A committee consisting of the Permanent Representatives of the Member States shall be responsible for preparing the work of the Council and for carrying out the tasks assigned to it by the Council. 2. The Council shall be assisted by a General Secretariat, under the direction of a Secretary-General. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the Council acting unanimously. The Council shall decide on the organization of the General Secretariat. 3. The Council shall adopt its rules of procedure." 47) The following Article shall be inserted: "ARTICLE 154 The Council shall, acting by a qualified majority, determine the salaries, allowances and pensions of the President and members of the Commission, and of the president, Judges, Advocates-General and Registrar of the Court of Justice. It shall also, again by a qualified majority, determine any payment to be made instead of remuneration." 48) The following Articles shall be inserted: "ARTICLE 156 The Commission shall publish annually, not later than one month before the opening of the session of the European Parliament, a general report on the activities of the Community. ARTICLE 157 1. The Commission shall consist of seventeen members, who shall be chosen on the grounds of their general competence and whose independence is beyond doubt. The number of members of the Commission may be altered by the Council, acting unanimously. Only nationals of Member States may be members of the Commission. The Commission must include at least one national of each of the Member States, but may not include more than two members having the nationality of the same State. 2. The members of the Commission shall, in the general interest of the Community, be completely independent in the performance of their duties. In the performance of these duties, they shall neither seek nor take instructions from any government or from any other body. They shall refrain from any action incompatible with their duties. Each Member State undertakes to respect this principle and not to seek to influence the members of the Commission in the performance of their tasks. The members of the Commission may not, during their term of office, engage in any other occupation, whether gainful or not. When entering upon their duties they shall give a solemn undertaking that, both during and after their term of office, they will respect the obligations arising therefrom and in particular their duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance, after they have ceased to hold office, of certain appointments or benefits. In the events of any breach of these obligations, the Court of Justice may, on application by the Council or the Commission, rule that the member concerned be, according to the circumstances, either compulsorily retired in accordance with Article 160 or deprived of his rights to a pension or benefits in its stead. ARTICLE 158 1. The members of the Commission shall be appointed, in accordance