2.10.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities L 264/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EC, EURATOM) No 1746/2002 of 30 September 2002 introducing, in the context of the reform of the Commission, special measures to terminate the service of officials of the European Communities appointed to an established post in the Commis- sion of the European Communities THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 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 (), Having regard to the opinion of the Court of Auditors (), Whereas: (1) The reform of the Commission is designed in particular to refocus the use of resources on its priority activities. ) In its communication of 9 February 2000 (¥) the Commission indicated that it intends to use its human resources as efficiently as possible. (3)  The Commission meets a significant part of its needs through internal rationalisation and redeployment. (4)  The Commission moreover is taking the necessary steps, in particular through training, to help redeployed staff to adjust in the most satisfactory and effective way possible. (5) However, the skills of a section of officials, who have reached the age of 55 and who have completed at least 15 years of service, are too far removed from the duties to be performed. (6)  The Commission needs new skill profiles and a rebalan- cing of its establishment plan; the number of officials retiring in the normal way will not be sufficient to allow the necessary skills to be acquired through recruiting new staff within a satisfactory timescale. (7) Special measures should accordingly be adopted with regard to termination of service together with internal (") Opinion delivered on 24 September 2002 (not yet published in the Official Journal). (%) Opinion delivered on 15 May 2002. () O] C 236, 1.10.2002, p. 1. () O] C 81, 21.3.2000, p. 1. administrative arrangements for effective monitoring of the implementation of this Regulation. (8)  These measures must be applied as a matter of urgency and as far as possible with due regard for geographical balance, in compliance with the provisions of this Regu- lation. (9)  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 Commission is hereby authorised, in the interests of the service and in order to take account of the need to renew skills arising from the refocusing of the use of its resources on priority 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 who have reached the age of 55 and have completed at least 15 years service, regardless of the budget (operating or research) from which they are paid, 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 600. 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.