If you are a parent in one country, you are a parent in every country: is it true for social parenthood?

Parenthood is the legal relationship between a child and the child’s parents: this notion of the parental status can be found on the preamble no. 14 of Reg. EU 2016/1191 . In the above-mentioned source of legislation there is no indication of the relevance of the genetic link or of the relevance of the use of ordinary methods of sexual reproduction for filiation. Differently, the Italian discipline dedicated to filiation is characterized by a direct reference to filiation born during marriage, legitimate filiation, or to natural filiation, as biological filiation, identified by genetic links between parents and children, except for the provisions of the law on adoptions . However, recently, EU citizens and even Italian citizens are establishing parenthood through consent or intended parent agreements, without any genetic link with children, through artificial reproduction techniques or different kind of adoptions. This new phenomenon – that is relevant both in EU and in extra EU countries - can be defined as social or intended parenthood . Social parenthood can be defined as the relationship between the person assuming parental responsibility and the child, in the absence of a genetic, biological, and gestational contribution between the former and the latter.