Aaltonen (Verts/ALE). – (FI) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, my sincere thanks and congratulations go to Mrs Hermange for an excellent report. It is extremely important that the Hague Convention on parental responsibility and the protection of children, which dates back to 1996, is ratified by the rest of the Member States as quickly as possible. The Hague Convention and, in particular, the Regulation on the recognition and enforcement of judgements in matrimonial matters and in matters of parental responsibility, which was adopted at the beginning of the month by the Member States of the European Union, will be a considerable help in settling disputes on custody within Europe.

In Europe we have actually acquired an instrument to help us to reach swift and effective decisions in disputes over custody and enable us to avoid long, expensive and difficult legal proceedings with regard to separations across borders, which are so painful for children. We can really ensure that children grow up in a calm environment.

I am glad and a little surprised to see just how excellent a reception the Regulation has had throughout Europe. Both the press and children’s organisations have together commended us on what we have achieved.

Divorce is always a traumatic experience for a child, as it is for adults too, and if it is followed by litigation that lasts for years it can become absolutely intolerable. With this Regulation the EU will have, for the first time, an instrument by means of which conflicts arising from different laws in different Member States can be avoided.

Of course we cannot meddle with the content of the Hague Convention in this report by Mrs Hermange. For that reason, I wish to ask whether the Commission and the Council are aware that the biggest problems are in any case disputes over the custody and the abduction of children when one of the parents comes from outside the EU and a country that has not ratified the Hague Convention. We have all read sad stories in the tabloid press about children being abducted, a harrowing experience for parents and the playmates of the children involved. Could the European Union itself have a hand in promoting the ratification of the Hague Convention? Could the Commission and the Council try to negotiate more bilateral agreements so that the Hague Convention might be signed in still more countries? We would achieve even better results if we could involve countries outside the EU in this same arrangement that now allows us to deal with custody disputes within the Union.