Brussels, 10/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - The French MEPs Claire Gibault and Jean-Marie Cavada, both of whom are members of the ALDE group at the European Parliament (EP), took position, on Thursday 9 November, in favour of a European adoption policy. "We must redefine the texts in force in order to have common rules, a common adoption space (...). We must reduce the time required for adoption and to improve follow-up", said Claire Gibault, at a press conference in Brussels. In a similar vein, the president of the committee on civil liberties of the EP, Jean-Marie Cavada, called for a proper "European adoption policy", in view of the fact that intra-Community adoptions are considered international.
The MEPs, who were taking part in a conference bringing together international adoption experts, dwelt at length on the protection of orphans and children in Romania and Bulgaria, and in the Member States. Slow adoption procedures also concern countries such as Finland, France, the United Kingdom and Greece. Mr Cavada took position in favour of the European policy to simplify adoption in Europe. He stated that the legitimacy of Romanian and Bulgarian accession, which he himself described as not up for discussion, and the situation of orphaned children, for whom much progress remains to be made, should not be mixed up. The MEPs also confirmed their opposition to a policy banning international adoption in Romania, even though the EP had supported this at the time. Given the situation in Romania, where more than a thousand children are still being abandoned every year, Jean-Marie Cavada criticised the EU's "mistakes", which led to a ban on international adoption in this country. Since 1 January 2005, such an adoption is only possible if the adoption candidates are the grandparents, resident abroad, of the child in question. But given the lack of families which have applied and fulfilled the conditions to adopt a child, the MEPs believe that international adoption remains the best solution for children who cannot be adopted in Romania. On this, Mr Cavada criticised the "unacceptable" behaviour of the Romanian authorities, who believe that the EP's desire to see this law repealed equates to an "attack on Romanian patriotism".
The European Commissioner in charge of Justice and Home Affairs, Franco Frattini, nonetheless pointed out that "this political choice is the responsibility of Romania alone (...) and should be considered as a consequence of the former abusive practices on adoption in this country". On the possibility of a Community policy, Mr Frattini announced his intention to consult the Member States on the subject of adoption, notably via the European Judicial Network. "Once we have obtained the opinion of the Member States, a reflection on whether action should be taken at European level can be carried out", he said. Ms Gibault, herself an adoptive mother, welcomed the fact that the Commissioner is in the process of putting together a recommendation on children's rights to a family, to which the EP can table amendments. (bc)