NYT: Roma, on Move, Test Europe’s ‘Open Borders’

[pampango]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/world/europe/17roma.html



Thousands of Romania’s Roma, also known as Gypsies, have come to a similar conclusion in recent years, heading for the relative wealth of Western Europe, and setting off a clash within the European Union over just how open its “open borders” are.

In recent weeks, Mr. Sarkozy has tried to revive his support on the political right by deporting thousands of them, offering 300 euros, about $392, to those who go home voluntarily, and bulldozing their encampments.

Expulsions seem unlikely to offer a long-term solution. Many of the deported Roma are already planning their return. Privately, some Romanian officials snicker over the French action. “They are just giving the Roma a paid vacation,” one official said.

There is little reliable data on the Roma population. Originally from India, the Roma were virtual slaves until the 19th century, working for aristocrats and in monasteries. When democracy took hold, they were freed. But they were landless, uneducated and dark-skinned, and they had few prospects.