2.10.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities L 264/9 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC, EURATOM) No 1748/2002 of 30 September 2002 introducing, in the context of the modernisation of the institution, special measures to terminate the service of officials of the European Communities appointed to an established post in the European Parliament and temporary staff working in the Political Groups of the European Parliament THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, (7)  These measures must be applied as far as possible with Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, and in particular Article 283 thereof, Having regard to the Commission proposal submitted after receiving the opinion of the Staff Regulations Committee, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Court of Justice (3, Having regard to the opinion of the Court of Auditors (), Whereas: (1) The European Parliament has been engaged in a thor- ough restructuring of its way of operating since 1997, when the Bureau adopted the new staff policy, based on the grounds of the new tasks conferred on the European Parliament by the Treaties. 2)  In the light of four years experience of implementing this new policy, and with a view to establishing a longer term policy for recruitment, meeting foreseeable require- ments for specific required skills, the European Parlia- ment has been studying its human resource requirements for the years to come, as part of an exercise to draw up an operational list of duties and tasks. (3)  The European Parliament is taking the necessary steps, mainly through training, to help redeployed staff to adjust in the most satisfactory and effective way possible. (4 However, the skills of a section of officials and temporary staff working in the Political Groups, who have reached the age of 55 and who have completed at least 15 years of service, are deemed to be too far removed from the duties to be performed. (5)  The European Parliament needs new skill profiles and a rebalancing of its establishment plan, but the number of officials retiring in the normal way will not be sufficient to allow the necessary skills to be acquired through recruiting new officials and temporary staff within a satisfactory timescale. (6)  Special measures should accordingly be adopted with regard to termination of service together with internal administrative arrangements for effective monitoring of the implementation of this Regulation. (") Opinion delivered on 24 September 2002. (%) Opinion delivered on 15 May 2002. () O] € 236, 1.10.2002, p. 7. due regard for geographical balance, in compliance with the provisions of this Regulation. (8)  These measures must be budget-neutral. To this end a monitoring mechanism should be set up by the budgetary authority, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 The European Parliament is hereby authorised, in the interests of the service and in order to take account of the need to renew skills arising from the process of adjusting its resources to its activities, to adopt measures up to 31 December 2004 for terminating the service, within the meaning of Article 47 of the Staff Regulations, of officials and temporary staff working in the Political Groups who have reached the age of 55 and have completed at least 15 years service, with the exception of those in Grades A 1 and A 2, under the conditions specified by this Regulation. Article 2 The total number of officials to be covered by the measures referred to in Article 1 shall be 100. The total number of temporary staff working in the Political Groups to be covered by the measures referred to in Article 1 shall be 24. Respect for budgetary neutrality shall be monitored during the annual budget procedure. To this end, the Appointing Authority shall, taking into account the link between the number of officials whose service was terminated and the number of officials recruited, report to the budgetary authority at the appropriate time, certifying that the condition of budgetary neutrality is met. Article 3 Within the ceilings laid down in Article 2, and with due regard to the interests of the service, the European Parliament, after having consulted its Joint Committee, shall select, from among the officials and temporary staff working in the Political Groups applying for termination of their service under Article 1, those to whom it wishes to apply this measure.