PM steers clear of Roma row

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday refused to be drawn into the row between Paris and the European Commission over the deportation of hundreds of Roma gypsies from France in the past few weeks.

Dr Gonzi said the rules of the EU on the free movement of its citizens should be observed by all member states independent of their size and political clout.

“The issue is very sensitive and we think all member states should respect to the letter the rules of the EU. However, there is an ongoing investigation on what exactly happened in France and it wouldn’t be prudent on our part to make further comments,” he said.

When asked specifically to say whether France was justified in deporting EU citizens, Dr Gonzi said he did not want to pass any judgment on the issue: “We will await the conclusions of the Commission’s investigation and only then can we draw concrete conclusions.”

The one-day summit in Brussels yesterday was supposed to focus on the strategy to be adopted vis-á-vis the EU’s main strategic partners, primarily China, Japan and the US. However, the discussion was overshadowed by the dispute between the EU Executive and France over the Roma deportations.

The row was ignited by Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding who accused France of breaking EU laws and of deceiving the Commission over the deportations. Describing France’s actions as “a disgrace”, Ms Reding said she never imagined the EU would again repeat the mistakes of World War II, clearly indicating a parallel with the Nazi deportations of Jews.

France reacted fiercely to her comments, with President Nicolas Sarkozy rejecting the claims and hitting back saying that Luxembourg, Ms Reding’s country, should accept the Roma.

On a separate issue, but also related to immigration, Dr Gonzi intervened during the summit to chide the EU for not using its clout to make sure that partnership agreements with developing countries were fully respected.

According to these agreements, known as Cotonou, sub-Saharan countries that receive financial aid from EU coffers are obliged to take back illegal immigrants reaching EU shores. However, despite numerous interventions by Malta and other southern EU countries over the past years, the EU has so far failed to oblige its African partners to comply.

“We have made this appeal various times and we are not happy that the obligations of these countries are not being honoured,” he said. “In view of our illegal immigration problems we will keep pushing on this issue.”

The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy presented a progress report on his economic governance task force, although the discussion steered away from the contentious issue of possible sanctions on countries that habitually violate budgetary rules. EU leaders are expected to return to the issue next month when they meet again in Brussels in order to try and find common ground.