EUROPEAN COMMISSION

DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR INTERNAL MARKET, INDUSTRY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP

AND SMES
Ecosystems IV: Mobility & energy intensive industries
I2. Mobility

INFORMAL COMMISSION EXPERT GROUP

MOTOR VEHICLES WORKING GROUP

TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. BACKGROUND

The Motor Vehicle Working Group (“MVWG” - hereinafter “the group”), shall be set up by
the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG
GROW). The group was set up in the 1970s. The group shall act as a consulting body to
advise DG GROW in relation to policy initiatives and legislative proposals related to motor
vehicles. This includes advices on delegated acts and implementing acts.

2. TASKS

The group’s tasks shall be:

1. to assist DG GROW in the preparation of legislative proposals andpolicy initiatives

in the field of motor vehicles

2. to assist DG GROW in the preparation of delegated acts.

3. to establish cooperation/coordination between the Commission and Member States

or stakeholders on questions relating to the implementation of Union legislation,
programmes and policies in the field of motor vehicles

4. to assist DG GROW in the early preparation of implementing acts, before submission

to the committee in accordance with Regulation (EU) N°182/2011.

5. to bring about an exchange of experience and good practice in the field of motor
vehicles

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3. CONSULTATION

The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to policy initiatives and
legislative proposals related to motor vehicles.

4. MEMBERSHIP
1. Members of the group shall be :

• Member States authorities;.

• other public entities
• EU umbrella associations and federations from the automotive industrial value chain
representing different value chain activities ,
• Trade unions,
• Civil society organisations,
• Other associations and academia having a legitimate interest in motor vehicle
legislation and related issues

2. Organisations, Member States and other public entities shall nominate their representatives
and shall be responsible for ensuring that their representatives provide a high level of
expertise.

3. Members who are no longer capable of contributing effectively to the expert group’s
deliberations, who, in the opinion of the Commission department concerned, do not comply
with the conditions set out in Article 339 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union or who resign, shall no longer be invited to participate in any meetings of the group
and may be replaced for the remainder of their term of office.

5. SELECTION PROCESS

1. The selection of the group’s members shall be carried out via a public call for
applications, to be published on the Register of Commission expert groups and other
similar entities (‘the Register of expert groups’)1. In addition, the call for applications
may be published through other means, including on dedicated websites. The call for
applications shall clearly outline the selection criteria. The minimum deadline for
applications shall be four weeks.

2. Registration in the Transparency Register is required in order for organisations to be

appointed.

3. The members of the group shall be appointed by the Director General of DG GROW
from applications with competence in the areas referred to in Point 2 who have
responded to the call for applications.

4. Members shall be appointed for 4 years. They shall remain in office until replaced or
until the end of their term of office. Their term of office may be renewed.

1
Calls for applications are not used to select Member States’ authorities and other public entities, as well
as representative bodies established by Union legislation for advice in specific areas. See Art. 10.1 of
the horizontal rules.

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6. CHAIR

The group shall be chaired by a representative of DG GROW.

7. OPERATION

1. The group shall act at the request of DG GROW, in compliance with the horizontal
rules on the creation and operation of Commission expert groups, the Rules of
Procedure and the present Terms of Reference.

2. The group shall meet at least two times a year.

3. Meetings of the group shall, in principle, be held on Commission premises or

virtually, depending on the circumstances.

4. DG GROW shall provide secretarial services. Commission officials from other

departments with an interest in the proceedings may attend meetings of the group and
its sub-groups.

5. In agreement with DG GROW, the group may, by simple majority of its members,
decide that deliberations shall be public.

6. Minutes on the discussion on each point on the agenda and on the opinions delivered
by the group shall be meaningful and complete. Minutes shall be drafted by the
secretariat under the responsibility of the Chair.

7. When expressing an opinion or issuing recommendations the group shall endeavour to

reach a consensus.

8. Participants with diverging positions may request that their positions and the grounds
on which they are based be recorded in the group's opinions or recommendations.

8. SUB-GROUPS

1. DG GROW may set up sub-groups for the purpose of examining specific questions on
the basis of terms of reference defined by DG GROW. Sub-groups shall operate in
compliance with the horizontal rules and shall report to the group. They shall be
dissolved as soon as their mandate is fulfilled.

2. Sub-groups shall be composed of members of MVWG. Member States and

stakeholders shall appoint representatives to the sub-groups and notify in writing their
names to the MVWG secretariat.

3. The sub-groups shall be chaired by a representative of the Commission.

9. INVITED EXPERTS

The Chair of the group may invite experts with specific expertise with respect to a subject
matter on the agenda to take part in the work of the group or sub-groups on an ad hoc basis.

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10. OBSERVERS

1. The Chair of the group may grant an observer status to candidate countries and to other
non-EU countries where it is in the interest of the EU that such country is involved in the
works of the group, in particular based on an international agreement, an administrative
arrangement or EU legislation.

2. Organisations and public entities may be granted an observer status in a sub-group, in

compliance with the horizontal rules, by direct invitation from the Chair of the group.

3. Observers shall notify in writing the names and the affiliation of their representatives to
the MVWG secretariat. They may also appoint an alternate representative, in which case
they shall notify that person to the MVWG secretariat.

4. The observers shall have the right to participate in the meetings of the group and its sub-
groups, take part in the discussions and provide expertise, however, they shall not
participate in the formulation of recommendations or advice of the group.

11. RULES OF PROCEDURE

On a proposal by and in agreement with DG GROW the group shall adopt its rules of
procedure by simple majority of its members, on the basis of the standard rules of procedure
for expert groups, in compliance with the horizontal rules2.

12. PROFESSIONAL SECRECY AND HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

The members of the group and their representatives, as well as invited experts and observers,
are subject to the obligation of professional secrecy, which by virtue of the Treaties and the
rules implementing them applies to all members of the institutions and their staff, as well as to
the Commission's rules on security regarding the protection of Union classified information,
laid down in Commission Decisions (EU, Euratom) 2015/4433 and 2015/4444. Should they
fail to respect these obligations, the Commission may take all appropriate measures.
13. TRANSPARENCY

1. The group and its sub-groups shall be registered in the Register of expert groups.

2. As concerns the group composition, the following data shall be published on the
Register of expert groups:
(a) the names of member organisations; the interest represented shall be disclosed;
(b) the name of Member States' authorities;
(c) the names of third countries’ authorities;
(d) the name of other public entities;
(e) the name of observers.

2
See Article 17 of the horizontal rules.
3
Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/443 of 13 March 2015 on Security in the Commission (OJ L
72, 17.3.2015, p. 41).
4
Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/444 of 13 March 2015 on the security rules for protecting
EU classified information (OJ L 72, 17.3.2015, p. 53).

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3. All relevant documents, including the agendas, the minutes and the participants’
submissions, shall be made available either on the Register of expert groups or via a
link from the Register to a dedicated website, where this information can be found.
Access to dedicated websites shall not be submitted to user registration or any other
restriction. In particular, the agenda and other relevant background documents shall
be published in due time ahead of the meeting, followed by timely publication of
minutes. Exceptions to publication shall only be foreseen where it is deemed that
disclosure of a document would undermine the protection of a public or private
interest as defined in Article 4 of Regulation (EC) N° 1049/2001.

14. MEETING EXPENSES

1. Participants in the activities of the group and its sub-groups shall not be remunerated
for the services they offer.

2. Travel expenses incurred by its members in the activities of the group as well as the
subgroups ‘Member States Expert Group on Motor Vehicles’ and the ‘Motor
Vehicles Emissions Group’ shall be reimbursed by the Commission for one
representative per Member State in a given meeting.as well as for the subgroups ‘.
Reimbursement shall be made in accordance with the provisions in force within the
Commission and within the limits of the available appropriations allocated to the
Commission departments under the annual procedure for the allocation of resources.

15. APPLICABILITY
These terms of reference shall apply until 31/12/2025 and may be extended by Decision of
DG GROW or the Commission department concerned.

Done in Brussels, on 4 August 2022