Article 16 — Committee of independent eminent persons

1. The committee of independent eminent persons established by Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 1141/2014 shall consist of six members, with the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission each appointing two members. The members of the committee shall be selected on the basis of their personal and professional qualities. They shall neither be members of the European Parliament, the Council or the Commission, nor hold any electoral mandate, be officials or other servants of the European Union or be current or former employees of a European political party or a European political foundation. Members of the committee shall be independent in the performance of their duties. They shall neither seek nor take instructions from any institution or government or from any other body, office or agency, and shall refrain from any act which is incompatible with the nature of their duties. The committee shall be renewed within six months after the end of the first session of the European Parliament following each election to the European Parliament. The mandate of the members shall not be renewable. 2. The committee shall adopt its own rules of procedure. The chair of the committee shall be elected by its members from amongst their number in accordance with those rules. The secretariat and funding of the committee shall be provided by the European Parliament. The secretariat of the committee shall act under the sole authority of the committee. 3. When requested by the Authority, the committee shall give an opinion on: (a) any possible manifest and serious breach of the values on which the Union is founded, as referred to in Article 3(1), point (d) and (e), and Article 3(2), point (c) and (d), by a European political party or a European political foundation; (b) whether a European political party or a European political foundation has deliberately influenced or attempted to influence the outcome of elections to the European Parliament by taking advantage of an infringement of the applicable rules on the protection of personal data. In the cases referred to in the first subparagraph, points (a) and (b), of this paragraph, the committee may request any relevant document or evidence from the Authority, the European Parliament, the European political party or European political foundation concerned, other political parties, political foundations or other stakeholders, and it may request to hear their representatives. In the case referred to in the first subparagraph, point (b), of this paragraph, the national supervisory authority referred to in Article 15 shall cooperate with the committee in accordance with applicable law. In its opinions, the committee shall give full consideration to the fundamental right of freedom of association and to the need to ensure pluralism of political parties in Europe. The opinions of the committee shall be made public without delay.