ANNEX VIII GENERAL RULES TO BE OBSERVED BY THE JOINT REPRESENTATIVE BODY (JRB)

1. In line with the general Community standardisation procedures, the JRB must work openly and transparently, based on consensus and independent of any particular interests. To this end, all members of the three categories represented on the JRB — infrastructure managers, railway companies and industry — must have the opportunity to express their opinion during the process of drafting TSIs, in accordance with the JRB's rules of procedure and before finalisation of the draft TSIs by the JRB.

2. If the JRB lacks the expertise required in order to draft a particular TSI, it must inform the Commission immediately.

3. The JRB must set up the working parties necessary for the purposes of drafting TSIs; these working parties must have a flexible, efficient structure. To this end, the number of experts must be limited. Balanced representation must be ensured between infrastructure managers and railway companies on the one hand and industry on the other; an appropriate balance must be struck between different nationalities. Experts from non-Community countries may sit in on working parties as observers.

4. Any difficulties which emerge in relation with this Directive and which cannot be resolved by the JRB's working parties must be reported to the Commission without delay.

5. All the working papers necessary in order to monitor the JRB's work must be placed at the disposal of the Commission and the Committee referred to in Article 21.

6. The JRB must take all measures necessary to safeguard the confidentiality of any critical information which comes to its knowledge in the course of its activities.

7. The JRB must take all measures necessary to inform all its members and all experts participating in the working parties of the results of the work of the Committee referred to in Article 21 and of the recommendations made by the Committee and by the Commission.