kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
madam president this coming sunday the world water forum begins in brasilia. it's very ironic to consider that this highlevel event on such a crucial issue takes place in brazil a country which is shifting to a dictatorship where land grabbing and disregard for environmental concerns are widespread. the recent decree putting the military in charge of rio's police fire services and prisons is highly unlikely to solve the city's security problem.
the eu and its member states must make a much stronger reaction to the increasing state repression.
our governments should support the alternative water forum set to take place next week.
this grassroots platform gathers organisations from around the world including green cross who fight for water to be recognised as a human right rather than as a commodity.
i stand in solidarity with them and in particular with the indigenous communities in brazil and elsewhere who are fighting against corporations trying to seize their lands and their natural resources.
i appreciate that politically it is a matter which you consider important enough to warrant discussion and i fully respect your wishes to organise such a debate in which you have requested that the council participates.
that is your role mine is to represent the council and the council consists of twenty eight member states of which bulgaria happens to be one.
it is of course rather different for this house for this parliament. it is the role of any parliament to discuss matters of topical interest and in particular those issues where it has specific concerns.
i therefore look forward to hearing your views.
i am willing to listen to the views which you wish to convey on this issue. however i am afraid i am not in a position to take a position on behalf of the council simply because the council has not discussed the internal situation in bulgaria and therefore has nothing to say on this issue.
this is an issue which i know has given grounds for concern across this parliament.
so we support this and i hope that this goes some way to meeting some of the concerns mr weber set out initially.
we have not got him yet just to be fair for a moment! we have just had the debate on hungary and we know we have been examining their systematic constitutional modifications which could amount to a serious breach of fundamental rights but i think we have to make it clear that the issue that we are now addressing regarding bulgaria
we will firmly support further reactions in each and every case of systematic fundamental rights breaches or non respect of the rule of law.
help the fight against organised crime. the security organisation has been empowered with operational and repressive police functions which risks creating a mixture of police and intelligence powers that has no counterpart in the eu.
the sd are fully willing to analyse and hold debate on bulgaria or any other country where institutional developments like this raise concerns.
is very different although it does raise serious concerns regarding institutional reforms and how they affect the eu's actions in for example the fight against corruption as the commissioner has rightly said. in bulgaria we have what is effectively the wrong person nominated to a very important anti corruption post plus a reorganisation of the agency that does not
it risks hampering the good progress made by bulgaria in the framework of the cooperation and verification mechanism which is the reporting process that particularly focuses on the fight against corruption and organised crime.
it is quite hypocritical now for these parties to blame one another for the political stalemate in order to gain politically from the people's misery and poverty which they are responsible for creating.
it is vital to build democratic and fighting trade unions as well as genuinely socialist parties to organise the movement and struggle for radical socialist change.
one of the participants in the protests commented accurately we are all linked together bulgaria turkey and brazil.
madam president bulgaria is yet another country to join the worldwide struggle against poverty and corruption.
the key to resolving the economic and social situation as well as to achieving real democracy lies with the working class poor and young people in bulgaria.
we are fighting for different reasons but we all want our governments to finally work for us.
' the protests are an expression of huge popular anger against all the establishment parties.
the course of this discussion.
it would not be appropriate for me as a representative of the council to respond to the various concerns that have been expressed about the current political situation in bulgaria but many of you have made clear the strong views which you hold about recent developments
and i will report back on this debate to my colleagues in the council.
i am grateful to you for enabling the presidency to follow this debate.
what i said was that in bulgaria we have what is effectively the wrong person nominated to a very important anti corruption post the state agency for national security plus a reorganisation of that agency which does not help in the fight against organised crime.
it will not hesitate to make use of its powers in cases of possible infringement of union law or clear risks of serious breaches of eu values.
this year last year is also resonant today. just as the commission was vigilant and acted on one member state it will be doing the same on any other member state. we know that the political situation in bulgaria is polarised.
that is why the commission appeals to all political forces in bulgaria for a consensus for the stability and the prosperity of the country.
the two debates this house has had this afternoon show how important it is for the european union as a whole to promote the rule of law.
some instruments are already in place the cooperation and verification instrument for instance and we can draw experiences from those.
but we need to reinforce our capacity to better address concerns about the rule of law.
that is also what i said at the conclusion of the hungary debate.
i welcome the fact that all european institutions are engaged in a dialogue on this together with the judicial authorities because it is in the best interests of all and especially of eu citizens who expect to see their rights and their freedoms protected everywhere.
while we respect the national competences certain situations can have repercussions for the union as a whole and i am referring particularly to the controversy generated by the appointment of the head of the bulgarian national security agency.
this body on the basis of the recent transfer of competences is instrumental in the fight against organised crime.
president barroso was very clear when he met with prime minister oresharski two weeks ago. on that occasion the president indicated that developments have raised concerns not only for the commission but most importantly within bulgarian society
in this context the commission stresses the need to follow future appointments to strategic posts a process which is open transparent and based on the merits of the candidates has to be put in place.
current political events and public demonstrations in bulgaria point to the need to reform the country.
they also indicate the depth of concern in bulgarian society about the rule of law.
bulgaria must continue its reform efforts and it is now the time to step up the efforts to reform the judicial system and fight corruption and organised crime.
the commission will continue use the cooperation and verification mechanisms that gives it a particular role in supporting and monitoring progress in bulgaria in this area.
the commission is determined to ensure that member states respect fully their obligations under eu law and to that end we will not hesitate in using all instruments at our disposal.
in the case of bulgaria the commission is committed to continue to help and assist bulgaria in order to help deliver the results and make the necessary reforms.
clearly our trade defence instruments need to be efficient and effective independently of the expiry of certain provisions of china's wto accession protocol.
while the eu china relationship is of the utmost importance it is undeniable that china is not a market economy by any standards. we know that is not the question here.
the economic study carried out by external economic experts is also being finalised.
we are working very hard to find a solution but that is not easy.
yes the council is very much aware of the alarming situation of the eu steel industry which is facing a serious crisis as a result of global overcapacity in particular in china.
in other words the council looks forward to the results of the commission's impact assessment and stands ready to work with the european parliament and the commission in the best interests of eu industry and european citizens.
clearly the eu is under high pressure from its industries and civil society to take a decision on this matter.
this is why the council very much welcomes the work being carried out by the european commission in particular the open public consultation of stakeholders and a full impact assessment.
in the meantime the council has restarted discussions on the commission's two thousand and thirteen proposal on modernising the eu's trade defence instruments although.
in the same context the recent release by the commission of its communication on steel has been a welcome initiative to examine how to strengthen our defences against unfair competition and cheap imports.
in closing and considering the importance of the subject the foreign affairs council in trade formation will discuss the commission's communication from a trade angle this coming friday may thirteen including new commission ideas on how to modernise the eu's trade defence instruments and in particular in the light of the economic damage caused by overcapacity in third country markets.
it is not for me to prejudge the outcome of the ongoing work let me underline that this might be the moment to reflect on how to improve our trade defence mechanisms with a view to better tackling unfair trade practices and to ensuring a global level playing field for eu companies.
obviously the eu must comply with its obligations under wto law but it must also balance the legitimate concerns of european producers consumers and users while acknowledging china's position as a strategic trading partner.
on the council side we will examine the full potential impact of our decision in order to give the question a solid and well founded answer.
now as you will know the council has not yet taken any position for the very reason that the right to initiate legislation belongs to the commission.
in addition it is important not to lose sight of the potential effects of the eu's decision in this matter beyond the trade aspects of our relations with china.
we also need to determine the full legal meaning of those sections of the protocol which will remain after eleven december two thousand and sixteen so that we know how to proceed in our relationship with china.
nevertheless we expect the eu to lead the way on global trading rules and if we want china to play by the rules we have to do so ourselves.
and in order to deal with any of these negative repercussions in the future it is critically important that we retain full ability to take timely necessary and effective measures to tackle anti competitive market prices by eu trading partners.
these market distorting actions result in injury to eu industry and having tools to combat them guarantees that the eu companies can continue to operate on a global level playing field.
the positive and negative medium and long term effects for industry member states' economies and societal impacts need to be known ahead of any decision that is taken.
the ecr group believes that certain fundamental principles should be considered within this process and these should go hand in hand with the commission's impact assessment with industry with some five zero responses and it is vital that the results of these are taken into account ahead of any proposals being made.
that being said we must also consider the practical consequences as well as the legal ones.
the clock is ticking towards the december deadline and we await the commission's proposal to ensure future trade is fair.
we therefore need to ensure the full compatibility of eu law with the eu's obligations arising from its wto commitments as well as the legal consequences of changes to china's accession protocol.
firstly and undoubtedly the case that chinese contravention of world trade rules has led to the dramatic decline of our own industries most notably steel in the uk in recent months.
it is a hostile act to destroy our steel industry. if we allow this aggressive dumping we will lose a vital part of our manufacturing base.
but now we have aggressive dumping by china which is distorting the market.
yes some of it is to do with appallingly bad british government decisions over the years no one to blame but ourselves.
some of it is due to the application of crazy directives about green taxation and carbon emissions which has caused damage to us.
this is a time when the politicians really need to be helping our industry and our people.
we will lose a vital part of our tradition and our history certainly in the uk and it is strategically vital that we keep an operational steel industry. so first and foremost i would ask the british government to act on this to have some guts for once and stand up for british manufacturing.
this is not about free trade.
we need eu measures to be wto compliant.
so it is key to look at all sides of this debate both the short term implications and the long term and particularly also to liaise with our trading partners and key allies in making the right decisions in this complex but impactful file.
this debate is not contrary to what the name may suggest a debate on whether or not china's economy operates according to free trade and fair competition laws and principles.
we share the concerns about state interference the creation of overcapacity the lack of transparency and the existence of reliable indicators that can predictably verify whether prices are the result of supply and demand or whether they are kept artificially low.
our group feels strongly about not leaving this to the wto courts to decide.
our group wants a thorough assessment of the legal consequences of the expiration of the protocol as well as a long term legal economic and political impact assessment.
we need to ensure eu policies are in place after the protocol of china's wto accession which was agreed to fifteen years ago expires.
not only do we need solid eu trade defence instruments in general but specifically the eu needs to be able to apply anti dumping measures in cases of dumping of goods by china beyond the end of this year.
what we do know is that wages and environmental standards are lower in china than they are in the eu. in fact importers in europe benefit from this aspect of globalisation and it can also lead to lower prices for consumers.
it is the only credible way to underline the importance that we adhere to global trade based on rules that apply equally to all.
we look forward to seeing the results of the outcome of the public consultation and the commission's impact assessment.
so we have two dimensions here.
it is an economy that functions on the idea of flooding our markets with their subsidised production.
people are waking up to the fact that ideological free trade has a massive cost on society and on workers.
mr president nothing in this discussion is anti china. we need to have a good relationship with them but we need to decide the rules by which this relationship in trade and economic issues is played.
china today has a massive overcapacity in many things we produce from steel to chemicals.
we believe that there is sufficient room in the remaining provisions of article fifteen of china's wto protocol to warrant a china specific methodology and we ask the commission to include this in its proposal.
whether we like it or not free trade is on the defence.
the council has full confidence that the commissioner the commission will act accordingly.
on the other hand china is by no means a market economy as the commissioner and many meps have rightly stated and yes we need to protect european industry and european workers against unfair trade practices.
in other words we will need to balance our international obligations and our strategic commercial interests the interests of our producers consumers and users.
but i want to stress in this debate that reform of tdi alone would not allow us to grant mes to china.
chinese prices are not generally reliable and they do not respond to market forces.
i asked the council to unblock tdi reform as soon as possible and the commission to present a proposal which takes fully into account the potential repercussions on eu jobs and the future of eu industry.
so as an obedient committed citizen against nuclear plants i have submitted a written declaration for an expression of solidarity for the heroic efforts of fukushima the workers and the firemen and i was really very surprised to see that
the first victims there were the workers and the firemen.
not only within the european union and neighbouring countries but at a global level. this is a global issue.
secondly would you not accept that the circumstances faced by fukushima were quite extraordinary and unprecedented both in terms of the strength of the earthquake the strongest ever experienced in japan and the height of the tsunami which reached a maximum i am told of forty six metres
it is vital that nuclear facilities across europe are both safe and seen to be safe.
the mistakes of the first banking stress test must therefore not be repeated;
we do not need another pointless pr exercise.
it is the responsibility of the commission to make sure that the stress tests are conducted in a solid transparent and comprehensive manner and that they have real consequences.
the alde group has called for the entire safety culture and the human factor to be included in the test.
this is unfortunately not the case. i sincerely hope that the commission finds another way forward to test the safety culture. for instance i expect the commission to put forward proposals as part of the revision of the nuclear safety directive to remedy these problems.
we need a strategy which goes beyond this and that provides european common standards guaranteeing a high level of nuclear safety and information.
if you look at the information and the transparency in the fukushima accident there is a real need for a european platform and for european regulation on this issue.
there is precious little time and there is a heavy responsibility on the european commission and certainly more now on the member states who are weakening and backing off from what they promised initially after what happened in japan.
however i also believe that nuclear power should be part of our future energy mix.
however like all other colleagues i also support stress tests as does the uk and i think all member states should give their commitment to those stress tests.
i believe europe needs nuclear power but it needs safe nuclear power.
madam president i would like to share with you some extracts from the interim report of the uk chief inspector of nuclear installations we all need to adhere to the principal of continuous improvement.
that means that no matter how high the standards of nuclear design and subsequent operation are the quest for improvement should never stop'.
that means that the industry must demonstrate to the regulator that it fully understands the hazards associated with its operations and knows how to control them.
so we expect the industry to take the prime responsibility for learning lessons rather than relying on the regulator to tell it what to do.
conclusion number one reads in considering the direct causes of the fukushima accident we see no reason for curtailing the operation of nuclear power plants or other nuclear facilities in the uk'.
conclusion two reads in response to the fukushima accident the uk nuclear power industry has reacted responsibly and appropriately displaying leadership for safety and a strong safety culture in its response to date'.
conclusion four reads to date the consideration of the known circumstances of the fukushima accident has not revealed any gaps in scope or depth of the safety assessment principles for nuclear facilities in the uk'.
their objective is to close down the nuclear industry and they have a fixed objective.
will the commission insist that all member states conduct the stress tests properly and do not do their own lightweight version?
i am particularly concerned that the uk government might go ahead with approving a whole new generation of nuclear power stations before the stress test procedure is concluded in june next year. commissioner do you agree that this would be unwise in terms of european nuclear safety?
everything should be implemented because we have sent money to the national agencies in thirty three countries.
this is the overall picture at a time when we are starting the battle over the future until.
the situation is as follows as i have clarified.
madam president colleagues thank you for your real commitment.
from time to time it is necessary to see what lies behind the budgetary figures.
the other countries are applying and sending requests for additional money.
us. this is also a kind request to the presidency to deliver a substantial increase for two thousand and twelve and not to have an accumulation of problems in this very valuable european union programme
mr president erasmus started twenty five years ago and three million people have taken part.
however the economy has shrunk and youth unemployment has grown massively to.
finally concerning the future of the lifelong learning programme including erasmus you all know that the negotiations concerning the next multiannual financial framework for two thousand and fourteen two thousand and twenty are still in progress. the european parliament is involved in these negotiations.
in the educational sector. therefore let me assure you that the financing of the lifelong learning programme in two thousand and twelve and two thousand and thirteen will not be put in danger.
i am confident that the two arms of the budgetary authority will reach a balanced agreement on the two thousand and thirteen budget in november as foreseen by the treaty.
normally young people in europe have the possibility still have the possibility but even that is now endangered for some of them. in europe we speak about the necessity for excellence for high qualifications of knowing other languages and the erasmus programme is in danger.
in europe all the leaders speak about the necessity of mobility.
i fully agree with what the commissioner said.
thank you very much for your engagement on that.
we say to the young people who want to be real europeans sorry we do not have the money.
this is not exclusively a humanitarian intervention it is an anti terrorist intervention based on security concerns under chapter seven of the un charter meant to restore the sovereignty of the government and authorities over the north of mali and thus eliminate the terrorist sanctuary.
they also of course sought to destabilise the government in bamako to make it even more difficult for the international community to bring its support to the malian people.
there have been horrific abuses of human rights the desecration of holy and cultural sites the trampling of political and religious freedom and a threat posed to all neighbouring countries.
this is something i felt very strongly in this very turbulent week that i wanted to be able to do as we bring together our services and the crisis platform and of course as we talk with the malian government and i convene the foreign affairs council for an emergency meeting this week.
we have to act.
the states of the region are playing a key role and the decision of algeria and morocco to authorise the use of their air space is a good example of this international mobilisation.
i have strongly condemned this aggression.