French Immigration Minister Eric Besson has rejected the European Parliament calls to stop his government's controversial Roma-expulsion policy.

"Europeans who sojourn on (French) soil without respecting conditions (of residency) will be repatriated to their countries of origin, either voluntarily or under constraint," Besson said in a statement.

He was reacting to a resolution passed earlier Thursday by the European Parliament demanding that the deportation of Roma from France cease "immediately."

But Besson also rejected the suggestion that France was targeting the Roma, or Gypsies, specifically.

"France has taken no specific measure against the Roma," he said. "The treatment given these people has no connection with their real or supposed membership of the Roma community."

The European Parliament urged France to "immediately" suspend its controversial Roma-expulsion policy with a resolution approved on Thursday.

The resolution, presented by socialist, liberal, green and hard-left groups, was approved with 377 votes in favour, 245 against and 51 abstentions.

EU lawmakers expressed "deep concern" for measures "taken by French authorities and by other (EU) member states authorities" and urged "those authorities immediately to suspend all expulsions of Roma."

The also called on the EU's executive, the European Commission, on the Council of EU states and on individual EU governments "to intervene with the same request."

The resolution, dubbed 'On the expulsion of Roma from France,' urges Paris to suspend immediately all expulsions of Roma, while urging the European Commission and other EU member states to intervene. The resolution also refers to other countries, like Italy, where Roma are facing difficulties. It also says the EU has acted too little, too late.

The European Commission has been accused of failing to protect members of the Roma community deported from France. Euro MPs demand to know if Paris has broken any laws, warning that other countries might take similar action.

Almost 8,300 Romanian and Bulgarian nationals have now been expelled from France since the beginning of the year. Close to 10,000 were expelled in 2009.

French officials have said the deportations are part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration. Additional chartered flights are scheduled for September 14 and 30.

The crackdown has sparked major criticism at home and abroad. Former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin said Sarkozy's policies had left a "stain of shame" on the French flag and were a "national indignity."

Roma from Romania and Bulgaria are allowed free passage into France if they are European Union citizens. After that, however, they must find work, start studies, or find some other way of becoming established in France or risk deportation.