Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1097044
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 27 MARCH 2019 7 NEWS LAURA CALLEJA THERE were 54 children adopted from overseas last year, with 38 coming from India, Family Minister Mi- chael Falzon said on Tuesday as he unveiled the national strategy on child adoption. The strategy is out for public consultation. Falzon said there were 38 adoptions from India, seven from Portugal, eight from Slovakia and one from Thailand in 2018. He said out that the gov- ernment was doing its best to facilitate the adoption process, including efforts to alleviate the financial burden with a €10,000 grant. "This strategy will lead to a reduction in the waiting period for local adoptions, for children and prospec- tive adoptive parents, when it is feasible," he said. Matthew Vella, CEO of the Social Care Standards Authority, said the new strategy would encourage dialogue and cooperation to ensure high-quality ser- vice in the child adoption sector. "This national strategy will help to ensure that dur- ing the adoption proceed- ings, children are actively participating and that their opinions are sought and that all stake holders are working in unity to provide the best outcome for the child," he said. Key elements of the strat- egy include: • A pathway will be created for fostered chil- dren deemed adoptable and who have been in the foster care system for an extend- ed period, to be adopted by their foster carers • Allow a simplified and robust pathway for fostered children and chil- dren in alternative care to be adopted without undue bureaucratic proceedings • Promote profes- sional development of adoption agencies and staff • A research advi- sory group will undertake a study of all the steps in the adoption process to make recommendations on how to reduce adoption times without compromising the integrity of proceedings 54 children adopted from overseas in 2018 DAVID HUDSON A vote on the European Parliament's TAX3 Com- mittee's recommendations decided that a new body to tackle European-wide fi- nancial crime is wanted by a vast majority of MEPs. The European Parlia- ment on Tuesday adopted a detailed roadmap to- wards fairer and more ef- fective taxation, and tack- ling financial crimes. The recommendations, adopted by 505 votes in fa- vour, 63 against and 87 ab- stentions, were prepared over a year by Parliament's Special Committee on Fi- nancial Crimes TAX3. They range from over- hauling the system to deal with financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoid- ance, notably by improv- ing cooperation in all areas between the multitude of authorities involved, to setting up new bodies at EU and global level MEPs, via the vote, de- cided that the Commis- sion should start work im- mediately on a proposal for a European financial police force and an EU fi- nancial intelligence unit, an EU anti-money laun- dering watchdog should be set up and that a global tax body should be established within the UN. A report on which the members were voting said that seven EU countries (Belgium, Cyprus, Hunga- ry, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta and The Nether- lands) display traits of a tax haven and facilitate ag- gressive tax planning. Golden visas and pass- ports should also be phased out, with those of- fered by Malta and Cyprus singled out for their weak due diligence. Denmark, Finland, Ire- land and Sweden were criticised for maintaining their opposition to the digital services tax. It was decided that The Netherlands, by facilitat- ing aggressive tax plan- ning, deprives other EU member states of €11.2 billion of tax income. The chair of the special committee, Petr Ježek said, "member states are not do- ing enough and in the EU, the Council is clearly the weakest link. Without po- litical will, there can be no progress. Europeans de- serve better." The report adopted to- day concludes the com- mittee's year-long man- date, which saw it hold 18 hearings dealing with particular topics of inter- est, 10 exchange of views with finance ministers and European Commissioners, and four fact-finding mis- sions – to the US, the Isle of Man, Denmark, Estonia, and Latvia. MEPs want EU financial police force and intelligence unit