
Article 1 
The Group of Experts on Trafficking in Human Beings, hereinafter referred to as ‘the group’, is hereby established.
Article 2 
The group’s tasks shall be:

((a)) to advise the Commission on matters related to trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims by issuing written contributions, as appropriate and agreed with the Commission, and ensuring a coherent approach to the subject;
((b)) to help the Commission to assess the evolution of policy in the field of trafficking in human beings at national, European and international levels;
((c)) to assist the Commission in identifying and defining possible relevant measures and actions at national, European and international level across the range of the anti-trafficking policies;
((d)) to provide a forum for discussion on matters related to trafficking in human beings and bring about exchanges of experience.
Article 3 
The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to trafficking in human beings.
Article 4 

1. The group shall be composed of 15 members.
2. The members of the group shall be individuals with expertise and experience in the prevention and the fight against trafficking in human beings and protection of its victims.
3. The composition of the group shall reflect the balance of expertise required on the different forms of trafficking as well as the various aspects involved, such as, but not limited to labour, healthcare, law enforcement, migration, victims support, development cooperation, gender, children, fundamental rights and education.
4. Members of the group must be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or, if appropriate, of a candidate or potential candidate country or a European Economic Area country.
5. Members are appointed by the Director-General of DG Home Affairs from among those who have responded to the call for applications (see Annex to the present Decision).
6. 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.
7. Members are appointed in a personal capacity for a period of 4 years. They shall remain in office until replaced or until their term of office ends. Their term of office may be renewed.
8. 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 this Article, or Article 339 of the Treaty, may be replaced for the remainder of their term of office.
9. Members shall act independently and in the public interest.
10. The names of the group’s members shall be published in the Register of Commission expert groups and other similar entities and on the Internet site of DG Home Affairs.
11. Personal data shall be collected, processed and published in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001.
Article 5 

1. The group shall be chaired by the EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator.
2. In agreement with the Commission, the group may set up sub-groups to examine specific questions on the basis of terms of reference defined by the group. Such groups shall be dissolved as soon as their mandate is fulfilled.
3. The Chairperson may invite experts from outside the group with specific competence in a subject on the agenda to participate in the work of the group or a sub-group on an ad-hoc basis.
4. The Chairperson may invite official representatives of Member States, candidate countries, potential candidates or third countries and of international, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations to participate in the meetings of the group as invited experts or observers.
5. At the latest 2 months after the beginning and 2 months after the halfway point of the term of office, the Commission and the group shall meet in order to exchange their views regarding the working priorities of the group.
6. The working priorities shall reflect the need for a coordinated, multi-disciplinary and coherent policy response to all aspects of trafficking in human beings.
7. Members of the group as well as invited experts and observers shall comply with the obligations of professional secrecy laid down by the Treaties and their implementing rules, as well as with the Commission’s rules on security regarding the protection of EU classified information, laid down in the Annex to Commission Decision 2001/844/EC, ECSC, EURATOM. Should they fail to respect these obligations, the Commission may take appropriate measures.
8. The meetings of the group and sub-groups shall be held on Commission premises. The Commission shall provide secretarial services.
9. The group shall submit its opinions and reports to the Commission. The Commission may fix a deadline by which an opinion or a report is to be delivered.
10. The deliberations of the group shall not be subject to any vote. When an opinion or a report is adopted unanimously by the group, the latter shall establish common conclusions and attach them to the minutes. When the group fails to reach unanimous agreement on an opinion or a report, it shall inform the Commission of the dissenting views expressed.
11. 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.
12. The Commission shall publish relevant information on the activities carried out by the group either by including it in the Register or via a link from the Register to the Internet site of DG Home Affairs.
Article 6 

1. Participants in the activities of the group shall not be remunerated for the services they render.
2. Travel and subsistence expenses incurred by participants in the activities of the group shall be reimbursed by the Commission in accordance with the provisions in force within the Commission.
3. Those expenses shall be reimbursed within the limits of available appropriations allocated under the annual procedure for the allocation of resources.
Article 7 
Decision 2007/675/EC is repealed.
Article 8 
This Decision shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and shall apply for 5 years.
ANNEX

By Decision 2011/502/EU, the Commission has set up the Group of Experts on Trafficking in Human Beings. The EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator will chair the group and may consult the group on any matter relating to trafficking in human beings.
The tasks of the group of experts are:

((a)) to advise the Commission on matters related to trafficking in human beings by issuing written contributions, as appropriate and agreed with the Commission, and ensuring a coherent approach to the subject;
((b)) to help the Commission to assess the evolution of policy in the field of trafficking in human beings at national, European and international levels;
((c)) to assist the Commission in identifying and defining possible relevant measures and actions at European and national level across the range of anti-trafficking policy;
((d)) to provide a forum for discussion on matters related to trafficking in human beings and bring about an exchange of experience.
The Commission is therefore calling for applications with a view to selecting members of the group of experts.
The group of experts shall consist of 15 members appointed in their personal capacity, in accordance with Article 4 of the above Decision.
The Commission shall select members in a personal capacity for a 4-year renewable period. They shall give the Commission an independent opinion free from outside influence and shall respect the conditions of confidentiality mentioned in Article 5 of the Commission Decision establishing the group of experts. They shall undertake to act independently and in the public interest. The Commission will take the following criteria into account when assessing applications:

((a)) proven competence, high level of professional achievement and experience (at least 5 years), including at European and/or international level, in areas of activities in preventing and fighting trafficking in human beings and protecting victims and/or related areas;
((b)) sound understanding of the current EU acquis in the field of trafficking in human beings;
((c)) demonstrated ability to work in English;
((d)) the need to strike a balance within the group of experts in terms of representativeness of applicants, gender and geographical origin;
((e)) the need for a balance of expertise on different forms of trafficking including labour and sexual exploitation, on different aspects such as prevention, prosecution, victims’ assistance, as well as in other related areas such as, but not limited to law enforcement, labour, migration, healthcare, social services, children’s rights, education and on fundamental rights, social rights, gender equality, etc.;
((f)) the need to favour continuity of the work of the Experts Group established by Commission Decision 2007/675/EC;
((g)) Members of the group must be nationals of a Member State of the European Union or, if appropriate, of a candidate or potential candidate country or a European Economic Area country.
The above will be assessed on the basis of the filled-in CV and application form.
Applications may only be submitted by filling in the model application form (Appendix) and model CV. Applicants are asked to clearly state in their application the area of trafficking in human beings in which they possess particular expertise.
The duly signed applications must be sent in by 14 October 2011 at the latest either by e-mail or by post to the following address:
European CommissionDirectorate-General for Home AffairsUnit A2 SecretariatLX 46 3/1311049 Bruxelles/BrusselBELGIQUE/BELGIËHOME-ANTITRAFFICKING@ec.europa.eu
Where applications are sent by e-mail, the date of e-mail will be the date of sending. Where applications are sent by post, the postmark will be considered the date of sending.
The Commission will reimburse travel and subsistence expenses in connection with the activities of the group of experts in accordance with the provisions in force at the Commission, within the limits of the available budgetary appropriations. Members will receive no remuneration for their duties.
The list of members of the group of experts will be published in the Register of Commission expert groups and other similar entities and on the Internet site of DG Home Affairs.
Personal data will be collected, processed and published in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
For any further information please contact Ms Joanna BECZAŁA, tel. +32 22969639, e-mail joanna.beczala@ec.europa.eu
Information on the results of the call for applications will be published on the Internet site of DG Home Affairs and, if appropriate, in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Appendix