During the plenary session (2-5 July 2018) in Strasbourg, MEPs debate on the recent declaration of Italy's Interior Minister on Sinti and Roma and minority rights in the EU

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

respect for human rights in the world (T)

migration and refugees in Europe (T)

EU - Italy (T)

Recent declaration of Italy's Interior Minister on Sinti and Roma and minority rights in the EU: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Marco AFFRONTE (Greens/EFA, IT), Author, The problem is that contrary of what would have happened some years ago, what was really lacking was a strong reaction: how is it possible to react in this way? Why? Whether it comes from Brussels or from heads of state and governments, who aren&rsquo;t able to decide on anything or give a signal. They don&rsquo;t even have reference values the member states: they want to close the borders, Hungary, France, Austria&hellip; and I could continue to mention many others. Our reference values seem to be lost.

SOUNDBITE (English), Karoline EDTSTADLER, Austrian Presidency, Equal treatment is not just an ideal but a solid principle enshrined in European law. The Council has already adopted a directive that prohibits discrimination on the basis of racial or ethnic origin. This directive also protects the rights or Roma, Europe&rsquo;s largest ethnic minority.

SOUNDBITE (English), V&#277;ra JOUROV&#193;, Member of the EC in charge of Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, The Commission condemns all manifestations of racism and xenophobia as these phenomena are incompatible with the values and principles on which the EU is based. Statements associating anti-social behaviour or criminality with people of a certain ethnic origin or nationality are stigmatising and totally unacceptable.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), L&#237;via J&#193;R&#211;KA (EPP, HU), If the latest news in this case are true, Mr Salvini is partially right. There is an acute need of examining that European funds that were used on the situation of the Roma; whether it has changed or not, whether for the better, whether for the worse. Nowadays every 5th European citizen is poor more than 100 million, the next workers generation is coming from these poor families, only less than 7% are Roma.

SOUNDBITE (English), Soraya POST (S&amp;D, SE), We have already seen the horrific consequences of such political groups gaining grounds in Europe. But it seems that our European memory is very short. Dear fellow citizens, we are at a crossroads, we have to decide if we want to keep an open democratic society or if we want to live in a Europe of growing intolerance and racism. The choice is yours, and it is one with far reaching consequences.

SOUNDBITE (German), Romeo FRANZ (Greens/EFA, DE), Mr Salvini, you have attacked me, because I am Romeo FRANZ, a Sinti, a son of a Holocaust survivor, and I am here to tell you that in Europe there is no place for nationalsocialist ideology. We've had once in the past and we all know the effects of this incitement to hatred.