Inter-country adoptions and organised crime
2.3.2023
Priority question for written answer P-000699/2023
to the Commission
Rule 138
Ladislav Ilčić (ECR)
In several EU Member States, cases have been recorded in which it was proven that children adopted via inter-country adoption procedures were previously victims of human trafficking, mainly from countries that are not signatories to the Hague Convention. Eight Croatian citizens who were hoping to adopt children from the Democratic Republic of Congo are currently detained in Zambia on suspicion of child exploitation. In view of the principle of free movement in the EU, which is one of the fundamental rights of EU citizens, such cases, although primarily within the competence of Member States, have a European dimension on account of potential abuses by international criminal networks. This is also borne out by data from relevant institutions such as Interpol, UNICEF and the organisation Save the Children, which shows a global rise in organ trafficking (which also affects children) and an increase in child pornography and prostitution. In accordance with the above:
- 1.Is the Commission planning specific guidelines to help the Member States improve the international adoption process with a view to the long-term welfare of children, protecting the integrity of adoptive parents and preventing human trafficking in the EU?
- 2.Is it planning to take diplomatic steps to persuade the Democratic Republic of Congo and other non-signatory countries to the Hague Convention to adopt the latter and to adapt their system to the standards enshrined therein?
Submitted: 2.3.2023