Proposal for a Council Decision authorising Austria and Romania to accept the accession of Panama, Uruguay, Colombia and El Salvador to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction

The aim of the Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, to date ratified by 97 countries including all EU Member States, is to restore the status quo by mean of the prompt return of wrongfully removed or retained children through a system of cooperation among central authorities appointed by its Contracting Parties.

As the prevention of child abduction is an essential part of the EU policy to promote the rights of the child, the European Union is active at international level to improve the application of the Convention and encourages third States to accede to it.

The acceptance of Austria and Romania would render the Convention applicable between Uruguay, Colombia, El Salvador and all EU Member States except Denmark. In relation to Panama the Convention will become applicable with all EU Member States.

EUR-Lex: COM(2017)369: Follow the progress of this proposal through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2017:369:FIN

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