Frankrijk voert druk uit op Roemenië over Roma (en)
France's Europe minister, Pierre Lellouche, pressed Romania to tackle the question of "integration" of Roma communities on Monday.
He softened his tone from a week before by underscoring that all European states had a responsibility in which he laid the blame for France's troubles with the community on Bucharest alone. However, he still stressed that this common responsibility "starts with the countries of origin" of Roma migrants.
"Everyone must mobilise. The responsibility for integration is first on the country of origin," he said following a government meeting, reports AFP.
He added however that France and other countries "have a responsibility in terms of assistance and support," and that Roma integration must be done "within the framework of European law."
Mr Lellouche also said that he welcomed the creation of a Romanian government ministerial post dedicated to Roma integration, a "one-stop shop" with whom Paris could deal on the question of expelling gypsies and returning them to the eastern EU member state.
The establishment of such a post has long been demanded by the French government.
He also suggested that EU development funds delivered to Romania be used for dealing with the Roma question.
The EU's "massive financial transfers ... also apply to [Romania's] minorities," he continued.
"You cannot have on the one hand financial transfers from west to east and minority transfers in which issues are not addressed by the east in the west," he said.
Last week, Mr Lellouche publicly chastised Bucharest for its dealings with the Roma community.
He accused the Romanian authorities of not living up to promises regarding the matter and that France had reservations about the country's scheduled accession to the European borderless zone, Schengen, in 2011.
The comments come after France announced it is to destroy 300 Roma encampments, half of the some 600 that exist in the country, round up their occupants and deport them to Romania.