Article 129

1. The Executive Director shall be engaged as a temporary agent of the Office under Article 2(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants.

2. The Executive Director shall be appointed by the Council by simple majority, from a list of candidates proposed by the Management Board, following an open and transparent selection procedure. Before being appointed, the candidate selected by the Management Board may be invited to make a statement before any competent European Parliament committee and to answer questions put by its members. For the purpose of concluding the contract with the Executive Director, the Office shall be represented by the chairperson of the Management Board.

The Executive Director may be removed from office only upon a decision of the Council acting on a proposal from the Management Board.

3. The term of office of the Executive Director shall be five years. By the end of that period, the Management Board shall undertake an assessment which takes into account an evaluation of the performance of the Executive Director and the Office's future tasks and challenges.

4. The Council, taking into account the assessment referred to in paragraph 3, may extend the term of office of the Executive Director once and for no more than five years.

5. An Executive Director whose term of office has been extended may not participate in another selection procedure for the same post at the end of his overall term of office.

6. The Deputy Executive Director or Deputy Executive Directors shall be appointed or removed from office as provided for in paragraph 2, after consultation of the Executive Director and, where applicable, the Executive Director-elect. The term of office of the Deputy Executive Director shall be five years. It may be extended once and for no more than five years by the Council, after consultation of the Executive Director.’.