The European Parliament on Thursday agreed to a report calling for Europe-wide recognition of parenthood, to the displeasure of conservative politicians. Three questions and answers.
***What is this certificate about?***
The European Parliament wants EU countries to recognise parenthood across borders. A gay couple with children who moves from a liberal EU member state to a more conservative one may find it difficult to get their legal parenthood recognised. That might lead to legal proceedings, sometimes as far as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg. According to the Dutch MEP Toine Manders, this has to change: “The courts always agree with the parents, but the legal process, LN, “as part of the LGBTIQ Equality Strategy“>
De la Pisa. Photo European Parliame De la Pisa says this proposal is a “purely bureaucratic solution.” She argues that there are already enough handles to get custody of a child. “It is the desires of adults that create this problem. This is not a fight for children's rights but for adult's rights.” On the left side of the political spectrum, politicians say this proposal supports rainbow families. “I truly hope that rainbow families across Europe and I will not have to wait long for the adoption of this proposal,” argues Kim van Sparrentak, a Dutch MEP from the left Greens-European Free Alliance Group. The Christian Democrats within the largest group in the European Parliament, the European People's Party, look displeased at the statements from both the left and the right. “They have not read this proposal properly,” argues Helmut Geuking of the Christian German Family Party. “I was also against it at first because I thought it was about LGBT issues, but I was misinformed. Children cannot help it if their parents move abroad, and we want a solution to that.” Baby Sara pours oil on the fire of rainbow interests ***What will happen with this proposal now?*** On Thursday, a majority of Parliament voted in favour of the proposal. The Dutch Reformed MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen and several other MEPs tabled several amendments to include surrogacy in the report; this practice should then be condemned and excluded from the forms of reproduction recognised by the Parental Certificate. However, those amendments did not make it through. Disappointing, Ruissen calls that. “The European Parliament previously said 'no' to commercial surrogacy. But now, the Parliament wants to force countries to recognise the practice of surrogacy.” The Parliament only has an advisory role in voting on this report. That means it merely gives an opinion on the content of this proposal. The European Council will now start discussing this proposal. Still, there is little chance there will be a new Parental Certificate with this content. Legislation that crosses national borders needs unanimity of member states. However, several countries, including Italy and Hungary, have already rejected this proposal.
De la Pisa. Photo European Parliame De la Pisa says this proposal is a “purely bureaucratic solution.” She argues that there are already enough handles to get custody of a child. “It is the desires of adults that create this problem. This is not a fight for children's rights but for adult's rights.” On the left side of the political spectrum, politicians say this proposal supports rainbow families. “I truly hope that rainbow families across Europe and I will not have to wait long for the adoption of this proposal,” argues Kim van Sparrentak, a Dutch MEP from the left Greens-European Free Alliance Group. The Christian Democrats within the largest group in the European Parliament, the European People's Party, look displeased at the statements from both the left and the right. “They have not read this proposal properly,” argues Helmut Geuking of the Christian German Family Party. “I was also against it at first because I thought it was about LGBT issues, but I was misinformed. Children cannot help it if their parents move abroad, and we want a solution to that.” Baby Sara pours oil on the fire of rainbow interests ***What will happen with this proposal now?*** On Thursday, a majority of Parliament voted in favour of the proposal. The Dutch Reformed MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen and several other MEPs tabled several amendments to include surrogacy in the report; this practice should then be condemned and excluded from the forms of reproduction recognised by the Parental Certificate. However, those amendments did not make it through. Disappointing, Ruissen calls that. “The European Parliament previously said 'no' to commercial surrogacy. But now, the Parliament wants to force countries to recognise the practice of surrogacy.” The Parliament only has an advisory role in voting on this report. That means it merely gives an opinion on the content of this proposal. The European Council will now start discussing this proposal. Still, there is little chance there will be a new Parental Certificate with this content. Legislation that crosses national borders needs unanimity of member states. However, several countries, including Italy and Hungary, have already rejected this proposal.
