5. Notes from the Court of Auditors’ summary of the results of its 2013 annual audits of the European Agencies and other bodies (the ‘Court’s summary’) that the agencies’ 2013 budget amounted to some EUR 2 billion, representing an increase of 25 % compared to 2012 and about 1,4 % of the Union’s general budget; notes that this increase mainly results from the newly established agencies and new responsibilities for some agencies; observes from the Court’s summary that the agencies employ around 6 500 permanent and temporary officials representing 14 % of the total number of Union officials authorised under the general Union budget; note ...[+++]s furthermore that around 2 900 contract or seconded staff are working for the agencies;

28. Intends to continue a close examination of the Commission’s intention of reducing the staffing level in EU institutions and recalls that this is to be seen as an overall goal; notes the adverse impact such measures may have on the swift, regular and effective implementation of EU actions and programmes; is of the opinion that the efficiency of the administration must be secured and even strengthened; considers that any short-term or long-term revision in staff should be based on a prior impact assessment and should take full account of, inter alia, the Union’s legal obligations and the institutions’ new competences and increased tasks arising from the Treaties; recalls the Joint Statement on decentralised ...[+++]agencies, in particular the annexed common approach and its stipulations on agencies being entrusted with new tasks;

28. Intends to continue a close examination of the Commission’s intention of reducing the staffing level in EU institutions and recalls that this is to be seen as an overall goal; notes the adverse impact such measures may have on the swift, regular and effective implementation of EU actions and programmes; is of the opinion that the efficiency of the administration must be secured and even strengthened; considers that any short-term or long-term revision in staff should be based on a prior impact assessment and should take full account of, inter alia, the Union’s legal obligations and the institutions’ new competences and increased tasks arising from the Treaties; recalls the Joint Statement on decentralised ...[+++]agencies, in particular the annexed common approach and its stipulations on agencies being entrusted with new tasks;

34. Considers it, in addition, of the highest importance to try to define some common rules for the presentation of the agencies' budgets with the aim of making budgetary indicators, such as implementation rates of the agencies or the individual shares making up their revenue and expenditure, more transparent and comparable; believes that the general presentation of the subsidy to agencies in the EU budget might need to be adapted to the tasks and the roles of the new generation of agencies;

Regulation (EC) No 724/2004, which amended Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002, assigned to the Agency new tasks in the fields of preventing and responding to pollution caused by ships, in response to recent accidents in Community waters, particularly those of the oil tankers ‘Erika’ and ‘Prestige’.

(c)from the date set out in point (b), marketing authorisation holders shall inform the Agency of any new or varied marketing authorisations granted in the Union, using the format referred to in point (a).