UPDATE: 93 Romanian citizens will be expelled from France on Thursday 

France starts to expel gypsies living in illegal camps to Romania and Bulgaria on Thursday. According to the Romanian state secretary for Rroma problems, Valentin Mocanu, 371 Romanian citizens will be sent from France in three flights. The Romanians agreed to leave voluntarily. The flights are scheduled for 19, 20 and 26 August and today,Thursday, 93 people will arrive.

UPDATE: 2:20 PM AFP informs that the first flight took off towards Bucharest, from Lyon with about 60 gypsies that accepted the voluntary repatriation.

UPDATE Romania’s Foreign Affairs ministry confirmed for Mediafax that, on Thursday 93 Romanian citizens will be repatriated. They will arrive in the country with commecial flights not private ones, the ministry informed.

The schedule of arrivals:

19.08.2010 – 14 people; Paris / Ch. de Gaulle – Bucharest / Henri Coanda (arrival at16.20)

– 79 people; Lyon – Bucuresti / Aurel Vlaicu (arrival at 17.05)

20.08.2010 – 132 people; Paris / Orly – Timisoara (arrival at 16.30)

26.08.2010 – 160 people; Paris / Charles de Gaulle – to be decided where it will land

02.09.2010 – 16 people; Paris / Charles de Gaulle – Bucharest / Henri Coanda (arrival at 16.20)

16.09.2010 – 11 people; Paris / Charles de Gaulle – Bucharest / Henri Coanda (arrival at 16.20)

Mocanu declared for the Romanian news agency Mediafax that 371 Romanians citizens will rrive in Romania. On the 20th of August, 132 people will arrive and on the 26th of August, another 160 people.

He said that the Interior ministry organizes, together with local authorities, the welcoming procedure for the Rroma. Each person received 300 euro and each minor child received 100 euro.

In 2009, there were 10,000 people expelled in 44 flights.