Centre-right leaders gathering in a castle near Brussels on Wednesday night (15 September) tried to calm the waters in a rapidly escalating dispute over French Roma expulsions. But the row risks hijacking the agenda at this week’s EU summit.
“There will definitely be discussions about [France’s Roma policy] at this summit. It’s of course the right of the EU commission to check if countries respect the law, but I find that the tone and especially the comparison with historical events was not quite appropriate,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters as she entered the EPP meeting.