The German child welfare authorities (Jugendamt) continue to prevent contact between divorced people of foreign origin and their children. This affects not only Poles but also French nationals.

The rules in force result in blatant discrimination against parents of non-German origin.

On 15 September, in the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, the Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, Jacques Barrot, said, ‘We have a document, the Brussels IIa Regulation, which determines that custody should be awarded to the parents taking into account the interests of the child. I know that German courts do not always follow this principle and do not comply with the provisions laid down in the EU regulation.’

Commissioner Barrot also said that he intended to meet the German Interior Minister to discuss this matter and seek explanations for the actions of the German child welfare authorities.

Has that meeting with the German Interior Minister in connection with the actions of the German child welfare authorities taken place?

If so, was the matter of discrimination against Polish divorced parents, among others, in relation to their contacts with children from Polish-German marriages raised in the course of that meeting?

What explanations were given for Germany’s violation of the Brussels IIa Regulation?