Article 2

A staff member who has one or more dependent children shall, in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3, receive an allowance of EUR 375,59 per month for each dependent child.

‘Dependent child’ means the legitimate, natural or adopted child of a staff member, or of his spouse, who is actually being maintained by the staff member.

The same shall apply to a child for whom an application for adoption has been lodged and the adoption procedure started.

Any child whom the staff member has a responsibility to maintain under a judicial decision based on Member States' legislation on the protection of minors shall be treated as a dependent child.

The amount referred to in paragraph 1 shall be reviewed each time remuneration is revised pursuant to Article 60.

The allowance shall be granted:

Any person whom the staff member has a legal responsibility to maintain and whose maintenance involves heavy expenditure may, exceptionally, be treated as if he were a dependent child by special reasoned decision of the AACC, based on supporting documents.

Payment of the allowance in respect of a child prevented by serious illness or invalidity from earning a livelihood shall continue throughout the period of that illness or invalidity, irrespective of age.

Not more than one dependent child allowance shall be paid in respect of any one dependent child within the meaning of this Article.

If custody of the dependent child within the meaning of paragraphs 2 and 3 has been entrusted by law or by an order of court or of the competent administrative authority to another person, the dependent child allowance shall be paid to that person in the name and on behalf of the staff member.