Borisov happy to stay out of row over Roma (Extra)
M & C
Sep 16, 2010, 17:01 GMT
Sofia – Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said he was glad to have stayed out of the row over French immigration policies at Thursday's European Union summit, the BTA news agency reported.
'There were serious arguments among many of the participating leaders,' Borisov said after the meeting in Brussels ended. 'It is good that Bulgaria did not take part in this scandal.'
Referring to the clash between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso over Paris' decision to expel illegal Roma migrants, Borisov said the summit was 'very difficult.'
'There was an argument, not to say a scandal, involving the president of the European Commission and the French president,' he said.
Though some of the Roma expelled by France are Bulgarian nationals, Borisov and other officials in his conservative government insisted the repatriation was not a problem.
President Georgi Parvanov, of the opposition Socialist Party, took an opposing view on Wednesday when criticized the French move to fly home the Roma to Bulgaria and Romania.
