The members of the group shall be appointed by the Commission from specialists who have responded to the call for applications to this end, and who are highly qualified in the different technical and scientific aspects of the fields referred to in Article 2 and together cover the widest possible range of scientific and technical disciplines and, consistent with this criteria, on the basis of a geographical distribution which reflects the diversity of scientific issues and approaches in the Community.

The group shall be composed of 11 members.

Candidates found suitable for the position in the group but not appointed shall be invited to be included on a reserve list. The reserve list may be used by the Commission to appoint candidates to replace members.

The following provisions shall apply:

• members shall be appointed in a personal capacity and be required to advise the Commission independently of any outside influence. They shall not delegate their responsibilities to another member or to a third person;

• the term of office of members shall be three years, renewable. However, from the appointment referred to in paragraph 1, members may not remain in post for more than three consecutive mandates. They shall remain in office until they are replaced or their appointments are renewed;

• members who are no longer able to contribute effectively to the group's deliberations, who resign or who do not respect the conditions set out in the first or second indent of this paragraph or Article 287 of the Treaty establishing the European Community may be replaced for the remaining period of their mandate;

• members shall each year sign an undertaking to act in the public interest and a declaration indicating the absence or existence of any interest which may undermine their objectivity;

• the names of members appointed individually shall be published on the Internet site of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development and in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union. The names of members shall be collected, processed and published in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection and processing of personal data4.