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Bulgarie Hongire Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Nouvelles suisses Roumanie

28.06.2013 Human Trafficking, Rroma, and Switzerland

juin 28, 2013 Published by: RF

The Swiss TV (2013) interviewed Jean-Luc Vez, Director of the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol). According to Fedpol’s Annual Report 2012, during the year, 5’055 reports of human trafficking were logged. According Vez, the clear increase in reports is due to the introduction of the witness protection program for victims of human trafficking. According to the report, 69% of those affected are from Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria and are members of the Rroma minority.

Source:

Schweizer Fernsehen (2013) Menschenhandel – es kommt Licht ins Dunkel. In: Schweizer Fernsehen online vom 25.6.2013.

Bulgarie Allemagne Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Nouvelles d'Europe de l'ouest Roumanie

28.06.2013 Rroma Debate in Germany and Austria

juin 28, 2013 Published by: RF

In a long article, Carstens (2013) reports on the Romania trip of the Berlin district councillor Franziska Giffey. He tries to present a detailed picture of the situation on the ground, but he fails due to his preconceived belief that all Rroma want to move to Germany. He describes the representatives of the Romanian village Cojasca as caricatures but who are ultimately only interested in profit through economic relations with Germany. The mayor of Cojasca, according to Carsten, tries first to get Giffeys to agree to finance a factory with German money, then switches to asking for funds for the local school canteen and ends with offering his services in Germany as a translator. Carsten’s bottom line reasoning is simple: children’s allowances and benefits in Neukölln and in general in Germany are so high when compared with the low income in Romania, so that it provides essential stimulus for migration wherever poverty exists. He may not be wrong, but he oversimplifies the complexity of transnational migrations. He neglects questions about social cohesion of groups and communities, does not ask anything about the history of the Rroma in Romania, does not question the Romanian and German migration policies. If migration is considered only from an economical perspective as this often happens and is also Carsten’s view, questions about social integration, historicity, the role of individuals and the power of political discourse are simply neglected. Poverty migration exists, but it is not nearly as one-dimensional as Carsten’s represent it: It also takes courage to leave one’s own home behind and to travel to another country whose language you do not speak properly. Transnational relations are formed more or less depending on the structures of the participating countries and the possibilities of the involved persons. He who upholds the rules of the free market and therefore the freedom of workers should be self-critical, if he / she sees the new residents of a given country as poverty migrants from other countries who actually come as bearers of wealth and expertise. The reality is more than the just visible on the surface and certainly not just an intellectual construct.

Dernbach (2013) points out in her article the widespread pejorative views about Rroma. On the occasion of the presentation of Markus End’s findings “antiziganism – the state of research and the counter-strategies” she discusses the situation of Rroma in Germany. End points out that the stereotypes are still strong in the minds of the masses and that the thematising violence and discrimination against Rroma usually only is put in relation to events in Eastern Europe and not in their own country.

End (2013) points out in his publication about strong grievances regarding media coverage and the public abuse of Rroma. There is almost no research which focuses on antiziganism, the regulation of the press provides insufficient protection against discrimination, politicians can even make derogatory or racist remarks against Rroma without any consequences. Broad sections of the population continue to exhibit strong prejudices against Rroma, such as the belief that Rroma tend to criminality. Based on those views, discriminatory acts against Rroma occur regularly and these are seldom followed upon.

Hämerle (2013) spoke with the Romanian President Basescu on the relationship between Romania and the European Union. The conversation also covered the role of Rroma. Basescu stated: “There are virtually no problems with Romanians who emigrated, the whole debate revolves around the economic migration of the Rroma. But the Western states dare not to say this, which is why they prefer to talk about problems with Romanian immigrants. We will then make progress when they openly admit: Yes, the Rroma minority is causing problems, and we need to resolve this.” Regarding this point, Basescu seems to be poorly informed about the German, French and English media. There, this is in fact treated exactly as a Rroma problem or question. Basescu sees a reluctance of Romanian Rroma to use existing educational opportunities. Combined with the significant differences in wealth between Germany and Romania, the raises the economic migration question. To solve this migration and to better integrate the Rroma needs a pan-European solution.

Gottschlich (2013) reports on the efforts of the North Rhine Westphalia Interior Minister Ralf Jäger to better integrate the Rroma in the cities of the province. The federal government is also required to get involved, as signing of the Schengen Agreement on the free movement of persons resulted in increased migration and in the concentration of migrants in individual cities. Specifically, he called for the safeguarding of health care and the promotion of school enrolment. But efforts in the countries of origin such as Romania and Bulgaria are required.

Sources:

Carstens, Peter (2013) Willkommen im Roma-Dorf. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung vom 26.6.2013.
Dernbach, Andrea (2013) Sinti und Roma beklagen Vorurteile. In: Der Tagesspiegel online vom 27.6.2013.
End, Markus (2013) Antiziganismus. Zum Stand der Forschung und der Gegenstrategien. In: Mediendienst Integration online vom 28.6.2013.
Gottschlich, Peter (2013) Roma-Zuwanderung: Innenminister Ralf Jäger will Städten helfen. In: RP online vom 24.6.2013.
Hämmerle, Walter (2013) «Ja, Roma werden diskriminiert» In: Wiener Zeitung online vom 27.6.2013.

France Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Nouvelles d'Europe de l'ouest Roumanie

28.06.2013 Rroma Debate in France

juin 28, 2013 Published by: RF

Bran (2013) reports on the tense relationship between Romania and France, a relationship that deteriorated due to the Rroma two countries’ Rroma policies. French politicians such as Pierre Lellouche claims that Romania intentionally does nothing against the migration of Rroma to France, greets the funds they receive from French social services and that the country does not take integration policies seriously enough. Thus, Romania is an unworthy member country of the European Union and is a “rogue state”: “Vous ne pouvez pas ignorer les conditions parfaitement indignes que les Roms subissent dans votre pays, malgré les milliards d’euros déversés par l’Europe pour aider la Roumanie à intégrer cette minorité. Ce comportement n’est pas digne d’un Etat de l’Union et, je le répète, c’est le comportement d’un Etat voyou. J’ai le regret de vous dire qu’aucune formule de politesse ne me vient à l’esprit.” [You cannot ignore the perfectly horrid conditions that Rroma are subjected to in your country, in spite of the billions of Euro poured by Europe to help Romania to integrate this minority. This behaviours is not worthy of a Member State of the Union, and, I repeat it, is the behaviour of a hooligan state. I regret to say that no politeness forms comes to my mind.]

Bran then continues to show the evolution of French Rroma policies: Initially, one tried, with the gift of sheep to Rroma to bind them to Romania. When this turned out to fail, one granted 300 euro to voluntary returnees to Romania. This policy was not really successful either, and many came to France for the return money. Since the accession of Romania to the European Union, France deports annually approximately 10,000 Rroma to Romania. The two countries policies towards Rroma are not furthering the situation, something that would require the long term integration of Rroma, and currently are simply a mutual back and fro deportation of an unwanted minority.

Piquemal (2013) emphasizes in her article that the circular from the 28.08.2012, calling for an orderly implementation of the evictions is only very occasionally applied. The still regular evictions lead to the failure of integration efforts and the aggravate the traceability of medical assistance programs. In addition, the fear of identity checks keeps Rroma away from health institutions. Thus, for example, vaccination programs that require repeated treatment are difficult or impossible due to the evictions. Therefore, people such as Pascale Quivy of Romeurope engage themselves for the maintenance of these settlements. Fixing the population facilitates the medium-to long-term integration. To promote this, Rroma immigrants should also get working papers in a easier way, something that until now is difficult. As of January 2014, obtaining work permits in France should be facilitated by the bilateral agreements between the EU member states. However, this does not delight everyone. Rightist politicians are engaged against the integration of the Rroma and they want to make them go back to Romania and other countries of origin.

Vallet (2013) emphasises in her article the greatly inadequate health care for many Rroma. The non-governmental organization Médecins du Monde pointed out in a report on the medical the blatant abuses of this minority. Thus, the infant mortality rate of Rroma in Romania is twice as high as in the rest of the population, the same is true of malnutrition. Regarding health care, the report back to the same conclusions as the ones from Piquemal (2013). The evictions lead to additional deterioration of health: “En France, le suivi médical des Roms, vivant en grande majorité dans de vastes bidonvilles, est rendu complexe par la politique d’expulsions systématiques conduite par les gouvernements, de droite comme de gauche, depuis plusieurs années.” [In France the medical follow-up of Rroma, living in a large majority in large slums is becoming exceedingly complex due to the systematic evictions conducted by the governments – left or right – since years.] An additional barrier is the lack of language skills and inadequate funding for treatments that need to be paid. Representatives of Médecins du Monde require easier access to health care institutions and a more mobile structures.

Depecker (2013) reports on a citizens meeting in Roubaix, which will have legal consequences. On the evening of 21 May 2013, the mayor of Roubaix summoned the residents of the street d’Avelghem to inform them about the establishment of a Rroma housing project in their neighbourhood. The project includes the construction of 52 residential units. The majority reactions were negative and led to racist abuse such as statements that one should send Rroma to Auschwitz or to otherwise destroy them. Ten days after the event, the mayor of Roubaix, Pierre Dubois, filed a complaint against for incitation to racial hatred. The police will now ask the participants of the event about the identity of the persons concerned.

Sources:

Bran, Mirel (2013) Mots doux autour des Roms. In: Le Monde online vom 28.6.2013.
Depecker, Vincent (2013) «Envoyer les Roms à Auschwitz»: une enquête ouverte après la plainte du maire de Roubaix. In: Nord Eclair online vom 26.6.2013.
Piquemal, Marie (2013) Roms: Les associations dénoncent «une politique absurde» In: Libération online vom 27.6.2013.
Vallet, Cédric (2013) Europe : Des Roms en mauvaise santé. In: Alter Echos online vom 28.6.2013.

Bulgarie France Allemagne Grèce Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Nouvelles d'Europe de l'ouest North Macedonia Roumanie Serbie Espagne

21.06.2013 The French Rroma Policies

juin 21, 2013 Published by: RF

Alain (2013) presents the French policy towards Rroma. EU Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, in an interview with the International Herald Tribune, called the French policy towards cultural minorities “very reactionary”, even among left-wing parties. This statement, not surprisingly, generated strong reactions from the French politics. François Hollande denounced Baroso’s criticism as being generalizing. Marie Le Pen regards the criticism as an expression of the European system’s bias against France. In the first third of 2013, the number of Rroma evicted from their displaced from their camps grew to more than 30% of the entire French Rroma population. The socialist Interior Minister Manuel Valls is particularly criticised especially for his statements on the cultural incompatibility of Rroma with France: “les occupants de campements ne souhaitent pas s’intégrer dans notre pays pour des raisons culturelles ou parce qu’ils sont entre les mains de réseaux versés dans la mendicité ou la prostitution.” [The inhabitants of camps do not wish to integrate in our country for cultural reasons or because they are in the hands of begging or prostitution networks]. In this context, the French policies on Rroma are described by many critics as being decidedly segregationist. The French police did not succeed to adopt neutral attitudes towards members of this minority, and is regularly involved in racist acts.

Duret (2013) tries to address the question of why so many Rroma leave Romania and go to Western Europe in search of a better life. She begins her article with the question of why many of these Rroma would not go to Germany but rather to France. This had to do with France’s social legislation and because many learned some French in school, according to the answers of anonymous respondents. Prospects for the future in Romania are usually very poor, both with regards to the training opportunities and to the economy. One hopes that children in France will have a better life. In Romania, the enrolment of children in schools is often difficult and unsatisfactory. Many jobs are poorly paid and do not allow one to have a decent life. Duret, like many other authors before her, presents a picture of Rroma as the losers of the capitalist transition. Under Ceausescu, despite his totalitarian policies, Rroma were better integrated and respected as after the changes. This statement is somewhat softened further in the article when she cites a Gypsy woman, who describes the discrimination during and after socialism as being equally strong. The violence against Rroma was simply not quite as noticeable due to closed borders and not smaller. She concludes the article with the intelligent remark that the nomadism attributed to Rroma is not a way of life but a social necessity which is the result of exclusion and persecution: “De nombreux Roms de l’est de l’Europe ont repris la route. Mais leurs migrations ne doivent rien au nomadisme que beaucoup leur attribuent à tort. Contrairement aux Tziganes de France qualifiés de «gens du voyage» depuis le XIXe siècle, les Roms venus de l’Est sont pour la plupart sédentarisés depuis des siècles. Ce n’est pas un mode de vie, plutôt la fuite d’un passé effrayant, d’un futur sans avenir.” [Many Rroma from Eastern Europe are back on the road. But their migrations have nothing to do with nomadism that many wrongly attribute to them. Contrary to the Gypsies of France which are qualified as “travellers” since the 14th century, Rroma from Esatern Europe are sedentary since centuries. This is not a way of life, but rather the flight from a scary past, from a future without future.]

Renoul (2013) reports on a fence being built around a Rroma settlement in Galon d’Eau. The initiators of this action are hoping for a significant improvement of the situation in terms of the noise and tensions with the settlement’s residents. Critics see the fencing and expulsion of residents of the camp only as displacing but not solving social problems. Nevertheless, the mayor of Galon d’Eau plans, who wants to accommodate on a legal wasteland fifty Rroma families, is already meeting resistance.

Hamme (2013) gives information on the initiative of 60 Rroma families in Ivry, who, with their EU citizenship, want to obtain the right to vote in their district. The families. mostly of Romanian origins, have been living for around one and a half years in a site in Ivry. By getting the right to vote where they live, they hope to get better accommodation options according to Hamme.

Harraudeau (2013) gives an overview of the relocations of Rroma in France since January 2013. Of the approximately 20,000 Rroma in the country about one-fifth had been relocated. The interventionist policies of the French government appear therefore as being intense and unconditional with respect to illegal settlements. The timely information of the people and the organization of alternative accommodation required by a circular of the ministries are not really efficient in practice. According to Harraudeau, a survey by the Conseil Supérieur de l’audiovisual of 2012 showed that around 70% of respondents show massive prejudice against Rroma. The widespread views were that the Rroma are taking undue advantage of their children and lived on theft. The practice of state intervention also exists in other countries such as Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia and Serbia on the agenda. Spain, on the other hand, could be used as a counterexample. Spain specifically promotes the integration with free language courses and quickly accessible temporary housing.

Frouin (2013) also notes a lack of effectiveness in the implementation of the August 2012 ministerial circular. This agreement should have meant that those affected by the evictions should be informed early in order to have enough time to search for an alternative accommodation. Frouin says there is a lack of political will to implement the thing in reality. This is partly attributable to the upcoming municipal elections, in which the politicians do not stand out with philanthropic Rroma policies.

Arte Journal (2013) sees a trend that more and more Rroma, especially big cities like Paris, live in the streets. This is a result of rigorous eviction policies of the French state, with which a considerable part of the illegal settlements were closed in recent months and on the other hand, is compounded by the continued influx of immigrants from Romania and other countries. The sobering conclusion is that life in the streets of France is still better than the lack of perspective and hunger in their homeland.

Eric Pliez of the organization “Aurore” criticises the rigorous eviction policies of the French government as being counterproductive. A consequence of the intervention policies is that relations that are built up with the inhabitants of these camps are destroyed almost immediately. As a long-term, sustained policy of integration is being prevented. A further effect is that more and more Rroma are living as homeless people in the streets. One should much more encourage medium or long-term solutions for the integration of the Rroma. Otherwise, one simply moves the problem from one place to the next (Arte Journal 2013/II).

Metro News (2013) identified a link between the evictions of camps and the weather: During the winter months authorities have been more accommodating and offered an accommodation to many Rroma or officially accepted their unapproved dwellings. By summer, however, the official tolerance towards illegal settlements decreased. Representative of the organization “Rencontres Tisganes” wish humane solutions that rely more on cooperation and integration than on intervention and expulsion. For the authorities the plight of those affected is often not understood or considered.

Laudinas (2013) informs about the eviction of a Rroma camp in Caissargues. The intervention was again legitimised by pointing at the precarious hygienic and sanitary conditions in the camp. Whether these grievances are really the main reason for the intervention is doubtful. But the Caissargues’s mayor want to run on sustainable Rroma politics. The resettlement of those affected is planned on an unused military area. One also wants to promote the successful integration, in particular of young Rroma, in schools and in the workplace. Such a long-term, inclusive policy is the only intelligent way forward with regard to the free movement of persons starting in 2014.

Maliet (2013) reports on the removal of a Rroma camp in Saint-Antoine. The evacuation happened in a highly politicised context, dominated by hatred: The Mayor Guy Teissier (UMP) had recently announced that even ten Rroma were still too much in his arrondissement. Didier Réault, councillor of Marseille, called for Molotov cocktails to be thrown at Rroma camps. These are just a few examples of the current anti-humanist policies towards Rroma. A planned emergency shelter for the displaced from the camp in Saint-Antoine was rejected by the authorities.

RTL France (2013) reported on the arrest of four Rroma pimps in Versailles. The four men were part of a larger network that was operating in Europe and the United States. They were in France, looking for new places for prostitution and had about twenty Romanian women with them. Almost no money was found: Almost everything had already been sent back to Romania. The article males almost no difference between the term of Rroma and that of Romanian. It also states that Rroma operate in networks of pimps, something that needs to be treated with caution. That such existing cases represent “normal activities” is to be critically challenged, and one needs to stress that this is in no way to be understood as an ethnic phenomenon.

O’Neill (2013) manages the feat to use all the stereotypes about Rroma in his article. He speaks of travelling merchants who came to riches and have traded their car for villas. He likes to reproduce the image of the happy so-called Rroma kings who, in Buzescu (Romania), build side by side hundreds of villas. The wealth of these “Kalderash the kings of Buzesc” was made, according to O’Neill, with metal trading. After the collapse of the socialist system, many factories were shut down. Some Rroma put this fact to good use and sold the all the remaning metal inventories of these industrial ruins on the market. The houses were built primarily for a purpose: to impress the neighbourhood and to clarify their own social status. Finally, O’Neill confirms the stereotypes of child marriages and nomadism. He notes: “Les mariages arrangés entre des enfants n’ayant pas plus de 13 ans demeurent courants dans les familles fortunées de Buzescu. Le passé nomade de la communauté reste aussi très présent. C’est une ville en mouvement. Des familles sont toujours en partance vers la France, l’Espagne ou Bucarest. Au coin des rues, des vieillards évoquent leur jeunesse voyageuse; ils ont la nostalgie de la variété et de l’aventure.” [Arranged marriages of children of at most 13 are still common in the rich families of Buzescu. The nomad past of the community is still very present. This is a city in movement. Families are always leaving from France, Spain, or Bucarest. At street corners, elder people speak about their travelling youth, they are nostalgic of adventure and change.]

Sources:

Alain, Philippe (2013) Barroso préfère les CD aux Roms. In: Agora Vox online vom 19.6.2013.
Arte Journal (2013) Roma: Besser obdachlos in Frankreich… In: Arte online vom 17.6.2013.
Arte Journal (2013/II) „Die Probleme werden nur verschoben“ In: Arte online vom 16.6.2013.
Duret, Manon (2013) Pourquoi les Roms quittent-ils la Roumaine? In: Le Journal International vom 19.6.2013.
Frouin, Guillaume (2013) La galère des Roms se poursuit. In: 20 minutes France vom 20.6.2013.
Hammé, Pauline (2013) A Ivry, des Roms s’inscrivent sur les listes électorales. In: La Vie online vom 14.6.2013.
Harraudeau, Stéphane (2013) Roms : la situation alarmante de l’Hexagone. In: Arte online vom 17.6.2013.
Laudinas, Gérard (2013) Des solutions transitoires pour fermer le sinistre campement de Roms de Caissargues. In: Objectif Gard online vom 17.6.2013.
– Maliet, François (2013) Destruction de caravanes dans un climat anti-Roms. In: 20 minutes France online vom 18.6.2013.
Metro News (2013) Roms de Marseille : “on en fait des boucs émissaires”. In: Metro News vom 18.6.2013.
O’Neill, Tom (2013) Le luxe et l’extravagance de Buzescu, la ville des rois roms. In: National Geographic France online vom 29.5.2013.
Renoul, Bruno (2013) Le camp de Roms du Galon d’Eau à Roubaix amputé pour éviter de nouveaux débordements. In: La Voix du Nord vom 19.6.2013.
RTL France (2013) Quatre proxénètes roms écroués. In: RTL France online vom 20.6.2013.

France Nouvelles d'Europe de l'est Nouvelles d'Europe de l'ouest Roumanie

19.04.2013 Anina Ciuciu: A Gypsy woman fights against Stereotypes

avril 19, 2013 Published by: RF

Courrèges (2013) tells the story the Gypsy woman Anina Cuiciu who is completing a study in law at the Sorbonne University. Cuicui has written a book about the life as a Gypsy woman. She now spends her time with the promotion of her book and learns for exams. In the book she writes about the stigma that they she experienced as a Rromni, Rroma being said to be dirty in school, and thus, they all kept their identity secret. She was born in Craiova in Romania. Her father lost his job due to a denunciation. After losing his job, her father saw no future for himself and his family in Romania. Followed the migration to France, a time of uncertainty and transition, without any solid structures. With the award of a ten-year right to stay and after a successful high school exam, Ciuciu gained confidence. Due to the injustices she experienced, she decided to study law and to write a book about her life. With its publication she wants to contribute t to the deconstruction of the negative stereotypes on Rroma and help them develop a positive self-image.

Source:

Courrèges, Emmanuelle (2013) Anina Ciuciu : une Rom contre les clichés. In: Elle (fr) vom 12.4.2013.