What the newspapers say: November 7, 2007

The situation of Romanian citizens in Italy still makes most of the headlines on Wednesday, making interior political problems seem unworthy, although the conflict between President Traian Basescu and the Senate throws the date for the European Elections into an unknown territory.

The violence against Romanians is increasing, while Romanian officials once again offer the measure of their lack of experience. Foreign Minister Cioroianu blundered incredibly yesterday, when he spoke about potential deportation camps for gypsies in the Egyptian desert.

„The great failure of Roma minority integration” is the headline in Evenimentul Zilei. „The problem is mainly located in Romania and only then in Europe”, the paper comments.

To support the statement, Evenimentul Zilei also offers some figures: 38.6% of the Roma people are functionally illiterate. 19% of the men and 27% of the women only went to school for one year. 18% of the children between 7 and 16 years-old never went to school.

Meanwhile, in Italy, 12 Romanian citizens were arrested during the past 48 hours, another one was brutally beaten when „he forgot” to pay for the food in a restaurant and another Romanian found his car shot by an Italian with whom he had a conflict for about 6 years, Gandul reads.

Romania Libera found out about another, even more serious case: the store of a Romanian woman, selling traditional Romanian food, was attacked with a home-made bomb on Tuesday.

Same Gandul notes that the UK authorities prepare to take action similar to Italy. Immigration Minister Liam Byrne says he studies Italy’s law to expel criminals and the European reactions to it. 300 foreign citizens were expelled from the UK in 2006 for serious crimes.

In this chain of events, Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu makes one of the most offending comments one could imagine: „I was in Egypt and I found myself wondering whether deporting all Roma people to the desert is a good solution or not”, Cotidianul reads.

Although the media reaction was immediate, Prime Minister Tariceanu chose to defend Cioroianu, claiming that the pressure and the tensed relations between Romania and Italy are to blame. „Tariceanu, the ‘Forgive me’ PM” is the title in Cotidianul, showing that it was not the first time Tariceanu defended controversial ministers.

In other news:

– The average income for Bucharest inhabitants reaches 1,000 euros per month, 3.3 times more than the national average. (Gandul)

– Basescu sent back to the Senate the law that tried to avoid having the European Elections and the referendum for the uninominal vote organized separately. The Constitutional Court may involve to arbitrate the conflict. (Evenimentul Zilei)

– Doru Giugula, head of the „Moral Integrity Commission” in the main Opposition party, Social Democrats (PSD), received a „Communist political police collaborator” verdict from CNSAS, the body studying the former Securitate archives. (Gandul)