Declaration of interest
1. The members of the Management Board, the members of the Advisory Forum, scientific panels and the director shall undertake to act in the public interest.
2. The members of the Management Board, the director, the members of the Advisory Forum, as well as external experts participating in scientific panels shall make a declaration of commitment and a declaration of interests indicating either the absence of any interests which might be considered prejudicial to their independence or any direct or indirect interests which might be considered prejudicial to their independence. Those declarations shall be made annually in writing.
3. The director, the members of the Advisory Forum, as well as external experts participating in scientific panels, shall declare at each meeting any interests which might be considered prejudicial to their independence in relation to the items on the agenda. In such cases these persons have to disqualify themselves from relevant discussions and decisions.
Transparency and protection of information
1. Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents ( 7 ) shall apply to documents held by the Centre.
2. The Management Board shall adopt the practical arrangements for implementing Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 within six months of entry into force of this Regulation.
3. Decisions taken by the Centre pursuant to Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 may give rise to the lodging of a complaint to the Ombudsman or form the subject of an action before the Court of Justice of the European Communities, under the conditions laid down in Articles 195 and 230 of the Treaty respectively.
4. Personal data shall not be processed or communicated except in cases where this is strictly necessary for the fulfilment of the mission of the Centre. In such cases, Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of18 December 2000 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data ( 8 ) shall apply.
Confidentiality
1. Without prejudice to Article 20, the Centre shall not divulge to third parties confidential information that it receives for which confidential treatment has been requested and justified, except for information which must be made public if circumstances so require, in order to protect public health. Without prejudice to Decision No 2119/98/EC, if the confidential information has been submitted by a Member State, this information cannot be disclosed without the prior consent of that Member State.
2. Members of the Management Board, the director, as well as external experts participating in the scientific panels, members of the Advisory Forum, and members of the staff of the Centre, even after their duties have ceased, shall be subject to the requirements of confidentiality pursuant to Article 287 of the Treaty.
3. The conclusions of the scientific opinions delivered by the Centre relating to foreseeable health effects shall on no account be kept confidential.
4. The Centre shall lay down in its internal rules the practical arrangements for implementing the confidentiality rules referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2.
