site.btaFamily Code Amendments to Speed Up Adoption Process

Family Code Amendments to  Speed Up Adoption Process

Sofia, August 29 (BTA) - Justice Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva and Labour and Social Policy Minister Zornitsa Roussinova Monday presented proposals for Family Code amendments which will accelerate the adoption process, make it possible to disclose information about the biological parents by administrative procedure, and ban adoption reversal.

The Family Code now allows adoption disclosure only under extraordinary circumstances by a court decision, said Zaharieva. However, there is no definition of extraordinary circumstances and most requests are turned down, even in cases of health concerns.

Another proposal is to set up a Justice Ministry council for adoption disclosure. It will include representatives of the Labour and Social Policy Ministry, the Social Assistance Agency and the Regional Development Ministry. Full adoption disclosure will require the biological parents' consent, said Zaharieva.

The option of giving up an adopted child will be scrapped.

A maximum age will be set for adoptive parents at 50 years, which will not apply to a biological parent's relatives or spouse.

The amendments allow for the first time for both parents to keep parental responsibility if they later divorce.

The proposed amendments also seek to shorten the adoption process, which now takes between one and a half and two years after a three-month home study.