kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the eib has involved itself in geopolitics notably in the ukraine stirring up tensions there.
small wonder then that well over one hundred cases on public record i would remind you of alleged fraud involving eib funds are opened every year.
to ensure sustainability of investment in coordination with the commission the eib needs to evaluate their national and collective public investment to ensure that the eu is on track to meet its climate change goals as agreed in paris within the next five years.
for instance in sixteen eu member states eib support for climate action did not reach even the level of.
seventy per cent of efsi support for renewable energy was concentrated in just one country belgium while eighty of energy efficiency within the efsi was allocated to france finland and germany.
twenty climate action investment in two thousand and sixteen was predominantly located in the eu's stronger economies and this seems to be the rule rather than the exception.
these aren't the countries that need the sort of support from this investment bank and we need to spread the renewable investment wider and to the other economies in europe.
in order to achieve this the eib should only agree future lending compatible with the.
first of all i will not allow mr coburn to put words into my mouth.
like smart meters for seven million homes in the united kingdom which enables those people to save energy and pay less for their energy. why will you not join me in backing the uk's continued involvement with this investment bank if and when we do leave?
when you talk about ordinary people let's talk about what this investment has delivered like secondary schools in exotic places like yorkshire;
we adopted it with a large majority in the budgets committee.
we have seen that we have to do more for infrastructure in those countries healthcare education electricity and waste infrastructure and in terms of helping the host communities making sure that smes not only in capitals but also in regions have access to credit.
however the investment gap is still an issue for many european countries. it is important president hoyer that the eib should continue to provide much needed technical assistance and advisory support to reduce the existing regional discrepancies especially in regions with low investment capacity.
unfortunately the united kingdom which has a sixteen stake in the eib's capitalisation is intending to leave the european union but however long it may take to refund the uk's stake it is worth remembering that the uk has received more than eur thirty billion in investment from the eib.
it demonstrates well the value of an investment bank driven not solely by the need for commercial return but also by the urgent need for investment in the parts that commercially driven investment banking cannot reach.
the priority areas for the eib's operations innovation and skills smes climate and the environment and our infrastructure encompass some of the most important priorities of the european union budget.
the low carbon economy and the shift from the internal combustion engine will require substantial investment across the union in power network infrastructure. the completion of a digital single market that enables rural as well as urban communities to engage will require substantially different forms of infrastructure investment which will represent
there are always areas in which the market will fail and there will always be projects that cannot be delivered by the market alone and that is where the contribution of the european investment bank will remain essential.
these real needs will require a european investment bank that is agile as well as forward thinking.
what a pity that will come to!
key. three out of four efsi clients are new to the bank and this clearly demonstrates how much the efsi has changed the eib group.
the report also stresses how important it is that eib continues to be a financial institution of good practice leading by example.
so it has been a good sixty years and i believe that if we are the good news' institution of the european union we should tell the good stories. the largest share of eib group financing close of eur thirty billion last year went to small and medium sized and mid cap enterprises the backbone of the european economy and jobs.
one area where europe is lagging behind in terms of investment is the innovation sector so i am particularly proud of the fact that in two thousand and seventeen we managed to increase lending for innovation to close to eur fourteen billion that is at the heart of competitiveness and ultimately of sustained and sustainable growth. moreover in two thousand and seventeen we financed close to eur seven billion in environmental projects and eur eighteen billion in infrastructure. the eib once again met its target for climate action with approximately eur nineteen billion of financing representing over twenty seven of total eib financing in.
in preparation for this plenary debate we provided you with the state of play on the recommendations tabled through the previous report.
in two thousand and seventeen we approved more projects than ever nine hundred and one roughly a fifteen increase from the previous year but the average size of the projects we financed is considerable smaller than previously.
i am open to discussing how future arrangements could work even better and we will of course continue to inform you regularly on our activities and their impact on the ground. thank you very much for your attention.
dna! most efsi operations are higher risk so called special activities.
it has changed our
this means that we are enabling more and more firms and public entities to invest and we are also getting better at assessing our impact on gdp and jobs.
i'm looking forward to the debate.
two thousand and twenty a big part of why we are able to do this is the investment plan for europe the juncker plan which as you know very well is backed by a guarantee from the eu budget and the eib's own resources to finance riskier investments. i have already talked about this plan and we are very grateful that with parliament's decision in december it has been extended to the end of two thousand and twenty with an increased goal of mobilising eur five hundred billion.
two thousand and seventeen but what i really want to draw your attention to is this.
i can assure you that we are continually in contact with other international financial institutions international organisations and relevant authorities to ensure that we apply best banking and accountability principles.
that means we are well on track to reach the goal in the coming months. the efsi is working and it's working well.
we estimate that this financing sustained.
additionality is
for some countries this is for the time being the only way to be able to participate in efsi and where more can be done we are ready.
in. basically the eu bank is the crowding in institution in the world.
with that the member states of the european union guarantee our projects which consist of a number of assets of all in all close to eur six hundred billion.
in addition to that we never finance more than one third so this brings you to the level of roughly eur eighty billion of activities producing eur two hundred and seventy two billion of overall additional investment in europe.
so you have to see the figures by gdp or the figures as a percentage of overall investment activity.
we finance activities that are in line with the energy objectives of the european union.
this would not be honest because the member states of the european union who own us will say that they do not follow that
none. there was a word on crowding out in the remarks by mr niedermayer and i take that very seriously because it is my firm conviction that there is no role for a public bank to finance something if that can be financed by private institutions.
the united kingdom has paid
if somebody writes big articles in newspapers comparing the investment volume in the united kingdom with the investment volume in malta you will be surprised that the uk has more than malta. there's a little bit in relation to gdp and a little bit in relation to the overall investment activity in a country that has to be observed in that context.
way. on the question of the paris agreement i must say that we are extremely proud that we were the driving force behind the role of the multilateral development banks in the paris accord and we still believe that we should continue that
the energy policy of the european union unfortunately is not set by me or it would look a little bit different.
still. the largest issuer of climate awareness bonds and we are the ones who are now trying to find ways of expanding the idea of these let's say social responsibility bonds to other areas in order to help finance sustainable development goals and other goals in particular for instance right now when it comes to the ocean conference which is just ahead where we have to bring a big european contribution to cleaning up the oceans.
in some cases where the percentage of investments via efsi or via the eib in general is extremely low we see also that the overall investment activity private investment activity in that country is extremely low.
in'. so sometimes the opposite of crowding out is true we crowd
brexit can break my heart but i think that whether we like it or not we have to accept the decision although sometimes one wonders what had been done in order to give the british people the real picture of what will happen when brexit takes place. it probably will take place but let's look at the figures.
years. they will get that back but the overall volume of indebtedness of the european investment bank is eur two hundred and forty three billion.
smes boosting employment and delivering on climate action sustainable transport and external policies.
allow me to restrict myself to three issues of particular relevance to the commission.
a similar approach is expected to be included in a new financial regulation still under discussion by the legislators.
but the commission takes concerns about coverage and geographical balance very seriously.
the commission and the eib are working very closely with national and regional promotional banks which have local expertise and understand the local financing needs.
the revision to the financial regulation will make it easier to combine financial instruments and efsi financing with other sources of eu funding such as the structural funds. this should lead to more projects in the regions less covered so far.
furthermore under the efsi the european investment advisory hub provides more targeted technical assistance at local level and the commission encourages the eib to extend its local outreach.
we share parliament's concern about the multiplication of financial instruments and especially the complexity of the rules that apply them.
we want to continue providing support to all sectors that are in need of eu support but we need to do so more efficiently under a single rule.
the partnership with the eib will remain a central pillar in delivering these financial instruments.
it will be shaped by our successful common history and also by constructive criticism from parliament and other stakeholders.
will the commission continue to monitor real time market developments import statistics and customs monitoring and keep the sector informed of the latest developments? what is the current situation regarding the proposed regulation on made in' labels?
it is about production and employment in the textile and clothing sector in various european member states.
in the light of the growing number of enterprises that are ceasing to operate or relocating production leading to an increase of unemployment in several regions i would like to put the following questions on behalf of the international trade committee has the commission or any member state proposed or requested
what measures does the commission intend to adopt to protect production and employment in the textile and clothing sector?
so overall in two thousand and eight only a slight overall increase was realised and markets have absorbed that reasonably well.
we move forward in market access in funds from the lead market initiative and in every free trade agreement as causes dedicated to environmental and social standards.
we need to ensure that all businesses can change adapt trade and innovate out of current conditions.
imports from china have increased overall but within reasonable limits. significant increases in some categories such as for example dresses trousers and pullovers have been balanced by drops in textile imports from suppliers in other countries.
that has been supported by the social partners.
by promoting a process of gradual change we have helped the sector adapt.
eight of the fifteen applications under the globalisation adjustment fund have been to support textile workers.
of course currency devaluation remains on our agenda.
the right political responses are not to close our markets or monitoring of the imports.
it is specifically designed to help small businesses address issues of defence.
it is very important to fight protectionism;
it is important to make sure we are supporting our industries to be able to compete and trade in the future.
we must look at all the initiatives on the table and how we deal with access to markets as has been said.
but we will see as time passes whether we are successful or not.
that means that every method that we try to put in place to control fishing activity will be circumvented if it can be circumvented.
organised crime may be involved as the money that is involved in this industry is just huge. that is why quotas are being exceeded why there have been illegal catches and cases of massive under reporting and falsification of documents over the years.
we are putting in the measures we are calling for the maximum criminal penalties to be put in place to enforce those measures.
atlantic bluefin tuna stocks have declined by up to three quarters over the past forty years and given the long reproductive cycle of the fish the prospects for recovery are not good.
the eu legislation set to be adopted tomorrow represents the bare minimum and is simply a minimalist implementation of the international iccat recovery plan.
unfortunately the rules fall far short of what international scientific advice deems necessary to give this unique beautiful and highly priced fish species a decent chance of recovering from its current critically low stock levels.
however different estimates suggest the amounts being caught are multiples of the actual allowed quotas which themselves are already unsustainable. in that sense this new legislation although necessary represents a missed opportunity for the eu to take meaningful steps to prevent the demise
in addition to quotas these rules set out the conditions practice and equipment for the fishing and farming of these iconic and endangered fish species.
still i believe that the eu as the main fisher of this stock must accept a large chunk of responsibility for driving bluefin tuna to the brink.
while there are some slight improvements with the reduction of the amount of bluefin tuna that can be caught and tightening of controls it still falls far below what scientists believe is necessary to give the bluefin stock a fighting chance of recovery. but i insist once again that there is nothing stopping the eu from adopting more ambitious measures. that is what i expected to have in the report and that is the least we
many of us believe that ultimately only a complete ban on commercial fishing would give the species a fighting chance of recovery. failing that iccat should be agreeing to completely close certain areas for bluefin fishing particularly during the spawning season rather than simply
that is why we are calling for a further reduction on the annual total allowable catch with a tightening up of controls and further measures to reduce fleet capacity.
of course eu countries are not the only ones fishing in the mediterranean basin and that is why we need to see the provisions of the iccat fully implemented with an end to rule bending and an end to the impunity for illegal fishing that has led to decades of over exploitation.
the bluefin tuna stocks have been slowly recovering due to the diligence of the european fisheries agency in vigo but more needs to be done.
this could jeopardise the uniform application of the measures within the eu and make them more difficult to enforce vis vis individuals.
these measures were adopted by iccat as early as november two thousand and ten and have been in force since june.
the eu has been a leading force behind this multi annual recovery plan and the aim of the commission's proposal is to transpose into eu law a recommendation adopted in the iccat framework.
the recommendation sets out a number of management measures to support the recovery of bluefin tuna.
the commission can accept the compromise text agreed in the last trialogue but it will make a declaration that this is without prejudice to its future position as regards recourse to implementing acts for the effective transposition of international conservation and management measures adopted by regional fisheries management organisations.
we have seen much social progress in the european union since its establishment.
our message to the council this evening is we do not expect to be ignored for a second time and i want to thank the commission for its support on this matter.
alde also supports the call for effective investment in high level and inclusive education and in particular for vocational education.
we asked for greater efforts to be made in ensuring a smooth transition from education and training to work and one of the practical suggestions we put forward is to make it possible for young people to convert several months' unemployment benefit up front into a start up grant.
some of the other alde priorities that are included in the document are supporting the creation and the growth of micro small and medium enterprises and one way we can do that is to cut red tape and get rid of unnecessary bureaucracy.
i am pleased to say that many of the alde group priorities were included in this report and these include first of all the promotion of entrepreneurship in particular youth entrepreneurship. this we believe can be achieved by for example introducing optional entrepreneurship courses at schools and colleges and in the creation of student enterprises also.
we have the european semester in which we have deepened the analysis of employment and social performance including by adding three employment indicators to the scoreboard under the alert mechanism report underpinning the macroeconomic imbalance procedures.
i welcome the honest debate we had today and i am confident that we will have other opportunities to continue this exchange.
the commission always values your opinions and we try to reflect them in our proposals.
this is particularly relevant with regard to the implementation of the countryspecific recommendations.
your report is very ambitious and allows for an enriched reading of the text that is on the table.
we are convinced and i hope that you share this conviction with me that the economic strengthening of the union goes hand in hand with social policy with the aim of improving people's lives.
as you stressed in your report this year as well as last year qualitative and social considerations must find their place throughout the employment guidelines.
i hope that you will continue to support it since many of your recommendations are already covered not only in the employment guidelines but also in the annual growth survey and more broadly in the european semester.
this is the core of the european social model and a vital component of our social market economy.
we have the new eures regulation which will make it easier for jobseekers to widen their job search into other member states.
we are looking forward to your feedback and input through all channels either in the committees or in the plenary.
this is of course one of the most important initiatives on the commission's work programme of this year and will directly contribute to our promise to deliver on jobs growth and fairness.
they are also failing to tackle discrimination on the labour market so talent and qualifications are going to waste.
our governments are generally short of good ideas.
we can see this in the continuing high levels of unemployment in many of our countries and indeed low levels do not always mean everything is perfect. i note that my british colleague totally forgot to mention the number of people who increasingly are on zero hour contracts and of course that is a national competence and nothing to do with the european union. it is hardly inclusive growth.
but i would also like to point out that we have a clear risk here of forgetting that we have to deal with the challenges of climate change which figures as a clear goal of the two thousand and twenty strategy.
this is highlighted in the annual growth survey and reflected in the employment guidelines.
this reflects the position you have often taken and which we fully share.
this has also already been reflected in the country specific recommendations addressed to those member states most concerned.
the indicators are included in order better to capture the employment and social dimension of imbalances and adjustment processes.
in two thousand and sixteen the commission has considerably reinforced this dimension in the european semester and we will continue to place employment and social issues at the core of the semester in the future.
the commission regrets that your position was not taken into account by the council when adopting its decision in.
the commission also agrees with you on the importance of making progress towards achieving the europe two thousand and twenty targets in the employment and social areas.
in the guidelines adopted in march two thousand and fifteen social partners are invited to play for the first time a prominent role.
i am glad that the report emphasises the importance of employment and social considerations in the european semester.
the commission agrees with you on the importance of developing inclusive and integrated labour markets.
as regards your recommendations on national minimum income schemes the commission is committed to promoting among member states adequate income support which is one of the pillars of the two thousand and eight commission recommendation on active inclusion.
as you know the commission decided to maintain the guidelines adopted in two thousand and fifteen for this year and the council agrees with our approach. we consider that the employment guidelines adopted in two thousand and fifteen are still valid and relevant in today's economic and social context.
the inclusion of three new employment indicators in the macroeconomic imbalances procedure scoreboard is a concrete deliverable on the commission's commitment to strengthen its analysis of macroeconomic imbalances as you recommend in your report.
the commission monitors progress in these areas in the context of the european semester and has addressed recommendations to the member states to push reforms forward where relevant.
in the uk this process began in two thousand and ten with the new conservative government and figures released today show that unemployment is now at.
but the main issue i want to raise here is an issue of competence.
mr president in this report the committee on employment and social affairs has added a long wish list to the guidelines to member states that talks a lot about a high level of employment and decent working conditions. of course we all want this everybody does but the reality is that if we want any of these hopes and dreams to come true
we firmly believe it should remain a competence of the member states.
if we want more jobs for our young people serious labour market reforms are needed to make the workforce more flexible and help businesses to grow.