Until 30 June 1968 the Commission is authorised, in the interests of the service and in order either to rationalise its administration or to meet requirements resulting from a reduction in the number of posts, to adopt measures terminating the service of officials, provided for in Article 47 of the Staff Regulations, in manner provided hereinafter.

Where the Commission intends to take the measures provided for in paragraph 1 in respect of officials of grades other than A 1 and A 2, it shall draw up a list of the officials to be affected by such measures in each grade, after consulting the Joint Committee, taking into account the officials' ability, efficiency, conduct in the service, family circumstances and seniority.

An official whose name appears on such a list may opt for termination of service as provided for in paragraph 1 or for non-active status. If the latter Article 41 (3), (4) and (5) of the Staff Regulations shall apply.

An official who proposes to opt for non-active status shall declare his choice within one month from the date on which he was informed that his name appeared on the list provided for in the first sub-paragraph; in default, he shall forgo the right to opt.

If the interests of the service permit, the Commission shall take into account an official's request that his service be terminated under paragraph 1.

The measures provided for in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall in no way constitute disciplinary measures.

Until 30 June 1968, but without prejudice to paragraph 2, the Commission shall take no decision placing an official on non-active status or retiring an official in the interests of the service.

In order to determine on the basis of the official's age the period during which he shall receive the allowance provided for in paragraph 1 (b), the coefficient fixed in the following table shall be applied to the length of his service; the period shall be rounded down, where necessary, to the immediately preceding month.

The allowance provided for in paragraph 1 shall be weighted, in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 82 (1) of the Staff Regulations, for the Community country where the recipient provides proof of residence.

If the recipient of that allowance resides outside the Community countries the weighting to be applied to the allowance shall be that valid for Brussels.

The income accruing to the official concerned from any new employment during this period shall be deducted from the allowance provided for in paragraph 1, in so far as that income plus that allowance exceed the total remuneration last received by the official in the performance of his duties. That remuneration shall be weighted as provided in paragraph 3.

All family allowances shall remain payable where the official receives the allowance provided for in paragraph 1.

During the period for which he is entitled to receive that allowance, the official shall be entitled, in respect of himself and of persons covered by his insurance, to benefits under the sickness insurance scheme common to the institutions of the European Communities, provided that he pays the contribution calculated on the basis of the basic salary attaching to his grade and step and is not covered against sickness by another scheme.

During the period for which he is entitled to receive the grant the official shall, up to a maximum five years, continue to acquire further rights to retirement pension based on the salary attaching to his grade and step, provided that he pays the contributions provided for in the Staff Regulations during that period. For the purposes of Article 5 of Annex VIII to the Staff Regulations, such period shall be considered to be a period of service.

If the official is reinstated in an institution of the European Communities and thus acquires further pension rights he shall cease during this further period of service to benefit from the provisions provided for in the first subparagraph above. However, for that part of the period referred to in the first subparagraph which is not yet completed at the time of reinstatement, the official may request that both his contribution to the pension scheme and his pension rights be calculated on the basis of the basic salary attaching to the grade and step reached in his previous post.

For the purposes of Article 77 of the Staff Regulations an official receiving the allowance provided for in paragraph 1 shall be treated as an official removed from his post in the interests of the service.

At the end of such period the official shall be entitled to a pension without application of the reduction laid down in Article 9 of Annex VIII to the Staff Regulations, provided that he has reached the age of fifty-five.

In fixing the amount of the survivor's pension, to which the widow of an official who has died during such period is entitled, the provisions of the second subparagraph of Article 79 of the Staff Regulations shall apply.

If, in application of these provisions, the official is entitled to receive a pension before the age of sixty, he shall be entitled, for each dependent child within the meaning of Article 2 of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations, to the dependent child allowance.

In order to receive the resettlement allowance the official shall not be required to satisfy the condition of length of service referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 6 (1) of Annex VII to the Staff Regulations.

For the purposes of Article 107 of the Staff Regulations and of Article 102 (2) of the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Coal and Steel Community, an official affected by measures provided for in Article 4 (1) shall be treated as an official to whom the provisions of Articles 41 and 50 of the Staff Regulations have been applied.

An official affected by the measures provided for in Article 4 (1) who has not completed 11 years service may renounce irrevocably his pension rights. In this case he shall receive a payment fixed under the conditions laid down in Article 12 of Annex VIII to the Staff Regulations. The provisions of Article 5 (7) and (8) and Article 7 of this Regulation shall not apply to him.

For the purposes of Article 12 (c) of Annex VIII to the Staff Regulations, the actual length of service shall include the period in which the official is entitled to the grant provided for in Article 5 and the extended period allowed him, where appropriate, in accordance with Article 5 (10).

An official who proposes to opt for application of the provisions provided for in paragraph 1 must declare his choice within six months from the date of notification of the measure referred to in Article 4 (1); in default, he shall forgo the right to opt.

Any sums which may have been paid by way of pension prior to the application of the provisions of this Article shall be deducted from the payment provided for in paragraph 1.

The officials referred to in the last subparagraph of Article 2 and in Article 102 (5) of the Staff Regulations, with the exception of those who before 1 January 1962 held Grade A 1 or A 2 posts under the Staff Regulations of the European Coal and Steel Community, to whom the measures provided for in Article 4 (1) are applied, may request that their remuneration be determined in accordance with the provisions of Article 34 of the Staff Regulations of the European Coal and Steel Community and Article 50 of the Rules and Regulations of the European Coal and Steel Community.

Officials who before 1 January 1962 held Grade A 1 or A 2 posts under the Staff Regulations of the European Coal and Steel Community, to whom the measures provided for in Article 4 (1) are applied, may request that their remuneration be determined in accordance with the provisions of Article 42 of the Staff Regulations of the European Coal and Steel Community.

Before taking any measures in accordance with Article 4 (1), the Commission may in the interests of the service request the official concerned to state within one month whether he will accept transfer to a post corresponding to the career bracket immediately below that applicable to his grade. If the official accepts, he may be transferred to such a post notwithstanding the provisions of Article 7 (1) of the Staff Regulations.

An official affected by a decision taken in accordance with the second subparagraph of paragraph 1 shall retain his grade and all rights relating thereto. He shall have a priority right of transfer to any post corresponding to his grade which may fall vacant or be created provided that he is suitable for the post in question.