Brussels, 30/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - In a press release on Tuesday 29 November, the non-governmental organisation Amnesty International called on the EU to ensure that “Italy halts discrimination against its Roma population”. The call follows a ruling by Italy's Council of State, the country's highest administrative court, declaring unlawful the 2008 state-of-emergency decree on “nomad settlements”. In a report published the same day, Amnesty describes how “under the 'nomad emergency' the authorities have been able to close down Romani camps in Milan in breach of laws protecting human rights” via forced evictions. Amnesty International states that introducing an emergency decree without any basis to it but which targets an ethnic minority for three and a half years is scandalous. The NGO also argues that the “nomad emergency” (Ed: the name given to the emergency decree) was illegal and discriminatory in terms of international law on human rights and should never have been introduced. It calls for the new prime minister, Mario Monti, to rectify this mistake.
The organisation criticises the European Commission for having “passively observed” implementation of this decree, implementation which had, nevertheless, provoked significant debate. Amnesty International states that “despite many calls by NGOs, the Commission has failed to protect the rights of people who were forcibly evicted or suffered other discrimination. Now that the Council of State has made its ruling, the Commission should wake up and ensure all discriminatory regulation is lifted”. (SP/transl.fl)