What the newspapers say: November 8, 2007

All newspapers on Thursday read about Romania PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu’ss visit to Rome in an attempt to bridge the widening gaps between the two countries which were deepened by the Romanian migrants crisis.

One newspaper notes that months before incidents involving Romanians in Italy spiraled, government representatives left for Rome to better Romania’s image abroad.

More on the issue, the Romanian Foreign Ministry is seen as unable to manage the crisis professionally.

Romanian PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu visited Rome to meet his counterpart Romano Prodi on Wednesday and used the occasion to mea culpa for the killing of an Italian woman by a Romanian migrant recently, Romania Libera informs.

The killing of Giovanna Reggiani led to a wave of incidents against Romanian migrants living in Italy as it was blamed on a Rroma (Gypsy man) immigrant from Romania.

Tariceanu and Prodi sent an open letter to European Commission President Emanuel Barroso soliciting the elaboration of a policy to integrate ethnic minorities, applicable throughout EU member states, the paper insists.

Moreover, the two agreed to constitute a working group made of several ministers from both countries that will constantly communicate and try to solve the issues that appear.

Romano Prodi assured Romanians that a new bill allowing for easier tules to expel troubling migrants was only applied in urgent situations and Italy would not impose restrictions on the labor market. He added that in his view, the decree respected the European Union’s legislation entirely.

However, Italian lawyer Fabio Galiani told Romanian newspaper Evenimentul Zilei that the legislation is a mistake. He says that the decision to issue a decree was partly emotional, party political. Galiani argues that the decision was taken due to the death of an Italian citizen allegedly at the hands of a Romanian migrant.

The Italian lawyer confirms the fact that Romanian migrants issue has become a political one meant to attract votes.

The Rroma burglar who admitted to have robbed Giovanna Reggiani but dismissed killing her a couple of weeks ago has still not been contacted by the Romanian Consulate in Rome, Adevarul reads.

Plus, Consulate officials admitted that they do not even know the name of the Mailat’s attorney.

The newspaper adds that the Consulate is incapable of correctly managing the crisis. Romanian officials in Rome declared that they could not see Mailat due to the Italian bureaucratic process: the Consulate still awaits the approval to see him.

Adevarul reads that up to 2005 the government budget used to allocate an emergency fund for Romanians abroad. However, no money was appointed afterwards.

Gandul reads that months ago a Romanian governmental delegation had left for the most problematic cities in Italy to better Romania’s image there and deal with the most stringent issues on the agenda.

The newspaper, however, notes that the „symbolic” leader of the delegation was a gypsy with criminal records. The main goal of the trip was to set up cultural programs or other joint projects in order to help the Romanian community in Italy to better integrate there.