EU commissioner blasted over Roma comments

Socialist MEPs have blasted EU justice commissioner Franco Frattini over controversial remarks he made following the murder of an Italian citizen by a Roma migrant.

Group leader Martin Schulz denounced a call by Frattini to dismantle camps set up by Roma migrants in Italy and accused him of "exacerbating a problem rather than helping to resolve it".

Schulz, who took part in a parliamentary debate on the subject in Strasbourg on Monday, said,  "I expect Frattini, as a European commissioner, to use his efforts to calm down the situation and show greater sensitivity. 

"He should respect European law – but his statements have been contrary to the law.

"It is unacceptable that Frattini should use this tragedy to profile himself as a prominent centre-right national politician."

Other Socialist deputies have called for resolution of the crisis that has blown up between Italy and Romania.
 
Group vice-president, Dutch MEP Jan Marinus Wiersma, said, "No criminal act can ever been condoned.  Countries have the right to protect themselves and criminals should be brought to justice.

"But the fact that a criminal belongs to a certain European minority should not add a new dimension to the existing discrimination against these people, especially in the new member states.

"In considering how to tackle migration issues, the EU should examine the negative effects and look at the causes of migration."

Meanwhile, the Socialist group launched a declaration in parliament on Tuesday in support of 41 Lebanese MPs who have been living for over 40 days under armed guard in a hotel in Beirut.

Danish MEP Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of the Party of European Socialists, said, "This is a symbol of the tragic situation in Lebanon.

"It is vital the Lebanese parliament is able to meet without fear of violence."

• Previous article
• Next article