ARTICLES AND LETTERS BY EMMA: This section of the site contains articles and letters which have been written by Emma and were submitted to various newspapers and publishers. Usually, these were written in response to articles and reports that Emma does not agree with.

Brussels Bulletin: Action on Iraq

Liberal Democrat News,
30 May 2008 Issue 998
This February, after many months of discussion, the European Parliament consolidated its thinking on Iraq and agreed to form a Permanent Ad-hoc Delegation composed of 13 members from different political groupings who elected me as Chairman.
This decisive move to take the lead in EU-Iraq relations is a strong indicator […]

JK’s new charity conjures up £1.7m to help children

Mail on Sunday
November 18 2007
Author: Toby McDonald
JK ROWLING’S fledgling children’s charity received an impressive £1.7 million in donations in its first 12 months, it was revealed yesterday.
Most of the cash came from anonymous donors, with the philanthropic writer believed to be the largest single contributor, handing over up to a £1 million.
Miss Rowling, who is […]

Our beautiful villages, ripped apart by traffic

The Times
October 15 2007
Letters to the Editor
Sir, “At the foot of this hill, one stage or step from the uplands, lies the village, which consists of one single straggling street, three quarters of a
mile in length, in a sheltered vale, and running parallel with the Hanger.” The village is Selborne, and the author Gilbert White. […]

Letter to Financial Times

In the absence of political rights, any bilateral deal on Kashmir will fail
Published: May 30 2007
From Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne MEP.
Sir, Your article on Kashmir (”Political wrangles dim the prospect of a deal with India”, May 29) is timely. Last week, for the first time, the European parliament adopted a formal position on Kashmir. The […]

Why I set up the Children’s High Level Group charity (2006)

Our aim: Reforming child welfare systems across Europe
Published in: UK Lib-Dem periodical, March 2006
By Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, MEP
A recent article in the Washington Post called Stealing babies for adoption was a stark reminder that the international adoption business continues to spread its tentacles all over the world.  Peter Goodman, the reporter, wrote: “Those who have […]

From the book “The EU and Romania: Great Expectations”

Title: “Civil Society and the Media in Romania”
Subtitle: From the book “The EU and Romania: Great Expectations”
Published by the Federal Trust (UK), editor D. Phinnemore
October 2006. Available on http://www.amazon.co.uk
In communist-era Romania, civil society and an independent media were recognised by the authorities as potential sources of challenge to the regime. They were […]

We’re working to help children

Mail on Sunday
September 10 2006
Author: Baroness Emma Nicholson MEP
The conditions uncovered by Chris Rogers in the Romanian institutions he visited (Live Night & Day) have saddened me greatly. But it is important to
recognise that things in Romania have improved hugely.
Change has not even begun in some other countries. In Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, for […]

Letter to Financial Times (published 13 June 2006)

Romania banned international adoptions as an ‘evil trade in children’
From Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne MEP.
Sir,
I would like to set the record straight as regards a full-page advertisement that appeared in the Financial Times entitled “Romania’s concealed childcare crisis” (June 12).
This advertisement argues for the re-introduction of international adoptions in Romania and was paid for by […]

My position on Inter Country Adoptions

Published in VIVID (Romania) and Transitions Online (www.tol.cz)
February 2006
By Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, MEP
Successive Romanian governments have made it clear that Inter-Country Adoptions (ICA) are no longer permitted. The decision to ban ICA came about because the market in children – following the 1997 legislation on adoption – led to rampant corruption. This corruption […]

Letter to Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper (Germany)

A letter to a German newspaper following an article on international adoptions from Romania.
June 2006
Sir,
I appreciated the article in your publication regarding the international adoption industry. Your journalist N. Mappes-Niedek provided a good overview of this sordid and corrupt business, which has led to thousands of innocent Romanian children being sent abroad to unknown […]