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COUNCIL DECISION  
of 29.4.2004 
 
amending the Common Manual in order to include provision 
for targeted border controls on accompanied minors  
 
(2004/466/EC) 
 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,  Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No  790/2001 of 24 April 2001 reserving to the Council 
implementing powers with regard to certain detailed provisions  and practical procedures for 
carrying out border chec ks and surveillance 
1, 
 Having regard to the initiativ e of the Italian Republic, 
                                                
 
1 OJ L 116, 26.4.2001, p. 5. 
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Whereas: 
 (1)  It is necessary to adopt special procedures  for entry and exit checks on persons crossing the 
external borders, including on accompanied minors, given especially that the persons accompanying or supposedly accompanying minors ar e in fact often traffickers in human 
beings, and provision should be ma de for border control authorities to pay particular attention 
to all travelling minors. 
 
(2) Point 5 of the Declaration of the Executive Committee of 9 February 1998 on the abduction of 
minors states that "it is equally imperative that  the authorities respons ible for border control 
systematically check the identity papers and the travel documents of minors.  This is 
particularly important if minors are travel ling in the company of just one adult". 
 (3) In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Pr otocol on the position of Denmark, annexed to 
the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing th e European Community, 
Denmark is not taking part in the adoption of this Decision, and is not bound by it or subject 
to its application.  Given that this De cision builds upon the Schengen acquis, under the 
provisions of Title IV of Part Three of th e Treaty establishing the European Community, 
Denmark shall , in accordance with  Article 5 of the said Protoc ol, decide, within a period of 
six months after the Council has adopted this Decision, whether it will implement it into its 
national law. 
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(4) As regards Iceland and Norway, this Decisi on constitutes a development of provisions of the 
Schengen acquis, within the meaning of th e Agreement concluded by the Council of the 
European Union and the Republic of Iceland and the Kingdom of Norway concerning the 
association of those two States  with the implementation, appli cation and development of the 
Schengen acquis, which fall within the area refe rred to in Article 1, point A of Council 
Decision 1999/437/EC of 17 May 1999 1 on certain arrangements for the application of that 
Agreement. 
 (5) This Decision constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis in which the 
United Kingdom does not take part, in acco rdance with Council Decision 2000/365/EC of 
29 May 2000 concerning the request of the Un ited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern 
Ireland to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis 
2; the United Kingdom is 
therefore not taking part in its  adoption and is not bound by it or  subject to its application. 
 (6) This Decision constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis in which 
Ireland does not take part, in accord ance with Council Decision 2002/192/EC of 
28 February 2002 concerning Ireland's request to take part in so me of the provisions of the 
Schengen acquis 
3; Ireland is therefore not taking part in its adoption and is not bound by it or 
subject to its application. 
 (7) This Decision constitutes an act building upon the Schengen acquis or otherwise related to it, 
within the meaning of Article 3(1) of the Act of Accession, 
                                                
 
1  OJ L 176, 10.7.1999, p.31. 
2  OJ L 131, 1.6.2000, p.43. 
3  OJ L 64, 7.3.2002, p. 20. 
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HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: 
 
Article 1  
 
In the second paragraph of point 6.8.1 of Part II of the Common  Manual, the sentence reading: 
"Staff carrying out checks must pay particular at tention to minors travelling unaccompanied" shall 
be amended as follows: "Staff carrying out checks mu st pay particular attention to minors, whether 
travelling accompanied or unaccompanied". 
 
Article 2  
 
This Decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publ ication in the Official 
Journal of the European Union.  
Article 3
 
 This Decision is addressed to the Member Stat es in accordance with the Treaty establishing the 
European Community.  Done at Luxembourg, 29.4.2004. 
 For the Council  The President   M. McDOWELL