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1. The Agency may deploy experts from its own staff as liaison officers. Liaison officers shall enjoy the highest possible protection when carrying out their duties in third countries. Liaison officers shall only be deployed to third countries whose migration and asylum management practices comply with non-derogable human rights standards.

2. Within the framework of the Union’s external policy, priority for the deployment of liaison officers shall be given to those third countries which, on the basis of the information analysis on their situation of asylum referred to in Article 5, constitute countries of origin or transit regarding asylum-related migration. The deployment of liaison officers shall be subject to approval by the Management Board.

3. The tasks of the liaison officers shall include, in compliance with Union law and in a manner that fully respects fundamental rights, establishing and maintaining contacts with the competent authorities of the third country to which they are deployed with a view to gathering information, contributing to the establishment of protection-sensitive migration management and, as appropriate, facilitating access to legal pathways to the Union for persons in need of protection, including by means of resettlement. The liaison officers shall coordinate closely with Union delegations and, where appropriate, international organisations and bodies, in particular the UNHCR.

4. The decision of the Agency to deploy liaison officers to third countries shall be subject to receiving the prior opinion of the Commission. The European Parliament shall be kept fully informed accordingly without delay.