OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 9
31.1.63 OFFICIALJOURNALOFTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES 181/63
RULESOFPROCEDURE OFTHECOMMISSION
(63/41/EEC)
INDEXOFARTICLES
CHAPTERI-THECOMMISSION Page
Article1,CollegiatenatureoftheCommission 11
SectionI-ActsoftheCommission
Article2,Decisionsatmeetings 11
Article3.Conveningofmeetings 11
Article4,Agenda 11
Article5,Chairmanship 11
Article6,Quorum 11
Article7,Majority 11
Article8,Confidentiality ofmeetings 11
Article9,Attendanceofofficialsorotherpersons 11
Article10,Minutes 11
Article11,Decision-making bywrittenprocedure 11
Article12,InstrumentsadoptedbytheCommission 12
SectionII-Preparationandimplementation ofactsoftheCommission
Article13,Fieldsofresponsibility 12
Article14,Workinggroups. 12
Article15,Personalstaff * 12
Article16,ExecutiveSecretary 12
CHAPTERII-ADMINISTRATION
Article17,Unityofadministration 12
Article18,Administrative structure 12

10 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
Page
Article19,Allocationofresponsibilities 12
Article20,Divisions 12
Article21,Coordination 13
f
Article22,Officialchannels 13
Article23,Promptdispatchofbusiness 13
CHAPTERIII-DEPUTIZING ANDDELEGATION OFPOWERS
Article24,DeputizingforthePresident 13
Article25,DeputizingfortheExecutiveSecretary 13
Article26,Deputizingforseniorofficials , 13
Article27,Delegationofpowers 13
Article28,ApplicabilityofrulesofproceduretoPresidentandVice-Presidents ..13
Article29,Finalprovision 13

OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 11
THECOMMISSION , Article6
HayingregardtothesecondparagraphofArticle
162oftheTreaty,
HASADOPTED THESERULESOFPROCEDURE :Fivememberspresentshallconstituteaquorum.
Article7
InaccordancewiththefirstparagraphofArticle163
oftheTreaty,actsoftheCommissionshallrequire
fortheiradoptionatleastfivevotesinfavour.
Article8CHAPTER I
THECOMMISSION
Article1MeetingsoftheCommissionshallnotbepublic.
Discussionsshallbeconfidential .
TheCommissionshallactcollectivelyinaccordance
withtheseRules.Article9
SectionI
ActsoftheCommission
Article2SaveasotherwisedecidedbytheCommission,the
ExecutiveSecretarytotheCommissionandhisde­
putyshallattendmeetings.
IntheabsenceofamemberoftheCommission ,one
ofthemembersofhispersonalstaffmayattendthe
meetingandstatetheviewsoftheabsentmember.
ThePresidentmay,attherequestofamemberofthe
Commission,invitecertainofficialstobepresentfor
thewholeorpartofanymeetingandtospeak.The
Commissionmay,bywayofexception,decidetohear
anyotherpersonatameeting.ActsoftheCommissionshall,asageneralrule,be
adoptedatmeetings.
Article3
Article10MeetingsoftheCommissionshallbeconvenedbythe
President .
TheCommissionshall,asageneralrule,meetat
leastonceaweek.Itshallholdadditionalmeetings
whenevernecessary.MinutesshallbetakenofallmeetingsoftheCom­
mission.
ThedraftminutesshallbesubmittedtotheCommis­
sionforapprovalatasubsequentmeeting.Theap­
provedminutesshallbeauthenticatedbythesigna­
tureofthePresidentandthecountersignature ofthe
ExecutiveSecretary.Article4
Article11ThePresidentshallpreparethedraftagendaforeach
meeting.Anyitemputforwardbyamemberofthe
Commissionforinclusionmustbeplacedonthe
draftagenda.
Thedraftagendaandthenecessaryworkingdocu­
mentsmustbecirculatedtothemembersofthe
CommissionwithinthetimelimitsetbytheCom­
mission.
AnymemberoftheCommissionmayrequestor,in
hisabsence,havearequestmadeforthedeferment
toalatermeetingofthediscussionofanitemonthe
draftagenda.
TheCommission,havingbeforeitthedraftagenda
andanyrequestsforadmendmentsthereto,shallap­
provetheagendaatitsmeeting.Itmaydecide
unanimouslytodiscussaquestionwhichisnoton
thedraftagendaorinrespectofwhichthenecessary
workingdocumentshavebeendistributedlate.TheagreementoftheCommissiontoaproposalby
oneofitsmembersmaybeobtainedbymeansofa
writtenprocedure.
Forthispurpose,thetextoftheproposalshallbe
circulatedinwritingtoallmembersoftheCommis­
sion,withatimelimitwithinwhichmembersmust
notifyanyreservationsoramendmentstheywishto
make.
AnymemberoftheCommissionmay,inthecourse
ofthewrittenprocedure,requestthattheproposal
bediscussedatameeting.Insuchcase,thematter
shallbeplacedontheagendaofthenextmeetingof
theCommission :
AproposalonwhichnomemberoftheCommission
hasmadeareservationandmaintainedituptothe
timelimitsetforawrittenprocedureshallbedeemed
tobeagreedbytheCommission .Suchagreement
shallbenotedintheminutesofthenextmeeting.Article5
ThePresidentoftheCommissionshalltakethechair
atmeetings.

12 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
TheCommission shallestablishdetailedrulesfor
givingeffecttothisArticle.
Article12withthemannerinwhichactsoftheCommission
arebeingimplemented .
Heshalltaketheniecessarystepstoensureofficial
notification ofactsoftheCommission andtheir
publicationintheOfficialJournaloftheEuropean
Communities .
Heshallberesponsibleforday-to-dayliaisonwith
theotherinstitutionsoftheEuropeanCommunities ,
subjecttoanydecisionbytheCommissiontoexercise
anyfunctionitselfortoassignittoitsmembersor
departments .ActsadoptedbytheCommission,atameetingorby
writtenprocedure,shallbeauthenticated inthelan­
guageorlanguagesinwhichtheyarebindingbythe
signaturesofthePresidentandtheExecutiveSecre­
tary.
Thetextsofsuchacts'shallbeannexedtotheminutes
inwhichtheir,adoptionisrecorded.
ThePresidentshall,asmayberequired,notifyacts
adoptedbytheCommissiontothosetowhomthey
areaddressed .
SectionIICHAPTERII
ADMINISTRATION
Article17Preparationandimplementation ofactsoftheCom­
mission
Article13Anumberofdepartmentsformingasingleadminis­
trativeserviceshallassisttheCommissionintheper­
formanceofitsofficialfunctions.
ThefirstparagraphofthisArticleshallbewithout
prejudicetotheprovisionsofArticle13.TheCommissionmayassigntoitsmembersrespon­
sibilityforthepreparationandimplementation of
actsoftheCommissioninparticularfields.
Whereafieldofresponsibility speciallyassignedtoa
memberoftheCommissioncoincideswiththatofa
Directorate-General orequivalentdepartment ,the
lattershalltakeitsinstructionsfromthatmember.Article18
Theadministrative servicesoftheCommissionshall
consistofDirectorates-General andequivalentde­
partments .
Directorates-General shallbedividedintoDirector­
ates,andDirectoratesintoDivisions.Article14
Article19TheCommissionmaysetupworkinggroupsofits
membersforthepreparationofitsdiscussions,in
particularonmatterswithinthefieldofresponsi­
bilityofaDirectorate-General orequivalentdepart­
ment.
Whereaworkinggroupisconcernedwithafieldof
responsibility speciallyassignedtoamemberofthe
CommissionunderArticle13,thatmembershallbe
chairmanofthegroup.TheCommissionshallestablishatableofduties,in
whichthefunctionsofeachDirectorate-General ,Di­
rectorateandDivisionaresodefinedastominimize
overlappingandduplication .
Inspecialcasestheallocationofdutieswithina
Directorate-General orequivalentdepartmentmaybe
temporarilymodifiedforthedurationofthecurrent
budgetyearbythememberoftheCommissionwho
isresponsibleforthatDirectorate-General ordepart­
mentinpursuanceofArticle13.Suchmodification
shallatoncebebroughttothenoticeoftheCom­
mission,whichmayreverseit.Article15
ThePresidentandmembersoftheCommissionmay
eachappointpersonalstafftoassistthemintheir
work.
Article16
Article20TheExecutiveSecretaryshallassistthePresidentin
thepreparationofmeetingsoftheCommission,in
implementing thewrittenproceduresprovidedforin
Article11,andinensuringthatpropereffectisgiven
toactsoftheCommission .
Tothisend,heshallseethattherulesarecomplied
withregardingsubmission ,ofdocumentswhichthe
CommissionistoconsiderandshallacquainthimselfThebasicadministrative unitshallbeaDivision.
RelatedmattersshouldbegroupedwithinaDivision;
unduefragmentation ofresponsibilities istobe
avoided.
Asageneralrule,eachmatterasitarisesmustbe
assignedtoaDivision.

OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 13
Article21 theeventofequallengthofservice,bythesenior
memberbyage.
Article25
WheretheExecutiveSecretaryispreventedfrom
exercisinghisfunctions,theyshallbeexercisedby
theDeputyExecutiveSecretaryor,wherethisitnot
possible,byanofficialdesignatedbytheCommis­
sion.Theadministrative unitsoftheCommission shall
workintheclosestpossiblecoordination .Beforesub­
mittingadocumenttotheCommissiontheymust
advisealldepartmentswhich,accordingtothetable
ofdutiesorfromthenatureofthesubject,arecon­
cernedinthematter,soastoavoidduplicationand
sothattheiragreementorcommentsmaybeobtained.
Thedepartmentresponsibleforthedocumentshall
endeavourtoreachagreementwiththedepartments
consultedonasingleproposal.Intheeventofdis­
agreement,itmustmentioninitsproposalthediffer­
ingviewsexpressedbythedepartmentsconsulted.Article26
SaveasotherwisedecidedbytheCommission ,where
anyseniorofficialispreventedfromexercisinghis
functions,hisplaceshallbetakenbythelongest
servingsubordinateofficialpresentand,inthe.event
ofequallengthofservice,bytheofficialwhoisthe
seniorbyageinthehighestcategoryandgrade.Article22
Article27Alldepartmental communications ,whetherwritten
ororal,mustbemadethroughtheofficialchannels,
savewherespecialinstructionsareissued.
Unlessauthorizedtotakedecisionsthemselves,staff
shouldlaybeforeorrefertotheirimmediatesuperior
allproposals,reports,statementsofviews,etc.
Asuperiormayamendtheformandcontentofany
draftsubmittedtohim;adraftsubmittedbyasub­
ordinateshall,atthisrequest,beplacedonthefile.
Article23TheCommissionmayempoweritsmembersandoffi­
cialstotake,onitsresponsibility ,alloranyofthe
measures,inparticularfinancialmeasures,required
forthepreparationandimplementation ofacts
adoptedbytheCommissionwithinthescopeoftheir
sduties.
Powersconferredundertheprecedingparagraphmay
bedelegatedorsub-delegatedonlywithinthelimits
expresslylaiddownbytheenablingdecisions.Formal
noticeofdelegationorsub-delegation shallbe
broughttotheknowledgeoftheCommissionwithout
delay.Onceissued,suchdelegationorsub-delegation
shallremainvalidsolongasthedelegantcontinues
tobereplacedbyadeputy,savewherethedeputy
decidesotherwise .
Unlesstheyhavebeendelegatedtohimpersonally,
powersvestedinanofficialshallbevalidalsofor
hisdeputy.Allofficialbusinessmustbedispatchedaspromptly
andeconomicallyaspossible.Expeditedactionshould
berequestedonlyinexceptionalcasesandwhere
reallynecessary.
Ifamattercannotbesettledquickly,aninterim
replymustbesent;thisappliesespeciallyindealings
withindividuals .
Allofficialbusinessrequiresadecisioninwriting
showinghowithasbeendealtwithorwhataction
istobetaken;suchdecisionmaybehandwrittenon
theoriginaldocument.Article28
ProvisionsoftheseRulesofProcedurerelatingto
membersoftheCommissionshallalsoapplytothe
PresidentandVice-Presidents oftheCommission .
Finalprovision
Article29CHAPTERIII
DEPUTIZING ANDDELEGATION OFPOWERS
Article24TheseRulesofProcedureshallbepublishedinthe
OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities .
IfthePresidentispreventedfromexercisinghis
functions,theyshallbeexercisedbyoneoftheVice­
PresidentschosenintheorderlaiddownbytheCom­
mission.IfthePresidentandtheVice-Presidents are
preventedfromexercisingthosefunctions,theyshall
beexercisedbythelongestservingmemberand,inDoneatBrussels,9January1963.
FortheCommission
ThePresident
WalterHALLSTEIN