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Public Health

About

The two Scientific Committees (SCCS and SCHEER) each consist of up to 19 members appointed for a period of 5 years. These members are well-established scientists with more than 10 years of professional experience and multi-disciplinary accomplishments.

They were appointed following an open call for expression of interest. In addition to attending plenary meetings, members participate in working groups and in other activities.

When a Scientific Committee receives a request for scientific advice ('mandate') from the Commission, it establishes a working group to work on this mandate. Working groups consist of at least one member of the Scientific Committee that convened it. External experts may be part of the working group if, due to the specific nature of the request, specific expertise is needed that is not available with the Committee.

External experts are usually selected via an open call for expression of interest from the reserve list of candidates who applied for membership, from the database of experts or from an ad hoc call for experts.

Members and external experts of a working group are designated by its Chair, in agreement with the Chair of the Scientific Committee and in collaboration with the Secretariat.

Working Groups are chaired by a Committee Member. The Scientific Committee designates a Rapporteur from Members and external experts participating in the working group. Rapporteurs are responsible for assembling information, editing and revising draft Opinions and ensuring that draft reports and scientific Opinions are prepared within a set time period. The Rapporteur works in close co-operation with the Secretariat.

All experts participating in the Scientific Committees’ work need to declare their commitment, confidentiality and any possible conflicts of interests concerning the subject matter before participating in the work. Declarations of interests are updated orally at each meeting. The declarations are published after the work on the particular subject matter has been concluded. Likewise, the composition of a working group is published only once an Opinion has been approved by the Scientific Committee.