Brussels, 14/10/2010 (Agence Europe) - MEPs will hear the European Commission on the existence in France of a suspected database on the Roma. The conference of the presidents of the European Parliament's political groups decided on Thursday to invite the Commission to speak on this subject on Tuesday 19 October, on the occasion of next week's plenary session. The debate on the databases relating to the racial and ethnic origins in the European Union was scheduled further to four oral questions raised by the Liberals (ALDDE), Socialists (S&D), Greens (Greens/EFA) and United Left (GUE/NGL). In addition to France, MEPs are also taking a close interest in other member states, such as the Netherlands, which are believed to have a register based on ethnic origin.
Sanctions on France. The Commission has set the deadline of midnight 15 October for receiving detailed information from French authorities on implementation of the directive on free movement and called for an explanation on application of the circular ordering expulsion of the Roma. “The French authorities have first denied the allegations after which actual proof has come to the surface”, said Romanian MEP Renate Weber (ALDE). With this new affair, “we are in a déjà vu situation in many senses unfortunately”, she said, thus regretting the “striking violation” of international, European and French law. “Barroso has to stop wasting time and has to bring France to Court, as suggested by the Commissioners in charge”, Weber went on to say. The same note was taken up by the Socialists, who called for sanctions to be imposed. “We call on the European Commission to keep investigating the case, notably in consideration of the new allegations on ethnic databases, and carry out without hesitation an infringement procedure against France on the grounds of discrimination”, said Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, Socialist). She went on to add: “We also expect the Council and the Commission to renew pressure on all European countries that have not yet transposed the free movement directive into their legislation and to ensure that no ethnic databases are present in Europe”.
Paris restores calm. While the Commission awaits France's response on Friday on the subject of free movement, the French minister for immigration, Eric Besson, said on Tuesday evening that France would bring its texts into line. “It is very likely that this will be done when the text (of law on immigration) that I bring before the Assembly comes to Senate, probably in December or early January”, he warned. On the subject of the alleged Roma index, MEPs could be disappointed as the Commission nationale (française) de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL), an independent body, said on Thursday that there was no index on the Roma specifically identified with the police, but did note the existence of an undeclared database without ethnic allusions. The CNIL had received a complaint last week from four associations from travellers against a Roma index called Mens (Minorités étrangères non-sédentarisées) that they considered “illegal”. (B.C./transl.jl)