The deportation of Roma migrants from France was subject of intense political debate in France and internationally in 2009 and 2010. After two fatal incidents, President of France Nicolas Sarkozy vowed in July 2010 to evict at least half of the 539 Roma squatted land camps. The Government of France initiated a program to repatriate thousands of Romanian and Bulgarian Roma, as part of the crackdown. Between July and September 2010, at least 51 Roma camps were demolished, and France has repatriated at least 1,230 Roma to Romania and Bulgaria.
The deportations proved controversial in the European Union (EU), with EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding stating in a September 2010 briefing that the European Commission might take legal action against the French government over the forced expulsions, calling them "a disgrace".[1] The subsequent row over the comments was widely reported to have overshadowed an EU summit in September 2010.[2][3][4] France continued to deport Roma in 2011.
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