The European Commission has called for an investigation into the measures. Meanwhile, the European Parliament has just adopted a resolution that asks the Italian government to halt its plans. Euro MPs say it is unacceptable "to violate [gypsies'] fundamental rights and to criminalise them."
The European Commission has called for an investigation into the measures. Meanwhile, the European Parliament passed a resolution today that asks the Italian government to halt its plans. Euro MPs say it is unacceptable "to violate [gypsies'] fundamental rights and to criminalise them."
Ethnic database
Italian MEP Monica Frassoni (Green Party) believes the authorities have already begun creating files on gypsies living in camps around major cities. She warns that this violates EU laws.
"The point is that the Italian government has issued a decree obliging all people living in camps - so normally gypsies - to be filed and to say where they come from and what ethnic origin they have. Even which religion they have, which is absolutely forbidden normally by our laws. It actually means you are creating a database based on ethnic origins. This is why we are putting so much focus on this: because there is a direct contradiction with European legislation."
European Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot stresses that Italy has promised to send a detailed report on its plans by the end of July.
"It's important for me that there is an extremely precise and clear investigation,"
he says. But the Commissioner also says he's been given assurances by minister Maroni that the United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, backs the controversial plan. That's because fingerprinting should help to make sure that Roma children go to school and receive social welfare.
Easy target
But Juan de Dios Ramírez-Heredia, president of the Romani Union of neighbouring Spain, says the measures are first and foremost linked to promises to crack down on crime. Those promises were a key element of the campaign that swept Mr Berlusconi back into power earlier this year. The Prime Minister even made an explicit connection between rising crime rates and the large number of Roma living in Italy.
"He won by exploiting public fears about the growing insecurity in Italy. This fear was channelled towards gypsies, because we are an invisible minority."
Mr de Dios adds that society's weakest always "end up paying the price of an extreme anti-immigration policy."
Ms Frassoni says that it is now the EU's duty to act.
Petition
Meanwhile, more than 100 members of the European Parliament - including party group leaders - added their own fingerprints on Wednesday to a petition protesting against Italy's policy.
"This is a strong political act that aims to demand an immediate end to this action,"
said Giusto Catania, the Italian communist MEP who had organised the protest.
Tags: Berlusconi, EU, European Commission, European Parliament, fingerprint, gypsies, Italy, racism, Roma