France, Romania and the Roma: what problems, what prospects?
The entry of Romania into the European Union gave the Romanians a huge
freedom they have been deprived for too long, that travel at will in Europe
equipped a single identity document. La France, who weighed in favor of this
decision with all its weight, can only rejoice. It opened at the same time,
during the transitional period, 150 types of jobs for Romanians wishing to
practice in France. During this same period, ending in 2012, all Romanians
can stay in France for three months without having to justify their
livelihoods. In addition, they must obtain a visa for long stay, and why to
find a job or stay as a student, or to return to their country.
La France is a country in Europe which hosts most of emigrants from all
countries of the World (the 2006 census, an estimated 3.5 million, or 5.7%
of the total population, the number of foreigners residing in France), which
strives to provide good reception conditions, the social, health or
education of their children. Many Romanians over the centuries, have
benefited from this home and chose to settle in France, especially during
the dictatorship. They are perfectly integrated, so that the Romanian
community in France is dynamic and well accepted. The France and Romania can
be proud.
In France, the Constitution of the Republic guarantees equal treatment to
all persons regardless of sex, sexual orientation, disability, origin or
ethnicity. An independent administrative authority, the HALDE (High
Authority against Discrimination and for Equality: www.halde.fr) was created
by Act of December 30, 2004 to uphold these principles, constantly
reaffirmed by the law and jurisprudence. French law recognizes no national
or ethnic community, but the situation of Gypsies, called in France or
nomadic travelers, has been the subject of numerous integration policies
implemented by municipalities or departments, often with state support. A
law of July 5, 2000 obliges the mayors to provide stopping places for
travelers and provides support for the development of these areas home.
Halde, in a 2007 decision, ruled against a French mayor who refused to
enroll a child on the grounds that it belonged to travelers.
The rules of entry and residence in France therefore apply to all foreigners
without distinction. If a foreigner is found on French territory without
visas to stay long as he can justify legal livelihoods, he can be returned
to his country of origin. In this case, he can be supported in return, ie an
assumption of his return by the French Office for Immigration (OFII), and
even if he so requests, assistance in returning to his country, granted by
the OFII, in view of a record of economic project. In the latter case, the
OFII works with an NGO that monitors the person seeking assistance for a
year.
The number of Romanians renewed by this procedure was about 9 000 last year,
representing about 1 / 3 of foreigners who were returned to France with them
in this way. More than 150 projects of economic integration have been
carried out in Romania, 80% are successful after a year of activity.
This means that in this field, France has dealt with the Romanians who were
on the ground without livelihoods in the most humane and in accordance with
law.
But this is not all the problems before us are acute and must be overcome.
The first is the case of Romanian minors isolated on French territory, ie
those who are not accompanied by their parents. Although cases are few, the
current procedure is not satisfactory, because France has not ratified the
2007 agreement that allows better monitoring of issues of these children. We
hope that the parliamentary ratification will take place by next summer.
More serious is the fact that Romanian children being used by their parents
in France to carry out actions outside the law, such as begging, and against
the law, such as robbery or pilferage. For several months, what emerges from
the findings of the police and the French gendarmerie. We look forward to
deepening bilateral cooperation in judicial and police to put order and
disrupt the networks being formed.
The second problem is the diversion of humanitarian aid given by France.
Sometimes Romanians returned to their countries to leave France in a few
months and have again assisted returns. A text will soon improve the
identification of these persons in order to identify and stop this abuse:
indeed, the identity of these people is sometimes difficult to establish
because of doubts that they may have on their identity documents, even their
real identity.
The third problem is the more painful it is neither police nor art, it is
social concerns and the government here, state and local governments. It is
the miserable situation of many Romanians, often ethnic Roma, which leads
them to leave their country to seek his fortune elsewhere, with or without
their families. As President Basescu reminded himself, as Prime Minister
Emil Boc recently during an interview he granted Mr. Pierre Lellouche,
French State Secretary for European Affairs, who came to ask help address
this problem, the issue of integration of these persons, unattached but
Romanian is the responsibility of the Romanian Government and local
communities in Romania. The European Union, through its funding, such as
France, through its bilateral aid or through its decentralized cooperation
actions can help Romania to address this issue. It is urgent to do, for
vagrancy across Europe Romanian citizens living in various traffic does not
improve the country’s image.
Henri Paul
Ambassador of France in Romania
(Automatic translation)
Source:
http://www.ambafrance-ro.org/index.php/fr_FR/actualites/actualites-franco-roumaines/la-france-la-roumanie-et-les-roms-quels-problemes-quelles-perspectives
WHAT TO DO NOW?