1 SEP 2010

By Leigh Phillips and Valentina Pop

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - French government ministers in Brussels on Tuesday (31 August) to defend the country's Roma expulsion policy lashed out at what they described as "grotesque" attacks and mischaracterisations of the country's round-ups launched in July.

Immigration minister Eric Besson, speaking to journalists in Brussels after the meeting with EU commissioners, attacked such criticisms of the French policy calling them "needless and scandalous accusations."

His colleague, Europe minister Pierre Lellouche, described the meeting with the EU executive as "frank, far-reaching and constructive," but hit out at the "numerous unacceptable caricatures" of France.

"There has been no ‘collective' expulsion put in place," Mr Besson continued, stressing that individuals are being expelled for theft, for "aggressive begging" and other crimes and that other EU citizens who are not Roma have also been expelled in the past.

"There is no so-called ‘Roma Plan'. This is absurd," he said, insisting that French policy respected EU laws.

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See also:
France accuses Romania of dumping its Roma (EurActiv)