Selection of civil dialogue groups

Legal basis

The European Commission decision of 16 December 2013 set up a framework for the establishment of civil dialogue groups on matters relating to the common agricultural policy.

Following this decision, a call for applications was put out in April 2014. Based on the application procedure, the Commission issued a decision on the composition of thirteen civil dialogue groups in July 2014.

Selection criteria

In general, membership of the civil dialogue groups is open to EU-wide non-governmental organisations, such as representative associations, socio-economic interest groups, civil society organisations, and trade unions registered in the joint European Transparency Register. These organisations can be admitted on condition that they:

• are not represented by a (higher-level) EU-wide umbrella organisation;
• have sufficient capacity to coordinate activities with the Commission and all their members;
• are well-established and stable;
• are active in the relevant field;
• have sufficient expertise in the relevant field.

Calls for applications

The current civil dialogue groups have been appointed for a period of seven years and will operate until mid-2021, in advance of which a new call for applications will be issued.

The selection criteria and terms of appointment for the current groups are outlined in their respective calls for applications, issued in April 2014.