Article 1 
1. A European network for the protection of public figures, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Network’, is hereby created. 2. The Network shall consist of the national police services and other services responsible for the protection of the public figures. Each Member State shall designate a single contact point. Information concerning the designated national contact points, including subsequent modifications, shall be transmitted to the General Secretariat of the Council which shall publish the information in the Official Journal.
Article 2 
For the purposes of this Decision, ‘public figure’ shall mean any person, either in an official capacity or in a non-official position to whom a protection service is assigned in accordance with the national legislation of a Member State or pursuant to the regulations of an international or supranational organisation or institution.
Article 3 
1. The Network activity shall be promoted by the Member State holding the Presidency of the Council. 2. Candidate countries and Europol may also designate a contact point to participate in the Network. The Presidency shall consider, on a case-by-case basis, on the participation of the Commission and the General Secretariat of the Council in the activities of the Network as referred to in Article 4(a), (b), (c) and (d).
Article 4 
The Network shall have the following objectives: (a) promoting the exchange of information between the departments participating in the Network, in particular: — general and technical information and experience regarding the protection of public figures, — information on the most appropriate criteria for selecting and training appropriate staff of the services which are responsible for the protection of public figures; (b) promoting the development of a set of common best practices as regards operational activities undertaken by the departments participating in the Network; (c) promoting the mutual secondment of officials of the departments participating in the Network; (d) allowing the departments participating in the Network to exchange information, communicate and develop common views on: — procedures and requests for authorisation by the host Member State of the presence in its territory of the protection services of the requesting State accompanying a public figure, — methods of common action to prevent assaults and attacks, including the way in which officials and resources could be deployed, — protocols on the priority to be granted to the protected public figure during movement of delegations, — collaboration with relevant law enforcement services and other public departments, — recommendations regarding media; (e) favouring the exchange, in accordance with the national legislation, of operational information, either through the contact points or by means of direct contacts between the responsible services, as communicated by the contact points, concerning the application of security in cases where the protection of a public figure has to be assured in two or more Member States; (f) favouring contacts concerning the application of protection in cases where the protection of public figures has to be assured in two or more Member States between the relevant authorities within the Member States responsible for rendering protection services, either through the contact points or by means of direct contacts between the responsible services, as communicated by the contact points.
Article 5 
The Network shall submit an annual report to the Council on the development of its activities. The Council will evaluate the activities of the Network every three years.
Article 6 
This Decision shall take effect on the day following that of its adoption by the Council.