Tag Archive for: Parenthood

Adoption in the proposal for a European Parenthood Regulation

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This post was written by Aukje Mens, Jurist at INEA, the Dutch expertise centre on intercountry adoption. She wrote in her own name. 

Recently, an article I wrote about adoption in the proposal for a European Parenthood Regulation was published in the Dutch Journal of Family and Youth Law (Tijdschrift voor Familie- en Jeugdrecht, 2026/3). This article examines the uncertainties and gaps in the regulation of adoption and argues for an autonomous European Adoption Regulation to adequately govern international adoptions. Below is a summary in English of the article.

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ELI-Webinar “Enhancing Child Protection” (Int’l Filiation Law)

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As already announced in another post, there will be a Webinar organized by the European Law Institute (ELI) on March 12 to present and discuss the Project Report of the ELI Project “Enhancing Child Protection: Private International Law on Filiation and the European Commission’s Proposal COM/2022/695 final”

Publication and Webinar: ELI Report on the EU Parenthood Proposal

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Yesterday, the Project Report of the ELI Project “Enhancing Child Protection: Private International Law on Filiation and the European Commission’s Proposal COM/2022/695 final”

It contains constructive amendments to the original Commission’s Parenthood Proposal and intends to bring it more in line with the acquis and general considerations of EU PIL. Furthermore, it puts the best interest of the child in the focus of the analysis.

Recent Publication: Towards Universal Parenthood in Europe

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The recently published book Towards Universal Parenthood in Europe (Editoriale Scientifica, 2025), edited by Laura Carpaneto, Francesca Maoli, and Ilaria Queirolo, offers a timely and rigorous contribution to European private international law and family law scholarship.

This volume follows the convention reported at this blog here and likewise presents the results of the UniPAR – Towards Universal Parenthood in Europe project, an EU-co-funded research initiative that addresses some of the most complex legal challenges in cross-border parenthood. Bringing together expert authors from different universities across European Union, the book combines theoretical frameworks with practical insights into how parenthood is recognised and regulated across different Member States. Covering six EU jurisdictions (Spain, Belgium, Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia and Poland) the book provides comprehensive national reports and comparative analyses on key issues of jurisdiction, applicable law, adoption, recognition of decisions and birth certificates and judicial cooperation in parenthood matters. The contents are available here.

This scholarly work advances the debate on the need for coherence in legal frameworks governing parentage and family relationships in European Union, especially in contexts involving cross-border mobility, assisted reproductive technologies and the recognition of family statuses across Member States. The final conclusions and recommendations serve both academic and policy audiences, offering structured reflections on legislative gaps and potential paths towards harmonised rules in EU private international law.This is an essential resource that deepens understanding of the legal implications of cross-border parenthood and strengthens the foundation for future legislative reform in European Union.

Conference: Towards Universal Parenthood in Europe, 24 October 2025

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The University of Genoa (Italy), together with the partnership of the EU co-funded project UniPAR, is organizing a conference on parenthood in the light of Human Rights Law and Private International Law.

In the Conference, the UniPAR research team will present the results of the research and various topics related with EU private international law and children’s rights in the context of parenthood will be addressed. Dr. Raffaele Sabato, judge of the European Court of Human Rights, will deliver the introductory speech.

The Conference will take place on Friday 24 October, 10.00-13.00 CET and 14.00-17.00 CET.

See the programme. Online attendance is possible after prior registration.

Children-parents in the EU: Stakeholders’ meeting 13 and 14 March

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The Unipar project partners are organising a stakeholders’ meeting on the EU’s proposal on filiation/parenthood, domestic private international law, human and children’s rights, and EU law. The meeting will be held in Brussels on 13 and 14 March, and will be livestreamed for persons who wish to follow.

The programme is available on the Unipar website. There you will also find the registration link for online participation.

Unipar is co-funded by the European Union. It is a two-year project that comments on the EU’s proposal on private international law on filiation, but also investigates the larger context of filiation/parenthood across borders. The first outcome is a report on the impact on parentage of the EU acquis.

GEDIP Position paper on Parenthood

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The European Group for Private International Law (GEDIP) has recently adopted a Position paper on the Proposal for a Council Regulation in matters of Parenthood.

The Group welcomes the EU’s intention to legislate in this field, since parenthood is a status from which persons derive numerous rights and obligations.  However, the Group is of the opinion that there are important shortcomings in the Proposal due to the narrow perspective taken and an insufficient consideration of the legal complexities concerning parenthood in cross-border situations. It therefore encourages a reconsideration of the Proposal in the light of its observations.

European Commission: Experts’ Group on the Recognition of Parenthood between EU Member States

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The European Commission (EC) has issued a call for experts to join an Experts’ Group on the Recognition of Parenthood between the Member States of the European Union (EU).

Families are increasingly mobile as they move and travel between the Member States of the EU. Yet, given the differences in Member States’ substantive and conflict of laws rules on parenthood, families may face obstacles in having the parenthood of their children recognised when crossing borders within the Union.

The EC is preparing a legislative initiative on the recognition of parenthood between the Member States of the European Union. The goal of this initiative is to ensure that children will maintain their rights in cross-border situations, in particular where families travel or move within the Union.

In this context, the EC seeks experts to advise it in the preparation of this legislative initiative. Experts must have proven and relevant competence and experience at EU and / or international level in areas relevant to the recognition of parenthood between EU Member States. In particular, the members of the Expert Group must be experts in one or more of the following areas:

  • private international law on family matters;
  • Member States’ law, and comparative law, on the establishment and recognition of parenthood;
  • Union case law on free movement, name and nationality;
  • fundamental rights and related case law, in particular under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) on or affecting parenthood and nationality; and / or
  • the rights of the child and related case law.

The members of the Expert Group will be appointed in their personal capacity to represent the public interest. The call is not limited to experts with the nationality of one of the EU Member States.

The call for experts will run until 23 April 2021. Details about the call can be found at the following here.

this information was provided by Ms Lenka Vysoka, EC.