Romanian President Asks Roma In Italy To Collect Info On How Many Of Them Live There

Romanian president Traian Basescu told Romanians of Roma origin in a camp near Rome, Italy, that Romania’s prime minister would visit Italy for a joint government session in October and asked them to collect information by then on how many Romanian Roma are in Italy.

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He asked camp leaders to meet with representatives of nomad camps throughout Italy and collect information on how many Romanians of Roma ethnicity live in Italy, and how may of these are children. He added information on the children’s schooling is also needed.

Basescu told people in the camp that Romanian authorities have a problem, in that they don’t know how many Romanians of Roma origin and their children are in Italy, Spain and other countries.

He added the exact number of Roma people in Romania isn’t known either, as only 400,000 were reported in the most recent census, while their actual number is estimated at 1.5 or 2 million.

One man in the camp said he was designated to tell the head of state that the people undertake to observe the law and help Romanian and Italian authorities collaborate.

"We are willing to go back to Romania, Mr. President, if we have to,” he said. Basescu answered it is important for them to live in Italy legally, find jobs and send their children to school.

Basescu is on a one-day working visit to Rome Thursday, at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

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