kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
in this debate we also heard several members calling for the opening of further negotiation chapters for example chapters twenty three and.
together with the member states and the commission we are doing what we can to move things forward.
and accession partnership continue to be the primary determining factors. advancing the negotiations will not only require further general reform efforts but also a great deal of political courage from turkey.
regardless of the opinions held across this house i think that we can all agree that it is in everyone's interest for turkey to be a safe democratic and prosperous country.
while i take on board some of the concerns expressed by colleagues i am afraid that the default negative position adopted by some keeps pushing turkey further away instead of drawing it into the fold.
though this may be exactly what some want we should not be surprised to see that constantly boxing turkey out has frustrated turkish moderates and fostered the isolationist sentiment the many in this house are so quick to condemn.
let us adopt a more cohesive approach that rewards positive developments.
madam president despite the turkish government's declaration that its priority is eu membership today's progress report shows this wanting. humanist civil rights particularly for journalists continue to be undermined and corruption is widespread.
turkey has great geopolitical potential as has been said by many as a strategic country with huge economic and energy security roles and a vibrant and rich culture.
the commission is committed to developing these relations further.
made here today that there is now a window of opportunity to find a lasting solution to this very crucial issue.
such progress could also add new momentum to turkey's accession process.
it is a process nobody wants to accept turkey now.
the british liberal democrats the british labour party and especially the british conservatives who should all be ashamed of themselves are all cheerleaders for turkey to become a member state of the european union.
i urge these parties and people over there in their own national interest and in the interest of all member states to consider that whatever their rationalisation may have been to have this pro turkish policy when it was formulated the facts on the ground have changed.
turkey is no longer a credible candidate to be a member state of the european union. further and this is a separate point because our security would be at risk turkey is a persistent and systematic violator of the human rights of its own people.
if the european convention on human rights means anything and i have to say i think it does not there is no way that turkey can be a member state.
you mentioned as almost nobody else has that i am aware of that turkey is already a member of the eu customs union.
why should we have a say in turkey's internal policies if we then tell them that europe will never be their home? accession negotiation is the highway to change.
i share concerns regarding censorship freedom of expression and the independence of the judiciary but i think that opening the chapters on justice and fundamental freedom is the best way to promote democratic reforms. we should also move forward on visa liberalisation.
this is not about rewarding the current government it is about engaging long term to build trust with the people of turkey.
we must look beyond the rhetoric and actions coming from ankara now.
let us be pragmatic.
turkey is strategic for the eu.
we share major challenges migration human trafficking terrorism and jihadism energy and trade. let us be clear turkey is not ready to become a member yet but let us give them the same chance as other candidate countries without double standards.
or are we turning our backs on the people of turkey?
the concerns we have on the rule of law separation of powers human rights and fundamental freedoms are now even more substantial than in previous years as a result of the passing of security laws restrictions on press and internet freedom and an acknowledgment that evidence in a mass trial was actually doctored.
that leads to key questions about fair trial and due process. i have always fought for the accession process as i believed it would lead to a win win situation for the people in the eu and turkey alike and i am sad to share how sombre i am about where things stand.
now are we only highlighting concerns?
yesterday we voted on the role of national parliaments and their powers on proposed eu legislation in the area of subsidiarity under the new lisbon treaty so we have to be very careful that we are coherent in the way we vote.
indeed i was a member of the irish parliament at the time and i fully supported the ban. however we are in a slightly different position here in the european parliament where we have to consider the principle of subsidiarity.
mr president the explanatory statement for this proposal says its objectives are secure affordable and sustainable energy.
germany with the largest renewables investment now uses increasing volumes of lignite.
i recommend it to colleagues. it says we have created regulatory and subsidy structures that militate against energy infrastructure investment and threaten security of supply.
i quote green energy is eating its own tail'.
we do not have to go back to ireland why we do not even have to go outside this chamber.
mr president i am here on behalf of i suppose the bean counting' committee but given what was said in this chamber in the last month i have got to say this less than a generation ago in my country young unmarried pregnant women were treated as lesser beings their babies consigned to institutions run by so called religious orders where some were starved to death others were sold to be experimented on by big pharma less than fifty years ago.
i have news for that mep there are women in this chamber who are bigger stronger and more intelligent than many men.
that does not make them superior to any man.
we do not have to go back decades to find unequal treatment of women.
just this month in the mini plenary in brussels one of our supposed colleagues made the statement that because women are smaller weaker less intelligent they should be paid less than men.
also the rights equality and citizenship programme co finances national and transnational projects promoting equal economic independence overcoming rigid gender roles and stereotypes and raising awareness of the gender pension gap and its causes and consequences.
the strategic engagement for gender equality provides an overview of eur.
the two thousand and fourteen two thousand and twenty funding programmes already provide means of promoting gender equality and gender mainstreaming in key policy areas.
on the positive side the report indicates that new initiatives have flourished throughout europe in many areas including promoting women's participation in decision making and economic independence and combating stereotypes and gender based violence.
we will remain fully committed to ensuring gender equality in the access and provision of goods and services across the eu and will ensure that the directive is fully and correctly implemented in all the member states.
the commission is prepared to table a comprehensive and ambitious package to improve conditions for working parents and carers to better reconcile the work life balance and to support the higher participation of women in the labour market.
also regarding violence we announced for two thousand and seventeen a year of focused actions to fight violence against women and i am glad to see that many actions are taking place to follow this aim not only in the member states but also in this house.
there are also other programmes such as horizon two thousand and twenty or the development cooperation instrument that are instrumental in promoting gender equality and gender mainstreaming.
in addition we remain committed to finalising the negotiations for the eu accession to the council of europe istanbul convention as soon as possible and we call on member states to continue their ratification processes.
the promise made sixty years ago in the rome treaty of equal treatment between women and men must continue.
mr president honourable members our two thousand and seventeen annual report on equality between women and men which was published last week ahead of the international women's day shows that despite progress there is still a lot of work to be done.
promoting gender equality of course requires the allocation of adequate funding possibilities at all levels.
further efforts are needed to close the gender gaps in employment pay and decision making and to fight gender based violence.
the commission also welcomes the report on implementing the principle of equal treatment between men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services.
examples include the european structural and investment funds and in particular the european social fund and the european regional development fund which are key financial sources for promoting equality for example in access to employment career progression reconciliation of work and private life equal pay for equal work labour market integration of migrant women and investment in the provision of childcare infrastructure.
we had to open something which i call the second front' so we are now addressing through the diversity charter and through many many different individual actions the companies directly so that they change their corporate governance policy and introduce more diversity in
this has been blocked in the council.
it also invests in preventing and combating violence against women by financing projects supporting victims of violence training relevant professionals raising awareness and preventing violence linked to harmful practices.
however indicative funding for gender equality can be provided for programmes that include a clear gender equality objective and use gender equality indicators allowing for the specification of allocated amounts.
on women on boards we heard that it has been blocked.
if mothers want to stay at home with the children they can.
increased employment of women and their economic independence;
it was so artificial and so discouraging for all those who really wanted to do something to help gender equality.
believe me as somebody coming from a former totalitarian country i am extremely sensitive about this and in our package to enable the people to better combine work duties and family life we are very careful to open up the choices
we are funding and we are organising the campaign in all the member states again targeting specific forms of violence in the member states.
we want diversity on boards.
and significantly decrease the level and scope of violence against women in europe.
if they want to go to work they should not be prevented from doing so by the barriers which are still present in the eu.
we need to use all the instruments we have not just legislation.
these are strong words which show the whole of europe the values we stand for.
after every discussion on gender equality i am more encouraged and more inspired to do the everyday work. i am looking forward to further cooperation with you.
this is gender neutral.
i would like to say that in the proposals of this commission you can hardly find any cases of positive discrimination.
you cannot find anything which could be called social engineering.
you know that we are now organising a very strong and i would say loud campaign which shows that we have the goal of zero tolerance to violence against women.
relevant representation of women in decision making positions;
i am one hundred per cent for better use of eu funds better policy and better achievement of goals in gender equality but let us do it in an effective and efficient way so that we are not using the eu money for counterproductive results.
europe needs gender equality not only for the sake of social justice freedom and dignity for all human beings but also to foster economic development prosperity and wellbeing across the union.
overall i have highlighted where there has been success but where gender mainstreaming has been or should be adopted has also been underlined.
and horizon.
the report looks in detail at three specific areas european structural and investment funds;
i am proud to be presenting a report here in the plenary following international women's day on such an important topic and i appreciate the presence of commissioner jourov to address and i hope follow up on the recommendation the parliament makes this week. it should be a source of great pride to the eu that equality between women and men
a good example of this is the daphne programme for combating violence against women.
however we are still a long way from achieving the goal of gender equality. indeed if it was all sorted there would not be a need for this report at all and i look forward to the day when that is the case.
it includes gender mainstreaming and provides specific support in the research process in gender equality plans and in research content.
i do a lot of meetings and communications in my region and when i talk about the support the eu provides to women it generates an overwhelmingly positive response.
but there is not an overall strategy to make sure that there is systematic support to women in these programmes.
in addition to these specific areas the report looks at the budget more widely including more recently established work.
for example the asylum migration and integration fund included gender mainstreaming in its founding principles.
however these efforts need to be consistently supported by specific budget lines.
there are very real and particular issues for women and girls in these situations and the essential support we provide must recognise those.
there are fifteen directives supporting gender equality and it is explicitly the subject of different aspects of the budget.
the horizon two thousand and twenty framework programme in many ways shows the good work taking note of gender issues can achieve.
has been enshrined as a fundamental value of the union since its very beginning.
two thousand and twenty the structural and investment funds provide vital support particularly for enabling women to work and on promoting gender equality for example through supporting social infrastructure or women entrepreneurs.
but in many ways and for many reasons i fear we are in danger of slipping backwards that gender related issues have fallen down the political agenda and when they are considered a certain amount of complacency has taken hold.
however this programme also demonstrates the creeping decline in support and focus on equality.
the rights equality and citizenship programme includes some very important areas of funding and this support goes directly to organisations that are working in communities and have the reach and expertise to make a difference.
for us to truly make progress on ending gender inequality we must move away from assuming support for women should be siloed in particular programmes and recognise the need to focus on the impact of all eu funds.
the rights equality and citizenship programme;
no one should be discriminated against for their gender their age their race their sexual preference or even their physical ability.
simply put the united kingdom expects and requires that women and other issues relating to this topic around the world should receive equal treatment and equal opportunities and that discrimination should be made an element of the past. these are challenges best delivered and best addressed by national sovereign parliaments.
if we take away that role if we take away that control all you do is sow the seeds of discord disillusionment and division.
the united kingdom has led the way in a whole series of areas.
we were even one of the first countries to elect a female prime minister and we have also now got a second one.
but neither should people face positive discrimination and be placed ahead of others to satisfy quotas. this is just as unjust as other forms of discrimination.
it gave women the right to vote in one thousand nine hundred and twenty eight and via other acts of parliament it has guaranteed rights to equal pay equal access to jobs for genders and for all sorts of cultural and societal reasons.
we understand we appreciate that in some areas scandinavian member states are ahead of us and yet in many areas the united kingdom stands heads and shoulders above other member states.
the united kingdom has got a long history of enshrining equality in law.
whilst i fully support tackling violence against women and discrimination and agree that member states should do more an increase in the eu budget is utterly against ukip principles.
the final report on gender equality calls for gender quotas on boards of listed companies and encourages member states to dissolve companies that do not tick those boxes. it goes on to call for gender quotas for elections and in the explanatory statement it talks about the division of household responsibilities.
we will continue to fight for equal treatment long after we have gone.
how couples choose to divide household chores between them in the privacy of their own home is not an area for the eu to dictate.
mr president over the last week or so what with international women's day and the rather odious comments from a rather odious colleague the issue of gender equality has been very prominent. on the one hand this is incredibly encouraging as it demonstrates the broad recognition that inequality is unacceptable in this day and age.
but on the other hand it is also a little bit sad as despite the overwhelming consensus that there is absolutely no reason why women should be treated differently or be more restricted in their life choices than men women are still battling to put an end to unjustifiable forms of gender discrimination.
this i find quite exasperating. of course putting an end to gender inequality is not easy.
choices made in education and decisions taken with regard to work life balance are all to an extent influenced by some form of gender stereotyping which can lock women into situations or careers where they are at an unfair disadvantage to men. from society women and girls need positive role models to help them see beyond such entrenched stereotypes.
from member state governments they need a level playing field that allows them the chance to pursue careers and shine based on merit alone.
the increased willingness and growing urgency of action opens the door for change.
however unless this willingness translates into meaningful action there is absolutely no guarantee that gender inequality will be fully resolved.
it is member state governments that will make this happen most quickly and most appropriately.
i thought we had won this battle that i and my feminist brothers and sisters could take a rest from our worker as activists.
but we are living through a watershed moment in the history in the struggle for women's rights.
we must therefore use this as a rallying cry to mobilise a new generation of feminists to stand up for what is right and i mean old feminists and young feminists women feminists and men feminists.
together with all those fighting for equality and social justice we bring together a powerful intersectional movement against sexism homophobia xenophobia racism and nationalism and we can build a more tolerant and a more compassionate world.
can i just ask you what you feel about a political party whose membership in terms of women has probably got the highest representation from a particular country and probably represents the best in terms of women's political future?
mr president this has been a very interesting debate. it is notable that each of the rapporteurs and many of the speakers have pointed out that we are at best stagnating on equality between women and men and in many ways we are going backwards.
we should of course celebrate the ongoing achievements of the eu in support of women.
i welcome the commissioner's recognition that this report is timely in relation to discussions on the eu budget and that we should use all means available.
the budget must be seen as part of those all means'.
if we are to make progress we have to adopt gender mainstreaming across the whole budget using the many gender budgeting tools that have been proven to work.
unless we recognise the hidden and unintended consequences of the way the budget is used we will always fail to address our goal of defeating inequality.
i am not fundamentally opposed to the idea but i strongly believe some questions remain to be answered.
to whom would this person be accountable?
finally as european policy makers we have a responsibility to develop a viable long term strategic vision for aviation in the eu taking into account the international dimension.
they seem to apply a more measured approach and i believe that we could perhaps learn something there.
in the uk we apply the same terms of reference as the icao but the americans use a different method to calculate the ash drift.
i look forward to serious debate on the issue commissioner before any legislation is implemented as a knee jerk response could prove more damaging than intended.
i believe that european airlines alone have lost more than eur two billion.
as such i applaud the decision of the commission to respond decisively following the compulsory grounding of the european air transport sector. the commission has recognised the need not only to consider financial compensation but also the necessity to speed up the implementation of sesar measures.
risk as we all know and accept is part of running a business.
we have not seen such sustained disruption to the industry with such enormous financial losses since nine eleven and notwithstanding the financial difficulties currently facing all member states i would urge them to back plans to support an industry which simply cannot sustain further losses.
the question now is what can and should be done in future to deal with such crises?
more than one hundred zero flights have been cancelled and around twelve million passengers have not been able to travel as planned. goods and cargo have been delayed or not transported at all and businesses both large and small have been affected. our european airlines and airports have suffered catastrophic financial losses.
however these are exceptional circumstances.
in all this chaos one thing is clear air transport is enormously important for the european economy and as individuals we depend on a thriving and efficient air transport industry where safety for crew and passengers is the first prerogative.
firstly airlines must be involved in discussions about possible airspace closures from the outset.
how would this improve the current situation?
in addition we must remember that when decisions are made in the eu regarding closing eu airspace the impact of such decisions does not stop at our borders and discussions with the remainder of the icap countries must take place.
i also think it would be wise to look at north america and elsewhere to see how they deal with the issue of volcanic ash.
i still have some reservations about the creation of a network manager.
for example what would be the exact role?
i live on an island which is behind an island which is off the coast of europe.
as such our peripheral airports and our airlines are particularly important for connectivity and mobility.
there are a number of regional airports on the west coast of ireland.
given our proximity to iceland and our island status we have particularly severe problems to deal with because of the ash.
with reference to peripheral airports i believe the commission should fully promote international pso routes in terms of connectivity of peripheral airports to hubs and that member states should be given real flexibility when it comes to state aid to peripheral airports.
furthermore there are many airlines already in financial trouble and they may go out of business because of this crisis.
this will lead to job losses in the airline sector and consequently less competition in the market.