Frankrijk blijft Roma uitzetten en verbiedt Burka (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Over 200 Roma were deported from France to Romania on Tuesday (14 september), just as the EU commission said it was likely to take Paris to court over the discrimination against this minority.
Some 230 Roma, including children, landed in Bucharest on Tuesday as "voluntary deportations" from France continued despite warnings from the EU commission and human rights groups.
Earlier that day, justice commissioner Viviane Reding made an unprecedentedly tough statement, declaring herself "apalled" and "shocked" at the French procedures and the fact that ministers had lied to her about specifically targeting Roma, evidenced when leaked documents from the French ministry of interior were published in French media. "This is a disgrace," she said.
Brussels is likely to take Paris to court for discrimination - a process which could end up with a fine and the obligation for France to change its laws.
Over 440 Roma camps have been dismantled in the past month and more than 1,000 Romanian and Bulgarian citizens sent back to their home countries as part of the massive crackdown on "illegal immigration" ordered by President Nicolas Sarkozy end of July.
A spokesman for the French foreign ministry said his government was "astonished" at Ms Reding's statement.
"We don't think that this kind of declaration will help improve the predicament of the Roma, who are at the heart of our concerns," claimed spokesman Bernard Valero.
"This is not the moment for an argument, or for this kind of statement. It's time to work in favour of the Roma population," he added, while pledging to work closely with Romanian authorities and the EU commission.
All political groups in the European Parliament welcomed the strong-worded statement, except for the centre-right European People's Party to whom both the party of Mr Sarkozy and Ms Reding are affiliated.
"Europe is finally proving its worth by not ignoring xenophobic, discriminatory, and nationalist policies perpetrated by member states. We welcome commissioner Reding's action announced today to bring fast-track infringement proceedings against France," the head of the Liberal group, Guy Verhofstadt, said in a statement.
Socialist leader Martin Schulz also welcomed it, but said the reaction came "too late for hundreds of Roma people" already deported by the French government.
Most of the Roma interviewed by journalists upon arrival in Romania said they would return to France, because the economic situation is better, even if they get deported again. Romanian local authorities are speed-tracking procedures for social assistance, but that aid is unlikely to keep them in the country.
A spokeswoman for the president of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, pointed to the resolution adopted by the plenary last week, which called for an immediate halt of French expulsions. "The commission is the guardian of the EU treaties. If it finds that France broke the law, it should proceed accordingly," she told this website.
Human rights groups also rallied behind the commission's stance and repeated the call for a stop in deportations.
"Ms Reding's forceful statement comes not a moment too soon," Benjamin Ward from Human Rights Watch said in a statement. "The French government needs to heed the calls from Brussels and halt this abusive policy."
The European Network Against Racism also endorsed Ms Reding's statement and urged the commission to take legal action not only against France "but also against all other member states putting in place similar policies infringing minority rights."
Amnesty International, which has behind the scenes been trying to push the commission to take action, was flabbergasted by the force of the response.
"This has never happened before. I mean, there were 10,000 Roma deported [by various member states] last year and the commission didn't say anything," Nele Meyer, the group's Roma expert, told this website. "We are absolutely surprised and delighted that Reding took such a strong line."
Burqa ban
Meanwhile, the French parliament has moved on another controversial policy, the total ban of burqas and other full-body robes worn by Muslim women in public, even by visitors who pass through France.
Offenders face a maximum fine of €150 and could be asked to attend courses on what the government calls "republican values." Individuals who encourage others to ignore the ban would face tougher penalties: up to one year in prison and a maximum fine of €30,000.
The vote in the Senate was passed primarily by Mr Sarkozy's party, with most opposition lawmakers abstaining. It forbids people from concealing their faces in public, without mentioning Islam, and includes exceptions for some professions, such as riot police and surgeons
The law should come into force after six months, pending approval from the country's constitutional council, which has rejected several bills in past years.