Bulgarian MEPs: EC Failed Miserably over France Roma Deportation

Bulgarian Socialist MEP Iliana Iotova has slammed both French President Sarkozy and the EC over the French expulsion of Bulgarian and Romanian Roma. Photo by BGNES

The European Commission has failed to be sufficiently active with respect to the deportation of Bulgarian and Romania Roma by France, the Bulgarian Socialist MEPs said in a statement.

“The behavior of Viviane Reading, European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, is weird since she has been keeping adamantly quiet on the issue for two months already. All EU institutions were eager to have a commissioner in charge of human rights, and this situation now is very disappointing,” stated Bulgarian Socialist Member of the European Parliament Iliana Iotova Wednesday.

“The tone and outcome of next week’s meeting in Paris organized by France with respect to the Roma problem is clear. Only some countries have been invited to this meeting but not Bulgaria and Romania. There is clearly a violation of human rights here, and all that is done for internal political purposes but it is not fair to incriminate an entire ethnicity only to generate a dubious 2% increase of the rating of French President Sarkozy,” she declared.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party has expressed concern that the Roma issue is to exacerbate the attitude towards the new EU member states, and especially towards Bulgaria and Romania.

MEP Iliana Iotova has sent a letter together with her Romanian colleagues Victor Bostinaru and Ioan Enciu questioning the European Commission whether the French deportation of the Roma to their home countries is not violating Directive 2004/38/EO about the free movement of EU citizens.

The Bulgarian and Romanian Socialist MEPs are asking the EC what measures it is going to take about this case and similar other cases that arise occasionally in the EU.

The Roma expulsion from France is expected to be on the agenda of the European Parliament during its session plenary session in Strasbourg next week.

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