On Tuesday 18 February, Parliament’s Vice-President and Coordinator for Children’s Rights Ewa Kopacz presented her 2024 annual report and 2025 work programme to the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI).
The 2024 report shows that the past year saw an increase in cases of international parental abduction, with 46 cases handled by her office.
Ms Kopacz deplored legal loopholes, particularly when disputes involve third countries that have not ratified the 1996 Hague Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law, Recognition, Enforcement and Co-operation in respect of Parental Responsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children.
With regard to the situation of Ukrainian children displaced within the European Union, Parliament’s vice-president spoke about the legal complexity linked to their status and the uncertainties over their habitual residence, which are central elements in parental disputes.
Ewa Kopacz also spoke about children’s mental health and, in particular, the consequences of overexposure to screens and a lack of parental guidance.
“There will be no vaccine against this pandemic”, she insisted, pointing out that anxiety and depression were affecting an exponential number of young people.
And for good reason: “All the available data show us that children are facing major challenges", Ms Kopacz pointed out, citing in particular the rise in armed conflicts, child poverty and the impact of digital technology.
These are all issues correlated with the increase in teenage suicides and psychological malaise among young people, phenomena which Parliament’s vice-president is calling for strong political action to prevent.
Referring to her experience as a paediatrician, she spoke about the use of screens and their influence on children’s well-being and challenged parents on their educational role, calling for a debate on regulating digital use among the very young.
For 2025, the programme is based around several strategic actions, including closer cooperation with the European Commission to assess the impact of European legislation on children.
“I hope we will have many more meetings together and that we will put the best interests of the child first in all our activities”, she declared, calling on MEPs to step up their efforts on these issues.
The report: https://aeur.eu/f/fkn (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)