Fuente: © European Parliament
http://www.europarl.eu.int/

EU: Violence against the Roma goes beyond Italy, say MEPs

/noticias.info/ Recent violence against the Roma in Italy prompted MEPs to put this issue on its agenda for Tuesday and debate it with the Commission. MEPs called on Member States to enforce respect for fundamental rights and to facilitate the inclusion of the Roma in society.

European Commission representative Vladimír ŠPIDLA "vehemently condemned the atrocities against the Roma", and asked the authorities of all Member States to "guarantee their security", pointing out that the previous week's events "are not an isolated case". "Racist violence feeds on populism, as we have seen in many Member States", he said, declaring that "it is the very meaning of European Union to overcome racist hatred, pogroms and destruction by fire".

The Commissioner observed that "the EU and Member States must do their utmost to improve the social inclusion of the Roma and also reiterated that Community law guarantees that Romanian citizens "enjoy the same freedoms as those of other countries of the Union, and that the Commission "will ensure that their rights are respected".

"The situation of the Roma is terrible everywhere in Europe", not just in Italy, said Lívia JÁRÓKA (EPP-ED, HU). "All governments are to blame, of right and left, because they have not succeeded in promoting the integration of the Roma in society", she continued, adding that "this is a question that should not be over-politicised (...) it is important that the Italian government should do its best to combat discrimination and not expel the Roma from Italy".

For Martin SCHULZ (PES, DE), "the left, like the right, shares common values" here, and "one cannot touch the dignity of human beings". He too noted that the problem "arises not only in Italy but also everywhere else in the Union, and this is because we have been unable to integrate our minorities". "We must strive to say that the Roma need action by all European citizens to enable them to integrate (...), and I consider that the Roma cannot be victims of those who want to run a right-wing populist policy", he declared.

"I congratulate the Commission on its very fine speech here, said Viktória MOHÁCSI (ALDE, HU). Returning from a visit to Italy, the MEP said that "during the election campaign, a number of stereotypes were used against the Roma, which made them scapegoats. We are now seeing the result of this campaign". She felt that "the Italian government is hard on the weak and weak with the strong: when there are difficulties, rather than taking on the Camorra, it blames the Roma, instead of tackling the real problems".

"This Parliament is not the place for polemics against such a government. What has happened is hard acts, acts of racism (...). Legislation must give us the solution: the rules must be respected, all the rules. Including those against squatting and forcing children to beg", commented Monica FRASSONI (Greens/EFA, IT).

The European Parliament "would have done better to monitor this harmonised fear which seems to be creeping into all European countries", said Cristiana MUSCARDINI (UEN, IT), adding that "when other countries were shooting at third country nationals, Italy did not allow clandestine migrants to drown in its territorial waters".

"There is a directive (that of 2004) that must apply to all", said Roberto MUSACCHIO (GUE/NGL, IT), adding that "we reiterate this to the current government, whose first acts were scandalous". He noted that "mobility is part of European citizenship" and asked that the Roma be granted the status of a "transnational European minority". He also criticized "those who use fear for electoral ends".

For Gerard BATTEN (IND/DEM, UK), "what is happening is an example of the clash of rivalries", provoked by "putting in place an international state". Whilst criticizing "ethnically motivated atrocities", he urged listeners to "think of the realities engendered by the presence of so many immigrants", since "Europe no has no frontiers". He asked that "each country be able to have the immigration policy that it wishes, according to its needs".

Luca ROMAGNOLI (NI, IT) asked whether the "Spanish socialists" knew "how many crimes can be attributed to nomads" in Italy. He also asked the Union to "create a Roma state in the East, where they could govern themselves autonomously". notas_de_prensa_archivo