
Article 1 
The ‘Group of experts on Trafficking in Human Beings’, hereinafter referred to as ‘the group’, is hereby set up.
Article 2 

1. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to trafficking in human beings.
2. The group's task shall be:
(a) to establish cooperation between Member States, other parties as listed in Article 3 paragraph 2(b) and the Commission on the range of questions relating to trafficking in human beings;
(b) to help the Commission, by issuing opinions related to the trafficking in human beings, and ensuring a coherent approach to the subject;
(c) to help the Commission assess the evolution of policy in the filed of trafficking in human beings at national, European and international levels;
(d) to assist the Commission in identifying and defining possible relevant measures and actions at European and national level across the range of the anti-trafficking policy;
(e) The Group of Experts shall issue opinions or reports to the Commission at the latter's request or on its own initiative, taking into due consideration the implementation and further development at EU level of the EU Plan on best practices, standards and procedures for combating and preventing trafficking in human beings, and related forms of exploitation. It will also take into account the gender dimension.
3. The Chairperson of the group may advise the Commission that is desirable to consult the group on a specific question.
Article 3 

1. The group shall be composed of 21 members. Call for application to be a member in the group will be published in the Official Journal and at the public website of Directorate-general Justice, liberty and Security.
2. The members of the group of experts shall be appointed from specialists with expertise and experience in the fight against trafficking in human beings, including the labour dimension of trafficking in human beings, taken from:
(a) administrations of the Member States (up to 11 members);
(b) inter-governmental, international and non-governmental organisations active at European level with well documented expertise and experience in the area of trafficking in human beings (up to 5 members);
(c) social partners and employers' associations operating at European level (up to 4 members);
(d) Europol (1 member);
(e) individuals with experience deriving from academic research for public or private universities or institutes in Member States may also become members of the group (up to 2 members).
3. The members referred to in point (a) of paragraph 2 shall be designated and appointed by the Commission on the proposal of Member States. The members referred to in points (b), (c) and (e) of paragraph 2 shall be appointed by the Commission from among those who have responded to the call for applications. The member referred to in (d) of paragraph 2 shall be appointed by Europol.
4. On the basis of the call for applications applicants who were deemed suitable candidates for group membership, but were not appointed, should be placed on a reserve list, with their consent. The Commission will use this list for the appointment of replacements for members, if needed.
5. Members of the group shall remain in office until such time as they are replaced or their terms of office ends.
6. Members who are no longer capable of contributing effectively to the group’s deliberations, who resign or who do not comply with the conditions set out in paragraph 3 of this Article, or Article 287 of the Treaty, may be replaced for the remainder of their term of office.
7. 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.
8. The names of members appointed in a personal capacity shall be published on the Internet site of the DG Justice, Freedom and Security and in the C Series of the Official Journal of the European Union.
9. The names of members shall be collected, processed and published in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001.
Article 4 

1. The group shall elect a Chairperson and two vice Chairpersons from among its members acting by a simple majority.
2. In agreement with the Commission, sub-groups may be set up within the framework of the group to examine specific questions under terms of reference established by the group. The sub-groups shall comprise a maximum of nine members and shall be dissolved as soon as their mandates are fulfilled.
3. Information obtained by participating in the deliberations of the group or its sub-group shall not be divulged if, in the opinion of the Commission, that information relates to confidential matters.
4. The group and its sub-groups shall normally meet on Commission premises in accordance with the procedures and schedule established by it. The Commission shall provide secretarial services to the meetings of the group and its sub-groups. Representatives of interested Commission services may attend meetings of the group and its sub-groups.
5. The group shall adopt its rules of procedure on the basis of the standard rules of procedure adopted by the Commission.
6. The Commission may publish, in the original language of the document concerned, any summary, conclusion, or partial conclusion or working document prepared by the group.
Article 5 

1. The Commission may invite experts or observers from outside the group with specific competence in a subject on the agenda to take part in the work of the group.
2. The Commission may invite official representatives of Member States, candidate countries or third countries and of international, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations to participate at the meeting of the Group of Experts.
Article 6 

1. The Commission shall reimburse travel and, where appropriate, subsistence expenses for member and experts in connection with the group’s activities in accordance with the Commission’s rules on the compensation of external experts.
2. The members, experts and observers shall not be remunerated for the services they render.
3. Meeting expenses are reimbursed within the limits of the annual budget allocated to the group by the responsible Commission services.
Article 7 
Decision 2003/209/EC is repealed.
Article 8 
The Decision shall apply for 3 years.
Done at Brussels, 17 October 2007.
For the Commission
Franco FRATTINI
Vice-President