29.10.2013 Official Journal of the European Union L 287/15 REGULATION (EU, EURATOM) No 1023/2013 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 22 October 2013 amending the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 336 thereof, Having regard to the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union, and in particular Article 12 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, submitted following consultation with the Staff Regulations Committee, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Having regard to the opinion of the Court of Justice (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Court of Auditors (3), Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (%), Whereas: (1) The European Union, and its more than 50 institutions and agencies, should continue to be equipped with a high-quality European public administration, so as to enable it to achieve its objectives, implement its policies and activities and perform its tasks to the highest possible standard in accordance with the Treaties in order to meet the challenges, both internal and external, that it will face in the future and to serve the citizens of the Union. (2)  Consequently, it is necessary to ensure a framework for attracting, recruiting and maintaining highly qualified and () Opinion of 22 March 2012 (not published in the Official Journal). () O] C 205, 12.7.2012, p. 1. (°) Position of the European Parliament of 2 July 2013 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 10 October 2013. multilingual staff, drawn on the broadest possible geographical basis from among citizens of the Member States, and with due regard to gender balance, who are independent and who adhere to the highest professional standards, and to enable such staff to carry out their duties as effectively and efficiently as possible. In that respect, it is necessary to overcome the current difficulties experienced by the institutions in recruiting officials or staff from certain Member States. (3)  Given the size of the European civil service when measured against the objectives of the Union and its population, a decrease in the number of staff of the institutions and agencies of the Union should not lead to any impairment of the performance of their tasks, duties and functions in accordance with the obligations and powers under the Treaties. In this regard, there is a need for transparency in relation to the personnel costs incurred by each institution and agency with respect to all categories of staff employed by them. (4)  The European civil service is expected to live up to the highest standards of professional ethics and to remain independent at all times. To that end, Title Il of the Staff Regulations (), which provides a framework for rights and obligations, should be further clarified. Any failure by officials or former officials to comply with these obligations should render them liable to disci- plinary action. (5)  The value of the European civil service lies equally in its cultural and linguistic diversity, which can only be ensured if appropriate balance is secured regarding offi- cials' nationality. Recruitment and appointments should ensure that staff are employed on the broadest possible geographical basis from among the nationals of all Member States of the European Union without, however, posts being reserved for nationals of any specific Member State. To that end and in order to address  possible  significant  imbalances  between nationalities among officials which are not justified by objective criteria, each institution should be given the possibility to adopt justified and appropriate measures. Such measures should never result in recruitment criteria  other than those based on merit. The Commission should report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the implementation of the appro- priate measures by the institutions. (*) Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union, laid down in Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom, ECSC) No 259/68 (O] L 56, 431968, p. 1).