Examination of this question is prompted by the polemic unleashed by the hardening of French internal policy towards the Roma. That polemic is taking place in a context of occasional rejection of foreigners on the part of certain nationals of EU member states and also the opening-up of the Schengen space in the near future (though no date has yet been set) to Romania and Bulgaria, a move which may speed up the migratory flows of Roma into Western Europe.
Jean-François Drevet focuses on this question here, recalling first the extent to which the Roma are still discriminated against, despite being present for centuries on the continent of Europe. He goes on to show how member state governments have attempted to circumvent community legislation in order to remove the Roma from their territory; he particularly stresses the attitude of France, which has openly flouted community rules, compounding treaty noncompliance with arrogance. He concludes by asserting the usefulness of international organizations like the European Union, which possess institutions capable of enforcing rules that states have accepted but pretend to have forgotten (particularly with regard to respect for human rights) – and of doing so even if the relevant procedures may prove very time-consuming.
