The ALDE group's request to call for the European Commission to come to Parliament for next week's parliamentary session has been accepted today by the Conference of Presidents. ALDE calls on the Commission to report on the alleged existence of databases collecting ethnic and racial data of Roma, on the Fundamental Rights agency reports on ethnic profiling, as well as on the information requested by the Commission to the French authorities on the application of the memo targeting Roma of 5 August and on the application of the free movement directive in France, notably following the controversial modifications approved two days ago by the French National Assembly.

MEP Renate Weber (PNL, Romania), ALDE coordinator in the Civil liberties committee (LIBE) said: "The Commission stated in front of the EP that it had set the deadline of 15 October 2010 to receive detailed information from the French authorities in relation to the application of the free movement directive, as well as to the application of the memo ordering the targeted expulsion of Roma. In the meantime we discover  databases exist collecting racial and ethnic data of, among others, Roma. In both occasions, the French authorities have first denied the allegations after which actual proof has come to the surface. We are in a "déjà vu", in many senses unfortunately. It's a striking violation of international, EU and French law: Barroso has to stop wasting time and has to bring France to Court, as suggested by the Commissioners in charge".

ALDE MEP Sophie In't Veld (D66, Netherlands), vice-president of LIBE added: "Databases of this kind are proliferating in the EU, including the Netherlands. Italy dismantles Roma camps and then withdraws promises to give access to public housing to Roma. We cannot let violations of fundamental rights and European values go and a sense of impunity for authorities spread in the EU. The remissness of the Commission in front of Member States is disastrous for Europe, our values, our citizens".

The Parliament will hold the debate on "Databases relating to racial and ethnic origin in the EU" next Tuesday evening, based on an Oral Question tabled by ALDE, which has been taken over by other groups.

Note to editors:

Oral Question attached

For more information please contact:

Neil Corlett: +32-2-284 20 77 or +32-478-78 22 84

e-mail: neil.corlett@europarl.europa.eu

Federica Terzi: +32-2-283 23 24 or +32-494 18 88 31