Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to begin by congratulating Mrs Banotti on both her excellent report and the efforts she has made over recent years in the cause of defending and guaranteeing the fundamental rights of children, specifically in her capacity as European Parliament mediator on issues concerning the international abduction of children, a task in which she has invested her widely-acknowledged qualities and sensitivity. The French initiative warrants a favourable welcome. It is part of the gradual development of judicial cooperation in civil matters and its communitisation. It is a proposal for a regulation that seeks to make exercising rights of access and accommodation for the children of separated parents easier, in an attempt to prevent children becoming a kind of hostage in the dispute between parents who are resident in different Member States. In these cases, situations unfortunately often occur that correspond to the cycle of love, hate and the desire for revenge of one or both of the parents. Hence the need for speed in order to protect the well-being of the children and, sometimes, their very safety. In a Europe in which its citizens are able to move around freely, regardless of their State of origin, one can easily understand the ease with which family ties are established between people of different nationalities or who are resident in different countries. It is also understandable that lawsuits arise, specifically divorces and the regulation of parental power, which could lead to problems with regard to the exercise of rights of access when the child lives in another country, as in cases of abduction, particularly when the child is not returned by the parent who holds rights of access within the specified time. This regulation establishes the principle of mutual recognition of judgments for rights of access to children without any intermediary steps and limits the possibilities for seeking the suspension of the enforcement of such judgments. In this way, the regulation responds to the need for a direct application of uniform rules on such important issues as the regulation of parental power and the exercise of visiting rights. We are thereby improving Community spirit and European citizenship. It is nevertheless a matter for regret that the scope of this regulation is limited, since it does not cover the families of unmarried couples, in which there are children born outside of marriage, whose rights will not, as a result, be recognised and enforced under Community law. Now, this is a very common situation in our states. According to the latest statistics produced by Eurostat, in 1998, 26% of all births in the Union took place outside marriage and these numbers are continuing to increase. It is therefore crucial that this loophole must be plugged for reasons of fairness, of realism given the way society is changing and for the sake of equal rights and obligations for all of the European Union’s citizens. I wish to say in conclusion that I support the amendment proposed by the rapporteur in Article 1, in which it must be specified that the period of access should not be less than one day. In particular, we must take account of the fact that situations sometimes occur in which the parent comes from the other side of the Union, travelling thousands of kilometres, and so it is pointless to do this for a visit limited to one hour. This is ridiculous. Maintaining relations with both parents is an essential part of the child's upbringing and the development of his or her personality. IN THE CHAIR: MR PROVANVice-President

Political group: PPE-DE