kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the persecution of christians shia and other religions and ethnic minorities during the rise of the islamic state was well publicised.
as the terror of islamic state rule is rolled back we must ensure that the seeds of future conflict and societal discontent are averted and reprisal attacks are not carried out.
this may not be an easy task but the cycle of shifting persecution as power changes hands must be broken.
as these countries are rebuilt the place of christians and their rights must be protected.
the recent political instability caused by the sudden resignation of hariri as prime minister of lebanon is a sharp warning that the shia sunni war propagated by saudi arabia and iran could be spreading into the country and we must ensure that minorities are not marginalised in any political fallout from the future developments in this country.
christianity is an ancient religion with firm roots in the middle east.
if the countries of the middle east are ever to get past this cycle of religious persecution they must develop a more inclusive model of national identity that extends beyond religion and is fully inclusive and respectful of all minorities who deserve to practise their faith free from persecution and in many cases
and this house is passionate about those rights. but when it comes to those who share the faith of our founding fathers many times we do not do too much and this is a sign we are abandoning christianity we turn a deaf ear and remain silent.
we will not forsake our biblical roots and we remain committed to those who are suffering because of their faith in christ. i implore you.
of christians in morocco. would you say madam that he is a fine example to muslims throughout the world and that this is the sort of leadership that we should see in the muslim world protection of christians by muslims?
of expression and the freedom to exercise political rights.
we are conscious of these facts and we are closely following the political situation in venezuela.
the commission believes that the request for asylum made by manuel rosales and its acceptance by the peruvian government is a bilateral case and that it is not for the commission to pronounce itself on the merits of this request.
he was granted political asylum in peru after being charged with corruption in venezuela.
twenty three i wish to assure parliament that the commission will continue to follow developments in venezuela closely.
we hope that the democratic institutions of venezuela will respect the rule of law and preserve democracy in the country whilst complying with the obligation arising from the international agreements signed and ratified by venezuela including the american convention on human rights
and specifically the provisions on political rights set out in article.
the commission's commitment to supporting and strengthening democracy and the protection and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms will continue to be reflected in our cooperation policies and relations with venezuela.
we are aware that recently the judicial institutions have opened some judicial processes against opposition leaders in venezuela. we know that some sectors of venezuelan society have criticised the proliferation of measures which they consider adversely affect the right to freedom
the commission has taken note of the explanation provided by the president of rosales' party according to which he has gone into hiding for his own protection.
i would like to underline the importance that the european union attaches to freedom of expression and opinion a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of democracy and the rule of law.
as president of this parliament of british commissioners of all parties roy jenkins arthur cockfield chris patton prime minister ted heath and winston churchill all true europeans.
there are british tories socialists liberals. we are europeans.
i as a british conservative reserve the right to object that is my final word.
we will stand with our partners and our allies and if my party leader seeks to rip up thirty years of work by british tory pro europeans he is wrong!
i wish to thank all my fellow members of this house particularly our president hans gert pttering with whom i had the honour of securing british conservative membership of the group of the european people's party. i wish to recall the service of lord plumb henry plumb
the leader of my party mr david cameron has made a serious mistake.
you. the public does not support
if you do succeed you will trap those southern countries inside an economic prison in which people's suffering will be untold while the northern countries will find themselves paying forever a massive bill and interest rates that are far too high for their own economies.
if you succeed then we should change the name get rid of european union' and call it the debt union'.
the model itself is failing and yet what you want is to double the size of the bail out fund.
the public right across the union no longer supports the currency and the battle for spain has not even begun.
you even want to increase the scope of the bail out fund so that along with the ecb you too can go on buying yet more of your own debt. you are using the crisis as a massive power grab to take us towards fiscal union.
as the last european council is already a month behind us let me remind you that i already give a full report each time to your conference of presidents on the results of the european council just a few hours after every meeting.
following our agreement in principle in our october meeting that such a treaty change is needed i had consulted the members of the european council about its possible wording and content.
i know that you and your responsible committees have been following this matter closely not least during the work of the task force on economic governance which i chaired and which gave rise to meetings between myself and the seven chairs of the parliamentary committees most involved.
three points concern work to be done by the national governments first fiscal responsibility;
on the second day of our meeting we focused on our relations with strategic partners.
this discussion confirmed the sense of determination and unity amongst the member states and the institutions.
it is an essential piece in our efforts to make europe more crisis proof.
finally we agreed also on the position on cte d'ivoire in line with what the ministers of foreign affairs decided a few days previously sending a clear signal on the need to respect the results of democratic elections.
with the benefit of your opinion the european council will be able to turn this draft decision into a full decision at its march meeting.
finally the european council also had a very good and in depth exchange of views on recent economic developments and on how to deal with the challenges for all european economies short term and long term.
firstly the european council asks the other institutions not least your parliament to make sure that the agreements reached in october on the basis of the task force which i chaired regarding the stability pact and macro economic surveillance are in place by the summer.
these meetings all showed that for our partners the european union is not only an economic union and a trade bloc but also a geopolitical partner.
this resulted in a statement by the eurogroup finance ministers on twenty eight november which was fully endorsed at the european council meeting.
it must not be a bureaucratic process but a real occasion to have an in depth discussion on the state of play of our economy and the actions to be taken. colleagues we know of course that we have to strengthen and deepen economic coordination and convergence inside the eurozone.
and third the two countries with support programmes are forcefully implementing the necessary measures and we all welcome the efforts of those two governments of greece and ireland and their populations.
as this amendment will not increase the competences of the union all members of the european council agreed that it was appropriate to use a simplified revision procedure.
secondly we agree to conduct new stress tests in the banking sector to ensure full transparency in the broader context of the eu annual exercise.
i need hardly remind you of the importance of proceeding as rapidly and as smoothly as possible in this matter in a period where market volatility remains a concern.
two other points concern work to be done by the member states and the institutions of the european union together.
and the summit with prime minister singh of india which showed good progress for an ambitious and balanced free trade agreement hopefully with a result in the first semester of this year and which also produced a joint declaration on international terrorism.
this now requires an opinion from your parliament as well as from the european commission and the central bank.
i insist all twenty seven agree even if the analysis focuses particularly on the current seventeen euro countries.
the european council also decided to give montenegro the status of candidate country.
it foresees that the future european stability mechanism will be designed on the basis of the current mechanism so imf involvement is provided for.
in march we will have our first exercise of what is called the european semester.
it underlines the conviction within the european council that the countries of the western balkans have a european vocation.
then the treaty amendment will have to be approved in each member state.
concerning the role of the private sector decisions will be taken on a case by case basis so private sector involvement will not be a prior requirement for support under the future stability mechanism.
i would like to thank president buzek for his contribution on this at the european council and for informing us of parliament's willingness to proceed quickly in considering this matter.
cathy ashton presented progress reports on how to deal with strategic partners and i briefed colleagues about the positive outcome of three recent summit meetings namely the summit with president obama where we opened new avenues for transatlantic cooperation on growth jobs and security such as green growth and cyber security;
the president of the central bank was also present and a statement by the heads of state or government of the eurozone and the eu institutions present was welcomed by the european council.
it is important not just for legal certainty but also for market credibility.
let me mention the elements of this joint approach which reflects the statement adopted.
work is going on to develop these elements of this overall approach.
i secured agreement on a text consisting of two sentences to be added to article one hundred and thirty six of the treaty.
as simple as that and i wish it for you personally and i wish it for our union in these difficult times.
the granting of any required financial assistance under the mechanism will be made subject to strict conditionality'.
first we decided on the proposal for a limited treaty amendment required to establish a permanent mechanism to safeguard the financial stability of the eurozone as a whole.
at the december european council we focused on the first day on economic issues and on the second day on foreign policy.
whatever internal discussions take place whether the financial facility will need to double its capital and the right to buy bonds whether the financial stability mechanism after two thousand and thirteen will include trimming or will be ordered to sell eurobonds
regarding the financial stability mechanism the council's decision says that the mechanism is to be activated if indispensable to safeguard the stability of the eurozone as a whole'.
as history tells us people will deny the possibility of failure right up to the last moment.
what we have had ever since two thousand and eight is repeated hesitation and internal wrangling between member states and the institutions and each time a painfully extracted response but produced too late and constituting less than what was required.
what chance is there right now of a stronger and more democratic set of institutions emerging from a revised treaty?
not only will it be exposed as economic lunacy but it will be profoundly damaging to the european project.
mr president december's european council at least gave us political agreement on a permanent crisis resolution mechanism but given the reaction of the markets after christmas with new fears over the solvency of portugal spain and belgium we have to ask whether once again this was a case of too little too late'.
against this background i am shocked president barroso at the frontal attack by the commission on social europe and the interference with national labour markets as in the case of ireland. the annual growth survey is indeed a frontal attack on long established socially and economically essential workers' rights and on the very concept of collective bargaining.
what is holding the eurozone together today is less the dream of the founding fathers than simply the nightmare of the alternative total collapse of the system.
the abject failure to deal with the crisis is driving the european project into political deadlock.
the proposed european stabilisation mechanism itself raised new questions on the financial markets and the existing financial stability mechanism is now regarded as insufficient.
our institutional decision making processes are complex and lacking in democracy and our economic policy strategy is divided and ineffective. the financial markets are not keeping the pressure on us just because of high debt and deficit levels president barroso they are also doing so because they want compensation for the risk of lending money to a project that seems incapable of reaching maturity or fulfilling its own destiny.
let us recognise the possibility of failure.
intelligent calls for more political integration like that last week from the head of the german bundesbank really do not stand a chance.
effectively we are introducing a genuine european dimension into national budgetary and economic policy making.
this year we should see gdp growth at around.
if the latter then there are a few things we are going to have to
that means investing in areas that derive growth unleashing the full potential of our single market increasing investment in energy transport and it infrastructure in part through innovative financing including we believe the european union project bonds and continuing to press for a conclusion of the doha round while pushing forward free trade agreements with key partners.
the final decisions on national budgets will of course be taken by national parliaments.
in. two thousand and twelve europe's manufacturing sector has improved markedly in recent months.
let me just concentrate on that because i think based also on the very important conclusions of the december european council it is now more important than ever to look at the next steps.
it is more than anything a matter of prioritising and some areas innovation education new forms of energy are good candidates for such priority treatment.
the third key message in the annual growth survey is to frontload and speed up measures that are growth enhancing.
this is our new economic governance at work governance that should be the comprehensive response to the crisis.
the annual growth survey launches this process and its key messages are clear bring back stability do not delay structural reforms any longer and speed up growth enhancing measures.
we need to help people get back to work or find new jobs by making work more attractive.
set? if it is not us at european level who will encourage them to take those decisions who will do it? only by sorting out our debt and stabilising finances can we move from crisis management to fostering growth not any kind of growth of course but sustainable inclusive
but we have to approach this in a sober and well thought out way.
anyone who truly cares about a social europe knows this cannot continue.
citizens. thank you for your attention.
unless we balance the books we will not restore confidence in europe's economies.
let me be quite clear structural reform does not mean reducing our level of social protection but it does mean bringing in those who are currently excluded from the labour market especially our young people.
we cannot return to the old ways of doing
error. the world has changed.
it. it is a matter of simple common sense and we are delivering it and will continue to deliver
ladies and gentlemen our economies are starting to move in the right direction.
when we see the level of interdependence in the euro area and the european union as a whole a country should be able to take decisions knowing what its neighbours intend to
europe's next budget must be a growth enhancing budget.
that is right and proper but this new form of economic governance simply reflects a rational response to a new reality.
we should also see a steady improvement in employment prospects and we are starting to see public deficits decline thanks primarily to the consolidation measures already taken supported in some cases by a resumption of growth.
fiscal consolidation does not mean reducing debt by taking a slash and burn approach to spending.
in the face of increased international competition we can only sustain our social market economy if we adapt.
it is bringing in genuine european economic governance.
if we do not restore confidence we will risk economic stagnation and all the negative social consequences that flow from that especially for employment.
levels of youth unemployment in some member states even in good times are a scandal.
things. if we do not act now in the face of the biggest crisis since the beginning of european integration when will member states be ready to take real steps for economic policies that are consistent with the goals they have themselves
do. this sharing of information empowers and strengthens national parliaments.
i believe a new reality is emerging. the politics of economic governance and economic coordination have changed and this is not just because the so called federalists wanted
the second key message from the annual growth survey is to push forward with structural reforms so that we can create new job opportunities. the choice is a simple one do we want jobless growth or growth with jobs?
our europe two thousand and twenty programme is central to this. we must focus on measures that have clear economic benefits in the short to medium term and which lend themselves to relatively fast adoption.
jobs. the annual growth survey points the way. so let us now commit seriously to proper economic policy coordination and real common european economic governance for all our
the commission has signalled this very clearly in the annual growth survey.
first we need to re establish stability by consolidating public finances.
we need to reform pension systems and make sure that the unemployed are not left worse off when they find work.
growth. that means structural reforms many of which we have been advocating for several years reforms that challenge all structures but do so to reduce prices and increase opportunities for new jobs and innovative ways of doing
this ex ante approach is at the heart of what makes this a historic step for the european union.
the recovery has taken hold and is currently progressing in the real economy.
do. we need to urge member states to focus this year on labour market reform so that we can remove obstacles to higher employment levels.
all of this needs to be reflected in the next multiannual financial framework proposal.
from now on we will be helping to shape policies upfront rather than assessing and trying to correct them afterwards.
in particular the heads called for determined action in ensuring the availability of adequate financial support through the european financial stability facility pending the entry into force of the permanent mechanism.
we were told that in a single currency member states would no longer be able to devalue their way out of trouble and would instead have to reform their economies to make them more competitive.
the long term solution does not lie in bigger government.
some member states were able to find other solutions to prop up their economies artificially through asset price inflation in part caused by an unsuitably low interest rate and a refusal to take corrective action by other means;
whilst of course we must find solutions to deal with the immediate consequences of these policies and fiscal retrenchment is essential we must equally importantly commit ourselves to economic reform to extend labour market flexibility to create jobs to open markets and remove barriers to trade and to stimulate private investment so that we can fill the void left by reduced public sector spending.
whilst we have been dealing with this immediate crisis other countries around the world some with political values that seem very different to our own have been forging ahead.
if we do not come out of this crisis on a progressive path to reform we will be condemned to inexorable relative decline with the most profound consequences for the promotion of our values and indeed for the future of the planet.
whilst a superficially attractive proposition many of us were right not to be taken in as this has proved a false prospectus.
or by injecting borrowed public funds on an unsustainable scale and in some cases to cover up the size of the resulting fiscal deficit.
mr president the european council took important decisions about the future management of crises but i agree with president barroso that the underlying problems remain the need to return to fiscal discipline and the reluctance by some member states to pursue seriously economic reform.
the financial and economic crisis made large scale government intervention in the economy unavoidable but we must not confuse the palliative with the cure.
it lies in economic growth being generated by successful businesses and entrepreneurs operating in competitive markets which are able to deliver value to the consumer and create jobs for our citizens. that is why the europe two thousand and twenty strategy the single market act and the innovation union for example are so essential and must be given the attention they merit.
they are under the control of brussels and they are under the control of the international financial institutions.
the decisions made by national electorates in these countries with regard to the spending priorities they adopt and the economic policies they pursue now have very little effect.
once we get through this crisis we really need to look at restoring democracy in these countries and restoring the will of their national electorates to be in control of their own national economic policies.
the situation is still very dire in a number of member states portugal will almost certainly face difficulties possibly spain and possibly belgium. but what is particularly of concern to me is the effect on natural democracy in these countries.
these are not natural disasters and they were not beyond the control of the member states concerned.
of estonia's membership of the eurozone but estonia has been preparing for this since its accession.
european citizens expect us to ease business making in the digital sphere where operations like electronic payments and e identification should be coherent and understandable.
at a time of economic crisis moral values and ethics have become more important.
this could be a real chance to boost european competitiveness in the world.
well. i think it is critically important that we have a strong response regarding stability of the euro
since we believe it is important to have a permanent stability mechanism the commission played a constructive role supporting this limited revision of the treaty.
do it? we should ask all member states that are in a more vulnerable position to do whatever they have to do to restore confidence in their economies through appropriate macro economic stability fiscal consolidation structural reforms;
i believe the best way to support the courageous efforts that all of us are trying to make in europe at different paces is to have the language of truth.