EU to quiz Romania on child adoption law

The European Commission is to grill Romanian officials as to why they have breached their own ban on sending children for international adoption.

Romania, currently negotiating membership with Brussels for EU entry by 2007, has admitted it has sent 105 children for adoption in Italy, despite a moratorium imposed on child adoption since 1991.

Brussels “has decided to ask the Romanian authorities for a clear explanation on what exactly has happened here,” said a commission spokesman.

“We will look very seriously into this.”

But the EU executive stopped short of claiming the human rights dispute would impede EU membership talks with the Eastern European country.

And entry negotiations can only be suspended by EU governments at Council on a recommendation by the commission.

“This is not on the agenda for the moment. Negotiations are ongoing and we don’t wish to go that far,” the spokesman continued.

Speaking at a Bucarest press conference, Romanian leader Adrian Nastase played down criticisms that the transfer of the children was in any way underhand.

“There were many families that had special bonds with certain children. They were actually living with them in Romania,” he said, reported by the BBC.

Meanwhile, senior members of the European Parliament have rounded on the attitude of the Romanians towards child adoption.

British MEP Baroness Emma Nicholson has condemned the incident as a "flagrant breach of the UN Convention of the rights of the child".

And Dutch MEP Arie Oostlander has additionally called for the suspension of EU negotiations with Romania over the incident.

"Negotiating all those technicalities about the economy, fisheries, energy and the environment makes no sense if Romania is not really developing into a democratic state respecting the rule of law," he said.

 

• Previous article
• Next article