A large number of MEPs gave their backing on Wednesday to the European Commission, which has announced plans to launch by mid-October a procedure for failure to apply EU law on the free movement of persons. Replying to a question raised by several Members about discrimination by France against Gypsies, Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding stressed that this case has not been filed away.
It's becoming more difficult for Gypsies in France every single day. The traveling people, gens du voyage, are suddenly finding themselves on the wrong side of the French government, more so than at any other time since World War II. Basil Venitis muses that Sarko cannot understand that he is also a sort of gen du voyage, a virtual Gypsy, since his father is a Hungarian immigrant and his mother a Jewish Greek! A virtual Gypsy harasses Gypsies!
The extraordinary joint meeting of the EP Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs took place shortly after the Commission announced it was taking steps vis-a-vis France for failure to transpose EU law on freedom of movement. Commissioners Viviane Reding, I Cecelia Malmstroem, and Laszlo Andor took part in the debate. The European Parliament adopted a resolution in early September on this matter.
Venitis points out France's ongoing deportation of Gypsies has been making headlines around the globe. But Gypsies have been living in France for many centuries. In the 15th century, Gypsies arrived in Europe from India via Little Egypt, a passage in Northern Greece. In Gypsy ghettos, the narrow alleyways criss-cross between pre-war buildings, and laundry hangs out to dry overhead. Children play barefoot around in the alleyways, while elderly men talk animatedly in front of their apartment buildings. In Gypsy camps, tents are scattered all over under unhealthy conditions. Nobody gives a damn, nobody cares. Children here belong to a lesser God.
Livia Jaroka(EPP, HU), Parliament's rapporteur on the inclusion of Gypsies, welcomed the Commission's decision, hoping this will put an end to the debate and send a clear message to all Member States to take action, as it is not just a French problem but a problem of the right to housing for a whole community.
Veronique Mathieu(EPP, FR) quizzed the Commissioner about the Commission's failure to react to cases of inadequate transposition of EU legislation on freedom of movement noted in the past in several Member States, even though the directive in question had been in force since 2006. Reding answered that in the area of freedoms, we are on slippery ground. But we now have the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which gives it another dimension and we must apply zero tolerance to any failure to transpose the directive.
I find the Commission's announcement ridiculous, said Sonia Alfano(ALDE, IT). The violation of citizens' rights in Europe is being covered in an irresponsible way, she argued, adding that the Commission was displaying disastrous weakness and that it should speed up the infringement procedure against France. She added the Italian government has been doing for years what is being criticised here.
Regardless where they are living in Europe, Gypsies often quickly come to the conclusion that they are unwanted. In Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made headlines in 2008 with his crackdown on Gypsies. Around 20,00 Gypsies live in the capital city of Rome in about 100 camps. The government now wants to tear down the settlements and move the residents into the outskirts of the city. In Finland, camps have been cleared. Sweden and Denmark have also deported Gypsies. In Hungary and Romania, attacks are perpetrated against Gypsies. Around 120,000 Gypsies are now living in Germany, where discrimination is pervasive and Gypsies have little chance when it comes to applying for jobs or apartments.
There are two problems, maintained Claude Moraes(S&D, UK). One was the question of the right to freedom of movement, and on this point he welcomed the action taken by the Commission. But let's speak about France, where there was a circular explicitly targeting the Roma. What are you doing about European anti-discrimination law? he asked. This concern was shared by Helene Flautre(Greens/EFA, FR) and Rui Tavares(GUE/NGL, PT). Marie-Christine Vergiat(GUE7NGL, FR) believed the deportations were continuing on the basis of administrative documents with priorities that were completely mixed up, which themselves could constitute a violation of European law.
The case has not been filed away, said Reding, explaining that her staff were continuing to study the question and had sent requests for further information to the French authorities. I have made clear my deep disappointment about the circular of 5 August. It was amended on 13 September. What has happened since, and what is happening now? she wondered, before adding we must examine the copies of the deportation order in order to understand clearly what has happened. We need figures, all the figures, before we can continue our analysis.
The structural funds can improve the situation of the Rom. The Commission has set up a Task Force on the Rom, which among other things will report on the way Community funds have been used until now. It will be available before the end of the year, said Commissioner Laszlo Andor.
Reding said that European funds could have been used more effectively. Perhaps they weren't and perhaps we need stricter controls, said Salvatore Iacolino(EPP, IT). Many Member States can do more in this field, starting with Bulgaria and Romania, he added. Where are the funds that the people of Europe have paid for these people? asked Mario Borghezio(EFD, IT).
The need to scrutinise the use of EU funding was a concern shared by Csaba Ory(EPP, HU), who felt that the social integration of Gypsies must focus on school, education and employment.
What is striking is the lack of commitment by the European Commission regarding the values of the EU, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights really does alter the picture, stressed Pervenche Beres(S&D, FR), chair of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee. We will be vigilant about the fight against poverty as part of the reform of the structural funds and in particular the European Social Fund (ESF). The EU2020 Strategy must also produce results.
Sarko's discrimination and integration have long been defining issues in the lives of French Gypsies. They are all citizens of France, but poverty and illiteracy have been their constant companions. Still, the life of Gypsies appears to be marked by a lust for life and by a taste for the melodramatic. Gypsies usually earn a living in recycling scrap metal and garbage. A kilo of scrap iron fetches 20 to 30 cents, a kilo of copper goes for four or five euros, and brass is also a good seller, as long as they can find a scrap dealer willing to do business with Gypsies.
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