Regulation (EU) 2016/796 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 5 Creation and composition of the working parties and groups

1. The Agency shall set up a limited number of working parties for the purpose of drawing up recommendations and, where relevant, guidelines, in particular relating to technical specifications for interoperability (‘TSIs’), common safety targets (‘CSTs’), common safety methods (‘CSMs’) and the use of common safety indicators (‘CSIs’).

The Agency may set up working parties in other duly justified cases at the request of the Commission or the Committee referred to in Article 81 (‘the committee’) or on its own initiative, after consulting the Commission.

The working parties shall be chaired by a representative of the Agency.

2. The working parties shall be composed of:

• representatives nominated by the competent national authorities to participate in the working parties,

• professionals from the railway sector selected by the Agency from the list referred to in paragraph 3. The Agency shall ensure adequate representation of those sectors of the industry and of those users which could be affected by measures the Commission may propose on the basis of the recommendations addressed to it by the Agency. The Agency shall strive, where possible, for a balanced geographical representation.

The Agency may, if necessary, appoint to the working parties independent experts and representatives of international organisations recognised as competent in the field concerned. Members of the staff of the Agency may not be appointed to the working parties, except for the chair of the working parties, who shall be a representative of the Agency.

3. Each representative body referred to in Article 38(4) shall forward to the Agency a list of the most qualified experts mandated to represent it in each working party and shall update that list whenever changes occur.

4. Whenever the work of such working parties has a direct impact on the working conditions, health and safety of workers in the industry, representatives designated by the trade-union organisations acting at European level shall participate in the relevant working parties as full members.

5. Travel and subsistence expenses of the members of the working parties, based on rules and scales adopted by the Management Board, shall be met by the Agency.

6. The Agency shall take due account of the outcome of the work done by the working parties when drawing up the recommendations and guidelines referred to in paragraph 1.

7. The Agency shall set up groups for the purposes of Articles 24, 29 and Article 38(1).

8. The Agency may set up groups in accordance with Article 38(4) and in duly justified cases at the request of the Commission or of the committee, or on its own initiative.

9. The work of the working parties and of the groups shall be transparent. The Management Board shall adopt the rules of procedure of the working parties and of the groups, including transparency rules.