France's Roma crackdown 'breaches EU law'

[pampango]

Source: France24

France has breached laws of the European Union by deporting hundreds of Roma migrants from Romania and Bulgaria, the Socialist bloc of the European parliament said on Thursday. The parliament's second largest group urged the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, and the European Council, the body representing the bloc's 27 states, to condemn the French government's crackdown.

"The recent treatment of Roma people in France was appalling and cannot go unchallenged," Martin Schulz, head of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, said in a statement. "Their rights have been abused for populist, electoral reasons by a government that is fast losing support," Schulz said.

The Socialists, following a similar call by the parliament's Liberal bloc, asked the commission and the council to issue a declaration on the issue at the legislature's next session in Strasbourg, which begins September 6.

The Socialists accused France of "breaching EU law" on the free movement of EU citizens.

Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20100826-frances-roma-crackdown-breaches-eu-law

[Chulanowa]

1. Better late than never, Mr. Schultz

First the Muslims, now the Roma. I guess France is trying to make American conservatives like it again.

[Lightning Count]

3. Are these French citizens?

Or Citizens of Bulgaria and Romania?

This seems like it makes way too much sense to ever be adopted in the US:

Under an arrangement to protect the labour market that expires in December 2013, France can expel Romanians and Bulgarians after three months in the country if they cannot show they have the financial means to stay.

[pampango]

4. The irony is that while France can expel Romanians and Bulgarians (at least through 2013),

the latter two nationalities can turn around and reenter France the next day if they want to since they are members of the EU now. (I guess the only way the Roma could prove they could support themselves would be to take "French" jobs which would make Sarkozy's right-wing target voters just as angry, so the Roma are unpopular either way.)

Sarkozy knows this is a charade (send them back, they return, send them back...), but is playing politics with the issue to win right-wing votes. "The foreigners are causing all our crime and other problems." What he is doing is "legal" (just as the Roma reentering France is legal) but pointless in terms of its practical effect and done for electoral reasons alone. But Sarkozy is conservative so what do you expect, right?

[Lightning Count]

6. These are people who are choosing to reap the rewards of French citizenship while not contributing.

Considering the majority of the French agree with this policy, it would be hard to say that this is a right-wing. Most socialist democracies have fairly stringent immigration policies.

[pampango]

7. It is the right wing in France (the National Front) that is anti-immigration and anti-EU.

Similarly it's the BNP in the UK, Jobbik in Hungary, The People of Freedom in Italy (all right to far-right parties) that fight immigration and commonly blame societal problems on immigrants and various "others".

The liberals and progressives (as evidenced by the quote in the OP) generally fight the right on immigration and openness issues. The fact that the right wing can be "popular" at times doesn't mean they aren't conservative.

Actually the socialist democracies of Europe have some of the most open immigration policies (and the highest percentage of foreign-born residents) in the world (France's Sarkozy and National Front notwithstanding). They all have open immigration borders with at least 30 other countries. And over 40% of Canada's population is first- or second-generation immigrants. It is the nondemocratic, nonsocialist countries that have very stringent immigration policies.

[Lightning Count]

9. French law

http://www.frenchlaw.com/Immigration_Visas.htm

[krabigirl]

8. Not everyone agrees with it.

My husband is French, and his entire family thinks it is horrific, and useless, since Romania is part of the eu anyway.

Sarko is pandering to the le pen hard right...it. Is scary.

[Chulanowa]

10. Are white Romanians and Bulgarians being expelled?

Sounds like it's just the Roma.

[bherrera]

2. This should read "Martin Shulz says Roma crackdown is illegal"

I doubt this move by France is truly illegal. It is heartless, but Mr Shulz is stretching the EU law. He is also going to create trouble for the socialists in the future, because people in France support the crackdown. Sometimes it is better to be pragmatic, and achieve the socialist cause by winning elections, rather than allowing the right wing to gain power. Shulz is a naive politician, and his block will remain powerless as long as he does not learn.

[Chulanowa]

11. I just want to make sure i'm reading you right

The socialists should stand by for racist expulsions in order to win elections, else the right wing might gain power. Because the French people are bigots towards Roma and supporting the Roma will hurt the socialists.

You don't get how fucked-up that is, do you?

[dipsydoodle]

5. The issue is associated with the Schengen Agreement

in which Romania, for example, is not yet a member. That apparently affects their rights in member countries.

Just saying - not judging.

[Slartibartfas]

12. Legal analysis

Servus!

As a European I just wanted to add some basic information to this thread.

A short legal analysis about the French actions in regards to EU law can be found here:
http://eulaw.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/expelling-the-roma-is-it-legal/

Summed up it says pretty much that France is in a very gray legal area to say at least. In order to be legal these evictions have to be based and justified thoroughly on a strictly individual basis. Furthermore the actions have to be proportionate to the problem. It seems there are justified doubts about that being the case. Therefore the Commission is currently taking a close look and doing some fact checking. The comments from major EP groups, namely the Liberals and the Socialists probably can be seen as early positioning in a possible upcoming conflict between EU Commission and Sarkozy.

One member here mentioned the Schengen area in relation to this issue. I doubt it has the aforementioned significance in this regard however. Schengen is about (abolishment of) border controls and increased police cooperation across the EU. It is not really about the freedom of movement as that right is one of the very basic rights which build the fundamentals of EU law (ie encloses also the non Schengen countries UK and Ireland). Freedom of movement is a basic right of all EU citizens. This right is not unlimited however, for example towards people unable to earn their own living without financial reserves or other sorts of income. But thats all described in the link above anyway.