Adoption from abroad was 'paused', but now there are 35 families in the queue again

Forty families in Flanders are currently in the process of adopting abroad, and 35 others have been promised they can still join. This is despite an adoption pause being in effect since the end of 2023. "The message isn't clear, and that's difficult," says Member of Parliament Freya Perdaens (N-VA).

Veerle Beel

October 28, 2025 at 11:59 PM

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The Flemish Adoption Center (VCA) is busy. When former Minister of Welfare Hilde Crevits (CD&V) introduced a temporary pause for international adoptions at the end of 2023, it was decided that the government agency would take over all ongoing cases. There were approximately eighty of them. To this end, the VCA enlisted the expertise of at least three staff members, one from each former adoption organization, to help develop and guide these processes – after all, the VCA itself had no experience in this area.

At the beginning of this year, 39 of the 80 cases were still open. In response to a written question from Flemish Parliament member Freya Perdaens (N-VA) to Minister of Welfare Caroline Gennez (Vooruit), the latter replied that 33 of these cases were still ongoing. In one case, a family had already welcomed an adopted child. Five other families decided to discontinue the process themselves.

The same response shows that 59 prospective parents or couples who had already received a suitability decision for adoption by the end of 2023 received an invitation to register for an adoption program. Forty-two families accepted. Seven families have taken the first step in their program.

Perdaens concludes that there are 40 pending applications (33 + 7) and 35 families in the waiting list. “The question is what prospects these 35 families have. How long will they have to wait, and how soon can their adoption process be completed? That's completely unclear. Meanwhile, countries are also being rejected, forcing some families to go back to the beginning. This was the case with Togo, for example. There's no clear communication about the ultimate goal: does this government want to let intercountry adoptions fade away naturally? Or will the 35 waiting families still have a concrete timeline? If so, then there's no longer any question of a pause in adoption. I'm neither for nor against, but the message isn't clear, and that's difficult.”

Freya Perdaens (N-VA). © Dirk Waem

Two of the three adoption non-profit organizations that mediated intercountry adoptions closed in 2023. The only remaining organization, Het Kleine Mirakel, no longer mediates, as the VCA now does. Het Kleine Mirakel was, however, mandated to support intended parents, adoptive parents, and adoptees and to provide aftercare. Since the two other adoption non-profit organizations have been disbanded, they must now take on this task for the entire target group in Flanders. Their project subsidies expire at the end of this year. "They also deserve clarity," says Perdaens.

Previously, €1 million was allocated annually to the three services combined, to bring in an average of around 30 children from abroad each year and provide them with guidance and aftercare.

A certain vacuum

The adoption pause came after a series of errors came to light in adoptions from Ethiopia at the beginning of this century. Perdaens recalls that this was why the Flemish Parliament approved a new decree on intercountry adoption during the previous term: "The goal was to eliminate potential abuses in intercountry adoptions. Minister Gennez has not yet taken the initiative to implement that decree. As a result, we are currently operating in a vacuum."

The Gennez cabinet confirms that anyone who had a suitability decision before the adoption pause may still begin the procedure. All those involved have received an invitation to do so. The pause means that no more information sessions for new candidates will be held, nor will preparatory courses be offered. The VCA will now continue processing all pending applications, the cabinet reports.

Adoptions from Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, the Philippines, Honduras, Peru, Portugal, Thailand, and South Africa will continue. Collaboration with Burkina Faso has been halted due to the insecurity in that country. Kazakhstan is on hold because it only collaborates with a recognized international adoption agency, which currently does not operate in Flanders. A site visit is still required for Hungary before a final decision is made. After a working visit by the VCA to Togo, collaboration with that country was terminated early this year. The same happened with India, a decision made in the middle of this year. In 2023, it was already decided to no longer adopt from Gambia, Haiti, Morocco, and Vietnam.