Romania awaits Roma expelled from France

Bucharest: A total of 93 Roma were expected to arrive in Romania on Thursday on regular flights from France following a French clampdown on the minority, the interior ministry said.

Romanian President Traian Basescu meanwhile stressed the expulsions showed the need for a Europe-wide plan on integrating Roma communities.

"What has happened in Paris shows that we must have an integration plan across Europe for Roma citizens," Basescu told reporters.

He said a previous call along similar lines had failed to result in action because some states, which he did not name, failed to see the "necessity" of such a move.

A planeload of around 60 Roma who agreed to a "voluntary return procedure" left Lyon airport for Bucharest in the afternoon, the first expulsion since President Nicolas Sarkozy last month vowed action against Roma, Gypsy and traveller communities.

A total 93 Roma were to be flown out Thursday, with flights to Bucharest and the western city of Timisoara due to take hundreds more on Friday and August 26, with each adult granted 300 euros (385 dollars) and each minor 100 euros.

Representatives from various state institutions including the child protection office, the national agency for Roma and the police would be on hand when they arrived.

"We understand problems created by Roma camps outside French cities", Basescu said. "But we also support the right of every European citizen to travel freely in the Union", he added.

Basescu underlined that Romania faced the same type of issues regarding Roma who had travelled to Italy.

"But we resolved the problem effectively by sending more police officers there. We will do the same with France", he stressed.
The Romanian president insisted Romania "does not want an assimilation programme".

"Every European citizen has the right to keep its culture and tradition", he said. "Those who are travelling around are probably the ones that are nomadic gypsies".

Europe counts between 10 and 12 million Roma, according to official European estimates.

The Roma community in Romania numbers 530,000 according to the national census or 2.5 million according to non-governmental organisations, who say that some do not declare themselves as Roma, fearing discrimination.