http://www.coe.int/t/dc/press/noteredac2008/20080219_sga_EN.asp
The Council of Europes Deputy Secretary General supports a Common
declaration on international adoption
Strasbourg, 19.02.2008 Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General
of the Council of Europe, today expressed her support for a Common
declaration on international adoption along with Member of the European
Parliament Claire Gibault at a press conference held in Strasbourg.
De Boer-Buquicchio pointed out that children have the right to know, and be
brought up by, their parents as far as this is possible. When it is not,
adoption - whether national or international - is and must remain a valid
option, she added, stressing that the key objective must be to protect the
best interests of the child.
The Deputy Secretary General stressed that national adoption must be sought
first, but when it is not possible then international adoption must be
considered, whilst ensuring that no abuses occur. If we restrict or even
ban the possibility of international adoption when no adequate national
solution is available we effectively make children pay the price for adults
mistakes and this is not something we can, or are ready to accept, she
said.
The two most relevant treaties for European countries on adoption are the
1993 Hague Convention, which deals with inter-country adoption, and the 1967
Council of Europe convention on adoption, which deals primarily with
national adoption. The Council of Europe convention has recently been
revised in order to bring it in line with social and legal developments. The
main innovative aspects of the new draft convention include:
§ an obligation to seek the consent of children of sufficient
understanding, as a rule when the child is 14;
§ a requirement that, when consent is not necessary and as far as possible,
children are consulted and their wishes and views are taken into account;
§ a request that the competent authorities carry out appropriate inquiries
before an adoption takes place;
§ a prohibition of any improper gain as a result of an adoption;
§ a request of consent from the childs father in all cases;
§ An extension of the right to adopt to heterosexual unmarried couples who
have entered into a registered partnership, and to single parents.
The draft convention will be considered by the Council of Europes Committee
of Ministers next week, in the light of the recent judgment by the European
Court of Human Rights in the case of E.B. vs. France, in which the court
ruled that countries which allow adoption by a single parent must not
discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation.
Press contact:
Jaime Rodríguez,
tel. +33 (0)3 90 21 47 04,
mobile +33 6 89 99 50 42,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Vali
"Noble blood is an accident of fortune; noble actions are the chief mark of
greatness." (Carlo Goldoni)
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know
peace." (Jimi Hendrix)
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