The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Respect of Inter-Country Adoptions,

–   having regard for the 1967 European Convention on the Adoption of Children,

–   having regard for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,

–   having regard for the UNICEF position on inter-country adoption of January 2004,

–   having regard for the 1996 Council of Europe’s European Convention on the Exercise of Children’s Rights,

–   having regard for national law regarding the family and adoption in the European Union’s 27 Member States,

–   having regard to the European Parliament Resolution on improving legislation and cooperation among member states on adoption of children (A4–0392/96),

–   having regard to the European Parliament Resolution 16 January 2008 on an EU strategy on children’s rights (2007/2093 (INI)),

–   having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas international adoption takes place when the adoptive parents live in another country and the child is moved to the country,

B.  whereas the number of international adoptions, globally, has nearly doubled each year with the vast majority of international adoptions currently involve children moving from developing to developed countries,

C. whereas the primary instrument in international law which aims to regulate international adoption is the 1993 Hague Convention on Adoption of which 81 countries are parties to the Convention,

D. whereas that in those countries where the practice of international adoption is not regulated, the risks of child trafficking and abduction increase significantly,

E.  whereas the welfare of abandoned children is a core value of the European Union,

F.  whereas international adoption is within the EU is a highly complex legal process governed by each Member State’s national law on adoption,

G. whereas the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union addresses the issue on the rights of children and states that ‘the best interest of the child must be the primary consideration on all actions relating to children’,

1.  States that international adoption is an option that may be appropriate for some children if they are unable to live with their birth parents due to abandonment, ill-treatment or if the child’s birth parent(s) is(are) unable to care for them;

2.  States that international adoption does create a risk of abuse and malpractice that undermine the best interests of the child and that separation from birth parents and place of origin can be distressful for a child;

3.  Calls on Member States to ensure that all principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are upheld wherever possible,

4.  Urges Member States to recognise the psychological, emotional, physical and social/ educational implications that can occur when a child is removed from his or her place of origin and offer appropriate assistance to the adoptive parents and the adopted child;

5.  Calls on Member States to ensure that all decisions relating to the adoption of a child are made exclusively in the best interests of the child;

6.  Encourages Member States to act expeditiously in the processing of adoption applications, in furtherance of the Hague Convention, in order that the child may enjoy the full rights and effects of their adoption without undue delay;

7.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the President of the European Council, the Council, the Commission and the parliaments and governments of the Member States.