The European Commission is to launch legal proceedings against France over its expulsion of Romanian and Bulgarian Roma (Gypsy) migrants. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said France had failed to respect European rules on freedom of movement. The controversial expulsions of thousands of Roma led to a serious row between Brussels and Paris. Recently Reding compared France's action to events during World War II. The accusation drew a sharp rebuke from French President Nicolas Sarkozy. President Sarkozy says the illegal Roma camps threaten to become shanty towns. He launched the crackdown in late July, calling the camps breeding grounds for people trafficking, prostitution and child exploitation. More than 1,000 Roma have been deported since Sarkozy announced that the camps would be torn down. A leaked memo from the French interior ministry infuriated Reding earlier this month. It showed the authorities had been instructed to target Roma camps, rather than deal with migrants on a case-by-case basis, as the French migration minister and the minister for Europe had assured the European Commission.