Roma deportations by France a disgrace, says EU

The Guardian

EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding brands France's expulsions 'a disgrace' Link to this video

The European Commission today threatened legal action over the French government's crackdown on its Roma population, branding Nicolas Sarkozy's policy disgraceful and comparing it to second world war era deportations.

In her first direct criticism of France after being widely reviled for prevaricating, Viviane Reding, the European commissioner for justice and fundamental rights, attacked the Sarkozy government over the mass expulsions of Roma and accused it of duplicity in its dealings with Brussels.

She likened the deportation of almost 1,000 Gypsies to Romania and Bulgaria in recent weeks to Vichy France's treatment of Jews during the second world war and said Brussels had no option but to launch infringement proceedings against Paris, meaning that it could be hauled before the European court of justice.

The ultimatum from Reding represented a policy U-turn only a few days after she declared that Paris was sending "very positive" signals on its Roma policy and her boss, José Manuel Barroso, president of the European commission, called a truce on the issue with Sarkozy.

The volte-face was triggered by the leak of a French government document demonstrating that Gypsies from Romania and Bulgaria were the explicit targets of a Sarkozy policy to shut down 300 immigrant encampments, an apparent breach of a European ban on ethnic discrimination.

Over the past six weeks the French authorities have expelled almost 1,000 Roma and demolished scores of camps, while repeatedly denying that Roma were the target of the campaign.

"I can only express my deepest regrets that the political assurances given by two French ministers officially mandated to discuss this matter with the European commission are now openly contradicted by an administrative circular issued by the same government," Reding said.

"This is not a minor offence. This is a disgrace … my patience is wearing thin. Enough is enough."

The commission is charged with upholding European law as laid down by EU treaties. Until today, Reding had refused to say whether France was breaking a 2004 law enshrining freedom of movement across the EU, including Romania and Bulgaria. The Gypsies deported from France are EU citizens.

The EU's charter of fundamental rights also outlaws discrimination on ethnic grounds. The leaked French policy paper revealed that the Roma were being targeted collectively.

"I am personally convinced that the commission will have no choice but to initiate infringement action against France," said Reding. "I have been appalled by a situation which gave the impression that people are being removed from a member state just because they belong to a certain ethnic minority. This is a situation I had thought Europe would not have to witness again after the second world war."

She said the legal action, which can be lengthy, should be "fast-tracked".

A French foreign ministry spokesman said he was astonished. "We do not believe that these kinds of statements will improve the fate and situation of the Roma," said Bernard Valero.

The Sarkozy government is contemptuous of the commission's role in policing European law. In Brussels yesterday, France's combative Europe minister, Pierre Lallouche, accused the commission of hypocrisy.

"France is a big sovereign country," he said. "It is not at school. I have no intention of being treated, on France's behalf, like a little boy. France is not facing a tribunal … the French people are the guardian of the treaties."

Reding responded that France was in "an untenable situation" and rounded on Lallouche.

"I also take issue with the statements by [Lallouche] questioning the role of the commission as guardian of the treaties. The commission's role is one of the foundations of the EU – a union which is held together not by force, but by respect of the rule of law agreed upon by all member states, including France."

Reding's broadside was in stark contrast to her appearance at the European parliament last week, where she played down the controversy and praised the French government's co-operation.

She was attacked by MEPs as pusillanimous, being seen to appease the French. The parliament passed a non-binding resolution strongly condemning Paris.

"Better late than never," said Dany Cohn-Bendit, the leading Green MEP, of Reding's shift.

Martin Schulz, the German MEP who leads the Social Democrat party in the parliament, said Reding's U-turn was "too late for a lot of people affected by French government actions".

Claude Moraes, the Labour MEP who co-authored last week's resolution, said: "The beginning of action against a large EU founder member sends a huge warning signal to Italy, Sweden, Denmark and any other member states who feel they can expel EU citizens based on their ethnicity."