Communication from the decision making bodies 

To describe the principle for communication between decision making bodies and their recipients in the CEN System. 
   
This practice applies to the CEN General Assembly, the CEN Administrative Board, the CEN Technical Board (BT), CEN National Members, CEN Technical Committees (TC) and their secretariats and the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre (CCMC).

3.1 Practice

In the CEN System, decision-making bodies are composed of representatives of the CEN members and these bodies work through a secretariat held normally by the CCMC. The first line communication with the body is through its secretariat. Onward communication from the body is through its members, each of them to their organisation and its national network and in accordance with agreed rules in that organisation. There may be exceptions to this principle if the CEN body explicitly decides to follow a different route for the onward communication. 

3.1.1  The source distributes the document containing the information to be communicated to the CCMC for circulation to the appropriate decision making body.
The source in this context could be any person or group within the CEN System.

3.1.2  The CCMC decides to whom to circulate the document; this will be:  

• Normally the decision making body who is the appropriate recipient of the document according to the agreed roles and responsibilities of the bodies (see the Profiles);  
• In exceptional cases, a mailing list as specified by the recipient body for the document.  

3.1.3  The CCMC circulates the document to the appropriate decision making body or agreed mailing list, in accordance with the appropriate procedure, either:

• If it is a document for information, indicating that it is optional for the member to give feedback/comments on the result within a target date;
• if it is a document that requires feedback from the members a target date for the feedback is included;
• if it is a document for implementation by the members(s), a target date for the implementation is included;
  
  and informs, where necessary, the source on its action.

3.1.4  The members of the appropriate body (normally being representatives of CEN National Members) or agreed mailing list either:

• communicate the document within their own organisation in accordance with their rules for onward communication and may ask for feedback; 
• communicate the document within their own organisation in accordance with their rules for onward communication, ask for feedback within their organisation and communicate their consolidated feedback to the CCMC by the required target date;  
• ensure the implementation of the document within their organisation (e.g. for a decision on a TC, the member body holding the secretariat of the TC is responsible for the implementation) and communicate feedback on the implementation to the CCMC as required.  

3.1.5  The CCMC logs the feedback, if any, from (each of) the member(s) of the decision making body concerned and communicates the feedback to the appropriate body following the agreed procedure (e.g. voting report etc.).