Fri, Feb 10 2012

Editorial: Roma inclusion

Fri, Aug 20 2010 09:01 CET byClive Leviev-Sawyer, Editor-in-Chief 2523 Views

The firm actions by the French government to deport Roma involved in crime and public disorder have again brought to the fore the fact that Europe has failed to do enough to come to terms with this group.

Returning Roma, in this case mainly to Romania and Bulgaria, is not a long-term solution because it simply shifts the burden to the "host countries". At the same time, it can hardly be expected of France to single-handedly live with the problem of migrants who are a source of tension in society.

Like all EU citizens, Roma people have rights, but so do all other societies and countries in the bloc. For several years, much lip service has been paid to "Roma integration" projects but there seems to have been little understanding or drive to make these projects succeed.

A lasting solution, one that will require accommodation and compromise on all sides and uphold the rights of all, will depend on a systematic and determined approach by governments and societies, but also on the part of the Roma themselves. Anything less than a concerted effort at European level is destined to fail.

 

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