Résumé

Une nouvelle législation sur l’adoption est entrée en vigueur en Norvège le 1er juillet 2018. L’objectif de la loi est d’établir un lien légal durable entre adoptés et adoptants afin d’assurer une éducation stable aux enfants. Ce chapitre présente la nouvelle loi dans le contexte général du droit norvégien. L’accent est mis sur la place de l’enfant dans les procédures d’adoption. Les travaux préparatoires ont donné lieu à des divergences de vue, particulièrement sur la question de l’équilibre entre le désir de protéger l’enfant et le droit de ce dernier à l’information et à la participation. Le chapitre se penche également sur des questions relatives à l’adoption internationale et au droit international privé.

INTRODUCTION

A new adoption act entered into force in Norway on 1 July 2018. The Act is replacing the former adoption act from 1986, but Norway has had adoption legislation since 1917. Historically, domestic adoptions of infants of unmarried mothers were the most common adoption. In the 1950s, there were more than 1,000 such adoptions annually, while there are now just a couple each year.

During the 1970s, intercountry adoptions increased, with a peak year in 1998. For the last two decades, however, the number of intercountry adoptions has fallen drastically, in line with the international trend.

A third type of adoption is step-parent adoption, where one spouse adopts the other spouse's child. These adoptions increased with the rise in the divorce rate and peaked in the 1970s. Step-parent adoption is now the most common type of adoption in Norway. A new type of step-parent adoption is adoption for establishing parenthood for children born after surrogacy and artificial reproduction.

In all these types of adoptions, the child's original parents consent to the adoption. There is also a possibility for non-consensual adoption of foster children as a public child care intervention. Such adoptions are regulated by the Child Welfare Act and not by the Adoption Act, and will not be considered here, with the exception of a special clause on contact visits after adoption, which is found in the Adoption Act.

This chapter will examine the new Act, focusing mainly on the position of the child in adoption proceedings and on the international aspects of adoption.