Maura Harty (US State Dep) in Finland/EURADOPT
ROMANIA
:
ON ROMANIA I AM AFRAID I DON’T HAVE GOOD NEWS TO REPORT. DESPITE URGING FROM THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, AS WELL AS APPEALS BY INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS, THE HELSINKI COMMISSION AND MEMBERS OF THE ADMINISTRATION, ROMANIA HAS SIGNALED IT DOES NOT INTEND TO REVISIT ITS RESTRICTIVE ADOPTION LAW, NOR PERMIT INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION FOR CHILDREN WHOSE CASES WERE ALREADY PENDING WHEN THE LAW CHANGED.
11
I WANT TO ASSURE YOU THAT WE HAVE TRIED EVERY POSSIBLE MEANS, WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA, WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION AND OTHER COUNTRIES WITH CITIZENS ALSO SEEKING TO ADOPT FROM ROMANIA, TO TRY TO MAKE PROGRESS ON THIS ISSUE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO EXPLORE OPTIONS, BUT THIS MAY BE ONE AREA, I VERY SINCERELY REGRET TO SAY, IN WHICH WE EVENTUALLY MAY HAVE TO ACCEPT LESS THAN WE'D LIKE.