Brussels Considers Whether To Sue France Over Roma Expulsions

France has been criticized for its expulsions of Roma

The European Commission is expected to decide as soon as September 29 whether to take legal action against France over its expulsion of thousands of Romanian and Bulgarian Roma migrants.

The European Commission is expected to reach the decision in a closed-door meeting about two separate possible proceedings against France. One issue is whether France violated EU freedom of movement rules by going ahead with the expulsions. Another issue is whether the expulsions by the French government constitute discrimination.

The commission will be reviewing a report on those issues by European Court of Justice chief Viviane Reding -- who said 10 days ago she was "appalled" by France's moves to expell Roma.

A decision to sue France could eventually lead to large fines and could become a political embarrassment for French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

compiled from agency reports