Ratification of the Convention on Contact concerning Children

17.12.2013

Question for written answer P-014187-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Edit Bauer (PPE)

The Convention on Contact concerning Children of 15 May 2003 has thus far been neither signed nor ratified by the European Union. Only a few Member States have signed it, and fewer still have ratified it.

The current legal situation in Slovakia is causing a number of problems. The Slovak Ministry of Justice — as the competent body — is saying that the European Union is preventing it from ratifying. Ministry officials say that Slovakia cannot currently ratify the convention as the EU has external competence in the relevant area. Only the EU, therefore, is authorised to accede to the convention in the case of shared competence between the EU and the Member States.

Given the increasing number of children from divorced families in the EU, this issue is turning into an everyday problem.

It seems that other Member States are experiencing similar problems, and the EU’s ratification of the convention would make life easier for a large number of people in the EU.

Does the European Union plan to ratify the aforementioned convention?

OJ C 300, 05/09/2014