Romania bans international adoption

BUCHAREST, Romania -- Romania has suspended international adoptions following criticism by the European Union that it is "selling" its children.

The decision, which will last a year and does not affect about 5,000 cases in progress, was made by the National Committee for Adoptions, which regulates national and international adoptions.

Earlier this month, Baroness Emma Nicholson, the European Parliament's special envoy for Romania, criticised the country for "persistent abandonment of children, child abuse and neglect, international adoption and child trafficking."

Her report also accused Romania of "systematic and organised violation of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child in recent years" and said its "extreme poverty cannot be addressed by the sale of ... children."

Charities and the Romanian government attacked Nicholson's assessment -- made as part of a draft report on the status of Romania's EU membership application -- for overlooking the progress achieved in caring for Romania's 60,000 abandoned children.

But the report said that the future "smooth development" of EU membership negotiations "depend upon Romania's capacity to bring her child welfare fully inside the U.N. Convention for the Rights of the Child."

In recent years, Romania's government has started local foster care schemes, placing thousands of children with families to reduce the number in state-run institutions.

But a government press officer said the adoptions will be suspended until a new law can be enacted that satisfies EU criteria, including making the process and fees more transparent.

Baroness Nicholson told CNN she was "absolutely delighted" by Romania's decision.

"The reaction of the (Romanian) government and the prime minister has been so good. They have taken action and we welcome that."

She said that Romania has asked her to set up a monitoring team to look at improving national health care.

After the 1989 fall of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who banned contraception and abortion, the world was flooded with images of abandoned Romanian children, many living in abysmal conditions in state orphanages.

Thousands of would-be parents flocked to the country, where private adoption agencies have been free to set their own fees, usually ranging between $9,000 and $30,000.

Organisations involved in international adoptions have to donate some of the money they charge to improving the conditions in orphanages.

No figures were available on how much money the institutions have received and critics say the international adoptions have been plagued with corruption.

Local child-care officials are reported to have taken bribes of up to $10,000 to make children available for adoptions, a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The European Union has insisted that Romania improve its treatment of orphans before it can join the bloc, something Bucharest hopes to do by 2007.