Romanian FM Chided for Anti-Roma Remarks

The National Council for Combating Discrimination, CNCD, found the country's Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi guilty of discrimination for anti-Roma/Gypsy remarks.

On Thursday, CNCD gave Baconschi the lightest possible sanction- a warning- as the minister "did not intend to offend this minority," spokesman Istvan Heller said.

“If the Minister commits the same violation, he will be considered a recidivist and shall be fined, but we hope not to get there," Haller added.

The foreign minister caused controversy in February this year when he said that the country had problems with youth crime, "particularly in communities of Romanian citizens of Roma origin".

Several human rights organisations called on Baconschi to resign over the remarks, calling them “racist”, but the Minister rejected the accusations and said he had been misinterpreted.

Baconschi can appeal the ruling of the anti-discrimination body in court.

Questionable statements from state officials about the Roma population are not a novelty in the Balkan country. In 2007, CNCD also declared the head of state guilty of discrimination against the minority community.

President Traian Basescu reportedly called a journalist a "dirty gypsy". He later apologised for causing the journalist "undeserved moral damage." One year later, then foreign minister Adrian Cioroianu also made allegedly racist remarks about Roma people.

The Roma community in Romania numbers about 535,000 people, according to the national census. NGOs, however, say the figure is probably between 1.5 - 2 million, as many do not declare themselves as Roma amid fears of being discriminated.

The community is extremely marginalised, and many individuals live in poor conditions, suffer widespread discrimination and racism and have difficulties finding work.