“This is a situation I had thought Europe would not have to witness again after the Second World War.”
Viviane Reding, vice-president of the European Commission responsible for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, says the expulsion of groups of Roma from France is a “disgrace”.
It is an extraordinary statement which does away with usual diplomatic language.
You can read her statement here.
Yes, rejuvenated after lying on the beach sipping cocktails for a month with Mrs Erasmus, I’m back to walk the corridors of European power.
What has been going on in Brussels during my absence? Anything much?
Belgium hasn’t got its own government but still holds the presidency of the EU, attempts to bring in some sort of regulation in the financial sector look to have been successful and France has begun expelling groups of Roma people back to Hungary and Romania. Meanwhile, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso is going all American and making the first European “State of the Union” address next week.
What fun.
Join me from Monday for more daily news from Brussels.
Ooh, Brussels! is a new blog giving daily updates on the extraordinary goings-on at the very heart of the European Union. Written every day by Johnny Erasmus in the city of Brussels
