Romania in the dark over Roma facing return from France
Romania has no idea exactly how many Roma will be repatrated from France in the coming months, Romanian secretary of state for Roma affairs Valentin Mocanus said Monday.
Mocanus is travelling to Paris on August 30 to set out a strategy for the reintegration of Roma, after France said it would tear down about 300 illegal "camps or squats" housing Gypsies and travellers in the next three months.
Non-French gypsies who break the law will also be immediately deported, the French authorities have said, while Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux announced Thursday that around 40 camps have already come down.
"It is very important to know what exactly the French authorities mean when they speak about Roma returning to Romania from France, but we should know after the discussions that we will be having," Mocanus said.
On the number of returnees, he said: "There is no exact estimate … and the measures we will be taking will depend in large part on the number of people to be repatriated."
An "extremely important element" of the upcoming talks in Paris will be a timely bilateral "exchange of information" to enable Bucharest to take appropriate steps towards returnees, the secretary of state said.
Two rights groups that campaign for the Roma community in Romania called Monday for Bucharest to take steps to integrate Roma from France.
