French to reassess Roma aid

BUCHAREST, Romania, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- The French Interior Minister said his government will reassess its program aiding the Roma population's return to their homeland.

Manuel Valls, meeting with officials in Bucharest, Romania, to discuss methods of repatriating the Roma, also known as gypsies, back to Romania and Bulgaria, said: "We are going to work on the question of return assistance," conceding the French policy of giving 300 euros ($393) per adult and 100 ($131) euros per child to each traveler returning to the homeland has "undoubtedly a number of adverse effects."

Rights groups say the measures are expensive and ineffective, and that repatriated Roma can easily purchase a bus ticket and return to France, news agency Radio France Internationale reported Friday.

The non-government organization Doctors of the World estimated the number of Roma in France is 15,000 to 20,000. The number stays constant because those expelled tend to return, the news agency said.

The French funding is "just money for holidays, lost money for the French government," said Danut Dumitru of the Hungarian-based Roma Education Fund.