The European Union is funding a conference hosted in Dublin by a leading gay rights group to promote the legalisation of same-sex adoption.It is also receiving funding from the Dutch Government, the British Council and the Equality Authority.

One of the EU’s funding branches, the European Union Progress Fund, also known as PROGRESS, is supporting the conference, entitled Voices of Children, which will be hosted by Marriage Equality next month.

PROGRESS describes itself as “the EU’s employment and social solidarity programme”.

Marriage Equality, set up to promote same-sex marriage, argued that the Government’s Civil Partnership Act didn’t go far enough.

Literature for the conference claims that it will launch “ground-breaking research” about same-sex parenting. It says that the conference aims to be “a space for the exchange of of information between experts working in the field of children’s rights”.

Last year, the European Union Progress Fund also funded a conference to promote same-sex marriage.

The conference, organised by the National Lesbian and Gay Federation, entitled Marriage Matters, Was funded under the “ non-discrimination strand” of PROGRESS.

Independent NUI Senator Rónán Mullen attacked the decision to fund the conference. Senator Mullen pointed out that EU and Irish Government officials have repeatedly claimed that social and ethical issues, including laws on marriage and family life, are matters for member states and are outside the competence of the EU.

Senator Mullen continued: “The funding of this conference highlights an issue that caused many Irish voters to reject the Lisbon Treaty – the problem of ‘competence creep’ in the European Union.”

“This happens when European institutions such as the European Commission and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) extend their policy and decision-making into areas that are supposed to be matters for individual member states,” he added.

He gave as an example the ECJ decision in the Maruko case in April 2008, which overrode German pension law regarding marriage in favour of same-sex couples.

He went on: “It is regrettable that the Irish Government has never been able to acknowledge this problem, and this has led many voters to distrust their assurances about the status of Irish laws on social issues under EU Treaties.”

“The EU Commission’s decision here shows a clear policy preference at EU level for laws which would be inimical to Irish constitutional values, and a determination to shape member states’ laws whether there is a mandate to do so or not.”