kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
but the delicious moment of irony came right at the end.
of course where it is all going is higher entertainment allowances protected pensions higher salaries.
although of course common humanity bids us recognise an obligation to the poorest people on the planet no one has ever explained to me why it is right to give four times as much support to wealthy french farmers as to poor african farmers.
after all the speeches about how we needed more money to make us more efficient and we were cutting out all the waste and we were really focusing on growth the eu spent eur six hundred zero awarding its own film prize.
all these wonderful speeches about how we needed more money to stimulate the economy and get people working again.
while i understand that this is a member state competence nonetheless i believe it would have sent a strong signal from this parliament.
at least that will give citizens and the public a chance to have an input and to make their views known. in my own constituency there are plans to drill exploratory wells for fracking and many people have real concerns about the environment and about human and animal health.
i think we need to take into consideration the views of the commissioner for the environment who just yesterday evening spoke in this parliament he said that there are gaps in european legislation and he confirmed that the commission will carry out an impact assessment in two thousand and thirteen part of which will be a public consultation.
the poor record of fracking in the us gives us every reason to be concerned and there is no proper framework in place to ensure the protection of the environment and the protection of human and animal health.
i can understand the frustration of my polish colleagues who are fed up of dependence on russia and hear no sympathy in this parliament from the other political groups.
it is often said that if the modern combustion engine was invented today the environmental movement would have killed it and we have to understand that we have to get the right balance between technological progress and saving our environment and protecting our environment.
at the same time however we must not also forget the geopolitical implications.
they see shale oil and shale gas as a way of reducing that dependence so that they can be self sufficient and not have to depend on an overbearing neighbour and that should seriously be a consideration in this debate.
yet it is clearly within the eu's wider goals of enhancing energy independence to be open to exploiting this resource further.
the energy aspect to this issue is one thing. but the research aspect is also to be considered as many of the techniques involved in safely accessing shale gas have led to leaps forward in research as new innovative techniques have been developed and continue to be developed as the technology matures. the wider usages for these technologies are yet to be explored but should be considered a priority for eu research and innovation funding too.
madam president cheaper energy is the chief motor of human economic progress. every great advance in our living standards from the industrial revolution onwards has been accompanied by a fall in energy prices that allows production prices to fall and makes us more competitive.
it allows us to get more out of less.
the revolution which happened with oil was a huge improvement.
it allowed one barrel to do the work of hundreds of men and all of us are benefiting from the consequent rise in our living standards.
shale oil is a providential gift to this part of the world.
instead of having to carpet our hills with wind farms and dam our estuaries with turbines here is a discreet way of getting at more power and ending our reliance on some unpleasant and autocratic regimes.
i am very pleased that parliament rejected the calls for a moratorium not least because it certainly is a member state responsibility and not an eu one. given the energy needs of europe and our reliance on imported gas from russia it is essential that we explore all the options that are available to us
while ensuring that we have proper environmental controls and regulations to put in place to ensure that the environment is properly protected.
we need to get that balance right or else we may choke off the potential that this new technology offers to us.
however this year i am really glad that he has chosen to highlight the issues faced in spain with regard to the operation of coastal laws. one of the small things my constituents do not understand is why the eu cannot do more in ensuring that their rights are upheld when they choose to invest in property and live in another eu member state.
the arbitrary application of certain planning laws by regional governments is an issue that i am glad the petitions committee is seeking to highlight and hopefully address.
madam president i voted against this report. it is largely supportive of fracking and sees fracking as a core element of the european energy mix.
the report does not consider the precautionary principle and is way too optimistic in regard to fracking.
just yesterday in this chamber the commissioner for the environment himself spoke about the risks from fracking and said that they were higher than those from conventional gas exploration.
he also said that there are significant gaps in eu legislation in regard to fracking.
in my view these gaps include the need for a mining directive the necessity to expand the remit of the environmental impact assessment directive and gaps in the water framework directive.
in my own constituency there are very serious concerns in regard to fracking and its consequences for animal and human health the destruction of the landscape and damage to our clean green image.
finally we are facing a fossil fuel cliff globally.
shale gas may have postponed the awful day but our energy mix in the future will not be fossil fuel based.
we need to direct our energies and our resources to sustainable renewable energy sources.
think of the potential for the united states and other countries to no longer be dependent on oil from some of the most unpleasant regimes in the middle east.
we want more growth and it is essential that we complete the single market to make sure that our companies can trade across national borders.
greater access to information on complaints infringement files and other enforcement mechanisms must be provided. the commission must follow more closely and with severity the transposition of directives before the end of the transposition deadline.
this actually goes back to an earlier debate today the discussion on the application of eu law.
we are supposed to be able to buy property elsewhere yet when we buy a property in spain the regions in spain use local laws to undermine our ability and to actually demand even more money from us.
how is it that the eu at the same time as encouraging free movement of people cannot do anything about corruption at the local level in spain?
madam president in the time of economic downturn energy prices are under the microscope. we therefore have to consider all sources of energy available to us while respecting of course environmental concerns.
we must also explore all our options and i therefore could not support this report in its existing form.
this report may focus on regions and countries that have introduced a moratorium on shale gas.
however there are plenty of regions that are on their way to becoming more energy efficient and self sustaining because of responsible exploitation of this resource.
we need to balance the debate.
if the eu is to compete with other areas of the world who are busy exploiting this resource in a responsible way we need to learn from them particularly from the us in this regard and without delay in order for us to be economically competitive too.
i cannot be alone in having had so much traffic from constituents who had had property expropriated or threatened. it was actually easier in the end for me to go to valencia rather than trying to pursue them all individually from my end.
it was a good example let me fair about this of the european union tackling a real problem in a practical way drawing to the attention of a member government that it could do something better without any coercion.
although we did not solve that issue a hundred percent i think we got much of what we wanted. it would be nice if we extended a similar readiness to listen to petitions to other issues.
and eight and two thousand and thirteen the transition to civilian democracy led to closer eu cooperation with pakistan in different fields and to a more structured partnership including political dialogue on sensitive and complicated issues like human rights and counter terrorism.
the eu through a number of different projects already supports the pakistani government's counter terrorism activities aimed at reducing the threat from militant groups operating in the territory.
developing an effective efficient professional independent and credible civilian legal system remains a key priority for pakistan and the eu is ready to support and train police prosecutors defence lawyers and judges.
the eu has consistently supported the democratisation process.
in two thousand and eight pakistan started its transition from military rule to democracy.
the issue of religious minorities remains a central aspect of our human rights dialogue.
freedom of religion and expression are constitutional rights in pakistan but discrimination remains severely affecting for instance shias and ahmadis but also christians and other minorities.
i think this is the strongest sign of the fact that the right to education of girls and boys cannot be stopped by such terrible attacks.
this includes support for capacity building of law enforcement community policing promoting dialogue between different communities and strengthening resilience to violence.
two thousand and eight let me conclude by saying that the european union remains and will remain opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances.
we have to start from the root causes and from prevention.
in two thousand and thirteen the country experienced its first ever handing over of power from one democratically elected government to another.
key elements include regulating madrasas blocking financing mechanisms of terrorist organisations and measures against religious persecution.
harsher punishments or the temporary expansion of the jurisdiction of military courts do not address a weak judicial system.
our election observation missions were in pakistan in two thousand.
his first ever visit to pakistan this year include freedom of religion and belief women's rights the death penalty and the rule of law and access to justice.
two thousand and nine there is quite a high level of illiteracy still in pakistan and education is valued by many. therefore an attack on education is actually an attack on the country's future.
and the use of military courts which do not have a full system of justice.
the resolution has no number for those recently executed it is now up to nineteen as of this morning.
i think we can understand too the anger of the people and the desire of the government to be seen to take strong action against those committing terrorist offences.
pakistan plays an important role in fostering stability in the region and should lead by example and strengthen the rule of law and human rights.
we need to unite globally against radicalisation and extremism.
this is the price pakistan is paying in trying to keep the world safe.
since two thousand and three when pakistan joined the american led war on terror over sixty zero pakistanis have died.
i have visited peshawar and the lady reading hospital where most of the injured and fatalities were brought. i can report that the facilities there are basic and they can do with our help and support.
that is the equivalent to twenty nine eleven s.
i urge you to send a team of observers to see for yourself and to make good on our promises for support following the attack.
its latest barbaric murderous attack against a school is symbolic for much of what it stands irrationally in opposition to enlightenment education progress and equal rights for women.
the government of pakistan obviously needs to do more to combat this form of home grown terrorism looking more carefully at the options and capabilities at its disposal.
they slay our journalists to break our values.
the perpetrators are of the same mind set mumbai or madrid or peshawar pakistan the perpetrators are one and we must stand in defiance as one. let us send a clear message from this house to the people of pakistan that we stand firm and united with them at this time.
high representative we must safeguard measures we have already put in place in terms of our relationship with pakistan and actually start to build upon them.
strengthening the pakistani economy is one prong that we must explore further.
recent events demonstrate that we are all on the front line but the front face is the people of pakistan who have carried a very heavy burden on very weak shoulders on behalf of the international community.
one is the serious concern and disappointment of empl about the late adoption of the european social fund operational programmes due to the considerable novelties introduced for the two thousand and fourteen two thousand and twenty period which has led to administrative difficulties despite efforts for simplification
regarding the objective of maximising the contribution of european structural and investment funds i would like to highlight two issues of particular concern.
thus bringing about the urgent need for both the member states and the commission to accelerate the implementation of operational programmes.
loss of these funds would therefore be a real blow for local economic growth in communities.
two thousand and twenty it is imperative that theresa may presents us with a long term commitment to secure investments at a local level.
brexit provokes many questions including whether the uk government will replace eu funds lost to the regions beyond.
mr president for years european cohesion policy has through the structural and investment funds played a significant role in fostering the social cultural and economic vibrancy of both rural and urban areas across the eu including the uk.
this is the first part of our question.
two thousand and twenty three thirdly we are asking how the commission will increase technical assistance for the managing authorities.
two thousand and seventeen this should assess the cause of the current delays and it should be drawn up in close cooperation with the member states with the aim of accelerating the implementation of operational programmes.
we urge the commission to address these questions and deliver an implementation action plan in order to speed up the implementation of cohesion policy for this period.
otherwise we will have a not very successful period which will lead to more debates concerning the future of the core of cohesion policy and the core results of the policy.
two thousand and twenty bearing in mind the importance of this debate we need to follow the situation with regard to implementation in the current planning period and it is extremely important to encourage member states to take special measures to improve implementation
they have resulted in significant setbacks to project implementation at local regional and national level as well as a considerable decrease in payment appropriations compared to last year. we are concerned that this situation will lead to high
we welcome the support provided through the taskforce for better implementation but we believe more can be done to assist the managing authorities and speed up implementation.
we hope that the lessons learned from these delays can inform the debate on the future european structural and investment funds post.
the regional development committee therefore calls on the commission to present an implementation action plan in the first quarter of.
we ask the commission to come forward with the solution to these issues in the cohesion forum and the seventh cohesion report.
secondly how will the commission ensure the full implementation of the payment plan by?
you have our support on that so keep up the work.
in canada where they have tightly regulated price and market controls they are dumping milk. they have a problem in their marketplace.
in the us with counter cyclical payments they have greater volatility than we do.
i have been here a while and i have seen previous commissioners ignore our call for a response so i welcome all of those things and in particular your focus on the food supply chain.
there is no quick fix.
in new zealand where they have a free market with no controls their farmers are literally going out of business with huge mental health and financial problems being experienced.
it was an opportunity for you commissioner to show farmers across europe that you understood the crisis that many of them are facing.
none of this represents solidarity or the radical action that was required not just to resolve this crisis but to provide the certainty that is necessary for farmers to manage their livelihoods into the future.
we are going to witness one crisis after another in one sector after another.
it was an opportunity to show that this commission is capable of proposing measures that would make a real difference to farmers not just during this period but measures that would actually tackle the huge price volatility that is fast becoming the hallmark of european agriculture.
i fear that because of this wasted opportunity in the coming years we are going to return to this place.
will they be given a bye ball?
is that part of this package?
in europe too often the attitude is if in doubt appoint a high level group' but again whatever the merits of the long term solution it is a long term solution like the mmo and other ideas when what we have is a short term problem.
on aid to private storage how long do you estimate it will take from withdrawal of the product before it has an impact on the market?
is it coming in to pay for the package?
can i say i also welcome the new psa scheme for cheese and that unused allocations can be redistributed within three months.
farmers are getting lower prices and why would people be advocating that they should take a reduction in their direct payments as well at a time when they need a cash flow increase rather than a reduction in payments?
the criterion we used for that was the milk deliveries in the last milk year.
i acknowledge as well that we will continue to monitor the situation very carefully for the future but i am also saying that we made a meaningful response of eur five hundred million in very challenging financial circumstances for the european
that. eur thirty million is a modest amount of money but it is certainly a contribution that we are making and we may be expected to make more in the future in order to deal with this particularly appalling humanitarian situation.
i am implementing what you required and i can say to the french delegation that the quotas are
chain. there is a reasonable price being able to be received for milk but it is not getting to the
farmer. maybe there are national as well as european responsibilities that we can collectively look at to try and help the french and the uk situation is no different so that we can get a reasonable return for the producer.
could i say to the people who are saying that the market orientation is wrong that if i heard a lot of speakers tonight after the reduction in the fonterra global dairy auctions i am sure over the summer months i would hear a lot of people saying that our market orientation is in trouble but over the last four weeks there have been three auctions.
chain. so the experience in spain and the experience in the uk are models we can look at and see how best practice there can be implemented perhaps on a european wide
we have responded to that by relaxing the controls and i hope that the members of committee on budgets who are here tonight will be able to understand that in two years' time when we come to scrutinise the performance of the department of dg agri and myself in relation to budget controls that this is an exceptional situation which required an exceptional response in relation to relaxing some of the controls to allow member states to be able to pay money up to seventy
we do not have an unlimited budget as this house and indeed the council will verify but we have some resources and i have put a package together of eur five hundred million in response to the concerns that have been expressed not because there was a protest in brussels but because you have been saying it for a number of months and indeed in the nicholson report in that debate in july we clearly signalled that the challenges ahead may require a multi faceted response and that is what this package is about.
that we do make a major contribution to the income of keeping as many farmers as possible in rural areas by providing the value added in terms of employment to the forty six million people that are employed in the food sector and providing good quality food for our consumers as mr brannen my colleague from the uk rightly pointed out. there are four major areas that this package is going to be targeted at.
number one there is an immediate cash flow problem for farmers.
we included for the first time i would say to my polish colleague drought as a criteria.
these measures that we are speaking about can be put in place with your help and support in five weeks.
member states can use this particular envelope for whatever they effectively wish in order to ensure that farmers are certainly getting the benefit and also they can use it for structural reforms.
if that is what you wanted to do i certainly was not prepared to do that.
the first one in august was.
at a time when we have huge demands on financial resources in the european union with the biggest crisis in the european union for decades in terms of migration and refugees we are responding with product through charities and existing structures in the world food programme and in various other ways through dg echo in order to respond to
farmer. it is getting to everybody else in the food chain but not enough is going to the
it. i do not subscribe to the notion that we have to invoke the crisis reserve at the moment.
it is a robust and decisive response.
the allocation of eur four hundred and twenty million in member state envelopes has generated some inevitable reaction but i want to emphasise that the distribution key that was used ensures that the envelopes are fair and in a spirit of solidarity it provides a top up for those member states that are most greatly affected by the negative circumstances including the fall in pigmeat prices the summer drought and the ongoing impact of the russian ban. last
the commission's response must also be seen against the other budgetary pressures particularly arising from the refugee crisis.
in addition to the continuing impact of that ban we also have weakening demand in a number of key existing and prospective markets notably china;
in response to some concerns about the source of the funding for the package i am happy to confirm that the money comes from within the existing margins of the agricultural budget and will not require recourse to the crisis reserve.
and we have an impact of drought in certain member states. these issues have had a wide impact on farmers particularly dairy farmers who number about seven hundred zero right across the union.
and particularly with those most affected by market developments over the past year.
indeed an element of the commission's package is to make available eur thirty million to ensure that eu milk will be available for the nutritional needs of refugees.
the commission's response reflects our commitment to support european farmers and european food production.
the commission is already publishing the draft legal instruments the delegated and implementing acts and i encourage them to support these measures particularly in relation to targeted aid to ensure that the available funding can be provided quickly to those who need