euro|topics - The deportation of Romanian immigrants from Italy

Main focus of Thursday, November 8, 2007

The deportation of Romanian immigrants from Italy

Italy is taking a hard line against Romanians and the Roma following the deathly attack on an italian woman by a Romanian of Roma origin. Romano Prodi's government wants to pass a security package permitting the deportation of EU citizens with a criminal record. Does this contravene the EU principle of freedom of movement?

La Stampa - Italy

According to Mario Deaglio, "there is a hazy idea circulating among some Italians that all Romanians are Romani people and all Romani people are criminals, at least potentially. As a consequence, all Romanians are potential criminals. This simplification of a far more complex reality has led a very large number of Italians, including a large proportion of politicians, to the conclusion that by driving Romanians out of the country, Italy will retrieve joy and tranquillity ... . The extreme attention given to the Romanian perpetrators of petty crimes is accompanied by a total lack of interest in what is actually working for Italy in Romania, no doubt the Eastern European country that is closest to Italy, not only because of its linguistic ties, but also thanks to its economy. There exists an extraordinary integration between the two countries: Romania is the only country in the world where small and medium Italian businesses have found a favourable terrain for their growth." (08/11/2007)

die tageszeitung - Germany

According to Daniela Weingärtner, the Prodi government's express decree violates the European treaties. "This is because the free movement of goods, capital and persons is one of the cornerstones of the European single market. Each individual case must therefore be examined and each deportation justified. A generalised assumption that Romanian slum-dwellers represent a threat to public security is not enough. ... Prodi should withdraw his decree before the European Court of Justice rules against it. It would be no problem to find a plaintiff who has the court examine whether Italy's government is violating European anti-discrimination laws or inciting racism. The self-appointed accusers could soon find themselves in the dock." (08/11/2007)

Magyar Hírlap - Hungary

Journalist Otto Neumann comments on Italy's move to deport EU citizens classified as a security risk: "Make-shift camps are breeding grounds for crime and therefore not an option. Perhaps it was the Italian authorities who made the greatest mistake by failing to prevent this kind of 'settlement'. But now one of the fundamental rights of all EU citizens is in jeopardy: freedom of movement. Even worse is the fact that ethnic criteria are being used to explain criminal tendencies. In this way an entire group can be held responsible for individual crimes - with Romanians and Roma as the victims in this case." (08/11/2007)

El País - Spain

"Italian and Romanian Prime Ministers [Romano Prodi and Calin Tariceanu] have adopted a series of measures to try and calm the crisis provoked by the murder of a woman in Rome committed by a Romanian", explains the daily. "The emotional repercussions of this story have led the Prodi government to urgently adopt a bill giving police discretionary rights to expulse EU and non EU citizens according to the same criteria. This text, which invokes motives of security and incompatibility within cohabitation, appears to have been written especially for the gypsies from Romania. It has provoked the anger of Bucharest, which accuses Italy of racism in the middle of Europe. ... Italy cannot criminalise a group because of crimes committed by some of its members. The police and judges should deal with criminals, whether Romanian gypsies or Italians. Any other approach is indecent political opportunism." (08/11/2007)

» To the complete press review of Thursday, November 8, 2007

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