1. Protocol No 7 on Privileges and Immunities of the European Union annexed to the TEU and to the TFEU shall apply to ACER and to its staff.
2. The necessary arrangements concerning the accommodation to be provided for ACER in the host Member State and the facilities to be made available by that Member State, together with the specific rules applicable in the host Member State to the Director, members of the Administrative Board, ACER's staff and members of their families, shall be laid down in a Headquarters Agreement between ACER and the Member State where the seat is located. That agreement shall be concluded after obtaining the approval of the Administrative Board.
1. The Staff Regulations and the Conditions of Employment and the rules adopted jointly by the Union institutions for the purpose of applying the Staff Regulations and the Conditions of Employment shall apply to ACER's staff, including its Director.
2. The Administrative Board, in agreement with the Commission, shall adopt appropriate implementing rules, in accordance with Article 110 of the Staff Regulations.
3. In respect of its staff, ACER shall exercise the powers conferred on the appointing authority by the Staff Regulations and on the authority entitled to conclude contracts by the Conditions of Employment.
4. The Administrative Board may adopt provisions to allow national experts from Member States to be employed on secondment at ACER.
1. The contractual liability of ACER shall be governed by the law applicable to the contract in question.
Any arbitration clause contained in a contract concluded by ACER shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice.
2. In the case of non-contractual liability, ACER shall, in accordance with the general principles common to the laws of the Member States, make good any damage caused by it or by its staff in the performance of their duties.
3. The Court of Justice shall have jurisdiction in disputes over compensation for damages referred to in paragraph 2.
4. The personal financial liability and disciplinary liability of ACER's staff towards it shall be governed by the relevant provisions applying to ACER's staff.
1. Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 26 ) shall apply to documents held by ACER.
2. The Administrative Board shall adopt practical measures for applying Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001.
3. Decisions taken by ACER pursuant to Article 8 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 may be the subject of a complaint to the Ombudsman or of proceedings before the Court of Justice, in accordance with the conditions laid down in Articles 228 and 263 TFEU.
4. The processing of personal data by ACER shall be subject to the Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 27 ) . The Administrative Board shall establish measures for the application of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 by ACER, including measures concerning the appointment of ACER's Data Protection Officer. Those measures shall be established after consulting the European Data Protection Supervisor.
5. ACER may engage in communication activities on its own initiative within its field of competence. The allocation of resources to communication activities shall not be detrimental to the effective exercise of the tasks referred to in Article 3 to 13. Communication activities shall be carried out in accordance with relevant communication and dissemination plans adopted by the Administrative Board.
Protection of classified and sensitive non-classified information
1. ACER shall adopt its own security rules, which shall be equivalent to the Commission's security rules for protecting European Union Classified Information (EUCI) and sensitive non-classified information, including provisions for the exchange, processing and storage of such information, as set out in the Commission Decisions (EU, Euratom) 2015/443 ( 28 ) and (EU, Euratom) 2015/444 ( 29 ) .
2. ACER may also decide to apply the Commission's Decisions referred to in paragraph 1, mutatis mutandis . ACER's security rules shall cover, inter alia, provisions for the exchange, processing and storage of EUCI and sensitive non-classified information.
1. ACER shall be open to the participation of third countries which have concluded agreements with the Union and which have adopted and are applying the relevant rules of Union law in the field of energy including, in particular, the rules on independent regulatory authorities, third-party access to infrastructure and unbundling, energy trading and system operation and consumer participation and protection, as well as the relevant rules in the fields of environment and competition.
2. Subject to the conclusion of an agreement to that effect between the Union and third countries as referred to in paragraph 1, ACER may also exercise its tasks under Articles 3 to 13 with regard to third countries, provided that those third countries have adopted and apply the relevant rules in accordance with paragraph 1 and have mandated ACER to coordinate the activities of their regulatory authorities with those of the regulatory authorities of Member States. Only in such cases the references to issues of cross-border character shall relate to borders between the Union and third countries, and not to borders between two Member States.
3. The agreements referred to in paragraph 1 shall provide for arrangements specifying, in particular, the nature, scope and procedural aspects of the involvement of those countries in ACER's work, including provisions relating to financial contributions and to staff.
4. The Administrative Board shall adopt rules of procedures for relations with third countries referred to in paragraph 1 after receipt of a positive opinion by the Board of Regulators. The Commission shall ensure that ACER operates within its mandate and the existing institutional framework by concluding an appropriate working arrangement with ACER's Director.
1. The provisions of Council Regulation No 1 ( 30 ) shall apply to ACER.
2. The Administrative Board shall decide on ACER's internal language arrangements.
3. The translation services required for ACER's functioning shall be provided by the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union.
1. By 5 July 2024, and every five years thereafter, the Commission, with the assistance of an independent external expert, shall carry out an evaluation to assess ACER's performance in relation to its objectives, mandate and tasks. The evaluation shall in particular address the possible need to modify ACER's mandate, and the financial implications of any such modification.
2. Where the Commission considers that the continued existence of ACER is no longer justified with regard to its assigned objectives, mandate and tasks, it may propose that this Regulation be amended accordingly or repealed after carrying out an appropriate consultation of stakeholders and of the Board of Regulators.
3. The Commission shall submit the evaluation findings referred to in paragraph 1 together with its conclusions to the European Parliament, to the Council and to ACER's Board of Regulators. The findings of the evaluation should be made public.
4. By 31 October 2025, and at least every five years thereafter, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and the Council a report evaluating this Regulation and, in particular, ACER's tasks involving individual decisions. That reports shall, as appropriate, take into account the results of the assessment pursuant to Article 69(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/943.
The Commission, where appropriate, shall submit a legislative proposal together with its report.
Regulation (EC) No 713/2009 is repealed.
References to the repealed Regulation shall be construed as references to this Regulation and shall be read in accordance with the correlation table in Annex II.
