The European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ) was requested by the Committee of Ministers, in its reply to the Parliamentary Assembly on Recommendation 2156 (2019) on “Anonymous donation of sperm and oocytes: balancing the rights of parents, donors and children” to consider the feasibility and desirability of preparing a draft recommendation or other non-binding instrument to assist member States in protecting the rights of donor-conceived persons to know their origins, whilst ensuring a balance with the interests and rights of other parties involved in sperm and oocyte donation, and of the interests of society and obligations of the State.

The CDCJ approved a comparative study at its 98^th plenary meeting (1-3 June 2022) and agreed on the relevance and added value of elaborating a draft recommendation on the rights of donor-conceived persons to know their origins.

The Committee’s current terms of reference from the Committee of Ministers for 2024-2027 include, as a deliverable by the end of December 2026, the elaboration of a draft recommendation to be prepared in co-operation with other committees as appropriate.