TENERIFE, 20 September (EUROPA PRESS) –
Notaries unveiled the ‘White Paper on Children on the Move’ this Friday, which aims to provide the global community of notaries with a “guide of best practices” for handling documents related to the exercise of cross-border parental rights, all while prioritising the “best interests” of children, including unaccompanied minors who migrate.
This announcement was made by the General Council of Notaries (CGN) during the 19th Ibero-American Notarial Conference taking place this week in Guía de Isora, Tenerife. The Council indicated that the document is the culmination of several years of collaboration with regional delegations, prosecutors, the judiciary, and the third sector.
Jorge Prades López, deputy secretary of the CGN and a trustee of the Fundación Notariado, highlighted the significance of this initiative after King Felipe VI and the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, expressed the urgency of international collaboration in justice matters in “a world where migratory movements are increasing and accelerating.”
Prades emphasised that in such situations, it is minors who find themselves in a “particularly vulnerable position” and underlined that “there are several challenges that States face in ensuring that minors can access their rights.”
On this matter, the deputy secretary of the General Council of Notaries pointed out how “complex” the validation of documents for minors can be, especially regarding powers or certificates issued abroad, which are sometimes presented without the required apostille.
In this context, Notaries have reiterated the necessity of “creating an advisory body to ascertain the validity and scope of powers/legal documents issued in other nations,” or establishing “uniform notarial documents that facilitate their effectiveness and cross-border recognition.” They have emphasised that the involvement of Public Administration is “crucial” for both aspects.
During the presentation, Prades recalled that the Convention on the Rights of the Child “obliges States to implement a protective framework” for minors. “Article 20 stipulates that children who are temporarily or permanently separated from their family environment or whose interests necessitate that they do not remain in that environment have the right to special protection and assistance,” he asserted.
