Main focus of Friday, September 17, 2010

Sarkozy lashes back at EU over Roma policy

Thursday's EU summit in Brussels has been overshadowed by internal wrangling. French President Nicolas Sarkozy upbraided Commission President José Manuel Barroso for the EU's criticism of France's Roma deportations and the comparison with Nazi Germany. The press writes that Sarkozy can hardly play the victim, and points out that EU rules hold for everyone.

Hospodářské noviny - Czech Republic

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." (17/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Minorities, » Human rights, » France, » Europe
All available articles from » Adam Černý

El País - Spain

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." (17/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » France, » Europe, » Romania, » Bulgaria

The Independent - United Kingdom

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." (17/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Gender equality, » France, » Italy, » Romania

Der Standard - Austria

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." (17/09/2010)

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More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Domestic Policy, » Austria
All available articles from » Alexandra Föderl-Schmid

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