Roma communities are an incubator for crime, stated Bulgarian Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov in an interview just ahead of his visit to Brussels Monday.

When asked whether Tsvetanov's statement is acceptable to the European Commission, EC spokesperson Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen answered: "The answer is short – No!"

She refused to elaborate further, recalling the European Commission's practice not to comment on statements by member states' representatives of government.

The European Commission further announced that there is no basis whatsoever of linking the issue of Roma integration and Bulgaria's and Romania's accession to the Schengen Area.

The controversial words of the Bulgarian Minister of Interior came out in Monday's edition of the Bulgarian daily 24 Chasa.

In an interview addressing the Ministry of Interior's efforts in combating organized crime, the interviewer defied reasonableness and political correctness by asking Tsvetanov to comment on the alleged fact that "Lately the cases of crimes committed by Roma have been on the rise again."

This led Minister Tsvetanov to slip and answer as follows:

"A very serious analysis needs to be made of Roma problems, because these communities are an incubator for generating crime. In Brussels I will be meeting European Commissioner on social affairs Laszlo Andor in order to insist that the money for Roma integration be given to the state and not foundations. During the last 20 years a lot of money has entered a number of NGOs, but nothing has been done, we can only see that there are Roma bosses that live in luxurious mansions, while the ghettos of the larger part of Roma are growing. Here again there is a return of service because at local and general elections everyone is viewing Roma as possible added value to election results."

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