | ability to analyse complex information and dossiers, and to prepare draft technical/scientific reports, preferably in the field of organic production, |
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ability to analyse complex information and dossiers, and to prepare draft technical/scientific reports, preferably in the field of organic production,

| — | experience in peer-reviewing technical/scientific work and publications, preferably in the field of organic production, |
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—

experience in peer-reviewing technical/scientific work and publications, preferably in the field of organic production,

| — | breadth of experience in terms of working in different geographical regions and climatic conditions, |
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—

breadth of experience in terms of working in different geographical regions and climatic conditions,

| — | professional experience in a multidisciplinary environment, preferably in an international context, and language skills, |
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—

professional experience in a multidisciplinary environment, preferably in an international context, and language skills,

| — | organisational/managerial skills, in particular in participating, chairing and organising working groups, and/or experience of project management related to technical/scientific matters. |
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—

organisational/managerial skills, in particular in participating, chairing and organising working groups, and/or experience of project management related to technical/scientific matters.

Applicants should be willing to work with electronic methods for the management and exchange of documents.

5.   Selection procedure

Selection procedure

The selection procedure will consist of four stages:

| 1. | verifying the admissibility and eligibility criteria; |
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1.

verifying the admissibility and eligibility criteria;

| 2. | assessing applications against the selection criteria; |
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2.

assessing applications against the selection criteria;

| 3. | establishing a list of most suitable applicants; |
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3.

establishing a list of most suitable applicants;

| 4. | appointing members of the group and establishing the pool list. |
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4.

appointing members of the group and establishing the pool list.

The selection board will be composed of representatives of Commission services responsible for policy and legislation in various sectors in connection with the activities concerned by this call.

After the verification of the admissibility and eligibility criteria each application will be assessed individually against the selection criteria by at least two members of the selection board.

The selection board will establish a list of most suitable applicants who fulfil the criteria for membership of the group and for listing in the pool.

In its selection process, the Commission will also consider:

| — | the need to strike a balance within the group of experts in terms of applicants’ representativeness, gender and geographical origin, |
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—

the need to strike a balance within the group of experts in terms of applicants’ representativeness, gender and geographical origin,

| — | the applicant’s experience and technical/scientific background, |
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—

the applicant’s experience and technical/scientific background,

| — | the applicant’s independence (potential conflicts of interest), |
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—

the applicant’s independence (potential conflicts of interest),

| — | that members of the group should collectively cover the widest possible range of disciplines. |
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—

that members of the group should collectively cover the widest possible range of disciplines.

Overall the group and the relevant pool list will reflect the categories from (a) to (m) referred to in this call in Chapter 4 Section A. Eligibility criteria (1). For each of these 13 categories a maximum number of eight applicants will be selected.

Eligibility criteria

6.   Appointment of members

Appointment of members

The Commission will appoint the members of the group and establish the pool list from the list of applicants resulting from the selection process and that will have confirmed their availability to work in the group or to be included in the pool list.

7.   Submission of applications and closing date

Submission of applications and closing date

Applications must be submitted not later than Friday 12 February 2010 by 16.00 Brussels local time, by registered post (date as postmarked) to the following address: European Commission, DG AGRI Unit H3 - Organic farming, Rue de la Loi 130, 3/224, 1049 Brussels, BELGIUM.

Friday 12 February 2010 by 16.00

The Commission reserves the right to disregard any application received after this date.

Email or hand delivered applications will not be accepted.

The envelopes must specify:

Expert group for technical advice on organic production — call for applications

Expert group for technical advice on organic production — call for applications

All candidates applying to this call for applications will be informed of the outcome of the selection process.

For any further information please contact the functional mailbox:

agri-exp-gr-organic@ec.europa.eu

Note: In the event of any inconsistency or discrepancy between the English version and any other language versions of this publication, the English language version shall prevail.

Note

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(1)  OJ L 139, 5.6.2009, p. 29.

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(2)  OJ L 189, 20.7.2007, p. 1.

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(3)  OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.

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ANNEX 1

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ANNEX 2

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ANNEX 3

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ANNEX 4

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ANNEX 5

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ANNEX 6

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ANNEX 7

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ANNEX 8

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