National and Regional Officials Sign Discriminatory Pacts in Rome and Milan, Italy
20 November 2007
In late May 2007, representatives of the Italian national and regional governments signed a series of discriminatory pacts, aimed explicitly at dealing with the growing Romani populations in the cities of Rome and Milan, as reported in the La Repubblica on 19 May 2007.
In Rome, Prefect Achille Serra signed the "Pact for Rome's Security," which foresaw the destruction of large squatter settlements on the banks of the Tiber and the Aniene, reported La Repubblica. Ten thousand of the camp's residents, largely Romani were to be forcibly evicted and expelled from the city. The remaining four thousand are to be placed in four "Villages of Solidarity", which will be controlled by a special "task force" of policemen, whose job it will be to prevent crime and prostitution in the camps. While the camps are being erected, it will be the task of these policemen to forcibly evict Roma living in the illegal settlements. Prefect Serra was given special unlimited authority to act within the cope of the pact, and was enthusiastically supported by the Italian Minister of the Interior, Mr Seniore Guiglino Amato.
In Milan, Mayor Letizia Moratti and Prefect Gian Valerio Lombardi signed the "Pact for the Security of Milan," which promised to sweep the city of crime by addressing the issue of unauthorized squatter settlements. Within 3 months, authorities were required to "define a strategy in which extraordinary power will be given to the Prefect to implement a strategic plan for solving the Roma problem in Milan." The Pact also foresees the "intensification of controls" on the periphery (where many Roma live) to guarantee the security of Milan residents.
In response, the ERRC and the Italian organisation osservAzione sent a letter of concern to a range of Italian officials, including the Minister of Interior and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. The ERRC and osservAzione pointed out that the pacts call into question the commitment of the Italian government to upholding various international treaties it has ratified, including the Revised European Social Charter and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Furthermore, the ERRC and osservAzione urged officials to comply with their international law obligations and adopt housing policies and programmes which avoid homelessness and the further segregation of Roma, and which provide real and adequate housing solutions for the Roma currently living in squatter settlements in Italy. As of mid October 2007, the ERRC had received no response to the letter.
(ERRC, La Repubblica, osservazione)
