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1. The Scientific Committee shall be composed of no less than seven and no more than 15 scientists appointed by the Management Board in view of their scientific excellence and their independence, following the publication of a call for expressions of interest in the Official Journal of the European Union and in other appropriate media. The Agency shall inform the competent committee or committees of the European Parliament of appointments to the Scientific Committee and about its work. The procedure for selecting members of the Scientific Committee shall ensure that the specialist fields of the members of the Scientific Committee cover the most relevant fields linked to the objectives of the Agency. The parties involved in appointing members to the Scientific Committee shall aim to achieve gender-balanced representation in the Scientific Committee.

2. The members of the Scientific Committee shall be appointed in their personal capacity for a four-year period, which shall be renewable once.

3. The members of the Scientific Committee shall be independent and shall act in the public interest. They shall neither seek nor take instructions from any government or from any other body.

4. Where a member no longer meets the criteria of independence, she or he shall inform the Management Board. Alternatively, the Management Board may declare, on a proposal of at least one-third of its members or of the Commission, that there is a lack of independence on the part of a member and revoke the appointment of that member. The Management Board shall appoint a new member for the remaining term of office of that member in accordance with the ordinary procedure for the appointment of members.

5. The Scientific Committee shall deliver an opinion where provided for in this Regulation or on any scientific matter concerning the Agency’s activities which the Management Board or the Executive Director may submit to it. The opinions of the Scientific Committee shall be published on the Agency’s website.

6. For the purpose of assessing the risks posed by a new psychoactive substance or a group of new psychoactive substances, the Scientific Committee may be extended as considered necessary by the Executive Director, acting on the advice of the Chairperson of the Scientific Committee, by including experts representing the scientific fields relevant for ensuring a balanced assessment of the risks posed by the new psychoactive substance or the group of new psychoactive substances. The Executive Director shall designate those experts from a list of experts. The Management Board shall approve the list of experts every four years.

7. The Scientific Committee shall elect a Chairperson and a Deputy Chairperson for the duration of the mandate of the Scientific Committee. The Chairperson may participate as an observer in the meetings of the Management Board.

8. The Scientific Committee shall meet at least once a year.

9. The list of members of the Scientific Committee shall be made public and shall be updated by the Agency on its website.