France has come under fire from the European Commission after Interior Minister Manuel Valls said Roma migrants “are due to return to their motherlands” because of their lifestyle, which is “in confrontation” with the French way of living.
"They should return to Romania or Bulgaria and for that the
European Union, with the Bulgarian and Romanian authorities, must
ensure these populations are firstly integrated in their
countries," Valls said. "It's illusory to think that we
can resolve the problem of the Roma population solely via
insertion (into French society).”
Valls also said he would support the dismantling of “veritable
slums” where Roma people live, often in makeshift camps, as
there is “no other solution” to the problem.
“I approved the dismantling of these veritable slums that
represent a danger both for the people of Roma origin, but also
of course the people who live in working-class
neighborhoods,” Valls said.
However, he then added, that only a "few families" could
be allowed to settle.
Despite a wave of criticism, which followed his comments Tuesday,
Valls refused to take his words back the next day.
“We don’t have the obligation to welcome these populations; we
need to say it clearly and calmly. It is not about stigmatizing a
population, but facing the truth,” he said.
In response to Valls’ harsh comments, the European Commission
issued a rare public rebuke to France, threatening to punish the
country over its Roma policies.
"Free movement, like the freedom of residence in another
country, are fundamental rights," EC spokesman Olivier Bailly
said. "The fact that Bulgaria and Romania are not members of
[the Schengen zone] in no way impedes their citizens from
movement within the EU in the name of fundamental freedoms."
France has been insisting on not giving Romania and Bulgaria full
access to Europe’s Schengen zone, which allows passport-free
travel. But starting 2014, when the two eastern European
countries enter the zone, Romanian and Bulgarian citizens will be
given free movement within Europe's labor market. So far, France
and seven other countries have imposed restrictions.
European Commissioner for Justice and Fundamental Rights Viviane
Reding accused the French government of using immigration issues
and tensions over the Roma people to distract public attention
from more serious economic problems ahead of upcoming elections.
“There’s an election in the air in France,” Reding said on
France-Info radio. "Every time people want to talk about
important things like the budget or debts, we find the Roma."
Roma, who are also known as Gypsies, have been blamed by some
politicians for a rise of criminality and an influx of beggars,
especially in the tourist areas of Paris.
‘Record number of forced evictions’
Meanwhile, the controversy around the Roma people coincides with
a new Amnesty International report that reveals that more than 10,000
Roma people were evicted from informal settlements during the
first half of 2013.
“France makes no provisions for effective protection against
forced evictions. In most cases they take place in a climate of
hostility with no alternative housing proposed. Roma people are
condemned to a life of constant insecurity, and forced to wander
from one of makeshift camp to another. Forced evictions should be
banned in law,” said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia
Program Director at Amnesty International.
There are some 20,000 Roma migrants living in France – mostly
from Romania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia. Almost all of
them have been forced to flee their home countries by “chronic
poverty and discrimination they face” there.
The Roma camp in Lille, the largest informal camp in France, was
home to about 800 people. The local authorities evicted the
residents, promising alternative accommodation for less than a
dozen families. However, according to the report, “only three
have received it to date.”