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 Register for Events Module'.

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”. Once you have entered the system, select the meeting you wish to register for. 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 chair 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.

Especially for EWGs dealing with topics such as the evaluation of multi-annual management plans or the Landing obligations in EU fisheries, 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. 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.

(last update: 8 July 2022)

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. Priority will be given to representatives of the Advisory Councils, Member States and Member States Regional Groups.
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 have access to the same documentation generally available to meeting participants, except those documents deemed confidential by the Commission (Article 7(1) of Commission Decision (EC) C 74/05/2016.
6. Observers shall not have access to the meetings’ sharepoints, that serve as the experts protected workspace, and corresponding databases.
7. Observers should note that statements and opinions of any persons attending the meeting shall not be attributable. Observers are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.
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.

These rules shall be subject to review and revision, as appropriate.

Meetings open to observers are indicated on the relevant meeting webpages on the STECF website 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.

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