The Hon. John Dalli, Minister for Social Policy, signs memorandum
on inter-country adoptions with the Minister for Labour, Social Affairs
and Family of the Slovak Republic.
[29/09/2009]The Hon. John Dalli, Minister for Social Policy, is presently in Slovakia
to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts in the fields of social policy
and health. Yesterday Minister Dalli met with Minister Viera Tomanova, who is
responsible for Labour, Social Affairs and Family in the Slovak Republic.
The main purpose of the meeting was to sign a Memorandum of Understanding
on inter-country adoptions. The signature of this Memorandum is an important
achievement for both Malta and the Slovak Republic.
The Memorandum lays down the process through which the Central Authorities
of the respective countries will cooperate in order to identify, screen and facilitate
the process of adoption of Slovak children by prospective adoptive parents in Malta.
Speaking immediately after the signature of the Memorandum, both Ministers jointly
emphasised that the priority would be the welfare of the children who will be assisted
to integrate into their adoptive Maltese families whilst retaining ties with Slovakia,
their country of birth. Ministers agreed that this process of integration would actually
be facilitated given the similar traditions and values that Malta and the Slovak Republic share.
The signature of this Memorandum is just the first out of possible collaboration in the field of social policy between Malta and Slovakia. Minister Dalli and Minister Tomanova exchanged views on diverse subjects including sustainability of pensions, gender equality, protection of children as well as challenges facing the labour market in these particularly difficult times for small countries with open economies such as Malta and Slovakia.
Both Ministers agree to continue to work closely together on areas of mutual interest such as the retention of the opt-out clause in the working time directive in their capacity as Member States of the European Union.
Finally Minister Dalli extended his invitation for Minister Tomanova to visit Malta in the near future.
DOI – 25.09.2009
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