Source: http://www.scoop.co.nz

Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 3:58 pm
Cable: Wikileaks
Ref: 06THEHAGUE617

VZCZCXRO8264
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHTC #0617 0811558
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221558Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5172
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 1111
RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA 0418
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 2840
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 0270

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000617

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL CASC EU RO NL
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS: PENDING ADOPTION CASES IN ROMANIA

REF: STATE 43700

1. (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel demarche March 21 to MFA
Western and Central Europe policy officer Mara van der Poel,
who handles accession issues for Romania and Bulgaria. The
GONL is satisfied with the Romanian adoption law, which it
believes (despite our arguments) is in conformity with
international and EU conventions. Van der Poel cited
European Commission reports that indicated Romania had the
capacity to adopt needy children internally. Regarding
pending cases, she said that the GONL was satisfied with the
European Commission’s call for the Romanian government to
inform applicants of the status of their cases.

2. (SBU) When pressed by poloff, van der Poel said that,
frankly, the Romanian accession process faces hurdles which
are far more pressing that the adoption issue (for example,
corruption). She said that the GONL does not feel this is an
issue on which the Romanians should be distracted.
ARNALL

Date:2011-05-06
Source:http://english.hotnews.ro

Romania is pressured to reopen adoptions for foreign citizens, Romania libera reads following a decision of Romanian authorities in 2005 to block the process. President Basescu gave plenty of assurances that the situation will not change in his mandate. Meanwhile, Romania is under a lot of pressure from US and EU officials to reopen the adoptions program for foreign citizens. (more…)

Tonight the German TV is again broadcasting Search a Child, Pay Cash – The Adoption Lobby, as part of their weeklong Focus on Europe.

As we know, the Adoption Lobby is, despite its public exposure, continuing like before.

Translation – German text HERE

The Romanian “adoption industry”

EU official Roelie Post (right) talking to a couple who adopted a Romanian child

After the collapse of socialism and the Soviet bloc many children were mediated abroad for adoption. But behind the humanitarian goals were often entrenched economic interests, some organizations earned per child up to 20,000 dollars and donated plenty to local “organizations” that provided children from the childrens’ homes.Romania developed in 1989 to a children’s country of export. A regular “adoption industry” rich western countries was established. That led to cases like  Marineta Ciofu whose child disappeared without her consent. In this way, more than 30,000 Romanian children were placed abroad.
 
As a result, Romania decided in 2004 fully against international adoption and since then supports families in need directly, so they are no longer dependent on homes. The adoption organizations, especially those from the United States, were against these storm of regulations. The Romanian government was and is since then under enormous pressure from lobbyists. Even the NATO accession of Romania has been linked to the issue of foreign adoptions, is announced by the former EU enlargement Commissioner Gunther Verheugen.

Watch on Tuesday 12 April 2011, 23.00 o’clock a film by Golineh Atai. The author shows how the system of international adoptions functions and how political pressure is applied to facilitate the business with children.

“There are times, sadly, when you must be cruel to be kind.”

This morning I read that quote in the UK Daily Mail Online: The scandal of orphanages in tourist resorts and disaster zones that rent children to fleece gullible Westerners.

A part from the adoption lobby, that’s what I found the most incredible when visiting the Romanian ‘orphanages’: the orphan tourism and the omnipresence of foreigners. More and more children’s homes were set up by foreigners, often with the goal of ‘saving’ children for adoption.

Quote from Romania for Export Only – the untold story of the Romanian ‘orphans’: (more…)

Quote from Romania-For Export Only:

Sunday, 11 June 2000
On the Internet I found an interesting report from the UN Rapporteur on the Sale of Children on intercountry adoptions from Guatemala. It said legal adoptions appeared to be the exception rather than the rule…
‘Since huge profits can be made, the child has become an object of commerce, rather than the focus of the law. Trafficking of babies and young children for inter-country adoption exists on a large scale. The system lends itself to the nefarious practice of reducing children to commercial objects to be offered to the highest bidders.’
The report also mentioned ‘casas de engordeza’, fattening houses, where babies were kept while the adoption process went through. Falsification of documents was common. Sounded like Romania, Guatemala. (more…)