Preparing for a RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED meeting
1. Meetings where RESTREINT UE/EU RESTREINT information is due to be discussed shall only be held in a meeting room that has been accredited at the appropriate level or higher. Where these are not available, staff shall seek the advice of the Commission security authority.
2. As a general rule, agendas should be not classified. If the agenda of a meeting mentions classified documents, the agenda itself shall not automatically be classified. Agenda items shall be worded in a way that avoids jeopardising the protection of the Union or one or more of the Member States' interests.
3. If electronic files containing RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED information are to be attached to the agenda, it is mandatory to protect them with cryptographic products approved by the Commission Crypto Authority.
4. Meeting organisers shall remind participants that any comments sent in on a RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED agenda item must not be sent through ordinary open e-mails, or through other means that have not been appropriately accredited in accordance with Article 11 of this Decision.
5. Meeting organisers shall endeavour to group RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED items consecutively on the agenda in order to facilitate the smooth functioning of the meeting. Only persons with a need-to-know may be present during discussions of classified items.
6. The invitation itself shall forewarn the participants that the meeting will discuss classified topics, and that corresponding security measures will apply.
7. The invitation or note on the agenda itself shall remind participants that portable electronic devices are to be switched off during discussion of RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED items.
8. Meeting organisers shall prepare a complete list of external participants prior to the meeting.
Electronic equipment in a RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED meeting room
1. Only accredited IT systems in accordance with Article 11 of this Decision may be used where classified information is conveyed, such as to give a presentation that displays RESTRICTED EU/EU RESTRICTED information, or for videoconferences.
2. The Chair shall ensure that unauthorised portable electronic devices have been switched off.
Procedures to be followed during a RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED meeting
1. At the start of the classified discussion, the Chair shall announce to the meeting that it is moving into classified mode. The doors and blinds shall be closed.
2. Only the necessary number of documents shall be given to participants and interpreters, as appropriate, at the start of the discussion.
RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED documents shall not be left unattended during any breaks in the meeting.
3. At the end of the meeting, the participants and interpreters shall be reminded not to leave any classified documents or classified notes they might have made lying unattended in the room. Classified documents or notes not taken away by the participants at the end of the meeting shall be collected by the meeting organisers and shredded in appropriate shredders.
4. The list of participants and an outline of any classified information shared with Member States and released orally to third countries or international organisations shall be noted down during the meeting in order to be recorded in the outcome of proceedings.
Interpreters and translators
Only interpreters and translators who are subject to the Staff regulations or the Conditions of Employment of other servants of the European Union or who have a contractual link to the Commission shall have access to RESTREINT UE/EU RESTRICTED information.
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
