Experts who have the relevant scientific knowledge and expertise to contribute to the STECF working groups and wish to participate to the meetings are asked to express their interest by registering themselves.

A different registration page is available for each STECF meeting and experts should register separately for each one of the meetings they wish to attend.

The registration application can be reached through the link provided on the meeting's webpage following the steps below:

• On the STECF web-site select the 'Meetings' tab,
• In the 'Up coming meetings' list, please select the meeting of your choice,
• In the section 'Registration information' click the 'Register here' link.
• You will then be transferred to the 'JRC Events Registration Suystem'.

The first time you access the site you need to create an account using the link “Create User Account” (top-right of the page). If you already have a user account from the past on this site use this account clicking on “Login”. If you forgot your password, click on “Login”, fill in your email address and press on the button “Password Reminder”. Once you have entered the system, select under the “Ispra” menu the month that the meeting will take place and the name of the meeting. Please read the Privacy statement and accept it by checking at the bottom of the page “I accept the Events registration statement”. Fill in the information requested. To finalise the registration, click on the “Register” link. Your registration will be accepted (if all data is provided) and you will receive a confirmation email.

PLEASE NOTE: Registration allows for a list of potential participants to be compiled. It is only after the 'Selection Procedure' that the final list of participants for each meeting is decided and Invitation Letters are sent. Therefore, the experts that have registered are not to make any travel and accommodation arrangements before they receive an Invitation Letter.

For more details on the travel and the accommodation please read the 'Logistics' item.

Meetings of the STECF and its working groups are approved and convened by the Commission.

Before each meeting the focal point in DG MARE, the STECF Secretariat and the meeting's chairman inform relevant organizations of the upcoming meeting and invite their experts to express their interest to participate within a set period of time.

The aforementioned in charge of each meeting use the list of the experts registered to draw the final list of the meeting's participants. The experts' experience and the relevance of their field of expertise to the Terms of Reference to be dealt with during each meeting are among the criteria applied in the selection procedure.

An Invitation Letter is sent to all the meeting's participants. Experts who expressed interest but were not selected are informed by the STECF secretariat after the end of the selection procedure.

It is a general policy of the Commission and the STECF to ensure transparency in the scientific advisory process. Accordingly meetings of the STECF or Expert Working Groups (EWGs) shall be open to observers unless decided otherwise by the Commission.

If a meeting is open for observers, this is indicated on the meeting's website.

If there are more requests for attendance than can be accommodated, preference will be given to persons affiliated to the Regional Advisory Councils and the Advisory Committee for Aquaculture and Fisheries.

Especially for EWGs dealing with the evaluation of multi-annual management plan evaluations, the number of observers requesting for attendance was significantly higher in the past than the number of observers which could possibly be accommodated. Consequently, the number of observers representing a certain RAC is limited to three for individual EWGs. The RACs are expected to coordinate a balanced participation through their secretariats before individual observers' registrations are made for EWGs. Note: RAC observers are expected to represent their RAC rather than their individual affiliation (association, entity, NGO, lab, etc.).

Those interested in participating to a meeting as observers need to individually register their interest through the registration system as described above. When registering observers are requested to indicate the RAC they represent in the comment field. Note that registrations have to be done individually as this is the only way that JRC-STECF secretariat can comply with EU legal provisions for the protection of personal data.

PLEASE NOTE: Only those receiving an invitation letter to attend a meeting as observers will be granted access to a meeting. Those accepting this invitation are deemed to have agreed to comply with the protocol for observers as described below.

STECF members and external experts, invited to attend both STECF meetings and Expert Working Groups (EWGs), are appointed or invited in their personal capacity. They shall act independently of Member States or stakeholders (Article 13 of Commission Decision 2005/629/EC). Both STECF members and external experts shall not divulge any information acquired as a result of the work done during the meeting other than divulging the opinions of the STECF (Article 14 of Commission Decision 2005/629/EC). The outcomes of the working group analysis cannot be quoted as STECF opinions (Article 8 of Commission Decision 2005/629/EC). Only the STECF is entitled to deliver an advice (Article 2 of Commission Decision 2005/629/EC).

It is a general policy of the Commission to ensure transparency and participation of stakeholders to the decision making process.

The STECF Rules of Procedure, adopted in October 2011 after having consulted the Commission, formalized, inter alia, the conditions and procedures to allow the participation of stakeholders as observers to the STECF meetings.

LAST UPDATE 20 OCTOBER 2011

It is a general policy of the STECF to ensure transparency in the scientific advisory process. Accordingly meetings of the STECF or EWGs shall be open to observers unless decided otherwise by the Commission. With a view to facilitate the participation of observers without negatively affecting the logistics and performance of STECF and EWG meetings the following rules shall apply:

1. The Commission will determine the maximum number of observers to be admitted to any meeting based on conference room capacity and the need for a balanced participation preserving the scientific nature and integrity of the work. If there are more requests for attendance than can be accommodated, priority will be given to representatives of the Regional Advisory Councils and the Advisory Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
2. Observers may attend meetings in person but may not vote;
3. Observers may make oral statements during the meeting upon the invitation of the Chair;
4. Observers may engage in other activities as appropriate and as approved by the Chair.
5. Observers shall comply with the same rules and procedures applicable to STECF members and external experts as outlined in Article 14(1) of Commission Decision (EC) 629/2005 which states: "Members of the STECF and external experts shall not divulge any information acquired as a result of the work either of the STECF or of the working groups other than divulging the opinions of the STECF."
6. Observers shall have access to the same documentation generally available to meeting participants, except those documents deemed confidential by the Commission (Article 14(2) of Commission Decision (EC) 629/2005.
7. Observers should note that statements and opinions of any persons attending the meeting shall not be attributable.
8. Observers should note that EWGs are responsible for preparing a report to the STECF. The opinions expressed in EWG reports have no official status and should not be interpreted as the opinions of the STECF. The STECF opinions are formed only after formal review in plenum or by written procedure and subsequently published on the STECF website.

Those accepting this invitation are deemed to have agreed to comply with these rules. The chair will ensure that participants are informed of the above rules at the beginning of the meeting. Those not accepting them will be asked to leave. An observer who is found not to have respected the rules in this protocol may be asked to leave a meeting or may be declined admission to subsequent meetings.

Meetings open to observers are indicated on the relevant meeting web pages on the STECF web site where those wishing to participate as observers should register their interest to attend. Registration should be made at least ten working days before the meeting is scheduled to commence.

PLEASE NOTE: the Commission does not reimburse the travel and subsistence costs of observers

(Document of October 2011)