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EU calls Roma expulsions disgrace
Source: Agencies |
September 15, 2010, Wednesday
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FRANCE'S deportations of Gypsies are "a disgrace" and probably break EU law, the European Union's executive body declared yesterday in a stinging rebuke that set up a showdown with French President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative government.
In recent weeks, French authorities have dismantled over 100 illegal camps and deported more than 1,000 Gypsies, also known as Roma, mainly back to Romania, in a crackdown that has drawn international condemnation.
EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said she was appalled by the expulsions, "which gave the impression that people are being removed from a member state of the EU just because they belong to an ethnic minority."
"(This) is a situation that I had thought that Europe would not have to witness again after the second World War," she told a news conference in Brussels, adding "the commission will have no choice but to initiate infringement procedures against France."
France could ultimately be slapped with a fine by the European Court of Justice if its expulsions are found to have breached EU law.
The crackdown continued yesterday, as dozens of Roma arrived at Marseille airport in southern France prior to being expelled.
In Paris, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero expressed "astonishment" at the commission's announcement.
"We don't think that with this type of statement, that we can improve the situation of the Roma, who are at the heart of our concerns and our action," he said
Roma face widespread discrimination in housing, jobs and education across Europe. As EU citizens, they have a right to travel to France, but must get papers to work or live there for long term.
The advocacy group Romeurope estimates that up to 15,000 Roma live in France. French authorities have no official estimate.
Sarkozy has linked Roma to crime, calling their camps sources of prostitution and child exploitation. He insists that France doesn't want to stigmatize Roma, but the deportation policy is being criticized as discriminatory because it singles out one community.
Reding at times appeared angry as she read out her statement at the European Commission's Brussels headquarters, once pounding the desk in front of her and saying: "Enough is enough."
"After 11 years of experience on the commission, I even go further: This is a disgrace," she said. "Discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin or race has no place in Europe."
She also harshly criticized French authorities for telling the EU commission that it was not discriminating against Gypsies - a claim apparently contradicted by news reports of a government letter ordering regional officials to speed up a crackdown on illegal Gypsy camps.
In recent weeks, French authorities have dismantled over 100 illegal camps and deported more than 1,000 Gypsies, also known as Roma, mainly back to Romania, in a crackdown that has drawn international condemnation.
EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said she was appalled by the expulsions, "which gave the impression that people are being removed from a member state of the EU just because they belong to an ethnic minority."
"(This) is a situation that I had thought that Europe would not have to witness again after the second World War," she told a news conference in Brussels, adding "the commission will have no choice but to initiate infringement procedures against France."
France could ultimately be slapped with a fine by the European Court of Justice if its expulsions are found to have breached EU law.
The crackdown continued yesterday, as dozens of Roma arrived at Marseille airport in southern France prior to being expelled.
In Paris, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero expressed "astonishment" at the commission's announcement.
"We don't think that with this type of statement, that we can improve the situation of the Roma, who are at the heart of our concerns and our action," he said
Roma face widespread discrimination in housing, jobs and education across Europe. As EU citizens, they have a right to travel to France, but must get papers to work or live there for long term.
The advocacy group Romeurope estimates that up to 15,000 Roma live in France. French authorities have no official estimate.
Sarkozy has linked Roma to crime, calling their camps sources of prostitution and child exploitation. He insists that France doesn't want to stigmatize Roma, but the deportation policy is being criticized as discriminatory because it singles out one community.
Reding at times appeared angry as she read out her statement at the European Commission's Brussels headquarters, once pounding the desk in front of her and saying: "Enough is enough."
"After 11 years of experience on the commission, I even go further: This is a disgrace," she said. "Discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin or race has no place in Europe."
She also harshly criticized French authorities for telling the EU commission that it was not discriminating against Gypsies - a claim apparently contradicted by news reports of a government letter ordering regional officials to speed up a crackdown on illegal Gypsy camps.
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