2.3.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities L57/1 (Acts adopted pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on European Union) COUNCIL DECISION of 28 February 2000 on the rules applicable to national experts in the military field on secondment to the General Secretariat of the Council during the interim period (2000/178/CESP) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in par- ticular Article 28(1), Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 207(2), Whereas: (1)  The Council adopted on 14 February 2000 Decision 2000/144/CFSP setting up the Interim Military Body (). (20 The Council adopted on 14 February 2000 Decision 2000/145/CFSP on the secondment of national experts in the military field to the General Secretariat of the Council during an interim period (3). (3)  Pursuant to Article 4 of Decision 2000/145/CESP, that Decision takes effect only after the Council has estab- lished the rules applicable to the secondment of such experts. (4) It is therefore appropriate to establish these rules, HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: CHAPTER 1 GENERAL PROVISIONS Article 1 The national experts in the military field on secondment to the Council General Secretariat during the interim period as referred to in Decision 2000/145/CFSP (hereinafter ‘military experts’), shall be subject to the rules set out in this Decision. OJ L 49, 22.2.2000, p. 2. 3) O] L 49, 22.2.2000, p. 3. Article 2 A military expert on secondment shall be a national of a Member State of the European Union. Article 3 Period of secondment 1. Military experts may be seconded for a maximum of three years. In exceptional cases, and taking account of par- ticular tasks to be performed, the secondment may be extended for a period up to one year. They shall serve on a full-time basis throughout the period of secondment. 2. The probable period of secondment shall be fixed at the outset in an Exchange of Letters between the Secretary-General| High Representative and the Permanent Representative of the Member State concerned. Atrticle 4 Tasks 1. Military experts on secondment will provide military expertise to the Interim Military Body and to the Secretary- General[High Representative. Acting under the authority of the Secretary-General/High Representative and under the military guidance of the Interim Military Body, they shall carry out the tasks assigned to them in a predetermined work programme or job description. 2. Unless special instructions to the contrary are given under the authority of the Secretary-General/High Repres- entative, military experts on secondment shall not enter into any commitment on the General Secretariat's behalf with third parties.