France, Romania agree on joint efforts to integrate Roma

10/09/2010

BUCHAREST, Romania -- France and Romania agreed on Thursday (September 9th) to work together to secure the social integration of Roma amid the controversial ongoing repatriation of Bulgarian and Romanian members of this minority from France. In a joint statement after a meeting in Bucharest, French Immigration Minister Eric Besson and Secretary of State for European Affairs Pierre Lellouche said both countries "support the European Commission's commitment for the social inclusion of Roma". Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi said that Paris and Bucharest have agreed on an "action plan that would help settle the problems we are facing".

Meanwhile, the European Parliament (EP) approved a resolution Thursday urging France to "immediately" suspend its controversial Roma-expulsion policy. The document passed 377 to 245, with 51 abstentions. It expresses "deep concern" over the measures taken by Paris and other EU member states and urged the EC to intervene. France's Besson was blunt in his response. "It is out of the question for France to suspend the expulsions of illegal immigrants back to their countries of origin. The EU Parliament deserves respect, but here it has strayed out of bounds, and we will ... not submit to a political dictate." (AP, Euronews, Novinite, UPI, DPA - 09/09/10)