Regulation (EC) No 2007/2004 is amended as follows: (1) In Article 1, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following: "2. While considering that the responsibility for the control and surveillance of external borders lies with the Member States, the Agency, as a body of the Union as defined in Article 15 and in accordance with Article 19, shall facilitate and render more effective the application of existing and future Union measures relating to the management of external borders, in particular the Schengen Borders Code3▌. It shall do so by ensuring the coordination of Member States' actions in the implementation of those measures, thereby contributing to an efficient, high and uniform level of control 1 OJ L 131, 1.6.2000, p. 43. 2 OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 20. 3 OJ L 105 13.4.2006, p. 1. on persons and surveillance of the external borders of the Member States. The Agency shall fulfil its tasks in full compliance with the relevant Union law, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, international law, including the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees of 28 July 1951 ("the Geneva Convention"), obligations related to access to international protection, in particular the principle of non-refoulement, and fundamental rights and taking into account the reports of the Consultative Forum referred to in Article 26a." (1a) In Article 1, paragraph 3 is replaced by the following: "3. The Agency shall also provide the Commission and the Member States with the necessary technical support and expertise in the management of the external borders and promote solidarity between Member States, especially those facing specific and disproportionate pressures." (2) Article 1a is amended as follows: (a) the following point is inserted: "1a. "European Border Guard Teams" means for the purpose of Article 3, Article 3b, Article 3c, Article 8 and Article 17 teams to be deployed during joint operations and pilot projects; for the purpose of Articles 8a to 8g teams to be deployed for rapid border interventions (hereinafter referred to as "rapid interventions") within the meaning of Regulation (EC) No 863/2007 and for the purpose of points (ea) and (g) of Article 2(1) and Article 5 teams to be deployed during joint operations, pilot projects and rapid interventions;" (aa) point 2 is replaced by the following: "2. "host Member State" means a Member State in which a rapid intervention, a joint operation or a pilot project takes place or from which it is launched;" (b) point 4 is replaced by the following: "4. "members of the teams" means border guards of Member States serving with the European Border Guard Teams other than those of the host Member State;" (c) point 5 is replaced by the following: "5. "requesting Member State" means a Member State whose competent authorities request the Agency to deploy rapid interventions on its territory;" (3) Article 2 is amended as follows: (a) paragraph 1 is amended as follows: (i) points (c) and (d) are replaced by the following: "(c) carry out risk analyses , including the assessment of the capacity of Member States to face threats and pressure at the external borders; (d) participate in the development of research relevant for the control and surveillance of external borders;" (ia) the following point is inserted: "(da) assist Member States in circumstances requiring increased technical and operational assistance at the external borders, taking into account that some situations may involve humanitarian emergencies and rescue at sea;" (ib) point (e) is replaced by the following: "(e) assist Member States in circumstances requiring increased technical and operational assistance at external borders, especially those Member States facing specific and disproportionate pressures;" (ic) the following point is inserted: "(ea) set up European Border Guard Teams that are to be deployed during joint operations, pilot projects and rapid interventions;" (ii) point (f) is replaced by the following: "(f) provide Member States with the necessary support, including, upon request, coordination or organisation of joint return operations;" (iia) point (g) is replaced by the following: "(g) deploy border guards from the European Border Guard Teams to Member States in joint operations, pilot projects or in rapid interventions in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 863/2007;" (iii) the following points ▌are added: "(h) develop and operate, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001, information systems that enable swift and reliable exchanges of information regarding emerging risks at the external borders, including the Information and Coordination Network established by Council Decision 2005/267/EC*; (i) provide the necessary assistance to the development and operation of a European border surveillance system and, as appropriate, to the development of a common information sharing environment, including interoperability of systems. __________________ OJ L 83, 1.4.2005, p. 48." (b) the following paragraph ▌is inserted: "1a. In accordance with Union and international law, no person shall be disembarked in, or otherwise handed over to the authorities of, a country in contravention of the principle of non-refoulement, or from which there is a risk of expulsion or return to another country in contravention of that principle. The special needs of children, victims of trafficking, persons in need of medical assistance, persons in need of international protection and other vulnerable persons shall be addressed in accordance with Union and international law." (c) in paragraph 2 the last subparagraph is replaced by the following: "Member States shall report to the Agency on these operational matters at the external borders outside the framework of the Agency. The Executive Director shall inform the Management Board on these matters on a regular basis and at least once a year." (3a) The following article is inserted: "Article 2a Code of Conduct The Agency shall draw up and further develop a Code of Conduct applicable to all operations coordinated by the Agency. The Code of Conduct shall lay down procedures intended to guarantee the principles of the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights with particular focus on unaccompanied minors and vulnerable persons, as well as persons seeking international protection, applicable to all persons participating in the activities of the Agency. The Code of Conduct shall be developed in cooperation with the Consultative Forum referred to in Article 26a." (4) Article 3 is replaced by the following: "Article 3 Joint operations and pilot projects at the external borders 1. The Agency shall evaluate, approve and coordinate proposals for joint operations and pilot projects made by Member States, including the requests of Member States related to circumstances requiring increased technical and operational assistance, especially in cases of specific and disproportionate pressures. The Agency may itself initiate and carry out joint operations and pilot projects in cooperation with the Member States concerned and in agreement with the host Member States. It may also decide to put its technical equipment at the disposal of Member States participating in the joint operations or pilot projects. Joint operations and pilot projects should be preceded by a thorough risk analysis. 1a. The Agency may also terminate, after informing the Member State concerned, joint operations and pilot projects if the conditions to conduct these initiatives are no longer fulfilled. Participating Member States may request the Agency to terminate a joint operation or pilot project. The home Member State shall provide for appropriate disciplinary or other measures in accordance with their law in case of violations of fundamental rights or international protection obligations in the course of such activities. The Executive Director of the Agency shall suspend or terminate, in whole or in part, joint operations and pilot projects if he/she considers that violations concerned are of a serious nature or are likely to persist. 2. The Agency shall constitute a pool of border guards called European Border Guard Teams in accordance with the provisions of Article 3b, for possible deployment during joint operations and pilot projects referred to in paragraph 1. It shall decide on the deployment of human resources and technical equipment in accordance with Articles 3a and 7. 3. The Agency may operate through its specialised branches provided for in Article 16 for the practical organisation of joint operations and pilot projects. 4. The Agency shall evaluate the results of the joint operations and pilot projects and transmit the detailed evaluation reports within 60 days following the end of the activity to the Management Board, together with the observations of the Fundamental Rights Officer referred to in Article 26a. The Agency shall make a comprehensive comparative analysis of those results with a view to enhancing the quality, coherence and effectiveness of future operations and projects to be included in its general report provided for in Article 20(2)(b). 5. The Agency shall finance or co-finance the joint operations and pilot projects referred to in paragraph 1, with grants from its budget in accordance with the financial rules applicable to the Agency. 5a. Paragraphs 1a and 5 shall apply also to rapid interventions." (5) The following Articles▌are inserted: "Article 3a Organisational aspects of joint operations and pilot projects 1. The Executive Director shall draw up an operational plan for activities referred to in Article 3(1). The Executive Director and the host Member State, in consultation with participating Member States, shall agree on the operational plan detailing the organisational aspects in due time before the envisaged beginning of the activity. The operational plan shall cover all aspects considered necessary for carrying out the joint operation or the pilot project, including the following: (a) a description of the situation, with modus operandi and objectives of the deployment, including the operational aim; (b) the foreseeable duration of the joint operation or pilot projects; (c) the geographical area where the joint operation or pilot project will take place; (d) description of the tasks and special instructions for the guest officers, including on permissible consultation of databases and permissible service weapons, ammunition and equipment in the host Member State; (e) the composition of the teams of guest officers, as well as the deployment of other relevant staff; (f) command and control provisions, including the names and ranks of the host Member State's border guards responsible for cooperating with the guest officers and the Agency, in particular those of the border guards who are in command during the period of deployment, and the place of the guest officers in the chain of command; (g) the technical equipment to be deployed during the joint operation or pilot project, including specific requirements such as conditions for use, requested crew, transport and other logistics, and financial provisions; (ga) detailed provisions on immediate incident reporting by the Agency to the Management Board and to relevant national public authorities; (h) a reporting and evaluation scheme containing ▌benchmarks for the evaluation report and final date of submission of the final evaluation report in accordance with Article 3(4). (i) regarding sea operations, specific information on the application of the relevant jurisdiction and legislation in the geographical area where the joint operation takes place, including reference to international and Union law regarding interception, rescue at sea and disembarkation; (j) modalities of cooperation with third countries, other Union agencies and bodies or international organisations. 2. Any amendments to or adaptations of the operational plan shall require the agreement of the Executive Director and the host Member State. A copy of the amended or adapted operational plan shall immediately be sent by the Agency to the participating Member States. 3. The Agency shall, as part of its coordinating tasks, ensure the operational implementation of all the organisational aspects, including the presence of a staff member of the Agency during the joint operations and pilot projects referred to in this Article. Article 3b Composition and deployment of European Border Guard Teams 1. On a proposal by the Executive Director, the Management Board shall decide by an absolute majority of its members with a right to vote on the profiles and the overall number of border guards to be made available for the European Border Guard Teams. The same procedure shall apply with regard to any subsequent changes in the profiles and the overall numbers. Member States shall contribute to the European Border Guard Teams via a national pool on the basis of the various defined profiles by nominating border guards corresponding to the required profiles. 2. The contribution by Member States as regards their border guards to specific operations for the coming year shall be planned on the basis of annual bilateral negotiations and agreements between the Agency and Member States. In accordance with these agreements, Member States shall make the border guards available for deployment at the request of the Agency, unless they are faced with an exceptional situation substantially affecting the discharge of national tasks. Such a request shall be made at least 45 days before the intended deployment. The autonomy of the home Member State in relation to the selection of staff and the duration of their deployment shall remain unaffected. 3. The Agency shall also contribute to the European Border Guard Teams with competent border guards seconded by the Member States as national experts pursuant to Article 17(5). The contribution by Member States as regards the secondment of their border guards to the Agency for the coming year shall be planned on the basis of annual bilateral negotiations and agreements between the Agency and Member States. In accordance with these agreements, Member States shall make the border guards available for secondment, unless this would seriously affect the discharge of national tasks. In such situations Member States may recall their seconded border guards. The maximum duration of such secondments shall not exceed six months in a twelve month period. They shall, for the purpose of this Regulation, be considered as guest officers and have the tasks and powers referred to in Article 10. The Member State having seconded the border guards in question shall be considered as the "home Member State" as defined in Article 1a(3) for the purpose of applying Articles 3c, 10, and 10b. Other staff employed by the Agency on a temporary basis who are not qualified to perform border control functions shall only be deployed during joint operations and pilot projects for coordination tasks. 4. Members of the European Border Guard Teams shall, in the performance of their tasks and in the exercise of their powers, fully respect fundamental rights, including access to asylum procedures, and human dignity. Any measures taken in the performance of their tasks and in the exercise of their powers shall be proportionate to the objectives pursued by such measures. While performing their tasks and exercising their powers, they shall not discriminate against persons on grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. 5. In accordance with Article 8g, the Agency shall nominate a coordinating officer for each joint operation or pilot project where members of the European Border Guard Teams will be deployed. The role of the coordinating officer shall be to foster cooperation and coordination amongst host and participating Member States. 6. The Agency shall meet the costs incurred by the Member States in making their border guards available pursuant to paragraph 1 for the European Border Guard Teams in accordance with Article 8h. 6a. The Agency shall inform the European Parliament on an annual basis of the number of border guards that each Member State has committed to the European Border Guard Teams in accordance with this Article. Article 3c Instructions to the European Border Guard Teams 1. During deployment of European Border Guard Teams, instructions to the teams shall be issued by the host Member State in accordance with the operational plan referred to in Article 3a (1). 2. The Agency, via its coordinating officer as referred to in Article 3b (5), may communicate its views on those instructions to the host Member State. If it does so, the host Member State shall take those views into consideration. 3. In accordance with Article 8g, the host Member State shall give the coordinating officer all necessary assistance, including full access to the European Border Guard Teams at all times throughout the deployment. 4. Members of the European Border Guard Teams shall, while performing their tasks and exercising their powers, remain subject to the disciplinary measures of their home Member State." (6) Article 4 is replaced by the following: "Article 4 Risk analysis The Agency shall develop and apply a common integrated risk analysis model. It shall prepare both general and tailored risk analyses to be submitted to the Council and the Commission. ▌ For the purpose of risk analysis, the Agency may assess, after prior consultation with the Member State(s) concerned, their capacity ▌to face upcoming challenges, including present and future threats and pressures at the external borders of the Member States, especially for those Member States facing specific and disproportionate pressures. To this end the Agency may assess the equipment and the resources of the Member States regarding border control. The assessment shall be based on information given by the Member State(s) concerned, and on the reports and results of joint operations, pilot projects, rapid interventions and other activities of the Agency. Those assessments are without prejudice to the Schengen Evaluation Mechanism. The results of those assessments shall be presented ▌to the Management Board of the Agency. For those purposes Member States shall provide the Agency with all necessary information regarding the situation and possible threats at the external borders. The Agency shall incorporate the results of a common integrated risk analysis model in its development of the common core curricula for the border guards' training referred to in Article 5." (7) Article 5 is amended as follows: (a) the following paragraphs are inserted before the first paragraph: "The Agency shall provide border guards who are members of the European Border Guard Teams with advanced training relevant to their tasks and powers and shall conduct regular exercises with those border guards in accordance with the advanced training and exercise schedule referred to in the annual work programme of the Agency. The Agency shall also take the necessary initiatives to ensure that all border guards and other personnel of the Member States who participate in the European Border Guard Teams, as well as the staff of the Agency, shall, prior to their participation in operational activities organised by the Agency, have received training in relevant Union and international law, including fundamental rights and access to international protection and guidelines for the purpose of identifying persons seeking protection and directing them towards the appropriate facilities." (b) the first paragraph is replaced by the following: "The Agency shall establish and further develop common core curricula for border guards' training and provide training at European level for instructors of the national border guards of Member States, including with regard to fundamental rights and access to international protection and relevant maritime law. The common core curricula shall be drawn up after consultation of the Consultative Forum referred to in Article 26a. Member States shall integrate the common core curricula in the training of their national border guards." (c) the following paragraph is inserted after the last paragraph: "The Agency shall establish an exchange programme enabling national border guards participating in the European Border Guard Teams to acquire knowledge or specific know-how from experiences and good practices abroad by working with border guards in a Member State other than their own." (8) Articles 6 and 7 are replaced by the following: "Article 6 Monitor and contribution to research The Agency shall proactively monitor and contribute to the developments in research relevant for the control and surveillance of the external borders and disseminate this information to the Commission and the Member States. Article 7 Technical equipment 1. The Agency may acquire, itself or in co-ownership with a Member State, or lease technical equipment for external border control to be deployed during joint operations, pilot projects, rapid interventions, return operations or technical assistance projects in accordance with the financial rules applicable to the Agency. Any acquisition or leasing of equipment entailing significant costs to the Agency shall be preceded by a thorough needs and cost/benefit analysis. Any such expenditure shall be provided for in the Agency's budget as adopted by the Management Board in accordance with Article 29(9). Where the Agency acquires or leases major technical equipment, such as open sea and coastal patrol vessels or vehicles, to be used in joint operations, the following provisions shall apply: – in case of acquisition and co-ownership, the Agency agrees formally with one Member State that the latter will provide for the registration of the equipment in accordance with the applicable legislation of that Member State; – in case of leasing, the equipment must be registered in a Member State. On the basis of a model agreement drawn up by the Agency, the Member State of registration and the Agency shall agree on modalities ensuring the periods of full availability of the co-owned assets for the Agency, as well as on the terms of use of the equipment. The Member State of registration or the supplier of technical equipment shall provide the necessary experts and technical crew to operate the technical equipment in a legally sound and safe manner. 2. The Agency shall set up and keep centralised records of equipment in a technical equipment pool composed of equipment owned either by the Member States or by the Agency and equipment co-owned by the Member States and the Agency for external border control purposes. The technical equipment pool shall contain a minimum number per type of technical equipment defined in accordance with paragraph 5 of this Article. The equipment listed in the technical equipment pool shall be deployed during the activities referred to in Articles 3, 8a and 9. 3. Member States shall contribute to the technical equipment pool referred to in paragraph 2. The contribution by Member States to the pool and deployment of the technical equipment for specific operations shall be planned on the basis of annual bilateral negotiations and agreements between the Agency and Member States. In accordance with those agreements and to the extent that it forms part of the minimum number of equipment for a given year, Member States shall make their technical equipment available ▌for deployment at the request of the Agency, unless they are faced with an exceptional situation substantially affecting the discharge of national tasks. Such requests shall be made at least 45 days before the intended deployment. The contributions to the technical equipment pool shall be reviewed annually. 4. The Agency shall manage the records of the technical equipment pool as follows: (a) classification by type of equipment and by type of operation; (b) classification by owner (Member State, Agency, other); (c) overall numbers of required equipment; (d) crew requirements if applicable; (e) other information such registration details, transportation and maintenance requirements, national applicable export regimes, technical instructions, or other relevant information to handle the equipment correctly. 5. The Agency shall finance the deployment of the equipment which forms part of the minimum number of equipment provided by a given Member State for a given year. The deployment of equipment which does not form part of the minimum number of equipment shall be co-financed by the Agency up to a maximum of 100% of the eligible expenses, taking into account the particular circumstances of the Member States deploying such equipment. The rules, including the required overall minimum numbers per type of equipment, the conditions for deployment and reimbursement of costs, shall be decided in accordance with Article 24 on a yearly basis by the Management Board on a proposal by the Executive Director. For budgetary purposes that decision should be taken by the Management Board by 31 March. The minimum number of equipment shall be proposed by the Agency in accordance with its needs, notably be able to carry out joint operations, pilot projects, rapid interventions and return operations, in accordance with the work programme of the Agency for the year in question. If the minimum number of equipment proves to be insufficient to carry out the operational plan agreed for joint operations, pilot projects, rapid interventions or return operations, it shall be revised by the Agency on the basis of justified needs and of an agreement between the Agency and the Member States. 6. The Agency shall report on the composition and the deployment of equipment which is part of the technical equipment pool to the Management Board on a monthly basis. Where the minimum number of equipment referred to in paragraph 5 is not reached, the Executive Director shall inform the Management Board without delay. The Management Board shall take a decision on the prioritisation of the deployment of the technical equipment urgently and take the appropriate steps to remedy the identified shortcomings. It shall inform the Commission of the identified shortcomings and the steps taken. The Commission shall subsequently inform the European Parliament and the Council, together with its own assessment. 6a. The Agency shall inform the European Parliament on an annual basis of the number of technical equipment that each Member State has committed to the pool in accordance with this Article." (9) Article 8 is amended as follows: (a) paragraph 1 is replaced by the following: "1. Without prejudice to Article 78(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, one or more Member States facing specific and disproportionate pressures and confronted with circumstances requiring increased technical and operational assistance when implementing their obligations with regard to control and surveillance of external borders may request the Agency for assistance. The Agency shall in accordance with Article 3 organise the appropriate technical and operational assistance for the requesting Member State(s)." (b) in paragraph 2 the following point is added: "(ba) deploy border guards from the European Border Guard Teams." (c) paragraph 3 is replaced by the following: "3. The Agency may acquire technical equipment for checks and surveillance of external borders to be used by its experts and within the framework of rapid interventions for their duration." (9a) Article 8a is replaced by the following: "Article 8a Rapid Interventions At the request of a Member State faced with a situation of urgent and exceptional pressure, especially the arrival at points of the external borders of large numbers of third-country nationals trying to enter the territory of that Member State illegally, the Agency may deploy for a limited period one or more European Border Guard Teams (hereinafter referred to as "team(s)") on the territory of the requesting Member State for the appropriate duration in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 863/2007." (9b) In Article 8d, paragraph 5 is replaced by the following: "5. If the Executive Director decides to deploy one or more teams, an operational plan shall immediately, and in any event no later than 5 working days of the date of the decision, be drawn up by the Agency and the requesting Member State in accordance with Article 8e." (10) In Article 8e, paragraph 1 is amended as follows: (a) points (e), (f) and (g) are replaced by the following: "(e) composition of the teams, as well as the deployment of other relevant staff; (f) command and control provisions, including the names and ranks of the host Member State's border guards responsible for cooperating with the teams in particular those of the border guards who are in command of the teams during the period of deployment, and the place of the teams in the chain of command; (g) the technical equipment to be deployed together with the teams, including specific requirements such as conditions for use, requested crew, transport and other logistics, and financial provisions." (b) the following points are added: "(h) detailed provisions on immediate incident reporting by the Agency to the Management Board and to relevant national public authorities; (i) a reporting and evaluation scheme containing ▌benchmarks for the evaluation report and final date of submission of the final evaluation report in accordance with Article 3(4). (j) regarding sea operations, information on the application of the relevant jurisdiction and legislation in the geographical area where the joint operation takes place including references to international and Union law regarding interception, rescue at sea and disembarkation; (k) modalities of cooperation with third countries, other Union agencies and bodies or international organisations." (11) In Article 8h(1), the introductory part is replaced by the following: "1. The Agency shall fully meet the following costs incurred by Member States in making available their border guards for the purposes mentioned in Article 3(2), Article 8a and Article 8c:" (12) Article 9 is replaced by the following: "Article 9 Return cooperation 1. Subject to the return policy of the Union, and in particular Directive 2008/115/EC∗, and without entering into the merits of return decisions, the Agency shall provide the necessary assistance, and at the request of the participating Member States ensure the coordination or the organisation of joint return operations of Member States, including through the chartering of aircraft for the purpose of such operations. The Agency shall finance or co-finance the operations and projects referred to in this paragraph with grants from its budget in accordance with the financial rules applicable to the Agency. The Agency may also use ▌financial means of the Union available in the field of return. The Agency shall ensure that in its grant agreements with Member States any financial support is conditional upon the full respect for the Charter of Fundamental Rights. 2. The Agency shall develop a Code of Conduct for the return of illegally present third-country nationals ▌which shall apply during all joint return operations coordinated by the Agency, describing common standardized procedures which should simplify the organisation of joint return operations and assure return in a humane manner and with full respect for fundamental rights, in particular the principles of human dignity, prohibition of torture and of inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, right to liberty and security, the rights to the protection of personal data and non discrimination. 3. The Code of Conduct shall in particular pay attention to the obligation set out in Article 8(6) of Directive 2008/115/EC to provide for an effective forced-return monitoring system and to the Fundamental Rights Strategy referred to in Article ∗ OJ L 348, 24.12. 2008, p. 98" 26a(1). The monitoring of joint return operations shall be carried out on the basis of objective and transparent criteria and cover the whole joint return operation from the pre-departure phase until the hand-over of the returnees in the country of return. ▌ 4. Member States shall regularly inform the Agency of their needs for assistance or coordination by the Agency ▌. The Agency shall draw up a rolling operational plan to provide the requesting Member States with the necessary operational support, including technical equipment referred to in Article 7(1). The Management Board shall decide in accordance with Article 24 on a proposal of the Executive Director, on the content and modus operandi of the rolling operational plan. 5. The Agency shall cooperate with the competent authorities of the relevant third countries referred to in Article 14, identify best practices on the acquisition of travel documents and the return of illegally present third-country nationals. (13) In Article 10, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following: "2. While performing their tasks and exercising their powers, guest officers shall comply with Union and international law, in accordance with fundamental rights and the national law of the host Member State." (14) Article 11 is replaced by the following: "Article 11 Information exchange systems The Agency may take all necessary measures to facilitate the exchange of information relevant to its tasks with the Commission and the Member States and, where appropriate, the Union agencies referred to in Article 13. It shall develop and operate an information system capable of exchanging classified information with those actors, including personal data referred to in Articles 11a, 11b and 11c. The Agency may take all necessary measures to facilitate the exchange of information relevant for its tasks with the United Kingdom and Ireland if it relates to the activities in which they participate in accordance with Articles 12 and 20(5)." (15) The following Articles ▌are inserted: "Article 11a Data protection Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 shall apply to the processing of personal data by the Agency. The Management Board shall establish measures for the application of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 by the Agency, including those concerning the Data Protection Officer of the Agency. Those measures shall be established after consultation of the European Data Protection Supervisor. Without prejudice to Articles 11b and 11c, the Agency may process personal data for administrative purposes. Article 11b Processing of personal data in the context of joint return operations In accordance with the measures referred to in Article 11a: 1. In performing its tasks of organising and coordinating the joint return operations of Member States referred to in Article 9, the Agency may process personal data of persons who are subject to such joint return operations. 2. The processing of such personal data shall respect the principles of necessity and proportionality. In particular, it shall be strictly limited to those personal data which are required for the purposes of the joint return operation. 3. The personal data shall be deleted as soon as the purpose for which they have been collected has been achieved and no later than 10 days after the joint return operation. 4. Where the personal data are not transferred to the carrier by a Member State, the Agency may transfer such data. Article 11c Processing of personal data collected during joint operations, pilot projects and rapid interventions In accordance with the measures referred to in Article 11a: 1. Without prejudice to the competence of Member States to collect personal data in the context of joint operations, pilot projects and rapid interventions, and subject to the limitations set out in paragraphs 2 and 3, the Agency may further process personal data collected by the Member States during such operational activities and transmitted to the Agency in order to contribute to the security of the external borders of the Member States of the Union. 2. Such further processing of personal data by the Agency shall be limited to personal data regarding persons who are suspected, by the relevant authorities of Member States, on reasonable grounds of involvement in cross-border criminal activities, in facilitating illegal migration activities or in human trafficking activities as defined in Article 1(1)(a) and (b) of Council Directive 2002/90/EC of 28 November 2002 defining the facilitation of unauthorised entry, transit and residence*. 3. Personal data referred to in paragraph 2 shall be further processed by the Agency only for the following purposes: (a) transmission, on a case by case basis, to Europol or other Union law enforcement agencies, subject to Article 13. (b) use for the preparation of risk analyses referred to in Article 4. In the result of the risk-analyses, data shall be depersonalized. 4. The personal data shall be deleted as soon as they have been transmitted to Europol or other Union agencies or used for the preparation of risk analyses referred to in Article 4. The term of storage shall in any event not exceed three months after the date of the collection of those data. 5. The processing of such personal data shall respect the principles of necessity and proportionality. The personal data shall not be used by the Agency for the purpose of investigations, which remain under the responsibility of the competent national authorities. In particular, it shall be strictly limited to those personal data which are required for the purposes referred to in paragraph 3. 6. Without prejudice to Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001, onward transmission or other communication of such personal data processed by the Agency to third countries or other third parties shall be prohibited. Article 11d Security rules on the protection of classified information and non-classified sensitive information 1. The Agency shall apply the Commission’s rules on security as set out in the Annex to Commission Decision 2001/844/EC, ECSC, Euratom**. This shall cover, inter alia, provisions for the exchange, processing and storage of classified information. 2. The Agency shall apply the security principles relating to the processing of non-classified sensitive information as adopted and implemented by the Commission. The Management Board shall establish measures for the application of those security principles. ________________ * OJ L 328, 5.12.2002, p. 17. ** OJ L 317, 3.12.2001, p. 1." (16) Articles 13 and 14 are replaced by the following: "Article 13 Cooperation with Union agencies and bodies and international organisations The Agency may cooperate with Europol, the European Asylum Support Office, the Fundamental Rights Agency, other Union agencies and bodies, and the international organisations competent in matters covered by this Regulation within the framework of working arrangements concluded with those bodies, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Treaty and the provisions on the competence of those bodies. In every case the Agency shall inform the European Parliament of any such arrangements. Onward transmission or other communication of personal data processed by the Agency to other Union agencies or bodies shall be subject to specific working arrangements regarding the exchange of personal data and subject to the prior approval of the European Data Protection Supervisor. The Agency may also, with the agreement of the Member State(s) concerned, invite observers of Union agencies and bodies or international organisations to participate in its activities referred to in Articles 3, 4 and 5, to the extent that their presence is in accordance with the objectives of these activities, may contribute to the improvement of cooperation and the exchange of best practices, and does not affect the overall safety of the activities. The participation of those observers may take place only with the agreement of the Member States concerned regarding the activities referred to in Articles 4 and 5 and only with the agreement of the host Member State regarding those referred to in Article 3. Detailed rules on the participation of observers shall be included in the operational plan referred to in Article 3a(1). Those observers shall receive the appropriate training from the Agency prior to their participation. Article 14 Facilitation of operational cooperation with third countries and cooperation with competent authorities of third countries 1. In matters covered by its activities and to the extent required for the fulfilment of its tasks, the Agency shall facilitate operational cooperation between Member States and third countries, within the framework of the Union's external relations policy, including with regard to human rights. The Agency and the Member States shall comply with norms and standards at least equivalent to those set by Union legislation also when cooperation with third countries takes place on the territory of those countries. The establishment of cooperation with third countries shall serve to promote European border management standards, also covering respect for fundamental rights and human dignity. 2. The Agency may cooperate with the authorities of third countries competent in matters covered by this Regulation within the framework of working arrangements concluded with those authorities, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Treaty. Those working arrangements shall be purely related to the management of operational cooperation 3. The Agency may deploy its liaison officers, who should enjoy the highest possible protection to carry out their duties, in third countries. They shall form part of the local or regional cooperation networks of Member States' immigration liaison officers set up pursuant to Council Regulation No 377/2004 of 19 February 2004 on the creation of an immigration liaison officers network*. Liaison officers shall only be deployed to third countries in which border management practices comply with minimum human rights standards. Their deployment shall be approved by the Management Board. Within the framework of the Union's external relations policy, priority for deployment should be given to those third countries, which on the basis of risk analysis constitute a country of origin or transit regarding illegal migration. On a reciprocal basis the Agency may receive liaison officers posted by those third countries also, for a limited period of time. The Management Board shall adopt, on a proposal of the Executive Director, the list of priorities on a yearly basis in accordance with the provisions of Article 24. 4. The tasks of the Agency's liaison officers shall include, in compliance with Union law and in accordance with fundamental rights, the establishment and maintaining of contacts with the competent authorities of the third country to which they are assigned to with a view to contributing to the prevention of and fight against illegal immigration and the return of illegal migrants. 5. The Agency may benefit from Union funding in accordance with the provisions of the relevant instruments supporting the Union's external relations policy. It may launch and finance technical assistance projects in third countries regarding matters covered by this Regulation.▌ 6. The Agency may also, with the agreement of the Member State(s) concerned invite observers from third countries to participate in its activities referred to in Articles 3, 4 and 5, to the extent that their presence is in accordance with the objectives of those activities, may contribute to improving cooperation and the exchange of best practices, and does not affect the overall safety of the activities. The participation of those observers may take place only with the agreement of the Member States concerned regarding the activities referred to in Articles 4 and 5 and only with the agreement of the host Member State regarding those referred to in Article 3. Detailed rules on the participation of observers shall be included in the operational plan referred to in Article 3a(1). Those observers shall receive the appropriate training from the Agency prior to their participation. 7. When concluding bilateral agreements with third countries as referred to in Article 2(2), Member States may include provisions concerning the role and competence of the Agency, in particular regarding the exercise of executive powers by members of the teams deployed by the Agency during the activities referred to in Article 3. 8. The activities referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 shall be subject to receiving a prior ▌opinion of the Commission, and the European Parliament shall be fully informed as soon as possible. ____________________ OJ L 64, 2.3.2004, p. 1." (16a) In Article 15, the first paragraph is replaced by the following: "The Agency shall be a body of the Union. It shall have legal personality." (17) The following Article▌ is inserted: "Article 15a Headquarters Agreement The necessary arrangements concerning the accommodation to be provided for the Agency in the Member State in which the Agency has its seat and the facilities to be made available by that State, as well as the specific rules applicable to the Executive Director, the Deputy Executive Director, the members of the Management Board, the staff of the Agency and members of their families, in that State shall be laid down in a Headquarters Agreement between the Agency and the Member State in which the Agency has its seat. The Headquarters Agreement shall be concluded after obtaining the approval of the Management Board. The Member State in which the Agency has its seat should provide the best possible conditions to ensure proper functioning of the Agency, including multilingual, European-oriented schooling and appropriate transport connections." (18) Article 17 is modified as follows: (a) paragraph 3 is replaced by the following: "3. For the purpose of implementing Article 3b(5) only an Agency's staff member subject to the Staff Regulations of Officials and to Title II of the Conditions of employment of other servants of the European Communities employed by the Agency may be designated as coordinating officer in accordance with Article 8g. For the purpose of implementing Article 3b(3), only national experts seconded by a Member State to the Agency may be designated to be attached to the European Border Guard Teams. The Agency shall designate those national experts who shall be attached to the European Border Guard Teams in accordance with that Article." (b) the following paragraphs are added: "4. The Management Board shall adopt the necessary implementing measures in agreement with the Commission pursuant to the arrangements provided for in Article 110 of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the Union. 5. The Management Board may adopt provisions to allow national experts from Member States to be seconded to the Agency. Those provisions shall take into account the requirements of Article 3b(3), in particular the fact that they are considered as guest officers and have the tasks and powers referred to in Article 10. They shall include provisions on the conditions of deployment." ▌ (20) Article 20 is amended as follows: (a) paragraph 2 is amended as follows: (i) point (h) is replaced by the following: "(h) establish the organisational structure of the Agency and adopt the Agency's staff policy, in particular the multi-annual staff policy plan ▌. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the framework Financial Regulation for the bodies referred to in Article 185 of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 the multi-annual staff policy plan shall be submitted to the Commission and the budgetary authority after receiving a favourable opinion of the Commission;" (ii) the following point is added: "(i) adopt the Agency’s Multi Annual Plan aiming at outlining the future long term strategy regarding the activities of the Agency." (b) paragraph 4 is replaced by the following: "4. The Management Board may advise the Executive Director on any matter strictly related to the development of operational management of the external borders, including activities related to research as defined in Article 6." (21) Article 21 is amended as follows: (a) in paragraph 1, the last sentence is replaced by the following: "This term of office shall be extendable." (b) paragraph 3 is replaced by the following: "3. Countries associated with the implementation, application and development of the Schengen acquis shall participate in the Agency. They shall have one representative and one alternate each in the Management Board. Under the relevant provisions of their association agreements, arrangements have been developed that specify the nature and extent of, and the detailed rules for, the participation by these countries in the work of the Agency, including provisions on financial contributions and staff." : (22) Article 25 is modified as follows: (a) paragraph 2 is replaced by the following: "2. The European Parliament or the Council may invite the Executive Director of the Agency to report on the carrying out of his/her tasks, in particular on the implementation and monitoring of the Fundamental Rights Strategy, the general report of the Agency for the previous year, the work programme for the coming year and the Agency's multi-annual plan referred to in Article 20(i).". (b) in paragraph 3, the following point is added: "(g) Ensure the implementation of the operational plan referred to in Articles 3a and 8g.". (22a) The following Article is inserted: "Article 26a Fundamental Rights Strategy 1. The Agency shall draw up and further develop and implement its Fundamental Rights Strategy. The Agency shall put in place an effective mechanism to monitor the respect for fundamental rights in all the activities of the Agency. 2. A Consultative Forum shall be established by the Agency to assist the Director and the Management Board in fundamental rights matters. The Agency shall invite the European Asylum Support Office, the Fundamental Rights Agency, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other relevant organisation to participate in the Consultative Forum. On a proposal by the Executive Director, the Management Board shall decide on the composition and the working methods of and the modalities of the transmission of information to the Consultative Forum. The Consultative Forum shall be consulted on the further development and implementation of the Fundamental Rights Strategy, Code of conduct and common core curricula. The Consultative Forum shall prepare an annual report of its activities. Those reports shall be made publically available. 3. A Fundamental Rights Officer shall be designated by the Management Board of the Agency. He/she shall have the necessary qualifications and experience in the field of fundamental rights. He/she shall be independent in the performance of his/her duties as a Fundamental Rights Officer and shall report directly to the Management Board and the Consultative Forum. He/she shall report on a regular basis and as such contribute to the mechanism for monitoring fundamental rights. 4. The Fundamental Rights Officer and the Consultative Forum shall have access to all information concerning respect for fundamental rights, in relation to all the activities of the Agency." (23) In Article 33, the following paragraphs are inserted: "2a. The next evaluation shall also analyse the needs for further increased coordination of the management of the external borders of the Member States, including the feasibility of the creation of a European system of border guards. 2b. The evaluation shall include a specific analysis on the way the Charter of Fundamental Rights was respected pursuant to the application of the Regulation." Article 2 Entry into force This regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in the Member States in accordance with the Treaties. Done at ..., For the European Parliament For the Council The President The President ANNEX 1 Statement by the European Parliament The European Parliament stresses that the EU institutions should endeavour to use appropriate and neutral terminology in legislative texts when addressing the issue of third country nationals whose presence on the territory of the Member States has not been authorised by the Member States authorities or is not longer authorised. In such cases, EU institutions should not refer to "illegal immigration" or "illegal migrants" but rather to "irregular immigration" or "irregular migrants".