The terms of office of 13 of the 15 current members of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) will expire on 31 December 2016. The elections to fill the vacant seats will be held at the 19th meeting of the Committee of the Parties of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings on 4 November 2016.

Taking into account that no two members of GRETA may be nationals of the same State, the following 44 Parties to the Convention have the right to nominate candidates for GRETA membership: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

The governments of these countries have been invited to submit, by 4 September 2016, the names of up to three candidates known for their recognised competence in the fields of human rights, assistance and protection of victims and action against trafficking in human beings or having professional experience in the areas covered by the Convention. GRETA members sit in their individual capacity and have to be independent and impartial. It is the responsibility of each Party to ensure that the national selection procedure leading to the nomination of candidates for GRETA is in accordance with published national guidelines or otherwise transparent and designed to lead to the nomination of the most qualified candidates