kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
to date we can be proud that almost eur one hundred and eighty four billion in total investments have been mobilised that is to say fifty eight of efsi's initial target of eur three hundred and fifteen billion.
we are ready to even expand our close cooperation with the european parliament.
the eib group as the eu's bank stands ready to identify the areas where financial instruments can complement and probably release eu grants and to continue to implement such instruments for the benefit of the entire eu.
two out of three promoters of projects which benefit from efsi are new clients to the bank and this clearly demonstrates how much efsi has changed the eib group.
those external challenges and the eu's objectives beyond its borders are best met through a stronger and more integrated eu response ensured by enhanced coordination and joint action between the european commission the member states and the eu bank.
four four million jobs in smes which is where most young people find work and since its launch in two thousand and thirteen the eib's skills and jobs investing for youth' programme has provided more than eur thirty seven billion towards projects that support jobs and better skills for young people.
eligible projects rest on market failures or sub optimal investment situations.
its guarantee fund and portfolio structure allow the eu bank to support investment of around thirty to forty times the eu budget demand provisions for the guarantee thereby delivering concrete results and impact in third countries at minimal cost to the eu budget.
to give you one concrete example once adopted the omnibus will facilitate the essential combination of efsi with european structural and investment funds which might simultaneously improve the absorption of esi funds and bring more efsi financing to some countries. as highlighted in the reports the eib's activities have contributed to sustainable growth and employment in europe and to stability in our neighbourhood.
let me emphasise that in quantitative terms efsi is not business as usual for the eib.
on the contrary out of the eur eighty four billion of eib group financing in two thousand and fifteen over eur eight billion went outside the union directly contributing to the implementation of eu policies and standards.
thank you very much and i am looking forward to the debate.
also looking to the future we should establish a clear complementarity and harmonisation of the different instruments that the european union employs externally namely the external investment plan the commissioner just mentioned;
smes and as such in the real economy.
we are continuously in contact with other international financial institutions ngos and relevant authorities to ensure that we apply best banking practice.
in any case i can assure you that we continue to work on this working with a regional and local focus to facilitate efsi support across the
the resilience initiative for countries affected by migration and even the g twenty initiative for africa.
madam president i tabled a number of amendments to this report on the basis that it was allowed to then be informed by the services that it was not allowed to then be informed again that it was allowed to then being finally informed yet again that no it would not be allowed the nature of the beast here now under the rules.
my concerns are based in a number of areas.
ireland is a neutral country and we intend to stay so. i was also worried that in the area of new investments and especially in pps and in securitisation the european investment bank eib is not guarding against the added risks of socialising losses while privatising profits.
i wanted cast iron guarantees against conflicts of interest especially in the area of disbarment policy where the eib falls well short of the standards set by the world bank.
on transparency also the eib falls well short of what i would like to see.
madam president for the european investment bank to be able to perform its mandate successfully it needs guidance and control from the eu budgetary authorities.
we have to aim to provide the eib with the best solutions to achieve its policy objectives to accelerate innovation and economic recovery and to promote employment social economic and environmental sustainability.
we want the eib to stand on firm and strong financial ground.
the eib should have a strong mandate with a strong investment portfolio especially in the framework of the european fund for strategic investments.
while the eib should be mostly independent in its expertise to select the most appropriate beneficiaries it also has to follow strict rules and guidelines monitored by the budgetary authority and the public in general.
there is always room for improvement and we hope that the relations between the european parliament and the eib will further deepen to ensure the strong mandate and effective activity of the investment bank.
enhancing the monitoring of the eib's performance would be an important step towards a more accountable and effective investment bank.
therefore the alde group decided to vote against this report because we need to have an actual and more effective way of dealing with reports like this.
it is vitally important that these funds are properly and efficiently spent and accounted for.
it is also important to address the issue of compensating for and replacing lost energy capacity.
it was certainly not on safety grounds.
we are now paying for mistaken judgments within the european union institutions. it is only right therefore that bulgaria should be treated at least as well by the european union as other countries that have had to close prematurely their ageing nuclear facilities and i am glad that the commission recognises this.
the effect as predicted has been increased use of environmentally unfriendly lignite fuelled power stations an increase in electricity prices and a cut in bulgaria's electricity exports in other words both economic and environmental damage.
a lot of money of course is involved in this decommissioning process.
bulgaria will need assistance in creating sustainable new capacity that ensures security of supply and diversification so that bulgaria is not reliant on the goodwill of one foreign power.
their closure several years ahead of time was not necessary;
so far the commission has been quite dissatisfied with the information on decommissioning received from bulgaria.
this is why i believe that the european commission should first perform a specific evaluation to assess the strengths and weaknesses of past projects in order to improve funds programming together with the ebrd for the next funding period.
i believe europe has a responsibility to help and facilitate its decommissioning and we have to ensure that sufficient funding is made available to this project as this is crucial to keep safety up to high standards to ensure the necessary expertise and implement international best practices.
this is why i fully support this proposal and our commitment to allocate an additional eur three hundred million to this project. let me also remind you that the european parliament took a strong stance a few months ago on this dossier allocating the first eur seventy five million in the two thousand and ten budget.
nevertheless i think we should be intransigent regarding transparency in the use of european funds.
according to international experts the plant does not have any protective cover and there are major risks of radioactive leakages into the soil and the water table.
in the face of the unacceptable violent repression unfolding in syria the commission has reacted swiftly and was the first european union donor to suspend its bilateral cooperation with the syrian authorities on twenty five may.
the european instrument for democracy and human rights allows confidential emergency support to human rights defenders as well as support for the documentation of human rights violations digital security media and networking of activists.
in parallel the commission is currently working with the european investment bank on the suspension of its technical assistance to the eib loan operations provided through the facility for euro mediterranean investment and partnership support fund.
the national indicative programme for the years two thousand and eleven two thousand and thirteen was also suspended. in fact it has lost its relevance given the lack of will on the syrian side to further implement reforms.
it should be stressed that the commission is not losing sight of syria.
due to major operational constraints and the most recent political developments the commission is working jointly with the european external action service on clear instructions regarding the participation of syria in regional programmes.
there are considerable risks in engaging with civil society within syria under the current circumstances especially for potential beneficiaries and the commission is cautiously preparing any new activity in light of the do no harm' principle. we are exploring ideas for supporting
the suspension was for the first time in the region based on the human rights violations committed by the syrian regime.
it is clear that the commission does not envisage further cooperation with the syrian authorities at the moment.
for civil society and human rights defenders.
this participation will be thoroughly assessed on a case by case basis.
however the commission has not suspended all its activities in syria. the projects directly benefiting the palestinian and iraqi refugees are ongoing and will continue.
we also fully support the resolution of the un human rights council of twenty three august two thousand and eleven which demanded that an international independent commission should be dispatched to syria to investigate the human rights violations in syria which may amount to crimes against humanity.
and especially to be governed by those whose hands are stained with their blood. the more people are killed the more it becomes apparent that the regime has crossed the rubicon.
one wonders how russia and china can remain passive towards these cold blooded massive assassinations.
this is an intolerable situation. for how long will the international community continue to be a spectator to such bloodshed?
the eu the council and high representative have correctly widened sanctions and used strict language of condemnation but the time has come to toughen our approach towards russia and china as french foreign minister alain jupp has done.
shame on the security council for not being able until now to agree on a resolution contenting themselves with a mere statement.
it is also shameful to me that it took five months for the arab league to undertake an initiative and although details are unknown i doubt if the syrian people would be able to accept any arrangement falling short of their legitimate aspirations
the acts of the syrian regime remind me of the iranian regime's acts and we have strong reasons to believe that they are providing tools and know how but we must not allow the same to happen as in iran in two thousand and nine for the people to be further crushed and oxygen freedom and opportunity for a brighter future to be squeezed out of society even more.
i can only hope that her absence does not reflect the broader absence of the eu and the eas on the ground at this crucial moment in time but i am worried that it does.
i sincerely hope that the polish presidency will use this momentum of an all time low to revive and strengthen europe in the world.
we must also explicitly force the economic elites who are in al assad's camp to make a choice.
the eu must liaise much more intensely with candidate member state turkey to act sensibly towards syria. while we welcome the shelter provided for refugees i want to highlight that it is regrettable that prime minister erdogan did not mention syria at the arab league in cairo yesterday.
meanwhile the eu is not leveraging its weight.
in syria snipers are shooting people for holding a cell phone children are tortured to death the government is turning off water electricity food and medicine supplies to entire cities censorship and misinformation are rampant and cell phone networks and internet are down.
ghayath mattar a human rights defender and activist for a peaceful transition in syria was tortured to death this week.
people are slaughtered and buried in mass graves while the families are forced to state that these murders were the work of so called thugs.
let us not forget that the number of two six hundred estimated deaths refers to a father a mother a brother a sister a friend a spouse or a child each and every time.
speaking out peacefully for justice rights opportunities and self determination.
as syria's most significant trade partner now is the time to impose further targeted sanctions.
doing business with the eu means breaking with al assad and al assad must be held accountable for his deeds.
the high representative very kindly then wrote to me on twenty six july.
finally i simply say this.
i ask you what exactly are those measures in relation to online activists?
i found him to be a most charming man who directly to our delegation promised reform.
he is not going to deliver.
it is quite clear that without normal media outlets in operation online activists are the only lifeline that people in syria have today to let the world know what is happening.
it then moves on to a second stage which is to arrest those activists who persist and then force those activists to pass over their usernames and passwords. they do that through the use of torture including food and sleep deprivation fingernail extraction electric shocks stripping naked and flogging and sexual abuse of female detainees by male security officers. on six july i attended this plenary debate and i wanted concentration on these issues.
he has not delivered.
he must go immediately.
what are we doing?
i have previously when we debated syria wanted to concentrate on the role played by online activists and i want to explore that further.
in the letter she states and i quote despite the constraints of an environment which is so controlled by the government the eu is developing practical actions to support the civil society and human rights defenders in syria and beyond'.
the syrian people have demonstrated that things must change and face a terrible risk but the current regime will not listen.
we call on president bashar al assad to relinquish power immediately and we reject impunity for all those responsible for the gross violation of human rights.
he like so many others defied the security forces and paid the ultimate price.
just today i have been in touch with opposition contacts who inform me that there have been further protests in the city of homs and in hama but also sadly state that the crackdown by government forces continues and that the death toll is rising.
i am sure you will share my disgust at reports filtering out of the country today that syrian security forces attacked the gathering of mourners at his very funeral. we have just finished a debate on libya. of course we should call for the un human rights council to have a fact finding mission immediately to the country but we should follow the model of libya and call for referral to the international criminal court.
i would like to see a democratic reform of syria but we must not presume that all of al assad's opponents are democrats.
they include hardline islamists such as the muslim brotherhood who would replace a repressive secular state with a repressive theocratic state.
in this perspective we can have no doubt that our clear position on the syrian regime is right and needs to be maintained.
we must make it clear that we are targeting our sanctions so that we can ultimately achieve a halt to the violence and assist the syrian people to accomplish their legitimate aspirations.
we need to repeat time and again that there must be a peaceful political transition to democracy led and owned by the whole syrian people and free from violence.
we have swiftly broadened our restrictive measures and are progressively targeting with asset freezes and travel bans more and more of those responsible for the ongoing repression and from now on those supporting the regime.
one cannot but recognise that so far these attempts have not been successful but that must not prevent the european union from maintaining close contact with those regional partners which could in a not too distant future play a significant role in the evolution of syria.
let me be very clear.
importantly we have introduced an embargo on the import of syrian oil.
we expect it will have a major impact on the regime's financial situation since the eu consumes more than ninety of the oil syria exports.
i am pleased to say that the eu has been able to accompany its strong position with adequate actions.
finally we must not forget about syria's future.
rightly we ask questions about what comes next and what it will mean for the syrian people for the situation in the region and for others including ourselves. we should do our best to know the alternatives and the different opposition groups whether abroad or inside syria.
it is time to encourage those who are capable of offering syria a better future to unite and show political maturity and commitment to the values we share.
it is essential for us to explain properly why we have taken all these actions against the syrian regime. given the strength of our measures against the syrian regime we must be proactive and well coordinated in communicating with our partners and public opinion in syria and elsewhere.
the regime has not stopped its violent repression and nearly every day we hear reports of syrians being killed injured detained or abused.
we must also reach out to the countries of the region which have increasingly expressed concern about the present situation in syria.
of course this is ironic given the fact that damascus has given huge support to hamas and hezbollah in the past.
syria is not libya and sadly al assad knows that we cannot launch a similar right to protect nato military operation on the side of the rebels but we can state our revulsion at assad's brutality and we can apply stronger sanctions including selective bans on investment from european companies and oil import bans which are in place already and we can treat the illegitimate ba'athist leadership as the pariahs that they really are.
since this issue has been raised concerning china and russia i just want to stress and confirm that of course the syrian issue is raised in all meetings with those partners so there can be no doubt about our commitment to bringing all the international community on board
we have to act against the regime and in the interests of the people so it is essential that when we talk about sanctions we understand what effects those sanctions may have on the population. i could referring to the number of arguments that were made give you a very long list of the sanctions we have imposed and yes i want to confirm that we are ready to go even further
but we all know that we have to measure those sanctions in such a way as not to harm the population but to make life difficult for the regime.
i also want to emphasise once again the need for unity of the people and a strict message of non violence.
of course this is not a very easy process;
unlike on some other issues the eu member states managed to come up with a single position on these sanctions and this should be applauded.
at this moment in time more than one hundred and fifty countries are beneficiaries of the system.
you could even ask yourself what the use of such a system is.
as you know before you can make a legislative proposal you need a public consultation which takes time.
the commission has heard parliament's concerns on the decision making aspects of the gsp regulation loud and clear.
finally we are looking forward to further discussions with you on the future scheme of generalised preferences further to the proposal for a new regulation which will come your way in may. i stand ready to discuss the main elements of the proposal at the earliest opportunity after it is adopted by the commission.
for this reason the commission is committed to discussing in a constructive spirit parliament's concern as expressed over the last few weeks.
it also reinforces the eu's role and commitment to the objectives of eu development policy.
the period necessary to adjust to the entry into force of the lisbon treaty and to submit a new regulation on the future eu gsp scheme.
whether one looks to the fight against terrorism counteracting cyber warfare or reacting to emerging security and humanitarian crises globally all of these are areas where the single member state today cannot always act effectively unilaterally.
those who argue that this is a threat to national sovereignty in my country ignore the reality that this actually is by consensus and unanimity.
if there were sanctions it might make people think a little bit more. certainly this is an area which has to be a priority for us in the next legislature.
you call for covering the status of public prosecutors and their autonomy.
the two thousand and eighteen scoreboard expanded the coverage of money laundering and now shows for nearly all countries the length of court proceedings in money laundering cases.
the two thousand and eighteen justice scoreboard was adopted by the commission today.
it is important to remember that the scoreboard is a tool which is being continuously improved and your recommendations will be considered for the future as well.
we have developed a measurement of perceived judicial independence among companies and the general public.
these are indicators on how the needs of specific groups of users of justice systems for example children visually impaired people nonnative speakers are being taken into account in the provision of public information on the justice system in the training of judges and in surveys of court users.
when considering any new area of coverage it is important to keep in mind the objective of the scoreboard and the ability to collect reliable data from all member states based on a simple and clear indicator in line with european standards.
the eu justice scoreboard feeds into the european semester country analysis in this respect.
having said all this it is important to recall that one of the key challenges for the development of information tools like the eu justice scoreboard is the collection of data.
with regard to judicial independence we are assessing the effectiveness of the national legal frameworks and safeguards in close cooperation with the judicial networks.
we would like to thank parliament for having called on member states to cooperate with the commission.
i am convinced that with your support the eu justice scoreboard will continue to evolve in order to further help the member states improve the independence quality and efficiency of their justice systems which is crucial for upholding the rule of law.
i am glad that your report takes into account many of its elements.
we share the same commitment and interest to strengthen the independence and effectiveness of judicial systems in our member states. these are essential for economic development social peace and a secure europe.
it shows that while in about half of member states the first instance court proceedings take up to a year on average these proceedings take around two years on average in several member states.
i am pleased to say that the two thousand and eighteen scoreboard shows for the first time an overview of how prosecution services are organised in member states.
this report asks the commission to add collective redress procedures to next year's comparative exercise because it is a major legal tool in strengthening consumer environmental and health protection in the european union.
i am very happy to see that the commission shares this view as it published a legislative proposal on this matter while we were working on this report.
the legislative proposal by the commission on collective redress does not however make the call in this report redundant.