By Martha Moss - 24th August 2010
The exiling of German-born Roma children to Kosovo, the military-style dismantling of Roma camps in France, the massive expulsions, and the encouragements of an Italian minister to carry out openly xenophobe policies, are sad events for the European Uni
ALDE president Guy Verhofstadt
ALDE president Guy Verhofstadt has added his voice to criticism over the French demolition of Roma camps and the repatriation of hundreds of people to Romania and Bulgaria.
The former Belgian prime minister called for a parliamentary debate on the situation for Roma people in Europe once MEPs return to work for the Strasbourg plenary in September.
His comments came after the French government expelled some 200 Roma, and continued to tear down informal camps.
Earlier in August, French president Nicolas Sarkozy announced plans to dismantle 300 of the camps within the next three months as part of a "war" on delinquency.
It also emerged on Tuesday that the French government will hold a ministerial meeting on immigration on 6 September, where the Roma issue is likely to be discussed.
Verhofstadt criticised "the exiling of German-born Roma children to Kosovo, the military-style dismantling of Roma camps in France [and] the massive expulsions".
Referring to the call from Italy's interior minister Roberto Maroni for Europe to restrict the free movement of Roma people, the Belgian deputy denounced "the encouragements of an Italian minister to carry out openly xenophobe policies".
These "are sad events for the European Union whose values have been ridiculed", added Verhofstadt, who called on parliament to "remind Europe of our principles and the commission [to] assure that the rights of minorities are respected".
Sophia in 't Veld, the Dutch MEP who requested the parliamentary debate, said, "To tolerate such discriminatory practices could lead to the opening of Pandora's box: Who will be the next group to be stigmatised and expulsed?
"I am ashamed of these governments who play populist sentiment against a minority which is already marginalised in their country of origin, and I am even more outraged that so few of these ministers who today are proud of their repressive exploits judged it necessary to attend the European summit on the Roma people last April in Cordova."
The European commission against racism and intolerance (ECRI) also warned against discriminatory practices stigmatising Roma migrants.
"High-ranking officials have made political statements and the government has taken action stigmatising Roma migrants," ECRI said.
"The latter are held collectively responsible for criminal offences and singled out for abusing EU legislation on freedom of movement."
Lucy Claridge, the head of law at Minority Rights Group International said, "The deportation of 700 Roma people on the grounds of undocumented status or public security implies that France expels them on the basis of their ethnicity.
"It risks reinforcing the exclusion and discrimination faced by Roma communities and must be halted."
Meanwhile, Romanian president Traian Basescu urged the EU to put in place an "integration plan across Europe for Roma citizens".
"We understand problems created by Roma camps outside French cities. But we also support the right of every European citizen to travel freely in the union," he added.
The European commission was set to release a memo on the situation for Roma people on Tuesday afternoon.
