EU Strategy Regarding Roma Ethnics Impossible At The Moment – Romanian Official

"There have been requests addressed to the European Commission as regards drawing up European strategies in the field, but the Commission did not engage itself to do this," said Orban, adding "there is no expertise at EU level to allow the drawing up of such a strategy."

Orban, a former European Commissioner for Multilingualism, highlighted that the EU should coordinate and support national strategies regarding the social integration of Roma ethnics.

Romanian President Traian Basescu said Thursday that, in 2008, Romania drew the European Commission's attention to the need of implementing a strategy regarding Roma ethnics, adding that the EC took no measure in this respect after several EU member states deemed the strategy unnecessary.

Romania's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that 93 Romanians of Roma ethnicity, who chose voluntary repatriation, would arrive in Bucharest from France aboard two flights. On Friday, another flight will bring 132 more Romanians from Paris to Timisoara, western Romania. More Romanians of Roma ethnicity who chose the French government's voluntary repatriation scheme will arrive in Bucharest on August 26 (160 people), on September 2 (16) and on September 16 (11).

According to AFP, French Immigration Minister Eric Besson said about 850 Roma ethnics will be repatriated to their country of origin in August.

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