3. The Commission's crisis coordinator (or his/her alternate) shall chair the crisis unit. He/she shall ensure the smooth operation of the crisis unit and the distribution of tasks amongst members, taking into account their competence. As soon as the crisis unit is set up, the Chair shall invite members of the crisis coordinators' network for a first meeting.
4. The Chair shall ensure coordination between the work of the crisis unit and the decision-making process. He/she shall be assisted by the appropriate technical expert(s) of the concerned technical unit(s) in the Commission.
5. Crisis coordinators from affected Member States shall ensure participation in the meetings, audio- and video-conferences of the crisis unit in terms of availability, expertise and level of responsibility. EFSA, ECDC and the concerned EURL shall provide scientific and technical assistance within their competence as necessary.
6. The crisis unit shall be responsible for maintaining close contact and information sharing with the concerned stakeholders.
7. The crisis unit shall be responsible for the preparation of the coordinated communication strategy towards the public and in particular on setting evidence-based messages in real-time.
8. The Commission shall provide sufficient secretarial support for organising meetings of the crisis unit (e.g. drafting of minutes and other administrative needs) and make available to the crisis unit the human and material resources necessary for its smooth operation (e.g. meeting rooms, means of communication, etc.). The crisis unit shall use the technical arrangements in place for the existing alert networks to communicate or disseminate information, particularly to distribute requests for information and to collect this information.
Article 16
Resolution of the crisis
The procedures laid down in Articles 14 and 15 shall remain in place until the crisis is resolved.
Following consultation with the crisis unit, the Commission shall decide whether the crisis is fully resolved or may be downgraded to an incident needing only an enhanced coordination at the Union level. If so decided, all members of the crisis unit shall be informed on the resolution.
In addition to information submitted through RASFF about affected products and measures taken, the Commission may ask Member States to provide information on new human cases to assess trends and decide on the resolution of the crisis.
Article 17
Post-crisis assessment
A report shall be drawn up by the Commission at least after each situation requiring the setting up of a crisis unit, setting out a post-incident assessment, including a consultation with those involved and other relevant stakeholders.
In light of the assessment, a meeting of all crisis coordinators shall be held to identify potential lessons learned and where appropriate, highlight any necessary improvements required in relation to the operational procedures and tools used in crisis management.
CHAPTER V
Incident management procedures
Article 18
Main practical procedures
The Commission's coordination of the management of an incident by the relevant service shall consist of, as appropriate:
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