kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
at the end i think we reached an outcome that is acceptable to all and a decision that was based on a sound analysis of the implications of the choice. we can all be glad that we now have the modalities agreed for reaching the target. this now provides the manufacturers and supplier industry with the clarity they need to implement the necessary technologies and therefore continue to produce vehicles and technology that are attractive at a global level.
i am looking forward to the commission coming back next year with an ambitious report for setting two thousand and twenty five standards.
i just hope i am here to facilitate some of it.
this is strange because they had been an enormous success.
i think the whole legislation has been very good indeed good for drivers good for our environment and good for the car industry which has kept its lead in the world.
this matters not just in terms of reducing co two emissions and tackling climate change but also because more efficient cars use less fuel and save money for hard pressed individuals up to a thousand pounds a year for the average driver. it also matters because tight standards are driving the growth of very low emission electric vehicles creating thousands of extra jobs including in my own constituency in the north east of england.
as is well known this plenary vote should have taken place months ago but the intervention of two heads of government caused the trialogue agreement reached under the irish presidency to be overturned.
madam president commissioner hedegaard mentioned the difficulties which this process has gone through.
a secret deal between two leaders is no way to make european legislation and it has seriously undermined the normal democratic codecision process. fortunately parliament came back to the table and managed to limit the attempt to weaken the deal.
finally i particularly welcome the closing of the loopholes in the test cycle which have left so many people disenchanted about their failure to get fuel efficiency from their vehicles.
the challenge of feeding the world's rapidly growing population is one of the biggest threats to the same.
i appreciate the fact that the main focus of this resolution is food security and how to tackle the threats that put food security at risk.
i believe that in the upcoming decades we will have to deliver a global strategy that must include sustainability in farming systems and in global food production through sustainable small scale farming organic high nature value or tree based agriculture as well as better resource efficiency and increased crop diversity.
any initiative taken at pan european level has to have genuine eu added value.
eu environment policy and in particular the eu biodiversity strategy to two thousand and twenty the eu soil thematic strategy and eu legislation for the protection of water air and natural habitats and species aim at protecting conserving and enhancing those natural resources to secure the provision of sustainable and healthy food production in the european union.
we wish to reiterate our commitment to implementing eu policies and legislation to support sustainable food systems in close cooperation with the stakeholders member states and the european parliament.
the commission is committed to supporting the member states and stakeholders in their efforts to reduce food waste by helping to lift any obstacles and by promoting the sharing of best practice and transfer of knowledge and experience. at expo two thousand and fifteen the commission will organise a conference dedicated to food waste prevention
while the promotion of healthy diets and lifestyles is a matter of national competence the commission's strategy on nutrition overweight and obesity related health issues and related implementing tools provide a framework and support to coordinate actions in the european union.
since two thousand and twelve the european commission has worked actively to identify the best possible action to take at eu level to fight food waste without compromising on food safety.
focusing in particular on the importance of an effective intersectoral cooperation.
it also promotes organic production with clear labelling rules enabling customers to make an informed choice when making their purchases. i look forward to a debate on this important topic and i thank you.
the european innovation partnership for agricultural productivity and sustainability is supported by the common agricultural policy and aims at closing the gap between research and practice.
in addition sustainable food security is one of the major cross cutting focus areas identified for research under the horizon two thousand and twenty work programme to continue until. two thousand and seventeen the commission is currently preparing an ambitious work programme and call for proposals on sustainable food security that aim to build more resilient and resource efficient production and value chains.
the commission is currently reflecting on the scope of the new more ambitious circular economy package to be published by the end of this year and will consider possible opportunities for action in the food sector as for all other sectors.
we will only take action where this can facilitate and augment ongoing action in the member states.
the attitude towards the use of the obvious advantages of biotechnology in agriculture is a case in point.
the green lobby forced the banning of neonicotinoid seed dressings without the benefit of british field trials and with the result that oilseed rape crops fail or need the life support of repetitive cypermethrin spraying.
furthermore british farmers are being forced to abandon optimum rotations in favour of the three crop rule and at the same time they are told to reduce omissions of co two the very gas that makes their crops grow in the first place.
the chief scientific advisor to the commission can find nothing wrong with gm crops so the commission abolishes the post of chief scientific advisor.
the eu green lobby are forcing thousands of acres out of food production in favour of expensive energy from solar farms and ad plants while being utterly opposed to the cheap shale gas that sits underneath those same fields.
madam president we are discussing feeding the planet and providing energy for life. the present cap is an object lesson on how to fail to achieve this.
the european union policies respond to a number of points raised. the common agricultural policy for example provides a comprehensive and inclusive support framework for the sustainable production of food.
the strength of european agriculture is based on its diversity its capacity to add value and its ability to adapt.
in that context the commission would encourage further reflection and discussion on some points of this resolution particularly in relation to the proposed focus on specific agriculture models.
as already explained in my opening remarks the commission is committed to supporting member states and stakeholders in strengthening resource efficiency in the food chain and preventing and reducing food waste from farm to fork.
it is also clear that member states need to play a key role in the issues of nutrition and physical activity.
the commission agrees and strongly supports additional cooperation between them so as to improve some of the trends mentioned in the resolution particularly by promoting healthy diets and lifestyles.
this is about the third massive voting list that we have had for a parliament which is at the very end of its mandate.
i would put it to you that this is wholly undemocratic but fully in keeping with the wholly undemocratic approach of this parliament.
many legal experts and human rights organisations have condemned the charges against him as politically motivated especially with regard to his second trial.
but with specific reference to the mention in the text of the resolution of the reduction of platon lebedev's prison sentence by three years it is important for the house to note that this has been appealed by the prosecutors.
mr president the ecr group strongly supports the joint text on syria.
whilst the group resolution calls for a peaceful solution to be found in order to facilitate a political transition without president al assad towards a more stable and democratic syria speaking personally i would like to find ways of establishing a limited no fly zone in the border regions and some kind of escape corridors in order to create a sanctuary for refugees.
finally i just want to thank president draghi for the courage the vision and the decisions he has taken since he came into office.
mr president people across the world are watching the situation in syria with horror and empathy for the plight of the syrian people.
what began as a popular uprising against assad has descended into a civil war with religious ethnic and sectarian characteristics.
unfortunately it is increasingly the arena for a regional and international proxy war.
on the one side is the brutal assad regime backed up by iran and russia.
clearly they do not provide a way forward for the syrian people.
any military intervention would worsen the situation.
building a united working class movement to overthrow the assad regime is a herculean task but it is the only way to successfully win democratic rights and fundamental social and economic change.
one is to insist on something that we know is not going to work another is to try to have the most advanced and ambitious outcome at copenhagen.
but the reality is that some of our most important partners are simply not ready for it so there are two possibilities.
i believe it is still possible and we will fight for it.
but now we have a new berlin wall not on the frontiers of nations but within nations.
however the big problem facing the nation states of europe is not too few diplomatic missions but too many unemployed.
members here have celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall and rightly so.
this wall is between the professional politicians of the political establishment and the people.
there is a big budget to open new diplomatic missions and i must point out that the existence of the post of eu high representative threatens the permanent seats on the un security council held by the united kingdom and france too monsieur daul.
our objective at the european council was as december's climate change conference in copenhagen approaches to continue to lead the way on climate change.
let me explain the situation on the eve of the european council.
given these circumstances i am satisfied with the outcome of the meeting.
how would we solve the czech request regarding the charter of fundamental rights? there were many different views and there were calls for various exemptions and special considerations from several other member states. in contrast we got a clearer message on climate change the other main subject for the meeting.
i will not speculate on who these persons will be but i would like to say that it is not just the name that is important but also what they will be doing and how they will
council. let me stress that the nomination of the high representative will have to take place before the new commission is appointed and that this should be preceded by appropriate contacts with this parliament.
we welcomed the progress made in implementing measures concerning illegal migration in the mediterranean and we called for work in a number of specific
now to the question of
we need to act quicker than that and so the council noted that in addition to this we need global financing of eur five billion each year from two.
with all this in place and on its way we must focus on safeguarding jobs.
they were of course an important element of the discussions.
the eu and the member states are ready to contribute their fair share if other key players make comparable efforts.
our ambition with the strategy is to address the urgent environmental challenges related to the baltic sea and to contribute to the economic success of the region.
i know that the vast majority of you here today share my satisfaction and relief that finally this long chapter of preparations for institutional reform is coming to an end. the european council also assessed other treaty preparations.
the negotiations were both lengthy and difficult but in the end our discussions led to an endorsement by the european council of the commission's estimate of eur one hundred billion annually by two thousand and twenty and it estimated that the level of international public support should lie in the range of eur twenty two billion to eur fifty billion by the same year.
i told you that handling the economic and financial crisis was one of our most important tasks.
the consultations were many and they were very complicated but in the end we managed to gain acceptance for the request made by the czech republic.
the presidency will now begin to discuss the proposals with this parliament.
be done. i can promise you that the coming weeks will be very
a few days ago i returned from talks with prime minister singh at the eu india summit in new delhi and earlier last week i held talks with president obama at the eu us summit in washington.
is. for this reason we intend to return to these important issues at the european council meeting in december.
ago. the final instrument of ratification is now being deposited by the czech republic with the italian authorities.
in the meantime we need to reinforce confidence and continue work on our exit strategies. at the european council we made significant progress on strengthening financial supervision.
planet. i am grateful to my colleagues for their constructive attitude towards the challenges we face together.
our unity gave us the credibility to encourage others.
we were able to present our commitments. we were able to express our expectations.
names. we need to fill the positions created by the lisbon treaty. we need together with you to appoint a new commission.
thanks to the agreement at the european council the eu was able to negotiate from a very strong position.
and we were once again able to lead the way on an issue that is crucial to all citizens.
let there be no illusions.
over five million europeans have already lost their jobs and far too many will still face unemployment. it is up to us to change this trend. when i presented the priorities of the swedish presidency to you on fifteen july i said that the eu must emerge strengthened from the crisis.
indeed one of the key issues was to ensure the rapid entry into force of the lisbon treaty which is crucial if we want to be able to confront the challenges that lie ahead together.
we are determined to continue to work together to generate new sources of growth and higher employment. i am grateful for the continuing support from this
we want to reach agreement on a package for a new supervisory structure.
busy. i look forward to continuing our close cooperation with this parliament on many of the important issues. the copenhagen meeting is actually now only twenty five days away. the economic crisis is far from over but we have a solid mandate going into the climate negotiations.
i am very pleased that at this european council we were able to reach agreement on a strong mandate on this.
we want to make sure that we do not suffer a repeat of the financial crisis we have just experienced.
although there are signs of improvement in the world economy the european council stressed that there is no room for complacency.
as you know since this person will also be vice president of the next commission he or she will also be subject to the parliament's vote of approval.
i am convinced that this initiative will also have a positive effect on other parts of europe pulling regions together and making a positive contribution to the competitiveness of the eu as a whole. we also discussed justice and home affairs.
it agreed on guidelines for the european external action service and it invited the future high representative to present a proposal for the organisation and running of the service.
the message from a number of member states was that they were not ready to commit to figures on climate financing i.
how to finance adaptation and mitigation efforts in developing countries.
let me point out the highlights.
it is equally clear other partners must show that they can match the seriousness of our intent.
if we want developing countries to come to the table with serious commitments on mitigation then we need developed countries to put money on the table.
frankly the european council result exceeded my initial expectations. we got the approval of the numbers the commission proposed accompanied by strong conditionality.
but now we have to complete the task of transition.
i would like to pay tribute to prime minister reinfeldt for his sure touch in bringing this ship into port.
i want a commission composed of competent and committed europeans a commission that is ready to take all its right of initiative.
the treaty gives us the capacity to act but we need the willingness to act together.
the same is true of others like china.
we need to pull together at the level of heads of state or government the common foreign and security policy on which the president of the european council will represent the european union at this level.
on a political level because i am convinced that this high representative vice president supported by a strong external action service bringing together european expertise in intergovernmental diplomacy with our community competences can mean a real step change in the effectiveness of our external action.
i look forward to discussing how to handle this issue in the conference of presidents next week.
it is about using our leverage to bring about the maximum possible in terms of a global effort to cut emissions.
i am committed to making this partnership work in the interests of a strong and effective european union at home and globally.
portfolios are not attributed to countries but to persons that are committed to our european project.
i am committed to working in tandem with this president of the european council because that partnership will make all the difference.
in the end it is content that matters more than form. in my view we should try to arrive at a fully operational agreement based on real political commitments that comes rapidly into force and which brings all the major players on board for both emission reductions and finance.
here i confess to a particular interest because that high representative will also be one of the european commission vice presidents.
that is why i am determined to give full respect to the hearings process in this parliament.
it is not for me to comment on the candidates for the presidency of the european council but as commission president and looking at the institutional matters i very much hope that heads of state or government will select the personality that can provide effective leadership to the european council a president with a strong european commitment that can give consistency over time
we need to have the spirit
the focus is of course very much on the filling of the new posts.
that was the other major result of the european council it lifted the last political hurdle to the final ratification of the lisbon treaty.
the europe represented here today a europe united in freedom and solidarity would not have been possible without the commitment and the dedication of people who made extraordinary things happen twenty years ago. we need to rekindle this flame.
when i was in washington and new delhi last week i was reminded just how far these two partners have come in the past year or so.
that is obviously also true for the high representative.
i also want to have a commission with a strong democratic mandate.
to european council activity both internally so that priorities can be set over a longer timeframe and not just for six months and externally so that on common foreign and security policy we send coherent messages to our international partners.
and we should continue to fight on for final agreement to a treaty a binding treaty.
on a very pragmatic level because the nomination of the vice president high representative and the other proposals by member states for the commission will allow me to pass to the phase of finalising the next college and attributing portfolios.
the delays due to the treaty have given us a common challenge. we must not delay the arrival of a new commission but we cannot short cut the hearings.
of course we will continue to respect the important requirement of common but differential responsibility for climate change but as i have said many times recently we are all in this together and we in the european union will continue to push for real contributions from all the other players.
we also have to put together all community competences from the economy to trade from enlargement to development from energy to justice where the european commission president represents the european union according to the treaty.
then it will be for me to decide on portfolios.
but that is not a reason to accept anything less than a decisive breakthrough in these negotiations.
this brings me to the commission as a whole.
the lisbon treaty will enable us to deliver better on citizens' expectations but whether we use the opportunities it offers will be first and foremost a matter of political will.
the swedish presidency has done very remarkable work in bringing this final consensus to the european council.
in fact the commission is working on its implementation. today the commission has launched a consultation on the citizens' initiative as a first concrete step.
i am working in my final discussions with member states to ensure that this is the case.
that brings me back to the beginning of our afternoon.
the message is clear the european union is ready for copenhagen and ready to follow our action to cut emissions with a powerful offer on climate finance just as the commission proposed in september both in the longer term and in fast start' funding.
our assessment is that by two thousand and twenty developing countries will need around an additional eur one hundred billion a year to tackle climate change and this was fully backed by the european council as is the likely share of public international finance in that figure and agreement that the european union will pay its fair share.
as regards policy the key deliverable was the very important agreement on our action on climate change.
they are very precise that if we should go even further in europe we also need the same kind of commitments from other parts of the world.
this. it is a global challenge in a world where we do not have the kind of global leadership or decision taking that we have in the european union.
i also want to remind you that we have foreseen a situation where we need to increase our efforts in europe within legally binding targets but there is a need for conditionality.
it is actually a tense matter to portray oneself as a candidate for a job you might not get sending a signal to the people that you are leaving the country and then coming home again and saying well i am still here! ' i think we should respect that this is a factor when it comes to this issue. on the high representative
as someone stated it has taken quite a while to get twenty seven member states to ratify. we have been discussing this treaty for many years and i am always surprised to find that i then get questions on how quickly we can stop living after that constitution because i must base my work on the treaties.
i welcome country or nation based decisions which have gone further.
mr president may i first congratulate the swedish presidency on progress at the recent summit in developing the european union's position on climate change.
tackling climate change is one of our highest priorities and is the kind of issue where we expect and want the european union to take a strong lead.
the balanced and measured agreement on financing arrangements is very welcome and places the union in a strong position as we work towards copenhagen.
but i must mention the debate that now seems to dominate europe's agenda the appointments of the president of the european council and the high representative.