Text b. France Faces European Action After Expulsions (The New York Times, September 29, 2010) By stephen castle

BRUSSELS — After an acrimonious dispute over its expulsions of Roma, France was told on Wednesday that it would face legal proceedings for failing to meet minimum European Union safeguards to protect the rights of the bloc’s citizens.

The decision followed a fierce clash between the European Commission, the bloc’s executive body, and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France that overshadowed a meeting of European Union leaders this month.

Wednesday’s action is less than the European commissioner for justice, Viviane Reding, promised a little more than two weeks ago, when officials also considered taking France to court over the more serious charge of discrimination. But she did single out the government in Paris for legal action.

Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society Institute in Brussels, said: “They are on more solid ground doing it this way, but it doesn’t send a signal about discrimination. I applaud it if it is effective, but they need to follow through on rooting out discrimination.”

The dispute over the Roma, also known as Gypsies, has brought relations between the French government and the European Commission to a low point. One of the jobs of the bloc’s executive body is to be the guardian of European Union law.

The decision on Wednesday trod a narrow line between worsening the rift with Paris and backing down. The legal case accuses France of failing to incorporate minimum European Union standards protecting ethnic groups into national legislation, which it agreed to do under a 2004 law. While other countries are also thought to be in a similar situation, France was singled out on Wednesday with a formal letter, the first step in legal action.

The European Commission said in a statement that it would consider action against other nations.

In her initial statement this month, Ms. Reding said she was convinced that the commission would also have “no choice” but to initiate infringement action against France “for a discriminatory application” of European law.

But on Wednesday the commission decided against immediately beginning a discrimination case, sending Paris a series of questions instead.

On Wednesday, the French Foreign Ministry highlighted the fact that the legal measures were restricted to the state of its law, rather than directly criticizing measures taken by the French government.

“If it’s legitimate for the commission to question one or other member states on the application of community law, the real question is one of better integration of the Roma in the countries of which they are citizens,” it said in a statement.

Under European Union procedures, France will be given the chance to reply to the commission and, if it fails to satisfy the authorities in Brussels, could be taken to the European Court of Justice. That court could force the French to bring their laws into line with European Union rules or face fines.

France has sent thousands of Roma back to Romania and Bulgaria this year, destroying illegal camps where they were living on the outskirts of French cities.

The rift between Paris and Brussels emerged when Ms. Reding discovered that assurances from French ministers about their policies on Roma were contradicted by an official document that was leaked.

That document — which has since been withdrawn — showed that Roma had been specifically singled out by the French government.

In an unusually blunt comment, Ms. Reding referred to “a situation that I had thought that Europe would not have to witness again after the Second World War.”

In Brussels, some officials argue that there is little point in pursuing France over the discrimination issue because it has already withdrawn the document. Others say that, were a case taken to the European Court, it could open up the opportunity for civil cases in France by Roma whose rights were breached.

While the dispute has raised the plight of Roma as a political issue, groups campaigning for their rights say much more needs to be done.

Ms. Grabbe called on the European Commission to examine the behavior of other nations, including Italy. “They need to send a signal that this is not acceptable behavior in Europe.”

In a report published Tuesday, Amnesty international argued that European countries, including Germany, had been forcibly returning Roma to Kosovo and called for a halt to the practice. A different set of obligations applies to citizens from Kosovo because the country is not a member of the European Union and therefore they do not have the right to move freely through the bloc.

But Sian Jones of Amnesty International asserted that European Union countries risked breaking international law by sending Roma back “to places where they are at risk of persecution, or other serious harm.”

Exercise 3. Compare separate interpretations by the media of the same event (texts A and B) and point out the similarities and differences among them. Develop an understanding of how coverage of an event by the media can vary depending on the type of media and its source.

Text A. Two Koreas agree to resume family reunions

By Lim Chang-Won (AFP) – October 1, 2010

SEOUL — North and South Korea reached agreement Friday on restarting reunions for families separated by war 60 years ago, a move which could ease tensions sparked by the sinking of one of Seoul's warships.

The two sides will arrange reunions for 200 families from October 30 to November 5 at the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea, unification ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-Joo said.

"This is a good sign as North Korea showed flexibility," she told AFP.

"We can see a change in the North's attitude. However, it's premature to say it will lead to a thaw in relations."

Relations have been icy since the South in May accused the North of torpedoing a corvette near their disputed border with the loss of 46 lives.

The North vehemently denies responsibility but in recent weeks has made some conciliatory gestures.

Analysts expect the North to try to ease overseas tensions as it prepares for an eventual power transfer from ailing leader Kim Jong-Il to his youngest son Jong-Un.

Jong-Un was this week promoted to general and given key ruling party posts. On Thursday the North published his picture in what was seen as a clear sign that he is heir apparent.

However separate military talks Thursday between the two sides -- the first in two years -- made no progress. The South at that meeting demanded an apology and punishment for those to blame for the naval tragedy.

The North's officers repeated denials of responsibility, and threatened to open fire on sites in the South from where activists launch anti-regime leaflets across the border.

The two sides have had a dispute about the jointly-run Kumgang resort since a North Korean soldier shot dead a visiting Seoul housewife in July 2008.

The South halted tours by its people and said it would not resume them until the North allows an on-site investigation into the shooting and gives firm safety guarantees.

The North previously earned millions of dollars a year from the tours. It seized or sealed off the South's buildings at Kumgang -- including a purpose-built family reunion centre -- in protest at the delay.

It had demanded that the South lift its tour ban before it agreed on a venue for the reunions, according to Seoul officials.

However, the North relented Friday and agreed to use the reunion centre as a one-time measure.

"North Korea is still insisting that our side allow cross-border tours," spokeswoman Lee said, adding it proposed separate government-to-government talks to discuss this issue.

She said this South has yet to accept this demand.

Tens of thousands of Koreans on both sides of the heavily fortified border have not seen family members since the 1950-53 war. There are no civilian mail or phone services and many do not even know whether relatives are alive or dead.

Only about 20,800 family members have joined the reunions -- one fifth of these via video link -- since the programme began in earnest in 2000. The face-to-face reunions typically last three days.

About 80,000 elderly people in the South alone are desperate for a chance to see loved ones but officials say up to 4,000 of them die each year before getting the chance.

The South has accused the North of trying to politicise the humanitarian reunion programme by linking it to the resumption of the tours.