What changed

PR_NLE-CN_Agreement_app

P10_TA(2026)0214

Symbols for procedures

Hague Convention (1980) on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction: accession of Cabo Verde

* Consultation procedure

Committee on Legal Affairs

*** Consent procedure

PE786.994

***I Ordinary legislative procedure (first reading)

European Parliament legislative resolution of 17 June 2026 on the proposal for a Council decision authorising the Member States to accept, in the interest of the European Union, the accession of Cabo Verde to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of the International Child Abduction (COM(2026)0063 – C10-0081/2026 – 2026/0041(NLE))

***II Ordinary legislative procedure (second reading)

***III Ordinary legislative procedure (third reading)

(The type of procedure depends on the legal basis proposed by the draft act.)

Amendments to a draft act

Amendments by Parliament set out in two columns

Deletions are indicated in bold italics in the left-hand column. Replacements are indicated in bold italics in both columns. New text is indicated in bold italics in the right-hand column.

The first and second lines of the header of each amendment identify the relevant part of the draft act under consideration. If an amendment pertains to an existing act that the draft act is seeking to amend, the amendment heading includes a third line identifying the existing act and a fourth line identifying the provision in that act that Parliament wishes to amend.

Amendments by Parliament in the form of a consolidated text

New text is highlighted in bold italics. Deletions are indicated using either the ▌symbol or strikeout. Replacements are indicated by highlighting the new text in bold italics and by deleting or striking out the text that has been replaced.

By way of exception, purely technical changes made by the drafting departments in preparing the final text are not highlighted.

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the proposal for a Council decision authorising the Member States to accept, in the interest of the European Union, the accession of Cabo Verde to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of the International Child Abduction

(COM(2026)0063 – C100081/2026 – 2026/0041(NLE))

(Consultation)

2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States, as well as to the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

The Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (‘the Convention’) is a vitally important instrument with the purpose to protect children internationally from the harmful effects of wrongful removal to or retention in other State than that of the habitual residence. The Convention provides for procedures to secure the prompt return of the child/children to the State of their habitual residence and to ensure that rights of custody and of access under the law of one State are effectively respected in the other States. It introduces a system of cooperation between the Contracting States aimed at swift settlement of cases of international child abduction, ensuring that the best interests of the child are always safeguarded. Lack of such established cooperation and procedures between the involved jurisdictions may lead to parallel protracted court proceedings and in consequence create a legal limbo for the child and parents involved in the dispute.

As the EU has exclusive external competence in this field as confirmed by the Court of Justice in Opinion 1/13 of 14 October 2014, and the Convention does not provide for autonomous action by regional economic integration organisations such as the Union, this has rendered necessary a Council Decision calling on Member States to accept, each in respect of their own territory, the accession of Cabo Verde to the Convention, and hence the effective entry into force of the Convention in cases involving the EU and that country.

Cabo Verde acceded to the Convention on 4 October 2022, and the Convention entered into force in Cabo Verde on 1 January 2023.

In this view, the rapporteur considers the accession of Cabo Verde to the Convention as a welcomed and important step towards closing the legal gap. Taking into consideration the proximity and close relation between Cabo Verde and EU Member States and the Commission’s positive assessment of Cabo Verde level of implementation of the Convention, your rapporteur fully supports the proposal for a Council decision authorising the Member States to accept, in the interest of the European Union, the accession of Cabo Verde to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of the International Child Abduction. The rapporteur also welcomes Cabo Verde recent accession to the 1996 Child Protection and 2007 Child Support Conventions and the involvement of UNICEF in proper implementation of the Hague Children Conventions.

He therefore proposes that Parliament approves the proposal without amendments.

ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT

The rapporteur declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not include in his report input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.

PROCEDURE – COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

Title

Authorising Member States to accept, in the interests of the European Union, the accession of Cabo Verde to the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction

References

COM(2026)0063 – C10-0081/2026 – 2026/0041(NLE)

Date of consultation or request for consent

18.3.2026

Committee(s) responsible

Date announced in plenary

JURI

27.4.2026

Rapporteurs

Date appointed

Ilhan Kyuchyuk

24.2.2026

Discussed in committee

4.5.2026

Date adopted

3.6.2026

Result of final vote

+:

–:

0:

23

0

0

Date tabled

8.6.2026

FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL BY THE COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE

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