kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
together the united states and the european union could be a guarantee for the world's security and stability and offer a pattern for the global order. this report is not only about enhancing transatlantic relations but also about balancing them.
between these two objective strategic partners there is a need for deeper and better structured relations as well as the institutionalisation of those relations.
along those lines we should look towards establishing a true confederative transatlantic body between us and the united states of america. at the same time the consolidation of the transatlantic strategic partnership should offer a new opportunity for advancing cooperation with the third major player in the northern hemisphere namely russia.
to conclude our priority is not to express our expectations in a self deceiving way but to build on realistic assumptions of what the european union and the united states could deliver while increasing our capacity to deliver.
in this light we support the recommendation of the report.
i am delighted that the european parliament the commission and the presidency very much share the same view on the most important issues for the strategic dialogue between the eu and the us.
in conclusion i would like to add the following reflections.
it seems clear that the new us administration has taken on board many of the messages that we have been sending them over recent months and years about the transatlantic relationship.
they are now responding.
when president obama said in berlin last year that america has no better partner than europe he was not just making a statement of principle but also inviting europe to provide the proof. secondly it is clear to all of us that the challenges we are facing
are getting more numerous and more complex.
to return to one of my opening points when the eu and the us agree we can help set the global agenda.
that also means taking our share of leadership and leading others to lend their support and provide means towards the goals set.
mr president saved from the ashes left by the bush administration by the election of obama the transatlantic partnership is no longer sufficient to solve the main challenges faced by humanity but it is still necessary.
europe must take advantage of this opportunity and articulate with the us the exit strategy for the current global crisis upholding human security and that does not only mean reforming the international financial system but regulating the whole globalisation process and investing in a sustainable economy at the global scale.
we need more and stronger europe to help obama close guantnamo end the secret prisons and to define an alternative strategy for the security challenges in afghanistan pakistan iran and sudan and put in place justice and peace for israelis and arabs.
we need a stronger europe and a genuine partnership with the us to achieve the millennium development goals.
in context the report makes a positive contribution by primarily suggesting ways to institutionalise those relations to commonly approach russia and the six eastern european countries to achieve the unified transatlantic market to gradually integrate our financial markets and to extend the us visa waiver programme to all eu member states.
with his election as president he brought hope and change not only in the united states but for the whole world and also in europe.
it is imperative that the eu set up networks of communication to keep a strong dialogue with the united states on many key issues like the conflict in the middle east the economic crisis and climate change.
we can always do more of course and that is why we have set up this multi stakeholder platform to give us input and ideas and we are also carrying out an internal assessment to see whether there are loopholes or things we can do better.
that is at the heart of fair competition in the internal market and it is why as long ago as two thousand and fourteen we introduced specific conditions to ensure that regional investment aid cannot be granted to incentivise the relocation of jobs and business activities from one country to another.
the granting of regional investment aid however that involves the relocation of jobs from elsewhere in the eu is subject to strict commission control.
and as i said we are working constantly in a dialogue not only with big small and medium sized companies but also with ngos with stakeholders and with trade unions and labour organisations to see how we can endeavour to improve corporate social responsibility.
the state aid rules provide safeguards to prevent member states from using public money to incentivise the relocation of jobs from one country in the eu to another.
the subject of this debate as communicated to the commission was corporate social responsibility.
and i have taken good note of things you said.
as i said the european union does a lot on corporate social responsibility inside and outside europe.
we have continued to mainstream csr across our policies.
and this is not only about ethics and respect for others and the environment it is about long term sustainable growth and profits for business shareholder value.
in two thousand and fourteen we carried out a major consultation on csr.
on the basis of the recommendations set out by the high level expert group on the subject the commission is setting out a roadmap to boost the role of finance in achieving well performing economy that delivers on environmental and social goals.
we have adopted policies right across our work from development to agriculture to labour rights to justice. a major step forward was the two thousand and fifteen directive on non financial disclosure.
it has been increasingly clear that there is no dividing line between csr and our wider work on implementing the united nations sustainable development goals. if you act against companies using timber that has been illegally logged that is an issue both of the csr and the sdgs.
we have encouraged it to look at the progress we have already achieved and give us advice on what more needs to be done.
we can facilitate the implementation of csr principles bringing together companies from across different industries and individual sectors to find common solutions.
we are continuing to engage with business and stakeholders.
in two thousand and eleven we issued a communication setting out a range of actions.
and we are continuing to engage internationally both through multilateral fora such as the un and oecd and of course bilaterally.
that started its work in january only and it continues to meet.
so under this commission we are taking a holistic and integrated approach.
whilst public authorities of course have a role to play the final responsibility must always be with the businesses themselves.
that can be through legislation but it can also be through promoting industry led standards.
we have been giving effect to our new public procurement legislation paying attention to social and environmental elements and we are working to finalise guidelines on socially responsible public procurement.
i'm happy to update you where we stand on this.
i'll be happy to give you an update then to ensure responsible trade in four minerals tin tantalum tungsten and gold.
we have led our member states have led and a very large number of our businesses have led including our small and medium sized enterprises.
the matter is of course that you take the most effective and proportionate action to address a situation.
in the last year we adopted a revised shareholders' right directive.
the european union including the member states have a great track record on corporate social responsibility.
and of course we adopted here the conflict minerals regulation we will discuss that tomorrow;
and better align european and global approaches to corporate social responsibilities.
we are putting our work at the heart of our implementation of the sdgs.
under our two thousand and sixteen communication on sdgs we have set up a multi stakeholder platform made up of stakeholders from business trade unions ngos and others and i expect that within this platform there will be a working group on csr.
this allows shareholders to have proper disclosure and put pressure on companies to change practices if necessary and i would say that our work has delivered results.
if you act against the import of materials produced in sweatshop conditions in a third country that is an issue of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development goals and it's true of our work on business and human rights as well.
so we are looking very much forward to receive the input carrying on also our own stocktaking exercise of what has been done and what more can be done and the result of this work will feed into the autumn communication of the sdgs.
we can incentivise it including by setting benchmarks and other requirements and we can also if necessary legislate.
that is just the tip of the iceberg of what we have been doing.
we have been developing a good dialogue with japan for instance on these issues and i expect us to develop more such dialogues because we want other countries to come up to our levels.
it will give us valuable input and ideas how to take this work further.
of course there's always more to be done and that's why during this mandate the work has continued.
the commission has recognised from the start that the eu has a valuable role to play here.
it showed that over two thirds of the respondents were happy with what we have delivered and that is not just only public sector engagement.
and only last week we adopt an action plan on sustainable finance.
it's an issue that is dear to my heart personally and to this commission especially and i know that many european citizens that you represent also attach great importance to this.
after all individuals with far less power and wealth are expected to meet these basic benchmarks.
the eu's approach to corporate social responsibility is in fact not all that well developed.
for many years the eu served effectively as a facilitator for tax dodging by corporations enabling smaller member states such as luxembourg or ireland to strike sweetheart deals that eroded the tax bases of larger members.
it is now attempting to construct a new system that will make profit shifting and other aggressive avoidance more difficult within the eu but this would be better done globally by the oecd.
other measures to improve corporate responsibility can be implemented at a national level so long as governments are not shorn of powers to do so.
for example rules limiting the salary of the highest paid employee of a corporation to a fixed multiple of the lowest paid employee could be put to national electorates in elections.
too often in recent years the corporate sector has taken refuge behind high profile politically correct sponsorship schemes which provide a sheen of good publicity which is then used to camouflage a generally ruthless approach on such issues as importing cheap labour rather than training local labour.
a survey published on monday by the financial times showed that over the past decade the effective tax rate paid by multinational corporations has plummeted even as the tax ramp on workers has got worse.
all of us on the right of centre in politics would do well i think to recognise that nothing has done more to undermine the standing of free enterprise economics than the excesses of multinational corporations.
unless there is big improvement in their behaviour it is likely to give radical leftists a way into power bringing with them all kinds of prosperity destroying ideas.
mr president i want to talk about two things tonight. first i want the commission to investigate cases where companies decide to relocate their production within the eu.
we need to make sure that eu funds have not been used in such a way that they are actually creating competition between member states.
secondly it is unacceptable that large companies can pretend to be socially responsible by developing social initiatives or through charity when on the other hand they are not paying the taxes they owe to society.
i heard the commissioner mention a roadmap but can i please ask for an ambitious new action plan on corporate social responsibility csr with legal requirements with stronger reporting obligations and with more effective control mechanisms?
here are some specific measures the commission can take.
firstly encourage corporations to increase the representation of women and lgbtiaq in management positions and at all levels.
secondly support lifelong learning for women at work including trade union learning particularly in male dominated sectors.
thirdly ensure adequate work conditions and rights for women and lgbtiaq people throughout the supply chains.
with regard to ethics and csr can i applaud the tireless work of the art not oil' coalition whose powerful culture and sustained campaign depicting oil soaked birds was successful in persuading the tate art gallery to dump the multinational bp.
and i think most of us don't understand why the commission is not going to do this because now in the absence of actions at eu level the member states are acting.
we need a level playing field so that all companies would have to follow the same rules on corporate social responsibility.
and by the way i think this notion of corporate social responsibility is already a bit outdated.
we should talk about corporate accountability which is a broader subject and we need european level actions.
mr president corporate social responsibility csr has been defined as the responsibility of companies for their impact upon society.
it refers to companies voluntarily going beyond what the law requires to achieve social and environmental objectives during the course of its business activities.
the commissioner has told us how well companies of all sizes across the eu are leading the way in the development of csr policies.
many companies are progressively integrating csr into their company strategies on a voluntary basis and businesses which acknowledge that they are a part of the community where they employ people are to be welcomed and encouraged.
in my own region of the west midlands we have a brilliant example of csr cadbury's the well known chocolate company developed bourneville a model village on the south side of birmingham for its factory workers to live.
it was described as one of the nicest places to live in britain.
they put social responsibility at the heart of their company's ethos.
csr is not just a benefit to society it benefits the company too often helping them to compete in the labour market and to become an employer of choice.
i would like to see the commission and member states continue to promote the voluntary take up of csr initiatives.
but let's ensure that companies always retain the flexibility and the freedom to shape their own csr policy according to their specific circumstances and the needs of their employees.
i hear it sometimes suggested that the problem has been created by the eu or by the euro but it is exactly the opposite.
together with the government did the european commission and the european central bank not support the idea of a massive bank bailout at the expense of working people in ireland?
two thousand and twelve this is not about asking nicely for europe to help ireland; it is about saying that all working people across europe have paid more than enough to the bankers the bondholders and the billionaires. the debt should not be paid.
can the commission spell out the consequences of this thinking clearly? does it mean that the notion of retroactive burden sharing of the bank bailout is off the table from the commission's point of view?
how does that square with the irish government's statements that this was agreed at the summit in june?
sinn fin has long advocated saying goodbye to the troika and we would encourage all other member states who are suffering from the deep social and economic winds being inflicted by the troika to show it the door as well.
one truly good news story to come out of this presidency was the agreement reached on the tobacco products directive.
in case the government should think of stepping outside that policy the twenty six county state will remain under supervision by the eu for several decades to come. exiting the bailout will change little for middle and low income families for the unemployed or for those who have been forced to emigrate.
it will do nothing to stop the dissipation of public services and the deterioration of living standards for the vast majority of irish people.
the irish government has now adopted the mind set of austerity so there is no need for the troika to remain.
as a shadow for this file i was able to witness the resolve and the hard work put in by the lithuanian presidency to agree on legislation which will have tangible effects for the health of future generations.
we talk about the social issues; migration is a big issue and poverty migration is a big issue in many debates.
it is a bad solution and we have to improve it and i do not know why you accepted it.
everyone has to do
the presidency has boasted of its achievements on hate crime which properly refers to criminal acts violence abuse and property damage motivated by hatred of a particular category of people and should always be deplored. hatred is always destructive of the hater as well as the hated.
ironically the application of these words to political opponents a favourite activity of the fra and eurocrats is a subliminal message of hatred stop reading stop listening stop judging for yourself;
however assaults and extreme violence and damage motivated by hatred and contempt are not perpetrated only or even mainly by the indigenous populations of europe against ethnic minorities as we know from the cases of lee rigby in london those of kriss donald and richard everitt the london riots in two thousand and eleven and the countless victims of asian grooming.
i believe that the ukrainian citizens know the answer to this question very well and demonstrated it very clearly on maidan square in kiev and in other ukrainian cities.
to conclude i would like to re emphasise the statements and the comments of mr lamberts on as he put it pleasant surprises. i have to say that i was not that surprised because i know how much lithuania invested in the high quality preparation of its presidency in the preparation of its team and i would like to congratulate you on how well all this
but the gradual restoration of confidence was also achieved by changes in our economic governance by the improved regulation of our banks and by the structural reforms implemented under the european semester.
therefore we should now work very hard together on how we can make sure that the intergovernmental dimension is kept to the absolute minimum of what is politically necessary.
we have been rigorously defending the article one hundred and fourteen legal base for this proposal and like you are also concerned that the introduction of the intergovernmental dimension to address the transfer and mutualisation of the fund undoubtedly adds further complexity to the system.
the commission is ready for close cooperation with the co legislator to complete this very important work and add this last piece of the puzzle for the new european economic construction.
financial markets. that is why we pulled out all the stops to make progress on creating a functional
in sovereign states to choose a better
insolvent banks. this is vital for securing economic recovery and financial
to complete. delivery on that scale is demanding
step forward. secondly we all wanted to see progress on a proposal on the statute and funding for european political parties and foundations so i am glad that our negotiators appear to have made a breakthrough on this politically sensitive and legally challenging
the size of the country. it has everything to do with hard work efficiency and determination to build a consensus. we came prepared we learned along the way and
than a budget. as you well know the lithuanian presidency also faced the task of completing negotiations with you on separate programmes required to implement
run up to the vilnius summit we came to appreciate the value
to their task. europe's voters need to hear the message that they are well served by
single stock plans under the reformed common
returning; financial markets
parliament represents. once again the european union is a lighthouse of hope for freedom democracy
underway. it provides us with the means to prevent our young people being denied a future. it gives europe the capacity to fight
of achieving. nevertheless there will be those who remain disappointed that their particular dossier did not progress as far
when i addressed you in july i said that the lithuanian presidency would be about a credible growing and open europe. i stressed the need to regain credibility with the citizens of europe by delivering on the outcomes they have been promised by following through on what we have committed to do and by showing we can work effectively together in the interest of our citizens.
jensen. i think that together we showed what can be done when we apply our collective ingenuity to the task of making europe work for our citizens. we delivered on time a modern predictable forward looking and long term budget a budget that
i spoke of the need to restore growth to our economy and to make it competitive with sustainable jobs for young people in particular. and i reminded this house that europe has always been at its best when it has been an open europe a europe which has stood up for peace democracy and human rights and a europe which after fifty years of conflict and division has striven to reunite.
us. the deal struck in november involved hard choices on all
growth; it is also about restoring confidence in the european union's financial system and regaining the trust of
union's economy. the commission's annual growth survey shows that growth is gradually
on any individual. so i would like to put on record my thanks and admiration for the tireless efforts that your committee chairs rapporteurs and members have put in and for the skill and experience they bring
as they had hoped. however let me single out some of the areas in which we did make a breakthrough although there was little hope of this at the beginning of our presidency. firstly the interinstitutional task force made significant progress towards agreeing on
are stabilising; consumers and businesses are more confident
crisis bringing badly needed extra help to those living below the poverty line or desperately seeking a job. it is a budget for smart growth targeted on strengthening and sustaining the economic recovery which is already
were concluded. that is more than twice what on average a presidency is capable
year of citizens. we all know very well that the interests of citizens can be best served and their trust gained when we deliver results and i think the lithuanian
the mff. i am pleased that we managed to reach agreement on nearly all of these. only a very few remain for the greek presidency
of european solidarity. in extending every best wish to the incoming greek presidency i can say this we discovered that success in a council presidency has nothing to do with
be the same again. together with commissioners fle and ashton with your envoys pat cox and aleksander kwaniewski and with a massive show of support from members from every corner of this house we put heart and soul into demonstrating to our eastern neighbours that our offer of partnership
banking union. the agreement reached just before christmas on the single resolution mechanism provides a blueprint for repairing
future for themselves. the spirit of the maidanci who have taken to the streets to defend their european choice represents
the connecting europe facility is one of the programmes that are aimed at attracting private investment for our energy telecommunications and transport infrastructures.
the potential for growth in the eu was unlocked by the positive outcome of the interinstitutional negotiations on the mff especially through the establishment of a new funding mechanism for long term competitiveness.