Contentious issue: The Roma
With its deportations of Roma France has triggered a debate about the situation of the largest minority within the EU. The EU Commission also intervened and threatened to take legal action against France. Follow the voices and commentaries in Europe's press here.
Adevărul - Romania | Wednesday, 1. December 2010
Roma associations demonstrated on Tuesday against a draft law which would see the word "Roma" replaced with the word "Gypsy" in Romania's official language. The move is aimed at preventing associations with the word "Romanian" or the Italian city of Rome. This is nonsense, the daily Adevărul argues: » more
Roma associations demonstrated on Tuesday against a draft law which would see the word "Roma" replaced with the word "Gypsy" in Romania's official language. The move is aimed at preventing associations with the word "Romanian" or the Italian city of Rome. This is nonsense, the daily Adevărul argues: "Ordaining the use of certain words by law is an authoritarian approach. In the times of fascism Mussolini tried to ordain the use of certain expressions. Ceauşescu did the same when he decreed that we should call each other 'comrade'. … Nothing came of it. People went on talking the way they always had. But Mussolini and Ceauşescu were the leaders of dictatorial regimes. Mr Prigoană [of the Democratic Liberal Party] is a member of parliament in a democracy. His law farce may find many supporters - and this is the problem. But it is our problem and not that of Mr Silviu Prigoană."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Integration, » Minorities, » Society, » Austria, » Romania
All available articles from » Mircea Vasilescu
Helsingin Sanomat - Finland | Sunday, 28. November 2010
After a massive drop in temperatures the city of Helsinki has offered 40 Roma living in a caravan camp money to fund their return journey to Romania. The liberal daily Helsingin Sanomat takes the view that it is the EU's task to give them support where they live now instead: » more
After a massive drop in temperatures the city of Helsinki has offered 40 Roma living in a caravan camp money to fund their return journey to Romania. The liberal daily Helsingin Sanomat takes the view that it is the EU's task to give them support where they live now instead: "With its decision Helsinki is outsourcing the problem temporarily rather than actually dealing with it. It would be a disgrace for the city and the entire country if beggars were left to die in the cold or huddling in front of a fire at their camp. ... But individual deportations or travel funding decisions won't solve the Roma problem. A solution must be found at the EU level and adequate funding needs to be made available. Doling out money won't help the Roma if at the same time they don't ensure that money is used to help the Roma in their home country. ... It is a disgrace for the entire EU that within its borders a huge group of people are wandering around seeking a place which offers them the prerequisites for living in a manner that befits human beings."
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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Minorities, » Society, » Finland, » Romania
Trud - Bulgaria | Monday, 22. November 2010
At the Nato summit in Lisbon French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen zone conditional on a reduced level of corruption in the country. Georgi Sharabov responds with an angry and ironic open letter in the daily Trud: » more
At the Nato summit in Lisbon French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen zone conditional on a reduced level of corruption in the country. Georgi Sharabov responds with an angry and ironic open letter in the daily Trud: "Hey, Sarkozy, what did we do to deserve this? We welcome you with 'bonjour' and you reply with 'au revoir'. That's not fair! When you chased our Roma out of Paris in the summer all Europe rose up in anger against you, accusing you of allowing human rights violations and discrimination. There was nothing they didn't accuse you of. But we Bulgarians sided with you. Deport them, we said. We have no problems with France. But now we do have a problem: We're supposed to get corruption and crime under control before we can even think of becoming members of the Schengen zone. ... What about you, mon ami? Have you got illegal immigration in France under control? Are you doing a good job of guarding the southern borders of the Holy European Union?"
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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU Policy, » Minorities, » Human rights, » France, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Georgi Sharabov
Blog Aktuálně.cz - Czech Republic | Thursday, 4. November 2010
Despite persistent criticism from abroad Roma children are mostly taught at special schools in the Czech Republic. David Zahumenský, chairman of the Czech League of ... » more
Despite persistent criticism from abroad Roma children are mostly taught at special schools in the Czech Republic. David Zahumenský, chairman of the Czech League of Human Rights, writes in his blog for Aktuálně.cz that the children deserve better, and calls for an end to the practice. "It is disappointing that the focus lies on filling these schools to capacity, because they produce people who will be dependent on state help. Do we really want to maintain this unsuitable model? Education is the key to the whole Roma problem. The government must finally take the steps it has long been planning and which work so well in other countries. But Education Minister Dobeš refuses to consider that option. The discrimination of Roma regarding access to education, for which the Czech Republic was already condemned by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg three years ago, is as big a problem as ever."
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More from the press review on the subject » Minorities, » Upbringing / Education, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » David Zahumenský
Právo - Czech Republic | Friday, 22. October 2010
The harsh punishment for four Czech neo-Nazis who were sentenced to between 20 and 22 years behind bars has met with a high level of disapproval in the country's online forums. President Václav Klaus has also said he finds the punishment too severe. The leftist daily Právo is appalled by this reaction: » more
The harsh punishment for four Czech neo-Nazis who were sentenced to between 20 and 22 years behind bars has met with a high level of disapproval in the country's online forums. President Václav Klaus has also said he finds the punishment too severe. The leftist daily Právo is appalled by this reaction: "The arson attack went beyond all previous racially-motivated acts of violence. It was a long time in planning, the perpetrators are demonstrably active neo-Nazis and the entire act bears the traits of an act of terrorism. The judiciary showed with its harsh sentences that the state power in the Czech Republic will not tolerate neo-Nazi terrorism. So the question now is how the public reacts. ... The reaction to the judgement will therefore be a litmus test that tells us about the level of racism in the Czech Republic."
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More from the press review on the subject » Minorities, » Crime, » Justice, » Society, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Matěj Bílý
Lidové noviny - Czech Republic | Thursday, 21. October 2010
Four neo-Nazi youths were condemned to prison sentences of between 20 and 22 years for attempted murder on Wednesday in the Czech Republic. The youths had set the home of a Roma family on fire in 2009. The conservative daily Lidové noviny praises the harsh sentences: » more
Four neo-Nazi youths were condemned to prison sentences of between 20 and 22 years for attempted murder on Wednesday in the Czech Republic. The youths had set the home of a Roma family on fire in 2009. The conservative daily Lidové noviny praises the harsh sentences: "Some people might say that these four youths had the misfortune to be caught quickly and made an example of. After all, they weren't the first to commit racially-motivated crimes or murder. So what? People who throw Molotov cocktails into a house where children are sleeping can't expect anything other than an exemplary punishment. Anyone thinking about following in their footsteps should get that through their head."
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More from the press review on the subject » Minorities, » Crime, » Justice, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Zbyněk Petráček
Novinar - Bulgaria | Wednesday, 13. October 2010
After the controversial deportations of Roma from France the French parliament has now passed on first reading a draft law that would facilitate future deportations of Roma. The liberal minority party DPS has protested against this in parliament in what the daily Novinar suspects is a bid to gain the votes of Bulgarian Roma in the country's local elections in autumn next year: » more
After the controversial deportations of Roma from France the French parliament has now passed on first reading a draft law that would facilitate future deportations of Roma. The liberal minority party DPS has protested against this in parliament in what the daily Novinar suspects is a bid to gain the votes of Bulgarian Roma in the country's local elections in autumn next year: "At least someone in Bulgaria is reacting to the discriminating texts the French parliament has approved. It would be better however if such declaration didn't come from a particular party but from the government itself. The silence of those in power is widening the gap between the Roma ghettos, the rest of the country and Europe. In the next elections we will once again watch how Roma votes all flow to a certain party. ... But the country's leaders shouldn't complain if they simply close their eyes to the way France treats its own citizens."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Elections, » France, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Hristina Rafailova
Salzburger Nachrichten - Austria | Wednesday, 13. October 2010
Two small girls have been deported from Austria to Kosovo although their mother was lying in hospital. This is just one of many examples of the callousness with which immigration issues are being dealt with across Europe, writes the daily Salzburger Nachrichten: » more
Two small girls have been deported from Austria to Kosovo although their mother was lying in hospital. This is just one of many examples of the callousness with which immigration issues are being dealt with across Europe, writes the daily Salzburger Nachrichten: "France violently closes Roma settlements and expels European citizens. Italy intercepts African refugees on the high seas where they can't file asylum claims and drops them in Lybia - where they end up in jail like criminals. We hear similar stories from Switzerland and Sweden about the way refugees are treated. But what are we so afraid of? The fact is that the entire health and care systems in Europe and Austria would break down without the help of foreign workers. ... Unfortunately it is only too easy for politicians to make hay with this question - which is so difficult and yet so important for our future. But it can't be left up to them - otherwise they'll toss our future to the wind."
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More from the press review on the subject » Politics, » Austria, » Europe
All available articles from » Susanne Scholl
Helsingin Sanomat - Finland | Tuesday, 12. October 2010
A two-day EU Conference dealing with the Roma issue begins today, Tuesday, in Bucharest. For the daily Helsingin Sanomat the Roma problem is largely home-made: » more
A two-day EU Conference dealing with the Roma issue begins today, Tuesday, in Bucharest. For the daily Helsingin Sanomat the Roma problem is largely home-made: "Much energy is wasted in Western Europe with speculation over how to get the Roma out of the public eye, while in Eastern Europe - where the Roma come from - the energy is lacking to change their situation. The EU uses money instead of force to solve the conflicts. The European Social Fund earmarked 2.25 billion euros for improving the conditions of needy population groups from 2007 to 2013. Romania has only used one percent of this sum, and Bulgaria five. If money's not good enough for them, it seems these countries are more lacking the will to improve conditions for the Roma than the possibilities for doing so. It's time the EU gave these countries a push. Doing that doesn't require a 'task force'. The Union has economic means for exerting pressure."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Minorities, » Social affairs, » Human rights, » Europe
The Independent - United Kingdom | Monday, 11. October 2010
Roughly one thousand people took part in a Gay Pride parade in Belgrade on Sunday, which was authorised following pressure from the EU. Five thousand police officers protected the demonstrators from roughly ten thousand counter-demonstrators. When the latter rioted and attacked, the police responded with tear gas. That the parade went ahead at all shows how much pressure the EU can exert, writes the left-liberal daily The Independent: » more
Roughly one thousand people took part in a Gay Pride parade in Belgrade on Sunday, which was authorised following pressure from the EU. Five thousand police officers protected the demonstrators from roughly ten thousand counter-demonstrators. When the latter rioted and attacked, the police responded with tear gas. That the parade went ahead at all shows how much pressure the EU can exert, writes the left-liberal daily The Independent: "The lesson from all this is clear. When Europe chooses to deploy that combination of diplomatic and financial levers known as 'soft power', it can change the way that the governments of would-be member countries treat often highly unpopular minorities. What Europe needs to do now is apply those same levers with regards to other minority communities in the region, starting with the Roma and the mentally and physically handicapped. ... Europe failed all three of these groups when, for political reasons, it allowed the admission of Romania and Bulgaria into the club in 2005 - a decision that almost everyone in Brussels now recognises was premature. ... As the Belgrade march showed, it is only when Europe is vigilant that official attitudes even start to shift in the right direction."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU enlargement, » Domestic Policy, » Minorities, » Europe, » Serbia
Savon Sanomat - Finland | Thursday, 7. October 2010
A working group commissioned by the Finnish Interior Ministry recommended on Monday that begging should be banned in public places. The proposal follows months of debate over the growing number of begging Roma who have come to Finland from Eastern Europe. The daily Savon Sanomat is all for a ban: » more
A working group commissioned by the Finnish Interior Ministry recommended on Monday that begging should be banned in public places. The proposal follows months of debate over the growing number of begging Roma who have come to Finland from Eastern Europe. The daily Savon Sanomat is all for a ban: "The European Union guarantees all of its citizens the freedom of movement throughout its territory. For that reason the beggars from Romania also have a legitimate basis for persistently coming northward. The Finns also make extensive use of this right. But they don't go around begging the way these uninvited guests do. ... Begging has been uncommon in Finland for decades now, and that's what makes the sight of it so repugnant to us. ... Too much sympathy and generosity can have unexpected consequences that are entirely opposed to what the defenders of the right to freedom of movement actually want. The current election victory of the Sweden (anti-immigration) Democrats gives Finland a taste of how the wind can blow when there's too much freedom."
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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Justice, » Finland
Die Presse - Austria | Thursday, 30. September 2010
In the dispute over the deportations of Roma the EU Commission has decided not to initiate breach-of-contract proceedings against France for suspected discrimination against Roma. Instead it has called on Paris to bring its laws in line with the EU directive which guarantees freedom of movement within the EU. This is an embarrassing climb-down for the EU, the daily Die Presse criticises: » more
In the dispute over the deportations of Roma the EU Commission has decided not to initiate breach-of-contract proceedings against France for suspected discrimination against Roma. Instead it has called on Paris to bring its laws in line with the EU directive which guarantees freedom of movement within the EU. This is an embarrassing climb-down for the EU, the daily Die Presse criticises: "Since Wednesday at the latest there has been a danger that the EU overlooks the most important aspect here. If it is no longer capable of seeing that the common EU laws are implemented the credibility of the entire Union will be shattered. The political trend of the past few months, during which regarding the financial crisis for example only two countries - Germany and France - have set the tone is being accepted by Brussels as a fait accompli. Whether law and justice are being undermined by power politics has become a matter of secondary importance. Commission President José Manuel Barroso has become a puppet who makes compromises where there can be no compromises: namely when it comes to equal rights for all EU citizens and also for each state."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » France, » Europe
All available articles from » Wolfgang Böhm
Tema - Bulgaria | Tuesday, 28. September 2010
France's deportations of Roma from Bulgaria and Romania has also focussed attention on the crushing poverty that is the real problem of the two EU newcomers, writes the weekly magazine Tema: » more
France's deportations of Roma from Bulgaria and Romania has also focussed attention on the crushing poverty that is the real problem of the two EU newcomers, writes the weekly magazine Tema: "Thanks to Sarkozy the eurocrats have realised that shallow speeches at conferences on Roma integration won't get you very far. Without strategic action the very foundations of united Europe are in danger. Strategies must not only be geared toward improving the lives of the Roma, but also to improving social development as a whole in Bulgaria and Romania, the most backward of the EU states. ... Our dark-skinned compatriots flee the misery at home and seek refuge in orderly Europe. But isn't that what the more educated and law-abiding Bulgarians have long been doing? And isn't there a single cause for this trend, namely crippling poverty and the failure of the state to guarantee its citizens a dignified life?"
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Demographics, » Human rights, » France, » Romania, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Kadrinka Kadrinkova
Postimees - Estonia | Monday, 27. September 2010
In Estonian media the word "Roma" is increasingly used instead of the Estonian word "mustlane" (Gypsies) for reasons of political correctness. Not a particularly wise choice, the daily Postimees concludes: » more
In Estonian media the word "Roma" is increasingly used instead of the Estonian word "mustlane" (Gypsies) for reasons of political correctness. Not a particularly wise choice, the daily Postimees concludes: "The word simply doesn't sound good in Estonian, particularly in spoken language and with the appropriate declension endings. It brings to mind 'romu' [scrap carts], 'roomamine' [creepers] or 'rohmakus' [recklessness]. ... It's true that we sometimes hear that the members of this minority who live in Estonia prefer to be called 'Roma', and after all this is the official synonym. But it should not be forgotten that in Estonian the word 'Gypsy' has no negative connotations and this has been confirmed by the linguists at the Estonian Language Institute."
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More from the press review on the subject » Media policy, » Minorities, » Languages, » Estonia
All available articles from » Neeme Korv
Sol - Portugal | Friday, 24. September 2010
According to media reports, the EU Commission is considering initiating breach-of-contract proceedings against France because of its Roma deportations. The weekly Sol urges an objective approach in the debate: » more
According to media reports, the EU Commission is considering initiating breach-of-contract proceedings against France because of its Roma deportations. The weekly Sol urges an objective approach in the debate: "The Gypsy question is not as linear as the two sides try to portray it. On the one hand human rights and EU legislation make the persecution of an ethnic group ... an ignominious act. On the other a worryingly large proportion of that group adheres to practices that so-called civilisation perceives as threatening. And because society is not willing to insist with the necessary forcefulness that they refrain from violating the rights of others, the racist reaction of the one side and the populist anti-racism of the other are practically pre-programmed. ... In order to be able to accept the Gypsies without racism and populism we must find a way not to withdraw into a kind of Stockholm syndrome."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Human rights, » France, » Europe, » Global
All available articles from » Pedro d'Anunciação
Heti Világgazdaság - Hungary | Friday, 24. September 2010
Hungary takes over the EU Council presidency for six months starting January 1, 2011. The country must put Roma integration at the top of its agenda during this period, writes the left-liberal weekly Heti Világgazdaság: » more
Hungary takes over the EU Council presidency for six months starting January 1, 2011. The country must put Roma integration at the top of its agenda during this period, writes the left-liberal weekly Heti Világgazdaság: "The recent scandal over the deportations of Roma from France makes Hungary's upcoming EU presidency an ideal opportunity for the country to find its true mission, namely improving the situation of the Roma both in Europe and in Hungary. If there is one thing that fits in with the strategy of the Hungarian ruling party Fidesz, then it is this. … From Poland to Macedonia, the integration of the Roma is failing . And in Western Europe, too, the Roma issue is not a subject of indifference. Judging by the pocket money that France gave to the Roma who were deported to Romania, finances are not likely to be an obstacle in finding a solution to the Roma problem."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Integration, » Minorities, » Hungary, » Europe
All available articles from » Györgyi Kocsis
La Repubblica - Italy | Thursday, 23. September 2010
Commenting on France's deportations of Roma in the left-liberal daily La Repubblica, French historian Jacques Le Goff urges dialogue, pointing to Europe's common roots: » more
Commenting on France's deportations of Roma in the left-liberal daily La Repubblica, French historian Jacques Le Goff urges dialogue, pointing to Europe's common roots: "As a historian I believe Europe's thousand-year history has been shaped by the diversity of its peoples, the mixture of cultures and their progressive integration. Europe emerged from the amalgamation of the so-called Roman, Gallic-Roman and Spanish-Roman peoples ... with the so-called Barbarians, a word that is banned from the vocabulary of historians today. Nowadays fortunately we no longer despise anyone who doesn't belong to what are referred to as the higher cultures. Historians and all those who wield social influence should show that what makes Europe special is its ability to integrate even those who are different. For sure, the problems with the integration of foreigners evident all over Europe today are connected to the growing number of immigrants in recent years. But we shouldn't forget that in late antiquity and in the Middle Ages the numbers of the so-called Barbarians - the Celts, the ancient Germanic peoples and the Slavs - who roved Europe were much higher."
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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » History, » Europe
All available articles from » Jacques Le Goff
Blog Antes pelo Contrário - Portugal | Tuesday, 21. September 2010
Since the deportation of many Roma from France a debate has flared up in Portugal over racism at home. Daniel Oliveira pokes fun in his blog Antes pelo Contrário for the weekly Expresso: » more
Since the deportation of many Roma from France a debate has flared up in Portugal over racism at home. Daniel Oliveira pokes fun in his blog Antes pelo Contrário for the weekly Expresso: "Of course I'm not a racist. I just don't let myself be gagged by the 'politically correct'. Because who can deny that the Gypsies steal, live off the state, don't obey the law and don't want to work? ... Or that the Muslims ... are intolerant and don't respect women? ... Who can deny that practically all muggers are Africans who ... have to emigrate because they can't get their political act together at home? ... I'm not a racist, but when I read this type of popular wisdom ... am I not obliged to view the world's population as nothing but parasites and criminals - except for the whites? I know irony's not easy to get across. Nevertheless I hope it's as easy to grasp as all the crap we hear from everywhere ... in this country, where everyone's 'even got a black friend' as an alibi for their tolerance."
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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Minorities, » Portugal
All available articles from » Daniel Oliveira
Galamus - Hungary | Wednesday, 22. September 2010
The Hungarian extreme right-wing party Jobbik has recently pressed ahead with the plan to make denying "Gypsy crime" a punishable offence, like denying the Holocaust or the crimes of communism. The philosopher Ferenc L. Lendvai explains on the left-wing opinion portal Galamus why the term remains unacceptable: » more
The Hungarian extreme right-wing party Jobbik has recently pressed ahead with the plan to make denying "Gypsy crime" a punishable offence, like denying the Holocaust or the crimes of communism. The philosopher Ferenc L. Lendvai explains on the left-wing opinion portal Galamus why the term remains unacceptable: "This party and its sympathisers have long been unhappy that the term 'Gypsy crime' is not socially acceptable. But why isn't it? In and of itself there's nothing to prevent it from being an everyday term ... for describing a certain phenomenon. Basically it has two meanings. First: it refers to crime taking place in the Roma milieu. ... Secondly: it refers to those criminal offences committed largely by the Roma. ... But the problem is that the original meaning of the words is often twisted, or strictly speaking distorted. That's the problem with the term 'Gypsy crime'. It is has become such a racist buzzword that one avoids using it, even if one's motives aren't racist in the least."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Minorities, » Crime, » Hungary
All available articles from » Ferenc L. Lendvai
Hospodářské noviny - Czech Republic | Wednesday, 22. September 2010
In the run-up to next month's local elections in the Czech Republic a growing number of campaign posters depict socially marginal groups like the Roma as lazy and stupid. The message: » more
In the run-up to next month's local elections in the Czech Republic a growing number of campaign posters depict socially marginal groups like the Roma as lazy and stupid. The message: those who don't work don't deserve public support. The business paper Hospodářské noviny labels the campaign cheap propaganda: "Commenting on the politically motivated deportation of Roma from France, Prime Minister Nečas also spoke about the Roma problem in the Czech Republic - which has other causes than that in France, namely social and educational causes. But where does the programme of the [Nečas party] ODS emphasise work and education? The capitalist society produces marginal groups that become destitute for the most diverse reasons. ... The idea that the Roma, the homeless, welfare recipients or the permanently unemployed are to blame for their poverty because they are stupid and lazy is a dangerous stereotype. Especially when it becomes the foundation of official policy."
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More from the press review on the subject » Minorities, » Elections, » Social affairs, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Petr Fischer
Blog Del alfiler al elefante - Spain | Tuesday, 21. September 2010
In the dispute between EU Commissioner for Justice and Fundamental Rights Viviane Reding and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Lluís Bassets takes sides with the commissioner. In his Blog del Afiler al Elefante he writes: » more
In the dispute between EU Commissioner for Justice and Fundamental Rights Viviane Reding and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Lluís Bassets takes sides with the commissioner. In his Blog del Afiler al Elefante he writes: "Perhaps Ms. Reding used the wrong words: the boundary in the [Second] World War was not that clear. But that was the only mistake she made. ... There are few countries in Europe where a single person can make a decision for reasons of personal interest which ignores the government, the party and the majority of the country's institutions. This type of behaviour is related to the powers a French president has, and more to the point, with those that Sarkozy claims for himself. This singular person has received the solidarity of his colleagues on the European Council, but his actions and his reactions were profoundly anti-European. At a moral level he has eroded and trivialised the fundamental European values; at a legal level he has left the people in question vulnerable and at a political level he has reaffirmed France's inviolability and placed it above the other European members and institutions. Better to make a mistake with Reding than to be right with Sarkozy."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Integration, » Minorities, » Human rights, » France, » Europe
All available articles from » Lluís Bassets
Magyar Nemzet - Hungary | Saturday, 18. September 2010
The deportation of Eastern European Roma from France is not only a social and moral problem, but also a problem of semantics. In liberal democracy many terms have lost their value, writes Anikó Fázsy, chief editor of the literary magazine Nagyvilág, in the weekly supplement of conservative newspaper Magyar Nemzet: » more
The deportation of Eastern European Roma from France is not only a social and moral problem, but also a problem of semantics. In liberal democracy many terms have lost their value, writes Anikó Fázsy, chief editor of the literary magazine Nagyvilág, in the weekly supplement of conservative newspaper Magyar Nemzet: "The permanent flow of words from the media and their verbal aggression are making people insensitive and indifferent: in order to get people's attention they continually use bombastic language and exaggerations. Emotions are worked up by their fabrication of war-like circumstances. The language gets out of control as a result of the constant exaggerations. The goal is no longer to create understanding, but judgement. Phenomena are labelled for the sake of easy orientation. And analogies are drawn between phenomena which are in no way comparable. The world is truly difficult to understand. But it is a sign of mental laziness, if not malice, to explain reality with a single noun, a single adjective."
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More from the press review on the subject » Integration, » Minorities, » France, » Europe
All available articles from » Anikó Fázsy
El País - Spain | Friday, 17. September 2010
The EU Commission has stuck to its openly critical stance on France's Roma policy despite heavy attacks from President Nicolas Sarkozy. Unlike so many leading European politicians, the left-liberal daily El País notes: » more
The EU Commission has stuck to its openly critical stance on France's Roma policy despite heavy attacks from President Nicolas Sarkozy. Unlike so many leading European politicians, the left-liberal daily El País notes: "The deportations of Roma ordered by Nicolas Sarkozy this summer have triggered an almost unprecedented crisis in the European Union. ... In contrast to the passivity with which Europe looked on when Berlusconi initiated a census of the Roma in Italy two years ago, Nicolas Sarkozy's populism met yesterday with an appropriate response from the European Commission. This response stands in glaring contrast to the shameful support of the majority of heads of state and government in the European Council, who instead chose the path of diplomatic pragmatism."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » France, » Europe, » Romania, » Bulgaria
Der Standard - Austria | Friday, 17. September 2010
If the EU is permanently bickering over domestic issues the vision of a strong Europe will never be realised, complains the left-liberal daily Der Standard: » more
If the EU is permanently bickering over domestic issues the vision of a strong Europe will never be realised, complains the left-liberal daily Der Standard: "It was typical that the member states spent the EU summit on Thursday arguing over an internal problem - how to deal with the Roma problem - although the focus was supposed to be on how to position Europe in the world. The final statement had even already been prepared: The EU wants to be 'an effective global player', it proclaimed. ... The only time there is consensus is when it comes to criticising Brussels. The tensions between the EU states will increase in the upcoming negotiations on the budgetary planning up to 2020. As long as this narrow-minded attitude prevails, the vision of Europe playing a strong role on the world stage will remain just that - a vision."
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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Austria
All available articles from » Alexandra Föderl-Schmid
The Independent - United Kingdom | Friday, 17. September 2010
The comparison by EU Commissioner Viviane Reding between France's Roma policy and Nazi Germany was to a certain extent justified, writes the left-liberal daily The Independent: » more
The comparison by EU Commissioner Viviane Reding between France's Roma policy and Nazi Germany was to a certain extent justified, writes the left-liberal daily The Independent: "In one sense the comparison was just: targeting Roma for collective treatment is just as outrageous as it was for Hitler to target gypsies and Jews, or for any government to scapegoat any group en masse. Those now being expelled by M. Sarkozy and Mr Berlusconi lost what protection they had enjoyed with Eastern Europe's post-Communist collapse and moved to countries where their chances of survival were stronger. They are just the poorest of the poor, with a name hanging round their neck that guarantees discrimination. Those who prey politically on such hapless victims should be ashamed."
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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Gender equality, » France, » Italy, » Romania
Hospodářské noviny - Czech Republic | Friday, 17. September 2010
The mud-slinging match at the EU summit on France's deportations of Roma conceals a deeper conflict, the business paper Hospodářské noviny suspects: » more
The mud-slinging match at the EU summit on France's deportations of Roma conceals a deeper conflict, the business paper Hospodářské noviny suspects: "Are big EU countries entitled to preferential treatment? In Prague everyone can still recall the words of former president Chirac, who said that the Czech Republic [with its approval for the Iraq war] had missed a good opportunity to remain silent. Now we hear French voices in the Roma debate saying no one has the right to preach to France. ... Paris insists on its right to ensure that people obey its laws. For its part the EU Commission has every right to examine whether anyone is being discriminated against in this process. ... The medium and smaller countries should stand by the EU Commission because it is the guardian of the treaties and the regulations agreed on by all parties. This is no abstract discussion. Chirac's France and Schröder's Germany once fended off penalties for their debt policies, and the 27 members are still experiencing the repercussions of that today."
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All available articles from » Adam Černý
Novinar - Bulgaria | Wednesday, 15. September 2010
EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has launched into battle with France over its expulsion of Roma, but Bulgaria still hasn't adopted a clear position on the Roma issue, the daily Novinar complains: » more
EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has launched into battle with France over its expulsion of Roma, but Bulgaria still hasn't adopted a clear position on the Roma issue, the daily Novinar complains: "While Bucharest lost no time in adopting a sharper tone towards Paris and insisting that the rights of the deported Romanian citizens be upheld, all that came from Sofia was a deafening silence. The few leading politicians who had the courage to take a stance stuttered like first graders and tried to keep everyone happy. Reding's tough stance is all the more impressive in the context of this spineless behaviour. Basically she did what our government should have done long ago: bang on the table and make it clear that our Roma are not just Bulgarian but also EU citizens, and as such have rights, including protection against discrimination."
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All available articles from » Rumyana Bozhkova
Gazeta Wyborcza - Poland | Wednesday, 15. September 2010
EU Commissioner Viviane Reding's criticism of France's Roma expulsions is fully justified, writes the liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza: » more
EU Commissioner Viviane Reding's criticism of France's Roma expulsions is fully justified, writes the liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza: "'This is a disgrace!' With these words EU Commissioner Viviane Reding has finally told the full truth about the expulsions of the Roma from France. The most painful problem in France isn't the unemployment or criminality of the Roma, but the attempt to make the French feel that foreigners pose a threat. ... President Nicolas Sarkozy has learned from Silvio Berlusconi. The Italian prime minister's coalition won the most recent elections by striking fear into the hearts of Italians with the spectre of mass immigration and rising criminality, although statistics even indicated a slight decline."
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All available articles from » Tomasz Bielecki
Der Standard - Austria | Wednesday, 15. September 2010
In contrast to EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has unequivocally criticised France's Roma policy, the daily Der Standard writes approvingly: » more
In contrast to EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso, Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has unequivocally criticised France's Roma policy, the daily Der Standard writes approvingly: "If it had been left up to ... Barroso, this slap in the face for Paris would have been considerably milder. He even managed to avoid mentioning the word Roma at all during his 'State of the Union' address last week. Reding herself was very reserved at the time, entirely in tune with the style of her master who always tries to avoid ruffling the feathers of any head of state or government, let alone those of the spleenish Nicolas Sarkozy. Now Reding has made up for her reserve with unparalleled clarity, not caring at all that she was dealing with a party colleague. That's how you have to talk as a politician when fundamental rights are at stake. And not just when dealing with primitive xenophobia, but also when it's cloaked in bureaucratic attire as we're seeing with the government in Paris. Populist Sarkozy, who wanted to divert attention from scandals with scapegoats, is the one who will fare the worst from this affair."
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De Standaard - Belgium | Wednesday, 15. September 2010
The announcement that the EU Commission will take legal action against France is long overdue, writes the daily De Standaard referring to the country's Roma policy: » more
The announcement that the EU Commission will take legal action against France is long overdue, writes the daily De Standaard referring to the country's Roma policy: "The EU Commission can't ignore France's behaviour. Respect for equality and human dignity is at the essence of the European project, the Union's raison d'être. The EU is not first and foremost a free trade zone but a community of values. ... Respect for the fundamental values should not be eroded by even one millimetre. No one should be given the impression that it is acceptable to play around with the rights of their fellow citizens in any way. ... France, one of the founding countries of the European Union, is showing shameless disrespect for the European Commission with its behaviour. The French stance displays arrogance: Paris blatantly lied to the Commission. This casts a shadow on the entire European project. ... This is unacceptable."
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All available articles from » Evita Neefs
The Daily Telegraph - United Kingdom | Wednesday, 15. September 2010
With his Roma policy France's president is currying favour with the country's Right to divert attention from his failed reform policies, writes the conservative paper The Daily Telegraph: » more
With his Roma policy France's president is currying favour with the country's Right to divert attention from his failed reform policies, writes the conservative paper The Daily Telegraph: "The fact that Mr Sarkozy needed to make such a lunge to the Right reflects the dire straits in which his administration finds itself. ... Mr Sarkozy's time in the Élysée has provided magnificent theatre - especially with Carla Bruni at his side. But ... it threatens to be remembered more for tabloid headlines than legislative accomplishments. Having come to office as a reformer, and produced an exhaustive list of measures to revive France's sclerotic economy and society, the president has tended to retreat in the face of opposition. His pension reforms, which raise the minimum retirement age to a scarcely dizzying 62, will, he says, be the final big project before the serious business of rebuilding his sagging poll ratings and winning re-election begins."
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Financial Times Deutschland - Germany | Wednesday, 8. September 2010
The liberal daily Financial Times Deutschland criticises EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso's state of the European Union address as distant from citizens' interests and inconsistent: » more
The liberal daily Financial Times Deutschland criticises EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso's state of the European Union address as distant from citizens' interests and inconsistent: "In his speech Barroso demanded respect for human rights to great applause - but he fell short of mentioning Sarkozy's mass deportations of Romanian EU citizens. ... At the same time he lacks the talent to speak to citizens directly. Barroso's speech was directed at the MEPs - he talked about the citizens, not to them. Instead he reconfirmed the prejudice that what Europe really wants is more power and money. ... He should also have made suggestions on how to save money, and explained how the Union's money can be put to efficient use - be it with agricultural aid running into the billions, structural aid or through the 36 EU agencies dispersed across Europe. The opportunity to do this will come up this autumn when his Commission presents its budget for the coming years. Now that would be a 'State of the Union' address worthy of the name."
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Delo - Slovenia | Wednesday, 8. September 2010
Members of the EU Parliament have criticised Commission President José Manuel Barroso among other things for his silence on the deportations of Roma from France. The daily Delo joins in the critique, but points out that the MEPs also share responsibility for the state of the EU: » more
Members of the EU Parliament have criticised Commission President José Manuel Barroso among other things for his silence on the deportations of Roma from France. The daily Delo joins in the critique, but points out that the MEPs also share responsibility for the state of the EU: "With the Treaty of Lisbon the European Parliament has become more involved in the decision-making mechanism. Together with the Council of the European Union it now decides on almost 90 percent of European legislation. For that reason the MEPs can no longer just sit back and voice criticism, regardless of how justified it is. They also bear their share of responsibility for the state of the Union. And for that reason the address on the state of the EU which the Commission President will give in a year's time will depend to a large extent on the role and involvement of the Members of the European Parliament in the decision-making process."
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All available articles from » Bozo Masanovic
Mladá fronta Dnes - Czech Republic | Monday, 6. September 2010
France's president Nicolas Sarkozy has invited several EU member states to an immigration summit taking place today, Monday, in Paris. The meeting will focus among other things on the Roma issue. The liberal daily Mladá fronta Dnes considers it particularly ironic that the dispute over the Roma was kicked off by Sarkozy of all people: » more
France's president Nicolas Sarkozy has invited several EU member states to an immigration summit taking place today, Monday, in Paris. The meeting will focus among other things on the Roma issue. The liberal daily Mladá fronta Dnes considers it particularly ironic that the dispute over the Roma was kicked off by Sarkozy of all people: "By a 'Hungarian' with French-Jewish roots whose name is also common among the Roma people. It stems from the word 'sár' (muddy) and 'köz' (crossroad), and refers to its bearer as someone who lives in a muddy ghetto or belongs there in terms of social status. Some traditional Hungarian villages used to have non-surfaced streets where the poor and the Roma lived. In Žitný ostrov [an area in southern Slovakia where members of the Hungarian minority live] people still say: 'It doesn't matter what you do you'll always be a Sárközi' - a victim of your environment. At least from a moral point of view, Sarkozy has remained a 'Sárközi'."
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All available articles from » Rostislav Matulík
Adevărul - Romania | Friday, 3. September 2010
It serves no purpose to deport the Roma, writes the daily Adevărul, arguing that their mentality has to change: » more
It serves no purpose to deport the Roma, writes the daily Adevărul, arguing that their mentality has to change: "Even the Romanian communists tried to control the Gypsies as they moved from place to place with their clans. They thought they should build houses on the outskirts of towns. Were they ever in for a surprise when they saw that the Gypsies slept in tents and kept their horses in the houses. Now the French are sending them back to homes they don't even have, because they're nomads even if they travel by plane nowadays instead of covered wagons. This is the major challenge facing France and Europe: to change the mentality of an ethnic group that lives in the modern world according to social rules that are hundreds if not thousands of years old. ... Otherwise instead of a decrease in crime all we'll get is an increase in air traffic with Gypsies being sent here, there and everywhere."
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All available articles from » Ion M. Ionita
Frankfurter Rundschau - Germany | Friday, 3. September 2010
The EU is reacting far too hesitantly to France's Roma deportations, writes the left-liberal daily Frankfurter Rundschau: » more
The EU is reacting far too hesitantly to France's Roma deportations, writes the left-liberal daily Frankfurter Rundschau: "The Brussels EU Commission ... has a questionable reputation for evading conflicts with member states on a regular basis. This is particularly true when the states in question are big and powerful. Yet the authority has the clout to confidently tackle national governments if it only dared. But it doesn't dare, as the mass deportations of Roma from France show. The behaviour of the Commission is unworthy of its status. It has major misgivings about the conduct of Nicolas Sarkozy's French government. But it is not presenting those objections in an offensive manner. And Commission boss Barroso remains silent."
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Dagens Nyheter - Sweden | Friday, 3. September 2010
Sweden's Minister for European Union Affairs Birgitta Ohlsson has voiced criticism of France's deportations of members of the Roma community. But the outrage at France ... » more
Sweden's Minister for European Union Affairs Birgitta Ohlsson has voiced criticism of France's deportations of members of the Roma community. But the outrage at France is hypocritical given Sweden's harsh deportation practice for Roma, writes the liberal Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. "Ohlsson hasn't minced her words in her criticism of France. That is justified, but not even the French police deport Roma during their first three months in the country. ... It is important that the EU Commission has begun to react, and that commissioners Cecilia Malmström and Viviane Reding should question France about what is going on. The French mass expulsions are deeply disturbing, as is the disgraceful policy towards the Roma in Bulgaria and Romania. But for Sweden's criticism to hold water the first thing we have to do is clean up the back yard at [the seat of government] Rosenbad."
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Le Jeudi - Luxembourg | Thursday, 2. September 2010
France's policy regarding the Roma is intolerant and harks back to the past, writes the weekly Le Jeudi: » more
France's policy regarding the Roma is intolerant and harks back to the past, writes the weekly Le Jeudi: "In the space of a few months and for basely political reasons, the current leaders of our neighbour France have made their country a blemish on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Even the Pope has become annoyed by the affair. ... To get the president back in shape - who would receive a severe clouting at the hands of the socialist opposition if the French were to go the polls today - the advisors at the Élysée Palace could come up with nothing better than to harvest intensively the fields of intolerance. And to brandish two menaces that evoke the days when just belonging to a population group was enough to have one sent to a death camp: the stigmatisation of a people - in this case the Roma - and the loss of French citizenship."
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All available articles from » Jean Portante
Blog Aktuálně.cz - Czech Republic | Thursday, 2. September 2010
With an eye to France's Roma policy, Czech President Václav Klaus and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg have accused French President Nicolas Sarkozy of racist tendencies. But publicist Jiří Pehe advises the Czechs to look to their own back yard in his blog for the web portal aktualne.cz: » more
With an eye to France's Roma policy, Czech President Václav Klaus and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg have accused French President Nicolas Sarkozy of racist tendencies. But publicist Jiří Pehe advises the Czechs to look to their own back yard in his blog for the web portal aktualne.cz: "First of all we had deputy prime minister Čunek going on about 'sun tanned' citizens. ... Schwarzenberg and the majority of Czech politicians also did nothing to stop the mayor of Chomutov when she took measures to recover the money owed by Roma families and even went as far as to cut their social benefits. With the emerging crisis the Topolánek government organised the deportation of foreign labourers and sent them home by plane, just as the French did to the Roma. ... Millions of immigrants live in France. Czech criticism of the allegedly racist French will only be believable when our country has a similar ethnic make-up. For now however, we live in a country where Roma children are put away in special schools and the Roma are moved to ghettos on the outskirts of town."
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Hospodářské noviny - Czech Republic | Wednesday, 1. September 2010
According to the results of police investigations, the killing spree in Bratislava in which among others a Roma family of five was killed was also motivated by racism. The business paper Hospodářské noviny paints a dark picture of the situation of the Roma in Central and Eastern Europe: » more
According to the results of police investigations, the killing spree in Bratislava in which among others a Roma family of five was killed was also motivated by racism. The business paper Hospodářské noviny paints a dark picture of the situation of the Roma in Central and Eastern Europe: "In the Czech Republic there are more than 300 'marginalised' Roma settlements. Hungary's police have been very slow in their investigations of cases of murder of Roma in recent years. Every government in Bratislava has tried to somehow solve the Roma problem. But they have been as unsuccessful in finding a solution as their counterparts in Hungary or the Czech Republic. ... Relations between the Roma and the majority population are especially complicated. In Hungary Jobbik became the third-strongest party in the country, wining almost 17 percent of the vote with unabashed anti-Roma and anti-Semitic rhetoric. We must talk about the Roma problem and call things by their right names. And we must not leave this debate to the Jobbik people and similar groups in other Central European countries."
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All available articles from » Martin Ehl
Sme - Slovakia | Tuesday, 31. August 2010
A heavily-armed man went on a killing spree in the outskirts of Bratislava on Monday, murdering a Roma family of five and two other people and wounding a dozen bystanders before turning his weapon on himself. The liberal daily Sme writes that such images are only known from films or the CNN: » more
A heavily-armed man went on a killing spree in the outskirts of Bratislava on Monday, murdering a Roma family of five and two other people and wounding a dozen bystanders before turning his weapon on himself. The liberal daily Sme writes that such images are only known from films or the CNN: "But on Monday it happened here. The murders of Devínska Nová Ves are a tragedy. It is the duty of the state to investigate the motive as quickly as possible and to do all it can to prevent such occurrences from being repeated. Regardless of the fact that that is very difficult, practically impossible even, faced with a crazed marksman. Until now we can only speculate. Where did he get the weapons? What pushed him to commit this ghastly act? ... But the key question is simply: how can the inhabitants of Devínska Nová Ves, our Roma and all of society be reassured?"
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All available articles from » Matúš Kostolný
Libération - France | Tuesday, 31. August 2010
The French writer Sara Vidal evokes the charms of the French Roma in the left-liberal daily Libération: » more
The French writer Sara Vidal evokes the charms of the French Roma in the left-liberal daily Libération: "Every morning I witnessed the arrival of princesses. With their long, sparkling skirts, their glistening belts and earrings, their sequined scarves ... talking and laughing together. ... I could guess where they came from, those improvised shanty towns, those squatted houses without water or electricity. And their 'beautiful dresses' as we children said when we dressed up, were all the more magical. ... Where is the criminality, the permanent danger from which our ministers (interior, immigration, justice) must protect us? Ah, of course, the begging! That's not a pretty sight, the begging. Leads to laziness, child trafficking etcetera. The rummaging through the rubbish: making money with copper wire ... That's the limit! ... Criminality: living on private plots without permission. Land abandoned by the French railway company, the no-man's land of closed factories, little wooded areas, empty squatted houses."
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Gândul - Romania | Friday, 27. August 2010
Even China has criticised the Roma policy of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, but for dubious reasons, writes the daily Gândul, adding that however even within the EU there is no consensus on the issue: » more
Even China has criticised the Roma policy of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, but for dubious reasons, writes the daily Gândul, adding that however even within the EU there is no consensus on the issue: "The most harsh criticism of the French Republic comes from the Chinese press. Not because they're worried about the Gypsies but because now China can expose the 'difference between discourse and action on human rights in Western countries'. ... Some call for a 'European strategy' for this particular ethnic group. Such a strategy would be difficult to define, particularly seeing as the EU hasn't even been able to hustle up sufficient support for a [common] energy strategy or foreign policy."
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All available articles from » Bogdan Munteanu
Népszabadság - Hungary | Friday, 27. August 2010
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has blamed Roma immigrants for France's rising crime rate, the left-liberal daily Népszabadság writes. But the paper believes this is just an early start to a dirty election campaign: » more
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has blamed Roma immigrants for France's rising crime rate, the left-liberal daily Népszabadság writes. But the paper believes this is just an early start to a dirty election campaign: "According to the Elysée Palace, Sarkozy hasn't declared war on the Romanian and Bulgarian Roma but on 'crime'. This is all very well and good as far as the crime rate is concerned. However the French head of state has made the Roma settlements the sole target of his campaign. ... Half Europe has already realised that with his deportations Sarkozy is simply conducting an early election campaign."
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All available articles from » Endre Aczél
Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany | Friday, 27. August 2010
France has invited certain countries to attend a ministerial summit on illegal immigration on September 6. Among those invited are Italy, Britain, Germany, Spain and Greece. In fact the idea behind the exclusive talks is to qualify the freedom of movement of the Roma within the EU, writes the left-liberal Süddeutsche Zeitung: » more
France has invited certain countries to attend a ministerial summit on illegal immigration on September 6. Among those invited are Italy, Britain, Germany, Spain and Greece. In fact the idea behind the exclusive talks is to qualify the freedom of movement of the Roma within the EU, writes the left-liberal Süddeutsche Zeitung: "The major homelands of the Roma - Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia - are not invited. Brussels is reacting helplessly and checking if it is lawful to repatriate thousands of Roma from France to Bulgaria and Romania, although officially it claims that 'no one should be deported just because they're a Roma'. So Paris and Rome are being called on to do the natural thing, which however is apparently anything but natural: to respect 'human rights'. ... However a continent that has experienced the Holocaust cannot allow itself under any circumstances to divide its citizens into classes or group them in categories of desirable and undesirable, or ultimately of valuable and valueless people."
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All available articles from » Michael Frank
Dnevnik - Bulgaria | Thursday, 26. August 2010
The socialist MEP from Bulgaria Kristian Vigenin on Wednesday criticised the EU's stance regarding France's forced repatriation of Bulgarian Roma and called for the creation of an EU commissioner post for European minorities. But Bulgaria must tackle its minority problems independently, writes the daily Denvnik: » more
The socialist MEP from Bulgaria Kristian Vigenin on Wednesday criticised the EU's stance regarding France's forced repatriation of Bulgarian Roma and called for the creation of an EU commissioner post for European minorities. But Bulgaria must tackle its minority problems independently, writes the daily Denvnik: "You can't just transfer the obligations of national governments regarding their citizens to some mythical pan-European structure. The Roma are one of Bulgaria's most serious problems. Bulgaria must seek solutions to the problem rather than ways to export it. ... The problem lies not only with the Gypsies, but also with 'Gypsisation'. The question is whether the Bulgarians, who supposedly represent the state, will integrate the Roma minority into the foundations of civilised life or whether the minority will manage to engulf the majority. Whether we can slowly but surely civilise the ghetto or whether the ghetto will gradually become our core."
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All available articles from » Boiko Pentchev
Die Presse - Austria | Thursday, 26. August 2010
Following widespread criticism of France's deportation of Roma groups, an international ministerial conference on asylum and illegal immigration will take place in Paris on September 6. The meeting undermines the EU's migration policy, writes the daily Die Presse: » more
Following widespread criticism of France's deportation of Roma groups, an international ministerial conference on asylum and illegal immigration will take place in Paris on September 6. The meeting undermines the EU's migration policy, writes the daily Die Presse: "This is not only a symbolic slap in the face for the efforts by Brussels to coordinate immigration policy at an EU-wide level. Coming as it does from one of the most powerful EU members, it also opens the way for questioning one of the most basic principles of the EU: the freedom of EU citizens to reside where they please within the Union. Despite all that can be said in criticism of Brussels - including in relation to the failed integration of the Roma - nations cannot find a solution to migration policy single-handedly. It would be good for other EU states, for example the Belgian EU presidency, to remind the French of this, for example by not attending the Paris summit."
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All available articles from » Susanna Bastaroli
La Stampa - Italy | Tuesday, 24. August 2010
France is being attacked from all sides except Italy for expelling Sinti and Roma. Italy's Interior MInsiter Roberto Maroni on Monday spoke out in favour of expelling EU citizens when they are too much of a burden on the social system of the host country. But deportation is illegal even when foreigners do place more of a burden on the social system than EU rules permit, writes the liberal daily La Stampa: » more
France is being attacked from all sides except Italy for expelling Sinti and Roma. Italy's Interior MInsiter Roberto Maroni on Monday spoke out in favour of expelling EU citizens when they are too much of a burden on the social system of the host country. But deportation is illegal even when foreigners do place more of a burden on the social system than EU rules permit, writes the liberal daily La Stampa: "It would be a mistake to interpret what is happening in France and what Maroni plans for Italy only as the fruits of an anachronistic 'defence of one's own identity', or worse still, to confuse it with old prejudices against Gypsies. There is also and above all a problem with legality. ... The EU Commission does well to admonish Italy and France. Yet the very same Commission points out that immigrant EU citizens like the Roma are to make a living by their own means and not increase the burden on the social security network, they are to have health insurance and not pose a threat to public safety. These are four key points. But even if they are not respected there is no possibility of expulsion."
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All available articles from » Michele Brambilla
Magyar Nemzet - Hungary | Saturday, 21. August 2010
The deportations of Eastern European Roma from France would have triggered a storm of protest throughout Europe just a decade ago, writes the conservative daily Magyar Nemzet: » more
The deportations of Eastern European Roma from France would have triggered a storm of protest throughout Europe just a decade ago, writes the conservative daily Magyar Nemzet: "In the spirit of political correctness the media ... would have warned of the advance of xenophobia. Human rights organisations would have vocally mobilised people to protect the Roma colonies. And in the end the deportation of the Roma would have been prevented. But faced with the challenges of the 21st century, particularly immigration and the global crisis, the combative liberals have grown quiet. … The spirit of political correctness and the unlimited idea of freedom have increasingly faded into the background. Faced with the threat of its demise Europe has learned to appreciate not just the system but also the state."
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All available articles from » Gábor Stier
România Liberă - Romania | Friday, 20. August 2010
France began on Thursday with the deportation of Roma to Romania. The conservative daily România Liberă examines the reasons for their failed integration in Romania: » more
France began on Thursday with the deportation of Roma to Romania. The conservative daily România Liberă examines the reasons for their failed integration in Romania: "We too are defending the cultural identity of the Gypsies in a feeble bout of multiculturalism. The authorities in Bucharest, first and foremost head of state Băsescu, talked of the 'nomadic' character of the Gypsy culture and of the injustice of collective solutions. But this is precisely the reason why the integration programmes don't work. It's simply not enough to reserve a couple of university places [for Roma], to finance social housing for them and organise a couple of dozen imposing seminars per year. Integrating these people is not about the idea of cultivating the pleasures of the 'nomadic' cultures but about changing them, as scandalous as that may sound. Multiculturalism is nothing but a monstrous intellectual sham which has nothing to do with 'tolerance' or 'openness' but does plenty to undermine one's own culture."
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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » EU enlargement, » EU Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » France, » Romania, » Bulgaria
All available articles from » Cristian Campeanu
Helsingin Sanomat - Finland | Friday, 20. August 2010
As in other European countries, in Finland too there is a debate about the integration of Roma from Eastern Europe. Frank Johansson, the director of Amnesty International Finland, writes in the daily Helsingin Sanomat that the country has been successful in integrating the minority and should become more active on the Roma issue at an EU level: » more
As in other European countries, in Finland too there is a debate about the integration of Roma from Eastern Europe. Frank Johansson, the director of Amnesty International Finland, writes in the daily Helsingin Sanomat that the country has been successful in integrating the minority and should become more active on the Roma issue at an EU level: "The EU anti-racism and discrimination guideline are not being effectively implemented and the situation of the Roma is not being taken into account in the utilisation of structural funds. The reason for this is the lack of political will. To create the political will and break this vicious circle we will have to listen to the poor. ... Finland has done more to improve the situation of the Roma living in the country than many other countries. Therefore it should assume an active role on European committees to guarantee the rights of the Roma minorities. The government should provide political support and sufficient resources for Finland to do this."
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La Repubblica - Italy | Thursday, 19. August 2010
The deportation of Roma will help French President Nicolas Sarkozy's campaign for re-election in 2012, writes the left-liberal daily La Repubblica: » more
The deportation of Roma will help French President Nicolas Sarkozy's campaign for re-election in 2012, writes the left-liberal daily La Repubblica: "It all began in July with riots between police and the Sinti community in Saint-Aignan. The government declared war on the Roma and began controls in the camps. But what looked like just a pretext is part of a long-term strategy. Shortly afterwards, prompted this time by unrest in Grenoble, Sarkozy talked about the possibility of depriving French citizens of foreign origin of their citizenship if they have committed criminal offences. The president is determined to put the subject of security at the centre of the political debate. ... He doesn't need to react to criticism. The opinion polls are on his side. He is convinced that in this way he can mobilise right-wing voters in time for the 2012 elections."
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Diário de Notícias - Portugal | Thursday, 19. August 2010
France's president Nicolas Sarkozy is capitalising on the deportation of the Roma, writes the daily Diário de Notícias: » more
France's president Nicolas Sarkozy is capitalising on the deportation of the Roma, writes the daily Diário de Notícias: "Paris is justifying its decision with the temporary regulation which has been in force since 2007: The Roma can remain for only three months in France - unless they can present an employment contract and residency permit. And it fends off the sideswipes of the EU Commission by pointing out that a state is entitled to restrict freedom of movement if the security and health of its citizens are in danger. ... As inflexible as ever on security matters, he and his government have been heavily criticised because they associate the rising crime rate with immigration. But 79 percent of French welcome the breaking up of the camps - and that's all that really matters to the head of state. With this decision he can win back his popularity - and at the same time divert attention from his involvement in the L'Oréal affair."
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De Standaard - Belgium | Thursday, 19. August 2010
The condemnation of the expulsion of Roma from France is justified, writes the daily De Standaard: » more
The condemnation of the expulsion of Roma from France is justified, writes the daily De Standaard: "Are there no problems with the Roma Gypsies in France? Of course there are. ... But the criticism is mainly directed against the lack of coherence in Sarkozy's security policy, which foresees the axing of 3,500 police jobs next year, the lack of structural measures to better integrate the Gypsies into the municipal system and at a populism which has no qualms about collectively stigmatising an entire ethnic group. ... Perhaps Sarkozy should let Rudolf Sarközi, the chairman of the Austrian Romani Association, advise him. 'We had a situation that was similarly precarious to that in France', he said. But the situation has improved because the Gypsies were allocated areas where they could 'live dignified lives' and because money was invested in the education of their young."
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Novinar - Bulgaria | Wednesday, 18. August 2010
The Bulgarian daily Novinar adopts a harsh tone in the debate about the deportation of Roma from France. The newspaper accuses European politicians of applying double standards as regards the Roma and recalls Bulgaria's failed attempt to tear down a Roma settlement in the middle of Sofia: » more
The Bulgarian daily Novinar adopts a harsh tone in the debate about the deportation of Roma from France. The newspaper accuses European politicians of applying double standards as regards the Roma and recalls Bulgaria's failed attempt to tear down a Roma settlement in the middle of Sofia: "The daily Novinar writes that European politicians have double standards when it comes to the Roma, and recalls Bulgaria's attempt to tear down a Roma district in the centre of Sofia which failed due to pressure from the EU: "Four years ago the mayor at the time, Boyko Borisov, tried to rid our city of this eyesore and drive away the troublemakers who on top of it all were keeping horses and pigs in their houses and befouling the neighbouring district with an unbearable stench. Who should turn up right away but the Green MEP Elly de Groen, who subjected our politicians to such pressure that they put their tails between their legs and left the stinking cesspool standing in the middle of this European capital. Why isn't she now protesting in Paris and presenting Sarkozy and his colleagues with an ultimatum?"
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Dilema Veche - Romania | Wednesday, 18. August 2010
France has announced it will deport roughly 700 Roma by the end of August. The deportations to Romania and Bulgaria, among other countries, are to begin on Thursday, and French security forces have started disbanding illegal Roma settlements. The Roma are being used as scapegoats, writes the weekly Dilema Veche: » more
France has announced it will deport roughly 700 Roma by the end of August. The deportations to Romania and Bulgaria, among other countries, are to begin on Thursday, and French security forces have started disbanding illegal Roma settlements. The Roma are being used as scapegoats, writes the weekly Dilema Veche: "France has not been exactly successful in introducing programmes for disadvantaged minorities. That is clear every time French citizens of Arab origin start setting cars on fire in the suburbs of Paris. ... True, the Romanian Gypsies in France impose an added burden on French taxpayers. But the ad hoc Gypsy camps are not responsible for the budgetary chaos that now plagues almost all EU governments. For that reason it is all too easy simply to lay the blame on the Roma. The poor wretches are too uneducated and entirely lacking in credibility for anyone to believe their arguments."
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Sme - Slovakia | Tuesday, 17. August 2010
Politicians from the conservative party of French President Nicolas Sarkozy have criticised the government's approach to tackling the Roma problem after Sarkozy announced plans to deport criminal Roma. The liberal daily paper Sme is also critical: » more
Politicians from the conservative party of French President Nicolas Sarkozy have criticised the government's approach to tackling the Roma problem after Sarkozy announced plans to deport criminal Roma. The liberal daily paper Sme is also critical: "It's difficult to believe that the 20,000 Roma from Romania and Bulgaria living among the 60 million French have such an impact on the rise of the crime rate that this action against them could be justified. More likely they are being used as a means for diverting people's attention from their dissatisfaction with the economic crisis and the government's austerity measures. Or from the multifarious scandals plaguing the elected leadership around Sarkozy. The real problems that coexisting with the Roma entails are low down among the reasons for conflict. This is not to say that they don't exist, or that the governments of Western Europe shouldn't take them seriously. ... The turmoil the Roma cause is nothing compared to the violence the French recently experienced at the hands of migrants from Muslim countries."
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Blog Noir tout simplement - France | Thursday, 12. August 2010
The UN committee against discrimination has accused France of "a new rise in racist acts" with regard to its Roma policy. In his blog for the weekly Le Nouvel Obervateur, Patrick Lozes, president of the black civil rights organisation CRAN, fears a radicalisation of French society: » more
The UN committee against discrimination has accused France of "a new rise in racist acts" with regard to its Roma policy. In his blog for the weekly Le Nouvel Obervateur, Patrick Lozes, president of the black civil rights organisation CRAN, fears a radicalisation of French society: France is losing its good rating on respecting human rights and is de facto turning into the laughing stock of international bodies that fight racist discrimination. The repeated humiliations to which France - the country whose values are spread all over the world - is being subjected are regrettable. The multiple international condemnations of France's policy on minorities demonstrate to the rest of the world how France marginalises its minorities. The rise in discrimination and the fact that this escalation in racist discrimination is being condemned raise concerns that the actions of various French associations for the protection of minorities will become radicalised."
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Il Sole 24 Ore - Italy | Friday, 13. August 2010
It is doubtful that France's Roma policy will be effective and it puts a burden on other countries, the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore writes in view of Interior Minister Brice Hortefuex's announcement that 700 Roma are to be deported: » more
It is doubtful that France's Roma policy will be effective and it puts a burden on other countries, the business paper Il Sole 24 Ore writes in view of Interior Minister Brice Hortefuex's announcement that 700 Roma are to be deported: "The entire campaign is surrounded by a heaping portion of scepticism. The majority of the Roma identified have (as in the past) declared themselves willing to leave the country in order to cash in on the 'per capita' bonus of 1,000 euros for adults and 300 euros for minors. 'As soon as they have spent the money they'll return', warns Gérard Minet, regional secretary of the Human Rights League in Lille. ... At the same time the government's plans are leading many nomads to go into hiding before they are rounded up. Where will they go? They travel around France or to other countries. In recent days many are reported to have moved to Italy. Here they will wait until Sarkozy's Roma hunt ends and all the media fuss dies down and then they will return."
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Novinar - Bulgaria | Thursday, 12. August 2010
Bulgaria is remaining silent because it has no interest in the Bulgarian Roma living in France returning to their home country, writes the daily Novinar: » more
Bulgaria is remaining silent because it has no interest in the Bulgarian Roma living in France returning to their home country, writes the daily Novinar: "The government thinks the Roma cease to be Bulgarian citizens once they leave the country. This was made clear once more after France announced it was tightening the immigration laws and deporting Bulgarian Roma. The Bulgarian side has made no comment so far. ... Another reason for the silence of the government is the typical attitude of Bulgarians towards the Roma. If he's a gypsy then no doubt he will have stolen something and be in trouble with the police. Why should we go to the trouble of taking care of criminals? Those in power are hiding away in their rooms and praying that France will relent, keep the Roma and take care of them."
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Tema - Bulgaria | Monday, 9. August 2010
Given the French government's decision to deport illegal Roma back to their home countries, the weekly Tema proposes an alternative, European-wide approach: » more
Given the French government's decision to deport illegal Roma back to their home countries, the weekly Tema proposes an alternative, European-wide approach: "The kinds of problems associated with the Roma are normally far from banal. But in their approach, the authorities are hiding behind arrogant and hypocritical excuses. That is how it is in Bulgaria, on both a regional and national level. And in France as well. ... This is why a pan-European debate about the Roma problem - which is increasingly a problem for the entire continent - identifying the methods that work in various countries and consolidating resources, could launch a promising new approach. Otherwise nothing will change - we ship Roma back to Europe, and Europe sends them back to us. The problem with such journeys is that they don't go anywhere."
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All available articles from » Vesselina Sedlarska
România Liberă - Romania | Monday, 9. August 2010
After the latest clashes between Roma and the French police, France's government announced its decision last Friday to dismantle an illegal settlement of Romanian Roma. The British expert on Romania, Tom Gallagher, analyses EU policies towards Roma in the daily paper Romania Libera: » more
After the latest clashes between Roma and the French police, France's government announced its decision last Friday to dismantle an illegal settlement of Romanian Roma. The British expert on Romania, Tom Gallagher, analyses EU policies towards Roma in the daily paper Romania Libera: "In dealing with complex problems, the EU preferred to ignore the anti-social behaviour of many Roma and concentrate strictly on the discrimination against an entire social group. A host of NGOs has collected large sums of EU tax funds just in order to tell us that the relationships between the Roma and the rest of the community must be based on understanding, mutual acceptance, respect and equality before the law. More than enough adherents to a nomadic romanticism are also characterised by a negative view toward western civilisation. So they don't want Roma to be integrated, since this would require them to give up a large part of their own culture to adopt another culture that offers them more opportunities in life.”
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The Guardian - United Kingdom | Monday, 2. August 2010
The Hungarian Supreme Court has awarded damages to Roma children, because they were segregated from non-Roma children. Two lawyers welcome this decision in the daily newspaper The Guardian: » more
The Hungarian Supreme Court has awarded damages to Roma children, because they were segregated from non-Roma children. Two lawyers welcome this decision in the daily newspaper The Guardian: "Segregation in Hungarian schools is a serious problem - the widespread stigmatisation of Roma means many parents and indeed teachers would prefer their children not to mix with Roma children in schools, or elsewhere. ... Despite the changes brought in by the 2004 Equal Treatment Act, which forbids segregation in the school system, the problem persists. ... Each of the five children involved in the case was awarded damages of 100,000 forints (450 dollars) - roughly three months' income for many Roma families - by a supreme court that recognised the unlawful segregation as well as its detrimental effects upon the children's education. ... Whilst this ruling will not end the widespread discrimination against Roma that exists in Hungary and elsewhere, it does send out a message to other authorities that the courts will uphold legislation preventing segregation, and that punitive measures will be taken against those who break it."
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Tages-Anzeiger - Switzerland | Friday, 30. July 2010
President Nicolas Sarkozy's announcement that he intends to take a "hard line" against the Roma in France is a rhetorical manoeuvre designed to distract attention ... » more
President Nicolas Sarkozy's announcement that he intends to take a "hard line" against the Roma in France is a rhetorical manoeuvre designed to distract attention from his own failures, the left-liberal Tages-Anzeiger believes. "Many French people are unlikely to be impressed any more by this martial rhetoric, for most of them are all too aware that since 2002 this president has been almost continuously responsible for internal security in France - first as interior minister and now as head of state. The media always liked to described his style of tackling things head on as 'musclé' - flexing his muscles. He enjoys the loud impact it makes when the police go in and the TV coverage. So when Sarkozy now denounces the deplorable state of affairs and declares an emergency on this front, in the banlieues and among travellers, then he is admitting that his policy has failed. And if the crime statistics really paint such a bad picture as he claims, then his record is bad too. Dreadful in fact. All he can do now is talk, divide and stigmatise. His strategy is easy to see through but carries no guarantee of success."
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Le Monde - France | Thursday, 29. July 2010
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has declared a "war on criminality". But by failing to distinguish between population groups he is stigmatising both the French and the European Roma, warns the daily Le Monde: » more
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has declared a "war on criminality". But by failing to distinguish between population groups he is stigmatising both the French and the European Roma, warns the daily Le Monde: "Sarkozy's mistake isn't to declare 'war' on criminality at a time when insecurity is on the rise, but to lump everyone together. As the guardian of national and social cohesion, it is not fitting for the head of state to blame the entire population of French Roma for a problem sparked off by just one among them. Of the more than 400,000 travellers counted by census in France, 95% are French and two thirds of them have fixed abodes. As for the Roma ... who form a minority, these are not only migrants from Eastern Europe, particularly Romania and Bulgaria. They form a heterogenous population that has been tossed about from one EU country to the next. ... By confusing things in this way the government is opening the door for chimeras and prejudices."
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Der Standard - Austria | Friday, 30. July 2010
The French president has drawn much criticism for his announcement to take steps against "criminal" Roma and dissolve 300 camps. Nicolas Sarkozy is ignoring real social questions in the view of the left-liberal daily Der Standard: » more
The French president has drawn much criticism for his announcement to take steps against "criminal" Roma and dissolve 300 camps. Nicolas Sarkozy is ignoring real social questions in the view of the left-liberal daily Der Standard: "We know that security and law and order are priorities for Sarkozy and that is legitimate. But when the French president draws a connection between criminality and 'the behaviour of some members of the Roma and other groups of no fixed abode' he is resorting to a stereotyped image of the Roma as criminals. Instead of identifying the cause of the problem - namely the gap between the average population and the Roma with respect to housing, education and employment - he makes an ethnic issue out of it. ... Sarkozy, whose name, incidentally, also occurs among Central European Roma families, is not facing up to urgent social questions. The same day he orders a bathtub for his president's aeroplane, he ignores in his Roma policy the fact that the causes of criminality and poverty are linked."
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All available articles from » Adelheid Wölfl
Upsala Nya Tidning - Sweden | Friday, 30. July 2010
The liberal daily Upsala Nya Tidning condemns President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to take action against the Roma as a disgrace for the entire European Union: » more
The liberal daily Upsala Nya Tidning condemns President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to take action against the Roma as a disgrace for the entire European Union: "France was once a country shaped by the ideas of freedom, equality and fraternity. The idea of the EU was governed by the same spirit. When President Nicolas Sarkozy uses the power of the nation to throw certain inhabitants out of the country ... he is damaging the ideals and the development of the EU. ... His policy towards the Roma is the expression of a view of collective blame. Sarkozy is digging in the same soil as [the right-wing extremist Hungarian party] Jobbik. Once again people are being driven out, rejected by a society that accuses them of not wanting to integrate. Instead of fighting discrimination and social destitution, it is people who are being targeted. Europe has never wanted to accept that the Roma have a different way of life. ... So lightly do we treat freedom today, so little is equality there, and so alien are our sisters and brothers to us."
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România Liberă - Romania | Wednesday, 28. July 2010
The French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Pierre Lellouche, said on Tuesday that Romania will jeopardise its accession to the Schengen Area planned for March 2011 if it fails to do more to integrate the Roma population. Many Roma are currently leaving Romania for France and Italy. Laurentiu Mihu welcomes Lellouche's announcement in the daily România Liberă: » more
The French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Pierre Lellouche, said on Tuesday that Romania will jeopardise its accession to the Schengen Area planned for March 2011 if it fails to do more to integrate the Roma population. Many Roma are currently leaving Romania for France and Italy. Laurentiu Mihu welcomes Lellouche's announcement in the daily România Liberă: "Responsibility ... must first and foremost be borne by the Romanian state. Instead of solving its problems it has chosen the most simple and cynical solution for the past 20 years: exporting them. I'm certain that many decision makers in Bucharest were unofficially delighted that crime in their own country was moving abroad. ... In contrast to Italy, France has now brought Romania to its senses with a decisive 'European' instrument: barred access to the Schengen Area. Even if it doesn't look that way, this cold shower could help us to do the right thing."
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Libération - France | Friday, 23. July 2010
A police officer killed a 22-year-old Roma in the French department of Loir-et-Cher on the weekend for unknown reasons. Demonstrators then sacked a police station during the subsequent unrest. The daily Libération sees French President Nicolas Sarkozy's idea, prompted by the rioting, of initiating a discussion of the problems caused by the Roma community as discriminating: » more
A police officer killed a 22-year-old Roma in the French department of Loir-et-Cher on the weekend for unknown reasons. Demonstrators then sacked a police station during the subsequent unrest. The daily Libération sees French President Nicolas Sarkozy's idea, prompted by the rioting, of initiating a discussion of the problems caused by the Roma community as discriminating: "Which community in France has to present a 'travel booklet' to the police every three months? Which people encounter the worst difficulties in voting, sending their children to school or simply moving into the neighbourhood of their choice? The Roma, recognised as a 'travelling people' by the administration. But the presumption of innocence … is also required for Luigi Duquenet. … Must it be repeated that throughout their long and difficult history these 'travelling people' … have been discriminated against and served as a scapegoat for hatred and racism? This meeting to discuss their supposed 'delinquency' is dangerous and futile."
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