The latest case which has sparked a public outcry involved the murder of a 47-year old woman from Rome by a 25-year-old Romanian who had robbed the woman and beat her to death close to a Rome metro station.

It is estimated that around 1,000 Romanian people, mainly of Gypsy origin, have arrived in Italy every month since Romania joined the EU this January. Many of them live in camps close to cities and are involved in various crimes, such as petty thefts but also robberies and murders.

The Italian decree makes it possible for local powers to expel the foreigners immediately but national parliament must vote within 60 days for the measures to remain in place.

Over the weekend, Romania protested against its nationals being singled out as the main target of expulsions.

The country's prime minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu announced a visit to Italy for talks with his Italian counterpart Romano Prodi about the recent events.

Speaking on the issue on Sunday (4 October), Romania's president Traian Basescu said: "Improvised measures that induce fear and awaken hatred can be unjust and can have other effects than those hoped," according to AGI agency.

But Franco Frattini, the EU commissioner in charge of security and justice, argues that Rome's action was in line with the bloc's rules on citizens living in other member states.

"What has to be done is simple. Go into a nomad camp in Rome for example, and ask them: 'Can you tell me where you live?' If they say they do not know, take them and send them home to Romania. That is how the European directive works," he said, according to the UK daily Telegraph.

He also urged the Italian authorities to pull down the camps to prevent Romanians from returning while suggesting that Bucharest "cannot say they will not take them back, because it is an obligation that is part of being a member state of the EU."