kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
we need to go from minding the gap to understanding the gap to closing the gap so large listed companies and governments must be transparent on how they pay their employees and we must know what is causing the gap.
if we are to be serious about our european values the commission must make freedom and independence for women its priority from equal pay to active participation in an inclusive labour market.
mr president i would like to say to the commissioner that achieving financial equality between women and men is imperative. being financially independent will make a person free and too many women today are less free because of the gender pay gap which stands at sixteen in the eu and has barely changed over the last decade. at the current snail's pace
in the english channel alone super trawler bycatch threatens john dory and bluefin tuna stocks and poses a significant threat to dolphins but incredibly these vessels have also been allowed to work within the english channel sea bass hatcheries. sea bass is a species under so much pressure. british fishermen are banned from catching it.
it is time to learn the lessons of the past and ban the operation of super trawlers.
dutch owned super trawlers which are up to fourteen times the size of an average fishing boat have already caused controversy in south america have been thrown out of australian waters and have contributed to massive overfishing in west africa.
mr president can somebody please tell me why the eu is allowing super trawlers to operate in the english channel and the irish sea?
the fact is when it comes to managing our seas it's not just what you catch but what you kill.
it is precisely this type of mismanagement that has made the eu's common fisheries policy an economic and environmental disaster.
equality matters and this is a very serious inequality that has lasted for far too long.
i welcome what you say about the variety of issues that can be dealt with if we take this seriously. pay transparency is critical. we've seen already the impact of greater transparency for example when it has been seen in media jobs recently.
the question is what we are going to do about it?
they cost because they perpetuate child poverty they perpetuate skills shortages and of course there is an enormous cost to the economies of all our countries because they are underusing women's skills and there is a serious barrier here to women's full participation.
five seven just think of the implications of that for individual women for children and for their families as they grow older.
they just do not have access to the same money to live their lives.
i'm glad we're all on the same page because we need to be if we are to get action in relation to this issue. if we are serious about gender equality here in the european union if we are serious for example about the sustainable development goals if we are serious about the european social pillar then it is essential that we tackle the gender pay gap.
what we see already is quite a number of countries taking action.
economic equality is critically important because without equality in earnings in what people live on throughout their lives social equality cannot be guaranteed.
we've got to have very strong implementation measures to make sure that this issue is dealt with.
they cost our society.
mr president almost exactly a year ago today a dam of toxic waste from a mining company vale collapsed in brumadinho killing two hundred and seventy two citizens in brazil.
today as we meet here protesters gather and have been gathering since christmas day to protest and demand protections from the likelihood of other dams bursting causing other similar consequences.
in the face of this destruction complacency should have no place and the eu needs to remain a leader in fighting climate change when these things happen.
over one billion animals twice the amount of eu citizens have perished. and this is yes a biodiversity crisis.
as we discuss here the australian wildfires are still raging and are projected to do so for at least another month. ultimately we are speaking about climate change.
that's why we urge the australian government to recognise climate change phase out its dependency on the fossil fuel industry and honour the paris agreement now before it's too late.
we saw some members of this house today trying to do the same.
it is even planning to use a carbon accounting loophole to fulfil its paris agreement commitments and this is not acceptable.
we are in this together.
australia is home to truly unique species including two hundred types of mammals that do not exist anywhere else in the world.
the wildfires in australia are increasing the co two levels in our atmosphere and creating toxic airspaces.
because we saw an unperturbed government in brazil when the amazon was on fire and we are seeing an australian government that for the past months has been hesitating to link these fires to climate change.
seven three million hectares of land that have been destroyed cover an area that exceeds the size of the netherlands and belgium combined.
fires in new south wales and queensland alone emitted a combined three hundred and six million tonnes of carbon dioxide and they are generating enough heat to create unique weather systems including cyclonic fire tornados.
this union cannot be considered complete until justice and women's rights are guaranteed throughout its territory.
while i welcome the reality of a suspended sentence and the safe return of the young woman in question i will be raising this issue with my cypriot colleagues.
following representations by an elected representative in my constituency i'm raising this issue as a matter of public record before this house.
we are all equal eu citizens.
she later withdrew the complaint following ten hours ten hours of police questioning without legal representation. as a result she was charged and found guilty of the crime fomenting public mischief' and assigned a fourmonth prison sentence suspended for three years.
justice in this union should work without fear or favour.
in recent days following various media reports the case of a young british female tourist who made a complaint to police of a multiple rape while on holiday in cyprus has come to light.
having looked at reports of this case i believe there's a serious miscarriage of justice or there's evidence of that which will do damage to the ongoing reputation of cyprus.
it is my hope that her name will be cleared on appeal.
not rain but ash is falling from the skies of australia.
now the question is whether these catastrophic fires will bring some sanity to australian climate politics.
since last september twenty eight people have died and thousands have lost their homes. firefighters are risking their own lives to keep people safe.
during the un climate talks in madrid scomo' sided with brazil and saudi arabia to derail global action on cutting emissions. how can a prime minister make fear of the costs of climate action more terrifying than the actual results of climate change themselves?
it is related to one of the biggest global challenges of our time in which we all bear responsibility.
the devastating australian fires underline the magnitude of the effects of inaction at the recent cop twenty five climate conference.
but the european green deal is not and cannot be only about europe climate diplomacy must become an integral part of our external policy and a fundamental pillar of our soft power around the globe.
leading by example we must bring all of our partners with us for common bold political action on the climate crisis.
there is no time to waste anymore.
this only makes it more important for us as the eu to lead and set a standard for the rest of the world.
of course this is not only an australian problem.
the conservative government led by prime minister morrison has done nothing to meet its climate commitments.
our sympathy is with the australian people in these difficult times.
we all know that these extreme bush fires cannot be viewed separately from climate change. this is not a casual emergency this is a climate emergency stemming from a climate crisis.
so please we should do no deals with people if they don't change their behaviour to meet the goals of the paris agreement.
when prime minister scott morrison was challenged on his country's dismal performance in dealing with climate change he said we don't want job destroying economy destroying economy wrecking targets and goals'. what he is saying is that the economy is more important than the future of the planet.
europe says that it won't do trade deals with people who behave poorly and are not interested in keeping the paris agreement and god knows australia were abysmal in madrid.
the prime minister suppresses a report on russian interference in our elections.
britain's party of government is funded by a tiny number of very rich men with no legal limit on donations.
decisions made here will still have an impact in my country for a long time to come so the success of the european union remains vital and i believe the uk's separation will be temporary.
in time we will again live up to churchill's vision and democracy and britain's place in the european union will be renewed.
the environment does not benefit from this.
often newer models of the same brand also came with a different charger.
when what is good for the consumer coincides with what is good for the environment we need to seize that opportunity. in conclusion commissioner please come forward with a sustainable solution as fast as possible.
only the industry does some companies more than others as we all know because the larger part of the industry is moving towards usb c but some stubborn pupils in the classroom keep on refusing.
we cannot let the interests of private profit overrule the interests of our people and the planet.
over the years we have all accumulated a bunch of different mobile chargers and that's not only because we switched brands.
what is the result? more than fifty one zero tonnes of socalled e waste per year according to the commission estimates.
in reality the proximate causes are other man made factors like human ignition and byzantine government regulations made under pressure from the green zealots such as the failure to perform prescribed burns controlled felling and the removal of invasive grasses that act as fuel.
so stop using this devastating tragedy to promote your extreme overtly political environmental agenda of radical change to our economic system that won't budge the global thermostat.
so yet again i feel compelled to dispel the myth that this is caused by man made global warming.
in reality the policies of a misguided green ideology are the real culprits and we have made what would normally be big fires into hellish conflagrations.
this lazy convenient narrative grossly oversimplifies bushfires whose causes are as complex as their occurrence is predictable.
to those in australia who are fighting to make their leaders recognise and act on the climate emergency we stand with you in solidarity and hope.
not only are the fires themselves tragic it's also tragic that there are still influential politicians in australia with their heads in the sand or in the coal mine denying this link.
with current policies we are on track for over three degrees of warming and the tragic fires in australia offer a foretaste of the human and ecological disasters that result.
and to those europeans who want to sweep the climate under the carpet while pursuing free trade agreements i say simply think again.
to those in australia who are fighting the fires and their human and ecological impact we stand with you in solidarity and in mourning.
as meps across the political spectrum have acknowledged there's overwhelming evidence that climate change makes these types of events more frequent and more severe.
secondly having the possibility to use the same common charger for multiple devices the consumer should not be forced to pay additional charges when buying new devices.
we are drowning in an ocean of electronic waste.
thirdly the commission should propose quality standards for treating e waste and help member states to reach e waste collection targets.
we expect three concrete actions to be undertaken.
we must do as our own scientists and our own children demand.
in two thousand and eight the garnaut report on climate change commissioned by the australian government projected that fire seasons would be longer fires would be more intense and their effect would increase over time becoming fully observable in.
but first i would like to underline that the commission has strongly supported the harmonisation of chargers for mobile phones and similar devices. the common charger campaign was an initiative triggered by the commission back in two thousand and nine and i have to underline that thanks to the commission's efforts the industry implemented a voluntary approach. the work has only gained in importance
growth. we have committed ourselves to mobilise industry for a clean and circular economy including for a sustainable products policy and durable design of products also giving priority to reducing and reusing materials before recycling
along the same lines interoperability of wireless technology for charging would have to be ensured even if this is still an incipient technology.
one of the options is the adoption of the delegated act under the radio equipment directive.
this would mainly consist in the elimination of proprietary connectors representing around twenty of the market with limited benefits for consumers.
in addition innovation and interoperability are key elements of any solution.
for this option to achieve significant reduction in material use ewaste and greenhouse gas emissions it would have to be complemented by additional measures for instance to mandate and or incentivise the sale of mobile phones without the charger. therefore we will look at a combination of policy options including regulatory and non regulatory measures in order to achieve our objectives.
currently we have only three main possibilities. the voluntary approach has therefore been very effective in reducing market fragmentation enhancing consumer convenience and reducing the environmental impact without resorting to regulation.
at first glance regulating the common charging interface on its own would however not necessarily be an optimal solution.
in addition the scope was limited to smartphones only failing to capture other portable devices.
fast charging capabilities have been implemented in many models too and in this context of technological changes we felt that the voluntary approach actively supported by the european commission was the best way of achieving our policy objectives without hampering innovation.
consumers should definitely be given a central role in particular if manufacturers are only allowed to sell mobile phones without the charger which seems to be a promising option from the environmental point of view. this would entail large consumer awareness campaigns and consumers should benefit from any reduction in costs being passed on through lower prices for standalone devices. in the european green deal we have committed to support and accelerate the eu's industry transition to a sustainable model of inclusive
however the last mile has not yet been accomplished.
therefore any better performing new charging solution would be welcome as long as it is a common charging solution.
also the fact that today women are better educated does not mean that in the future the labour market will be more woman friendly.
i will work hard with member states to build a majority to unblock the directive on women on boards.
i want to conclude by recalling that in addition to binding pay transparency measures and tackling the gender pay gap as was mentioned here there are other factors which contribute to women not being able to use their full potential and not being remunerated
it will remove some of the incentives for women to self select into lower paying occupations and lower paying roles within organisations.
again this affects the quality of lives of women of men of our families.
the commission will monitor the implementation of the work life balance directive in the member states.
madam president i am grateful for the dedication and support of the european parliament for this discourse so thank you all for your very valid interventions tonight.
so there is this new strategy on gender equality which will address other concomitant topics which were highlighted in the president's political guidelines.
we will work to combat and prevent violence against women including online violence.
we will promote take up of the rights to family related leave and flexible working arrangements especially by men and this will promote a more equal sharing of care responsibilities which is key to closing the gender pay gap.
there are other consequences if this big issue is not addressed as it should be.
i want to see that we pay attention to the gender and broader equality perspective when addressing some of our society's main challenges such as climate change and digitalisation.
it is also about women achieving their full potential in the labour market including their full economic potential.
i also want to see gender balance on company boards and enhanced work life balance for women and men.
and the fact is that women are paid less than men so may i add that it is also a fact that the commission will act on this fact.
the strategy in line with the commitments and the political guidelines of the new commission will also work on improving women's positions in decision making.
if any of us saw someone lean over on a bus and take a banknote out of the pocket of the woman standing opposite we'd shout out we'd call the police we'd be outraged.
equal pay for equal work' is a slogan from the uk where the equal pay act became law in.
find your outrage.
madam president the economy is run by pickpockets. every day across the eu women open their pay cheques to find that nearly a fifth of what they should be earning has been stolen from them day after day year after year until they retire on a pension that is on average thirty five less than their male counterparts.
for women whose gender intersects with their race migration status religion sexual orientation and or disability this wage disparity is even higher.
i call upon each and every member of this house to shout out.
do we need more proof that the prevention of climate change and environmental destruction adaptation and disaster risk prevention are absolutely necessary and that we need to mitigate the effects of climate change together in europe in australia and in the rest of the world?
the commission thanks the parliament for tabling this urgent debate and for seeing the climate urgency in these tragic events and especially in these circumstances where we need to highlight the need to take global action.
first and foremost we send our support and solidarity to australia.
beyond the immediate destruction of forest land lives animals and ecosystems these wildfires jeopardise health and livelihoods in other places as well.
canberra experienced peak air pollution levels that were twenty times above the hazardous threshold to give just one example.
as you very well know and as australia has confirmed these fires which we are going to debate are unprecedented. they have devastated local communities they have led to the tragic loss of homes and they have taken the lives of people and possibly of over a billion animals many of which are completely unique in the world.
he also informed the minister of the possibility for in particular firefighters to be deployed at short notice under the union civil protection mechanism. the minister appreciated the support and readiness of the union to help but he reiterated that at this stage they don't require additional assistance.
climate change will increase the frequency of extreme weather events and these events will continue to affect us and with more and more consequences and higher and higher intensity.
we value our long standing partnership with australia and are working to strengthen it through the establishment of the dialogue on climate action under the framework agreement.
we have discussed many times in recent months the importance of eu leadership on global climate action. the effective implementation of the paris agreement and increasing global ambition is a key priority under the european green deal. the european union will use all the tools at our disposal to tackle the global climate challenge.
then in two thousand and four tony blair opened the floodgates to ten new european union member states again no public permission was sought.
freedom of movement was also music to the ears of organised criminals human traffickers and terrorists.
companies today are not only producing different chargers for different versions of their phones but on top of that some of them are now shipping their new models with a slower charger and of course a second faster one is available for an additional price.
thirdly this is extremely inconvenient for people who either have to pay for a charger they do not need or if they need one it is because none of the chargers they have at home fit.
it shouldn't mean going from the streets into a hostel into a hotel into a homeless hub and if you're lucky ten years later into a home.
so i want to see the european commission start a convention on homelessness to bring attention to the problem and then learn these lessons and work with the european investment bank and the european central bank to provide the funding to solve this crisis.
we shouldn't have homelessness in.
what it does need is housing first! and the lesson from finland and the lesson from vienna from austria of the housing first model of the cost rental model shows that if you build homes if you provide a roof over people's heads it works.
and there are ways to solve this.
and sadly i don't believe that our irish minister for housing eoghan murphy td and his fine gael colleagues understand the urgency of this and the depth of the crisis in dublin in ireland and in cities around europe.
what she failed to point out is that we have seen more than a doubling of homelessness in ireland in five years over a doubling amongst women and a quadrupling of the amount of homelessness amongst children.
we are speaking about hundreds of thousands of animals and a lot of the nature of australia which is a unique biodiversity ecosystem in itself having been destroyed.
the scale of this damage is something that we also need to reflect on that we are not prepared to adapt and be prepared for the damage that climate change is going to inflict on us in europe as well.
so my dear fellow europeans on behalf of world peace in the name of justice i call upon the european union to impose sanctions directly on this warmonger and associates.
so freeze his european assets restrict his travel once he is a private citizen again place sanctions on his beloved golf courses and let the lessons of europe be clear war criminals do not win.
but friends let us talk of hope. the hope of peace.
the hope of an honest president.
america needs that hero to throw off the terror of an endless war and to secure a brilliant future for all.
mr president currently everywhere in europe the housing crisis is becoming more visible. the number of tenants' movements is rising and local governments are starting to take more radical action to safeguard affordable rents but the doubling of homelessness during the last decade in the european union hasn't gotten the same amount of attention.
the increase in homelessness shows the dramatic human costs of failed policies of austerity precariousness and financialisation.
the most vulnerable people in society are the ones that are hit first and hardest with increased rent energy prices and scarcity of houses resulting in them losing their home. but tonight we are discussing solutions for homelessness which i hope to see implemented quickly.
first let's all agree that criminalising homelessness is definitely not a solution and this horrible practice has to stop.
second let's make sure that combating homelessness is part of the child guarantee to break the poverty cycle.