Dear European External Action Service,

Under the right of access to documents in the EU treaties, as developed in Regulation 1049/2001, I am requesting documents which contain the following information:

All documents, including emails, related to the EU Delegation in Kinshasa's monitoring and follow-up of the situation of the Italian families who adopted children in Congo.
Including, but not limited to, documents/emails/phone-logs of contacts with EU Embassies in Kinshasa.

Yours faithfully,

Arun Dohle

Dear European External Action Service,

Please pass this on to the person who reviews confirmatory applications.

By law I should have received a reply within maximum 30 working days. This time limit has now expired. I would like a reply as soon as possible, and in any case within 15 working days.
Failing which I will turn to the European Ombudsman.

A full history of my request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.asktheeu.org/en/request/bloc...

Yours faithfully,

Arun Dohle

Dear European External Action Service,

Please pass this on to the person who reviews confirmatory applications.

I am filing the following confirmatory application with regards to my access to documents request 'Blocked adoption of Congolese children'.

In the reply of EEAS of 3 May 2017, reference is made to an email containing a report from a meeting at UNICEF on children legally adopted and detained in the Democratic Republic of Congo , dated 26/11/2015.

The reply further states:
" With regard to the document (3), I regret to inform you that the email cannot be made available to the general public. The reason is that it contains views expressed by Member States, third countries and representatives of UNICEF in a restricted discussion as how to approach the host country on the matter of international adoptions. A unilateral disclosure of the email by EEAS would therefore risk harming our relations with both the countries present at the meeting and with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents (hereafter the "Regulation"). the Democratic Republic of Congo, which falls under the exception in Article 4(l)(a) of the Regulation (international relations)."

I hereby hand in a Confirmatory Appeal and request a review of the decision not to provide public access to the above-mentioned email.

The issue of intercountry adoption in general is since long surrounded with controversies. It can be said that nowadays there is broad awareness of the perils and risks involved in this.

As an NGO monitoring and investigating the trafficking of children for intercountry adoption, we are of the opinion that full transparency should be given about diplomatic interventions, and any other actions, in relation to blocked adoptions.

Such interventions are not typical "international relations". This is not about trade negotiations for which a certain degree of secrecy might perhaps be justified.
Here it concerns children's rights and we therefore request full public access to the email related to the meeting with Unicef.

Especially considering the current outcry in Belgium and Italy on alleged child trafficking related to adoptions from Congo, we consider that there is a public interest in providing transparency on documents related to the interventions of public authorities/diplomatic services/Unicef.

For further reference:
Debate in the Flemish Parliament
https://www.vlaamsparlement.be/commissie...

Italy (Amici dei Bambini)/Congo (Fusion TV)
Is this Agency selling children?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJJGMTPS...

A full history of my request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.asktheeu.org/en/request/bloc...

Yours faithfully,

Arun Dohle