What the newspapers say: November 13, 2007

Newspapers on Tuesday read about Franco Frattini’s neutral reaction to the immigrants crisis in Italy. Another newspaper reads about hundreds of Romanian medical sisters threatening to leave Italy. And the Romanian’s Orthodox Church’s decision to create three eparchies dissatisfies the Russian Orthodox Church.

Evenimentul Zilei reads about the debates that took place at the European Parliament yesterday on an Italian degree allowing the expulsion of suspected immigrant criminals, which was adopted by the Prodi government at the peak of the Romanian immigrants crisis.

EC Justice Commissioner, Franco Frattini has presented the European Commission’s view on the Italian decree, which holds neutral.

Brussels officials say that the Commission will not take any stands on the issue until the law is passed by the Italian Parliament.

Frattini argued that migrants in Italy can file complaints of discrimination through the Italian judicial system or appeal to the European Court of Justice when targeted by the expulsion degree.

The European Parliament is set to cast a vote on the issue on Thursday as to whether the decree respects the European norms or not. Heated debates are taking place on the issue and amendments are being made.

However, the EP vote is purely consultative as it does not have any judicial power. The vote is a pressure on the Italian public opinion.

The newspaper notes that the Popular European Party is expected to vote for the Italian decree, outclassing any other opposition.

Gandul reads that more and more Romanians in Italy threaten to leave as they are being attacked on the streets.

Hundreds of medical sisters plan to leave the country despite the fact that they have legal residency permits.

The President of the Romanians’ Association in Italy, Eugen Terteleac argues that the blame for the recent violence committed by some Romanian migrants fall upon all their co-nationals and there is nothing positive about it.

The tension increases as several Romanians were found dead or beaten severely throughout Italy with no apparent reason.

Elsewhere in the newspapers, the Romanian Orthodox Church created three eparchies in favor of the Bessarabia Orthodox Church but against all threats of the Russian and Moldavian ones, Cotidianul reads.

The newspaper comments that the Romanian Church’s move is missionary and that its ultimate goal is to “control the souls”.

Moreover the move is seen more of a strategic nature rather than holy by the newspaper, as it challenges the Russian Church that claims the territorial representation.

Up to now, there were several negotiations among the Moldavian Orthodox Church and the Russian one but no solution has yet been put on the table.