International Adoptions: Coordinating by the EU of the Rules

www.aibi.it
19 January 2011

International Adoptions: Coordinating by the EU of the Rules

 

It 's the first significant step towards adopting  European Adoptions. With the approval of the Resolution on International Adoption by the European Parliament today international adoption enter fully the responsibility of coordination by the 'European Union.
This is a significant success of Italian MEPs (Roberta Angelilli, Luigi Berlinguer, Patrizia Toia, Sonia Alfano, Luigi De Magistris, Silvia Costa, Lorenzo Fontana, Oreste Rossi, Claudio Morganti) to whom I extend our thanks and the two Italian organisations Friends of Adoption and Amici dei Bambini.who supported them.

The European Parliament in plenary session today approved, subject to the approval of pricnicpal political groups, the resolution for European coordination of the rules for international adoptions.

The European Parliament has given its green light to a text that relies on a historically new role of European institutions with respect to adoptions of minors and, in general, child protection within the Union.

The adoption at international level, must be encouraged to ensure that children abandoned in institutions the right to family life , the resolution adopted in Parliament supports the need to ensure that children so not live in orphanages for a long time.

The Parliament asked the European Commission to coordinate, at European level, the strategies for the tool of international adoption , in accordance with international conventions, in order to improve information services, the preparation for international adoption, the treatment of application procedures for international adoption and post-adoption services, bearing in mind that all international conventions on the protection of the rights of the child recognize the right of children orphaned or abandoned to have a family and receive protection.

Here is the text of the resolution:

Roberta Angelilli, Edit Bauer, Simon Busuttil on behalf of the PPE

Luigi Berlinguer, Evelyn Regner, Victor Bo?tinaru, Patrizia Toia, Silvia Costa on behalf of the S & D

Cecilia Wikström, Sonia Alfano, Luigi de Magistris, Renate Weber, Diana Wallis on behalf of the ALDE Group

Timothy Kirkhope, Marina Yannakoudakis, Sajjad Karim on behalf of the ECR

Ji?í Maštálka on behalf of the GUE / NGL

Lorenzo Fontana, Oreste Rossi, Claudio Morganti

 

European Parliament resolution on international adoption in the European Union

The European Parliament,

- Having regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 20 November 1989, and in particular Article 21,

- Having regard to the European Convention on the Adoption of Children, 1967

- Having regard to the Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (signed at The Hague May 29, 1993) and the European Convention of 25 January 1996, concerning children's rights (ETS No. 160) 

- Having regard to Article 24 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights,

- Having regard to Article 3, paragraphs 3 and 5 of the Treaty on European Union,

- Having regard to its resolution on improving the legislation and cooperation between Member States on the Adoption of Children (A4-0392/1996),

- Having regard to its resolution of January 16, 2008: Towards an EU strategy on children's rights (2007/2093 (INI)

- Having regard to Article 115, paragraph 5 of its Rules

A. Whereas the welfare of every child and to protect the interests of children are aspects of the utmost importance and that protecting children's rights is one of the objectives of the European Union,

B. Whereas in the field of adoption, the responsibility shall be exercised by the Member States applying the relevant procedures in accordance with the maximum protection of the interests of the child,

C. Whereas conventions are in force dealing with child protection and parental responsibility, in particular the European Convention of 1967 on the adoption of children, which aims to harmonize the legislation of Member States in cases where the adoption involves the displacement of child from one country to another, and the Convention of 1993 on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Convention)

D. Whereas the EU Member States are signatories to the Hague Convention

E. Whereas in the Hague Convention has been made considerable progress

F. Whereas the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Hague Convention describing the family as the fundamental group of society, as the natural environment for the growth and welfare of children in most cases and as the primary choice for the custody of children

G. Whereas if it is impossible to entrust children to primary custody of the family, the adoption should a natural secondary choices, and the placement of a child in an institution should be the absolute last option,

H. whereas in Europe the precariousness of childhood, and particularly that of abandoned children in institutions is a serious problem that should be treated very seriously,

I. Whereas the violations of children's rights, violence against them and the trafficking of children for adoption, prostitution, illegal labor, forced marriage el'accattonaggio the street or for any other unlawful purpose, remain a problem in 'EU

J. Whereas it is important to protect the child's right to family life and ensure that children are not forced to live in orphanages for long periods,

K. Whereas the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Charter of Fundamental Rights becomes binding, whereas, under Article 24 of the Charter "children have the right to protection and care necessary for their well-being "and furthermore, that Article 3 of the Treaty of Lisbon provides that the" protection of the rights of the child "falls within the objectives of the Union,

1. Calls to examine the scope for coordination at European level, the strategies for the tool of international adoption, in accordance with international conventions, in order to improve care information services, preparation for international adoption, the treatment procedures Application for international adoption and post-adoption services, bearing in mind that all international conventions on the protection of the rights of the child recognize the right of children orphaned or abandoned and have a family to receive protection;

2. asks the Commission to examine the functioning of national systems at European level;

3. believes that, as far as possible and to fully protect the interests of the child, priority should be given to the adoption of a child in his country of origin or, alternatively, to solutions of family care, such as foster care or facilities reception, or finding a family through international adoption in accordance with national legislation and international conventions, and that the placement in an institution should be used only as a temporary solution;<