EC Finally Invited to French Meeting on Roma

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom has been formally invited by the French government to attend the September 6 Paris meeting on Roma migration. Photo by EPA/BGNES.

The European Commission has been eventually invited to the meeting called by French authorities on the issue of Roma migration and integration on September 6 in Paris.

The Paris meeting has no formal agenda, just the broad topic of immigration, including a discussion on the Roma issue. It was announced Saturday by the Italian Interior Minister, Roberto Maroni, who fully backed France’s effort to deport all Roma to Bulgaria and Romania.

“Paris sent out Wednesday an invitation to the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström,” said Thursday a spokesman for the EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding.

The Commission has not yet decided on whether to participate in the event.

Invitations have been sent out to relevant ministers from Germany, Spain, Greece, Italy and the UK, as well as to the Belgian EU Presidency. Representatives from the USA and Canada have also been invited, but no invitation has been extended to Bulgaria and Romania, which are the countries directly affected by the French campaign on Roma.

Thursday Justice Commissioner Reding announced that the EC will probe whether France's deportation of ethic Roma does not breach EU legislation.

In the EU institutions, France's campaign met the staunch criticism of the political group of the Party of European Socialist, the second-largest in the European Parliament.

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