29.10. 98 Official Journal of the European Communities L 290/57 COMMISSION DECISION of 22 October 1998 setting up expert groups to assist the Commission on the content and orientation of the key actions in the field of research and technological development (notified under document number C(1998) 3120) (Text with EEA relevance) (98/610/EC, Euratom) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, Whereas, in order to achieve greater transparency in the Community’s research and technological development policy and to enable it to play a more strategic role, the Commission wishes to involve all research workers (including users) more closely in its policy making; Whereas expert groups should therefore be set up to advise the Commission on the content and orientation of the key actions covered by the Council decisions on the specific programmes implementing the fifth framework programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activ- ities (*) and the fifth framework programme of the Euro- pean Atomic Energy Community for research and training activities () (hereinafter ‘the specific pro- grammes’); whereas, under the Decision, these key actions must, where appropriate, be grouped together for reasons relating to the nature of the topics covered; Whereas, in this connection, the role of the expert groups is to help define the overall strategy to be followed in carrying out the key actions or clusters of key actions and to deliver relevant conclusions in a completely trans- parent manner; Whereas, in view of the nature of the work, the members of these groups should be eminent persons, chosen from a wide range of applicants and appropriately qualified for the work in question; Whereas, furthermore, the composition of these expert groups should be representative of all those involved in research; whereas efforts should therefore be made to ensure a balanced participation of women and men; (') COM(1998) 305 final. () COM(1998) 306 final. Whereas these expert groups should be set up and their remit defined, HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: Article 1 The following expert groups are hereby set up: — the group on ‘Health, food and environmental factors’, — the group on ‘Control of infectious diseases’, — the group on ‘The cell factory’, — the group on ‘The ageing population’, — the group on ‘Sustainable agriculture, fisheries and forestry, including integrated development of rural areas’, — the group on ‘Information society’, — the group on ‘Innovative products, processes and or- ganisation’, — the group on ‘Sustainable mobility and intermodality’, — the group on ‘New perspectives for aeronautics’, — the advisory group on ‘Land transport and marine technologies’, — the group on ‘Sustainable management and quality of water’ and ‘Sustainable management of marine ecosys- tems’, — the group on ‘Global change, climate and biodiver- sity’, — the group on ‘The city of tomorrow and cultural her- itage’, — the group on ‘Cleaner energy systems’ and ‘Economic and efficient energy’, — the group on ‘Improving the socio-economic know- ledge base, — the group on ‘Controlled thermonuclear fusion’, — the group on ‘Nuclear fission’,