Dear Justice and Consumers,

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:

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:
I request that the Commission retrieve and present the Commission’s full answer to Written Question E-010784/2010 regarding the DBB adoption study. Given the current public interest in institutional accountability, it is important to revisit and publicly examine this reply

I wish to submit the following public accountability query regarding the handling and presentation of a controversial study commissioned by the European Commission in 2009, and the role played in that context by Ms. Salla Saastamoinen, who is currently understood to serve as Deputy Director-General at the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)

In 2009, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security (DG JLS), specifically the **Civil Justice Unit**, commissioned a study from the Belgian law firm Demolin, Brulard, Barthélémy (DBB) titled:

> Comparative study relating to procedures for adoption among the Member States of the European Union and the practical difficulties encountered in this field by European citizens in cross-border situations.

This study was presented, in part, at the Strasbourg Conference on Adoption Procedures in Europe** (30 Nov – 1 Dec 2009), where it was used to suggest the establishment of a European Adoption Agency

However, the study was never published in full. According to multiple media investigations and anonymous testimonies from the research team involved, the **conclusions of the study were manipulated under political pressure, particularly to support the idea of a central EU adoption authority — despite the original data showing minimal support for such an institution.

This issue was formally raised in the European Parliament Question E-010784/2010 by MEP Godfrey Bloom, who questioned:

* the transparency of the study,
* the failure to release the input of over 500 stakeholders,
* and the potential misuse of public funds for a pre-determined policy goal.

Accountability Concern

At the time, Ms. Salla Saastamoinen served as Head of Unit for Civil Justice (DG JLS) In that capacity, she was responsible for:

* Commissioning or supervising the DBB study;
* Moderating the conference session
(“Towards a European Adoption Policy?”) where the study's politically charged conclusions were presented;
* Exercising administrative oversight over studies intended to inform EU policy on sensitive issues like child protection, adoption, and subsidiarity.

Given these facts, it is appropriate to associate the Parliament's scrutiny of the DBB study with the administrative responsibility of her unit

What is of particular concern is that:

No clarification, correction, or distancing statement from Ms. Saastamoinen or her unit is known to have been issued.
The study was never fully published despite being funded.
There is a credible allegation that the results were altered under pressure from high-level Commission officials, undermining institutional trust.

Request for Clarification

In light of Ms. Saastamoinen’s current role as Deputy Director-General at OLAF—an institution charged with ensuring procedural fairness, transparency, and ethical conduct in EU affairs—the above issues raise serious concerns about conflict of interest, institutional accountability, and the legacy of unresolved procedural manipulation

Accordingly, I respectfully request the following:

1. Clarification of Ms. Saastamoinen’s role in commissioning, supervising, and presenting the DBB study and its conclusions;
2. Explanation of the measures taken, if any, by the Commission to address the concerns raised in Parliamentary Question E-010784/2010;
3. Assessment of the appropriateness of entrusting senior oversight functions to individuals linked to past allegations of study manipulation, particularly in roles related to investigations and institutional ethics;
4. If no formal review has occurred, whether the Commission or Ombudsman will now examine the matter given Ms. Saastamoinen’s high-level current responsibilities.

Yours faithfully,

Monika Ivanova