COMMISSION DECISION

of 9 August 2018

setting up the group of experts serving as Steering Board for Union actions on preventing and countering radicalisation

(2018/C 281/03)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Whereas:

(1) With a view to enhancing efforts to prevent and counter radicalisation leading to violent extremism and terrorism and to improve coordination and cooperation between all relevant stakeholders, the Commission set up a High-Level Commission Expert Group on radicalisation by Decision C(2017)5149 final of 27 July 2017 (1).

(2) In its final report (2) adopted on 18 May 2018, the High-Level Commission Expert Group on radicalisation set out a number of concrete recommendations to contribute to the development and implementation of more targeted and effective measures to prevent and counter radicalisation at Union and Member State level. The recommendations include the establishment of a Union cooperation mechanism to ensure strengthened coordination among policy makers, practitioners and researchers, closer collaboration between the different Union initiatives as well as increased involvement of Member States in advising on the strategic priorities for actions at Union level aimed at supporting Member States in their efforts to prevent and counter radicalisation leading to violent extremism and terrorism.

(3) To ensure the closer involvement of Member States, it is therefore necessary to set up an expert group serving as Steering Board for Union actions on preventing and countering radicalisation (‘the Steering Board’) and to define its tasks and its structure.

(4) The Steering Board should provide Member States with the opportunity to advise the Commission on strategic orientations ensuring that Union initiatives and instruments in preventing and countering all forms of violent extremism and terrorism are geared towards the needs and requirements of the relevant stakeholders in Member States and priorities at Union level.

(5) With a view to gathering the relevant European and national perspectives and expertise, the Steering Board should be composed of high level representatives of the Member States' competent authorities as full members and the European External Action Service (3) and the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator (4) as observers in line with their institutional mandates. Rules on disclosure of information by members of the Steering Board should be laid down.

(6) Personal data should be processed in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5).

(7) Decision C(2017)5149 final of 27 July 2017 should be repealed,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1 Subject matter The group of experts serving as Steering Board for Union actions on preventing and countering radicalisation (‘the Steering Board’) is set up.

Article 2 Tasks The Steering Board shall advise the Commission on: (a) the strategic priorities and orientations in Union cooperation in the area of preventing and countering radicalisation leading to violent extremism and terrorism; (b) possible gaps and scope for improvement in Union cooperation in the area of preventing and countering radicalisation leading to violent extremism and terrorism and the evaluation of measures and mechanisms at Union level.

Article 3 Membership 1. The Steering Board shall be composed of the Member States' competent authorities. 2. The Member States' authorities shall nominate up to two high-level representatives and up to two alternates and shall be responsible for ensuring that their representatives provide a high level of expertise.

Article 4 Chair The Steering Board shall be chaired by the Director-General or the Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (‘DG HOME’) of the Commission.

Article 5 Operation 1. The Steering Board shall act at the request of its chairman in compliance with the Commission's horizontal rules for expert groups (‘the horizontal rules’) (6). 2. Meetings of the Steering Board shall, in principle, be held on Commission premises. 3. The Steering Board shall meet at least once a year. 4. A support and coordination structure within DG HOME shall provide secretarial support to the Steering Board, prepare the work in cooperation with the relevant Commission Directorates-General, inter alia, through the collection of expertise from Member States, researchers and practitioners about developments, trends and need for action, and ensure the appropriate follow-up. Commission officials from the relevant departments with an interest in the proceedings may attend meetings of the Steering Board. 5. In agreement with the Chair, the Steering Board may, by simple majority of its members, decide that deliberations shall be public. 6. Minutes on the discussion on each point on the agenda and on the opinions delivered by the Steering Board shall be meaningful and complete. Minutes shall be drafted by the support and coordination structure under the responsibility of the Chair. 7. The Steering Board shall adopt its opinions, recommendations or reports by consensus. In the event of a vote, the outcome of the vote shall be decided by simple majority of the members. Members who have voted against shall have the right to have a document summarising the reasons for their position annexed to the opinions, recommendations or reports.

Article 6 Invited experts The Chair may invite experts with specific expertise with respect to a subject matter on the agenda to take part in the work of the Steering Board on an ad hoc basis. Those experts may come from either the private or the public sector.

Article 7 Observers 1. The EU Counter Terrorism Coordinator and the European External Action Service should be granted an observer status, in compliance with the horizontal rules, by direct invitation from the Chair. 2. Upon appointment as observers they shall nominate their representatives. 3. Observers and their representatives may be permitted by the Chair to take part in the discussions of the Steering Board and provide expertise. However, they shall not have voting rights and shall not participate in the formulation of recommendations or advice of the Steering Board.

Article 8 Rules of procedure On a proposal by and in agreement with the Chair, the Steering Board shall adopt its rules of procedure by simple majority of its members, on the basis of the standard rules of procedure for expert groups, in compliance with the horizontal rules (7).

Article 9 Professional secrecy and handling of classified information The members of the Steering Board and their representatives, as well as invited experts and observers, are subject to the obligations of professional secrecy, which by virtue of the Treaties and the rules implementing them applies to all members of the institutions and their staff, as well as to the Commission's rules on security regarding the protection of Union classified information laid down in Commission Decisions (EU, Euratom) 2015/443 (8) and (EU, Euratom) 2015/444 (9). Should they fail to respect these obligations, the Commission may take all appropriate measures.

Article 10 Transparency 1. The Steering Board shall be registered in the Register of expert groups. 2. As concerns the Steering Board composition, the name of the Member States' authorities as well as of the observers shall be published on the Register of expert groups. 3. All relevant documents, including the agendas, the minutes and the participants' submissions, shall be made available either on the Register of expert groups or via a link from the Register to a dedicated website, where this information can be found. Access to dedicated websites shall not be submitted to user registration or any other restriction. In particular, the agenda and other relevant background documents shall be published in due time ahead of the meeting, followed by timely publication of minutes. Exceptions to publication shall only be foreseen where it is deemed that disclosure of a document would undermine the protection of a public or private interest as defined in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council (10).

Article 11 Meeting expenses 1. Participants in the activities of the Steering Board shall not be remunerated for the services they offer. 2. Travel and subsistence expenses incurred by participants in the activities of the Steering Board shall be reimbursed by the Commission. Reimbursement shall be made in accordance with the provisions in force within the Commission and within the limits of the available appropriations allocated to the Commission departments under the annual procedure for the allocation of resources.

Article 12 Decision C(2017)5149 final of 27 July 2017 is repealed.

Done at Brussels, 9 August 2018. For the Commission Dimitris AVRAMOPOULOS Member of the Commission

(1) Commission Decision C(2017)5149 final of 27 July 2017 setting-up the High-Level Commission Expert Group on radicalisation (OJ C 252, 3.8.2017, p. 3).

(2) http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regexpert/index.cfm?do=groupDetail.groupDetail&groupID=3552&NewSearch=1&NewSearch=1

(3) Council Decision (2010/427/EU) of 26 July 2010 establishing the organisation and functioning of the European External Action Service (OJ L 201, 3.8.2010, p. 30).

(4) European Council declaration on combating terrorism, 25 March 2004.

(5) Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data (OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1).

(6) Commission Decision C(2016) 3301 final of 30 May 2016 establishing horizontal rules on the creation and operation of Commission expert groups.

(7) Article 17 of the horizontal rules.

(8) Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/443 of 13 March 2015 on Security in the Commission (OJ L 72, 17.3.2015, p. 41).

(9) Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/444 of 13 March 2015 on the security rules for protecting EU classified information (OJ L 72, 17.3.2015, p. 53).

(10) Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents (OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43).