Schengen Reloaded

There is no connection between the issue of the Roma ethnics in France, Romanias Schengen accession and the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism.

Roxana Vasile, 08.10.2013, 14:05

There is no connection between the issue of the Roma ethnics in France, Romania’s Schengen accession and the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism.

According to Bucharest authorities, it would be a pity for the relation between France and Romania, built on a long, common history, and on political and cultural affinities, to become an issue on the election agenda. In Paris, after about two weeks of bellicose statements carried by most of the media, the French politicians seem to have tempered their statements regarding Romanians of ethnic Roma descent and Romania’s Shengen accession.

On the other side, members of the Romanian government have been lecturing about these issues. In interviews to RFI France and L’Express, the Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean has made it clear that there is no connection between the issue of the Roma ethnics in France, Romania’s joining Shengen and the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. Romania has met all the technical criteria needed for its Schengen accession, which should take place on January 1st, 2014.

As for the Rroma issue, which some French politicians relate to the Schengen accession, this is a European matter, therefore it has to be solved at European level. In late September, the French Interior Minister Manuel Valls stated that most of the Roma do not wish to integrate in France and they have a ‘vocation’ to return to Romania. A topic of debate also among Minister Vall’s socialist colleagues, the Roma issue was approached during talks with the Romanian Interior Minister Radu Stroe in Luxembourg, on the sidelines of the European home ministers meeting.

The meeting was constructive, said people close to Manuel Valls, who in turn stated that he and his Romanian counterpart approached the issue of illegal Roma camps in France. Bucharest says it is making efforts and is trying to implement integration programs locally, but the results can only be seen in the medium and long run. Moreover, there is a cooperation mechanism between Romania and France regarding social inclusion, and the expulsion from France of European citizens is not a solution, the Romanian Foreign Ministry claims. In fact, all Europeans are entitled to the right of free movement within the EU.

There are some 20 thousand Roma living in France, some of them accused of stealing and begging. In such cases there is a good cooperation between the judiciary and police in the two countries to combat crime. Romania can understand that the Roma issue is a rather sensitive one in the political debates that are taking place in France, in the run up for next year’s municipal elections.

However, our country expects Paris, one of Romania’s traditional and strategic allies, to act in the spirit of the good relations between the two countries and to acknowledge Romania’s meeting all the Schengen accession criteria. If the current French government is no longer interested in this reciprocity, Bucharest wishes to be informed about it, but not via the media.