2006/299/EC: Commission Decision of  19 April 2006  setting up a group of experts to provide policy advice to the Commission on fighting violent radicalisation
Date: 2006-04-19
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: advisory committee (EU), fight against crime, operation of the Institutions, powers of the institutions (EU), self-employed person, terrorism

25.4.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 111/9

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 19 April 2006

setting up a group of experts to provide policy advice to the Commission on fighting violent
radicalisation

(2006/299/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Whereas:

(5)

(6)

The group shall be made up of specialists from various
disciplines with experience in analysing and researching
the field of violent radicalisation or fields directly related
to it.

The ‘Expert Group on Violent Radicalisation’ therefore
has to be set up and its terms of reference and structures
detailed,

Article 2 of the Treaty establishing the European Union
requires that the Union shall maintain and develop the
Union as an area of freedom, security and justice.

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

The Union shall provide citizens with a high level of
safety within the area of freedom, security and justice.
That objective shall be achieved by combating terrorism,
including the external dimension of the threat, and by
addressing the factors contributing to violent radicali-
sation.

in its Communication on Prevention,
The Commission,
to terrorist attacks (1) declared
preparedness and response
that opposing violent radicalisation within our societies
and disrupting the conditions facilitating the recruitment
of terrorists must be fundamental priorities in a strategy
to prevent terrorism.

in

its Communication

The Commission,
Terrorist
recruitment: addressing the factors contributing to violent radi-
calisation (2),
recognised the need to call upon the
expertise of specialists in developing further its policy
in the field.

(1) COM(2004) 698 final, 20.10.2004.
(2) COM(2005) 313 final, 21.9.2005.

Article 1

1.
A policy advisory group of experts, to be known as the
‘Expert Group on Violent Radicalisation’, hereinafter referred to
as ‘the group’ is hereby set up by the Commission.

The group shall be made up of qualified individuals
2.
competent to consider matters relating to violent radicalisation
and terrorism.

Article 2

Task

The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating
to violent radicalisation and terrorism.

The group’s task is to:

— bring together the expertise of its members in order to give
policy advice to the Commission. Such advice may be given
either upon the group’s own initiative or upon a specific
request from the Commission,

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Official Journal of the European Union

25.4.2006

— help the Commission identify new research areas required
into the phenomenon of violent radicalisation and terrorism,

existence of any interest which may undermine their objec-
tivity.

— exchange expertise with networks, institutes or other bodies
of the EU, in Member States, third countries and interna-
tional organisations working in the same field,

Article 4

Operation

— in particular, prepare a synthesis report by June 2006 on the
state of play of research in the field of violent radicalisation.

The group’s Chair may indicate to the Commission when it
would be advisable to consult the group on a specific question.

Article 3

Composition — Appointment

The members of the group shall be appointed by the
1.
Director-General of Directorate General
Justice, Freedom and
Security of the European Commission from among specialists
with competence in the areas of violent radicalisation and
terrorism. Such competence must include experience deriving
from academic research and published work.

The group shall be composed of a maximum of 20

2.
members.

3.

The following provisions shall apply:

— the members are appointed in a personal capacity and are
required to advise the Commission independently of any
outside influence,

— members of the group are appointed for a one year mandate
which may be renewed by the Commission. They shall
remain in office until
they resign, are
replaced or their mandate ends,

such time as

— members who are no longer able to contribute effectively to
the group’s deliberations, who resign or who do not respect
the conditions set out in the first or second indent of this
paragraph or Article 287 of
the Treaty establishing the
European Community may be replaced for the remaining
period of their mandate,

— members shall each year sign an undertaking to act in the
public interest and a declaration indicating the absence or

The Director-General of DG JLS appoints the Chair of the

1.
group.

submit

its opinions and reports

The group shall
to the
Commission. The content of such reports and opinions is not
binding on the Commission or any other EU Institution. The
Commission may fix a deadline by which the opinion or report
shall be delivered.

the latter

When an opinion or report is adopted unanimously by the
shall establish common conclusions and
group,
to reach
attach them to the minutes.
unanimous agreement on an opinion or
shall
inform the Commission of the dissenting views expressed.

the group fails
report,

If

it

In agreement with the Commission, sub-groups may be
2.
set up to examine specific questions under terms of reference
established by the group; they shall be disbanded as soon as
these have been fulfilled. Reports compiled by such sub-groups
must be approved by the group and the same provisions in the
above paragraph apply in cases where unanimous agreement is
not reached.

The Commission’s representative may ask other experts or
3.
observers with specific competence on a subject on the agenda
to participate in the group’s or sub-group’s deliberations if this
is useful and/or necessary.

Information obtained by participating in the group’s or
4.
sub-group’s deliberations must be considered as confidential
and may only be divulged if the Commission expressly says
so. At the termination of their appointment each member of
the group and/or its sub-groups remains bound by the rules of
confidentiality.

The group and its

5.
sub-groups normally meet on
Commission premises in accordance with the procedures and
schedule established by it. The Commission will provide secre-
tarial services. Commission officials with an interest
in the
proceedings may attend these meetings.

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The group shall adopt its rules of procedure on the basis
6.
of the standard rules of procedure adopted by the Commission.

The members, or other experts and observers that might be
invited from time to time, shall not be remunerated for their
activities and duties.

language of

The Commission may publish on the Internet,

in the
7.
original
the document concerned, any résumé,
conclusion, or partial conclusion or working document of the
group that
in nature. The documents
presented by the group will be subject to the provisions of
Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 (1).

is not confidential

Article 6

Entry into force

Journal of

The decision shall take effect on the day of its publication in the
is applicable until
Official
19 March 2007. The Commission shall decide on a possible
extension before that date.

the European Union.

It

Article 5

Meeting expenses

Done at Brussels, 19 April 2006.

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

For the Commission

Franco FRATTINI
Vice-President

(1) OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43.