France faces legal threat over Roma

The European Union may take legal action against France for its expulsion of hundreds of Roma, the bloc's justice commissioner has said. Viviane Reding described last month's deportations as a "disgrace" on Tuesday and said that France had been duplicitious in how it dealt with European authorities over the issue. "This is not a minor offence in a situation of this importance," she said. "After 11 years of experience in the commission, I even go further - this is a disgrace. Discrimination on the basis or ethnic origin or race has no place in Europe." She said it was likely that the commission would have "no choice but to initiate infringement procedures against France" for discriminatory policies. "No member state can expect special treatment when fundamental values and European laws are at stake," she said, adding that steps could be taken within weeks. The French government, which denies targeting Roma minorities specifically and insists its measures comply with EU laws, said it was astonished by Reding's criticism but that it would not be drawn into an argument.