The European Commission is trying to circumvent the national legislation on parentage and create a cross-border “European Certificate of Parenthood” that would be valid in all the European Union state members. This means that those states that do not recognise surrogacy or same-sex “marriages” will be obliged to register parental links to children born in such situations.

For instance, a child born abroad to a same-sex couple, will be recognised as the child of the non-biological parent even if the national legislation bans such arrangements. The same will happen with children born abroad through surrogacy, which is illegal in most of the EU countries. This is a threat to the legal sovereignty of the member states, as family law is not among the competences of the EU.

Bénédicte Colin, who is policy manager of the European Federation of Catholic Family Associations (FAFCE), will present the dangers of the proposed cross-border “European Certificate of Parenthood” on Thursday 20th April at 4.00 pm, on Zoom.

If you are interested in attending the webinar, please register at familysolidarityireland@gmail.com