Sarkozy and Merkel

It was probably not given much air time in the USA last week, but something significant happened in Europe.
French President Sarkozy was called to the European Union Headquarters in Brussels to explain his position on the French deportation of gypsies (Roms to be exact, who come from Romania and travel all over Europe).
France has been deporting Roms for several weeks now. They are rounded up in their camps, their caravans are confiscated, and they are put on charter planes and sent back to Romania, with about 350 Euros (270 US Dollars) in their pockets. In some cases, France has paid up to 3500 Euros to help Roms with a plan to re-integrate themselves into Romanian society - the money has resulted in a few small businesses but there's not much to show for France's efforts.
Romania has also received several billions of Euros from the European Union to settle Roms and integrate them into Romanian society. The program has yielded almost no result and the money has disappeared.
Roms are the pariahs of Europe. They are dirt poor, mostly illiterate and discriminated against vis-à-vis jobs and settlement space. France has been the exception, giving them a state health card and minimum funds for food and shelter.
Now, France has stopped and is deporting them. A European Commissioner said the deportations were reminiscent of French deportations of Jews during World War II. This caused President Sarkozy to react violently in Brussels. While defending his policy, he suggested that German Chancellor Merkel was also ready to begin deportations. She reacted equally violently, denying she had ever said such a thing. It must be said that the very word "deportation" is anathema in Germany because of Nazi treatment of Jews and Roms during World War II.
So, Brussels is trying to come up with a policy to integrate Roms into the European Union. This ought to have been obvious before France reacted to the presence of 300,000 Roms wandering all over France.
And, more importantly, Germany and France are at loggerheads over the Rom question. These two countries are the lynchpin of the European Union and if they fall out irreparably, we could be in for a much more fragmented Europe. Analysts are even suggesting that the Euro itself could be in jeopardy.
While this may seem trivial to the average American, it is not to be ignored. A fragmented Europe bickering over customs taxes, separate financial policies, immigration and borders could lead to what has occurred twice in the past century - worldwide war.