(CNN) -- The European Commission is looking into France's expulsion of more than 8,000 ethnic Roma, commonly referred to as gypsies, the commission's president told CNN Tuesday. "The European Commission, working with the French authorities, is now making an independent assessment" of the situation, Jose Manuel Barroso said on CNN's "Quest Means Business." Recent raids against camps in Lyon, France, and other cities forced out a total of 8,300 Romanian and Bulgarian nationals of Roma origin. Close to 10,000 were expelled in 2009. Barroso said in his first state of the union speech on Tuesday that governments "must respect human rights."
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The European Commission is investigating France's action, its head says
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Barroso: There is no room for discrimination in Europe
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France says it is trying to crack down on crime
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Roma, or gypsies, have faced prejudice for generations
"I do not want to interfere in that debate," he said, but he added that the commission is investigating how France is implementing @placeholder law.