16. 12. 95 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 304/57 COMMISSION DECISION of 8 December 1995 setting up a committee of experts on the transit of natural gas through grids (Text with EEA relevance) (95/539/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Whereas, in the context of the completion of the internal energy market, the Commission has the objective of faci- litating energy transfers by promoting the transit of natural gas within the meaning of Article 2 of Council Directive 91/296/EEC of 31 May 1991 on the transit of natural gas through grids (!); Whereas, to this end, it is desirable for the Commission to be advised by a body of experts on matters relating to the smooth functioning of transit and related economic, technical, legal and social factors; Whereas the Member States’ gas industries should be represented within that body; whereas provision should also be made for the participation of particularly qualified persons capable of providing specific knowledge in the field of natural gas transit; Whereas it would be appropriate for the Committee to act as the conciliation body provided for in Article 3 (4) of Directive 91/296/EEC ; Whereas, for the sake of the efficiency of the conciliation procedure, the Committee of experts should meet in an ad hoc composition to consider any request for concilia- tion, HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: Article 1 The Committee of Experts on the Transit of Natural Gas through grids, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Committee’, is hereby set up under the auspices of the Commission. Article 2 Responsibilities The tasks of the Committee shall be: — to advise the Commission, at the latter’s request, and — to propose conciliation compromises, at the request of the negotiating parties, in the event of specific requests for transit. () Of No L 147, 12. 6. 1991, p. 37. Article 3 Provision of advice As part of its role of providing advice, the Committee : {a) will examine more specifically : — the technical, financial and legal conditions of transit, taking into account economic and social factors, — the possibilities of cooperation on transit with entities in the Community, operating grids not interconnected as yet or not figuring on the list annexed to Directive 91/296/EEC and the im- provement of the trans-European networks, — the possibilities of cooperation on transit with entities in non Member States. (b) shall assist the Commission in connection with : — the drafting of an annual report on the implemen- tation of Directive 91/296/EEC, — the revision of the Annex to Directive 91/296/EEC. Article 4 Composition 1. The Committee shall comprise 20 members, namely : — fifteen representatives of the high-pressure natural gas transmission grids operating in the Community (one representative per Member State), — three independent experts whose professional expe- rience and competence in the field of natural gas transit in the Community are widely recognized, — one representative of Eurogas, — one Commission representative. 2.  The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Commission. The fifteen representatives of the transmission grids and the representative of Eurogas being appointed after consultation of the circle concerned from a list containing at least two proposals for each post.