Council Regulation (EC) No 694/2003 of 14 April 2003 on uniform formats for Facilitated Transit Documents (FTD) and Facilitated Rail Transit Documents (FRTD) provided for in Regulation (EC) No 693/2003

Council Regulation (EC) No 694/2003
of 14 April 2003
on uniform formats for Facilitated Transit Documents (FTD) and Facilitated Rail Transit Documents (FRTD) provided for in Regulation (EC) No 693/2003
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 62(2) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(1),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament(2),
Whereas:
(1) In order to prepare accession of new Member States, the Community should take into account specific situations, which may occur as a result of the enlargement and set out the relevant legislation in order to avoid future problems in relation with the crossing of the external border.
(2) Council Regulation (EC) No 693/2003(3) establishes a Facilitated Transit Document (FTD) and Facilitated Rail Transit Document (FRTD) for the case of a specific transit by land of third country nationals who must necessarily cross the territory of one or several Member States in order to travel between two parts of their own country which are not geographically contiguous. Uniform formats for these documents should be established.
(3) These uniform formats should contain all the necessary information and meet high technical standards, in particular as regards safeguards against counterfeiting and falsification. The formats should also be suited to use by all Member States and bear universally recognisable harmonised security features which are clearly visible to the naked eye.
(4) Powers to adopt such common standards should be conferred on the Commission, which should be assisted by the Committee established by Article 6 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1683/95 of 29 May 1995 laying down a uniform format for visas(4).
(5) To ensure that the information in question is not divulged more widely than is necessary, it is also essential that each Member State issuing the FTD/FRTD designate a single body for printing the uniform format for FTD/FRTD, while retaining the possibility of changing that body, if necessary. For security reasons, each such Member State should communicate the name of the competent body to the Commission and to the other Member States.
(6) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred to the Commission(5).
(7) In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Protocol on the position of Denmark annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Denmark is not taking part in the adoption of this Regulation, and is not bound by it or subject to its application. Given that this Regulation builds upon the Schengen acquis under the provisions of Title IV of Part Three of the Treaty establishing the European Community, Denmark shall, in accordance with Article 5 of the said Protocol, decide within a period of six months after the Council has adopted this Regulation whether it will implement it in its national law.
(8) As regards Iceland and Norway, this Regulation constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis within the meaning of the 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, application and development of the Schengen acquis(6), which fall within the area referred to in Article 1, point B of Council Decision 1999/437/EC of 17 May 1999 on certain arrangements for the application of that Agreement(7).
(9) This Regulation constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis in which the United Kingdom does not take part, in accordance with Council Decision 2000/365/EC of 29 May 2000 concerning the request of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis(8); the United Kingdom is therefore not taking part in its adoption and is not bound by it or subject to its application.
(10) This Regulation constitutes a development of provisions of the Schengen acquis in which Ireland does not take part, in accordance with Council Decision 2002/192/EC of 28 February 2002 concerning Ireland's request to take part in some of the provisions of the Schengen acquis(9); Ireland is therefore not taking part in its adoption and is not bound by it or subject to its application.
(11) This Regulation constitutes an act building on the Schengen acquis or otherwise related to it within the meaning of Article 3(1) of the Act of Accession,