kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
violence and intimidation against political opponents human rights defenders and ngos must end as well as the continued degradation of media space and press freedom.
it is crucial that this aid be provided in a direct manner to those in need.
back in two thousand the arusha agreement gave hope not only to burundi but also to the entire region and it is urgent now to go back to the spirit of that agreement and to preserve the country as an inclusive and democratic home for all its people.
let me answer specifically two questions that were raised. nina gill asked about our humanitarian aid focusing mainly on the refugee response. it has amounted to about eur eight million in the course of this year with relatively limited humanitarian support within burundi and the major effort outside the country for refugees.
the next important political step would be an inclusive dialogue focused on delivering credible elections in.
this means that although we continue to support the people of burundi through partners on the ground and i want to reassure you on that point we have suspended direct financial support to the administration of burundi.
on seventeen may a constitutional referendum was held in a climate of intimidation and repression.
the country remains the only one to have effectively withdrawn from the international criminal court as some of the speakers pointed out and this decision has come together with a deterioration of the situation in the country.
but the announcement as some of you mentioned very clearly will need to be followed by an opening of political and public space.
it is what we will continue to work for together with the united nations the african union and the east african community.
security forces and youth party members have been killing raping abducting torturing and intimidating anyone they believe to be opponents.
a government that allows these atrocities to be committed against real or perceived opponents has no legitimacy to represent the citizens. a referendum that takes place in such conditions cannot be considered to represent the will of the people.
talks must be resumed between the opposition and government as a matter of urgency and the eu should actively support this.
your report provides precious information and guidance in this respect.
this shows that the commission is actively engaging in the discussion around the impact of recreational fisheries.
the commission is monitoring this situation closely and proposes measures for recreational fisheries on a casebycase basis when science advises that these are needed.
this provision is intended to ensure the appropriate monitoring of recreational fisheries of depleted stocks.
scientific advice increasingly suggests that recreational fisheries can have an important impact on the state of some stocks.
it acknowledges that recreational fishing can have a significant impact on certain stocks and provides for specific tools allowing an effective control of recreational fisheries by the member states. for example we are proposing that member states establish a registration or licensing system to monitor the number of natural and legal persons involved in recreational fisheries and also to collect data on catches from such fisheries through catch reporting or other appropriate data collection mechanisms.
more generally the control regulation requires member states to monitor recreational catches of stocks subject to recovery plans excluding fishing from shore.
to make this happen we need solid databases in particular for stock assessment purposes.
this is an issue that we need to look into on a casebycase basis stock by stock also when preparing proposals for multiannual management plans.
the study will evaluate existing control measures and tools identify the strengths and weaknesses of available solutions assess the costs and benefits of different options explore good practices and propose recommendations or guidelines to improve control schemes.
this deadline of two years will expire on thirty one december two thousand. and eighteen this is a big step forward as the conservation of some marine biological resources might indeed require measures on recreational fisheries and these cannot be properly shaped without reliable data.
this being said the onesizefitsall approach cannot be applied regarding recreational fisheries.
this implies the establishment of sampling plans and biannual reporting to the commission.
the ices working group on recreational fisheries surveys highlighted that data from member states are still missing in particular in the mediterranean.
to give you some examples for eels the eu regulation requires member states to make estimates of recreational fishing licenses and their catches.
our proposal for the revision of the control regulation adopted only two weeks ago goes even further.
furthermore for stocks where eu conservation measures apply to recreational fisheries the commission proposes that member states ensure that all persons involved in recreational fisheries record and send catch declarations electronically to the competent authorities on a daily basis or after each fishing trip.
we are open to your ideas and views to further address this issue with a view to ensuring the sustainability of stocks for future generations and the longterm viability of this segment of the sector.
madam president debate over the use of the seas and the right of the common people to fish is hardly new.
and thirdly and i say this with great regret whatever process is developed for the collective management of the seas that include uk waters after two thousand and twenty it would be a great mistake for that process to replicate the mistakes of the past and exclude the recreational angling sector.
i want to make three very brief points.
secondly involving the recreational angling sector's stakeholders can only lead to better outcomes.
first and most importantly i welcome that this report recognises that the management of the seas exclusively to serve the interests of commercial fishing is both economically and environmentally outdated.
robust processes for dialogue with stakeholders should be developed and enhanced.
in the uk alone two million people fish the seas each year and this report is a welcome development not least for the context it provides recognising the economic and social contribution of recreational fishing.
the speakers in this parliament should not run the risk of having their speech wrecked by interruptions from the chair on behalf of the interpreters.
that they cannot keep up with the pace.
of course when i interrupt the speaker i always give him the additional time so everybody is happy the speaker is happy you are happy that you get the interpretation and of course our interpreters are happy as well.
this illegal regime came into power in two thousand and nine with military support and matters have not improved one bit.
we have had to witness the concentration of executive legislative and judiciary powers together with the media in the hands of andry rajoelina who prides himself on the title of the president of the high transitional authority.
we should never give credit to any authoritarian ruler by engaging in formal relations even if we have done so in the past.
this irony cannot be lost on the long suffering people of madagascar many of whom live in abject poverty.
the eu now needs to consider a substantial reinforcement of targeted measures against rajoelina and his henchmen and cronies and if necessary to invoke the cotonou agreement's provisions on failures of governance and to apply the necessary sanctions.
such action should include brokering an agreement between rajoelina and ravalomanana allowing the former president to return to madagascar without any risk or prejudice. rajoelina should also allow his rival to stand in the presidential election planned for september this year.
we have an agreement with japan on what both sides expect from the negotiations.
japan is one of our main economic partners and thus a decision to launch new fta negotiations has to be based on solid ground.
it is the most ambitious paper of this kind that we have ever agreed with any trading partner.
i note with interest the adoption of the motion for a resolution on eu trade negotiations with japan by the committee on international trade two weeks ago.
i am pleased to note that many eu industry sectors have recently expressed their support for the launch of fta negotiations with japan.
these include it consumer electronics agri foods and beverages wholesale and retail distribution chemicals and services all of them key for the expansion of eu economic interests abroad.
this gives us comfort that all our priorities will be addressed.
the so called scoping paper' lays out the scope of our potential discussions.
on eighteen july of this year the commission after thoughtful consideration decided to approve the draft recommendation to open negotiations with japan and transmitted this to the council. the ground for this decision has been prepared well.
this is a significant gain which cannot be ignored especially at this time of economic difficulties.
the fta objective will be to eliminate these trade barriers and create a level playing field for our companies to enter and sell in that market.
that. could it be agriculture?
to address the very important and interesting point that he made in the next twenty seconds yes many eu countries are protectionist.
we are concerned in our country that it is not the level playing field that it ought to be and that is one of the strongest arguments why we in our political party believe that britain should leave the eu and that the eu in its present form is unreformed and unreformable.
it is very hard for a foreign company to acquire a company in japan and there can be undue political influence.
not easier as is wrongly and often asserted.
this brings me to an important related point.
that is why for example switzerland with a gross domestic product less than one sixth of that of the uk alone has had its trade agreement in place with japan since december two thousand and nine while. this evening we are just talking about one
because there are so many different trade interests in the twenty seven member states all of which have to be satisfied in some measure it actually makes it significantly more difficult for the eu as an entity to conclude trade agreements than it would be for a single nation state on its own.
at the moment japan retains numerous non tariff barriers.
japan clearly falls into that category.
but overall i think that the eu has a unique opportunity to lay a foundation stone that could bring untold benefits to all of europe.
if it helps and i think it does help soothe some of those industry concerns i support the binding review clause which allows the negotiating parties to step back after a year and to look at the agreement and consider whether the other side has done enough.
it is essential that we negotiate all these barriers and perceived barriers but actually we know that at the end of the day we have the ability to stop this deal if we do not feel that enough has been done.
therefore i am pleased and i hope that we will continue the momentum to launch these negotiations.
now that is unrealistic to expect of any trading partner and i am glad that the commissioner has been a supporter as have many of the other groups of going forward with this agreement.
so i think we have to be sensitive to what is a non tariff barrier and what is not.
japan has other interests and other options it can pursue and we have to be careful that we are not played off against other parties negotiating trade agreements such as the trans pacific partnership being negotiated between the united states japan and a number of other countries.
so surely it is time during this agreement during the negotiations on this agreement to reduce as many barriers as possible.
we have seen this happen over the course of the last eighteen months in discussions about these agreements.
it is people and businesses that trade with people and businesses in other countries for mutual benefit.
we should strive not only for mercantilist reasons but also for geostrategic reasons to make this effort with the japanese a success.
that success should reach beyond merely trade oriented aspects;
if we were to go by the yardstick of some industrial lobbyists a night flight ban for tokyo airport would be considered a regulatory barrier.
the commission was smarter than that and did not include that in its list but it shows to what extremes some people want to carry the case.
you said in your speech correctly in my view that countries do not trade with each other; it is people and businesses that trade with each other.
however the leader of your delegation mr richard ashworth said on bbc television that three million jobs in the uk depend on uk eu trade.
on the basis of what you yourself have just said do you agree with mr ashworth?
it is quite clear as i have said that people and businesses trade with people and businesses in another country for mutual benefit but actually trade agreements can facilitate that and lack of trade agreements can get in the way. but people still trade with people in other countries even though there may be no trade agreement so actually there is no inherent contradiction between those two statements.
but the eu also has a proud tradition of human rights and environmental protection in its international agreements.
this free trade agreement is an opportunity to demonstrate our joint commitments and concern for our planet's wellbeing.
japan must be aware of our concerns about their continued whaling operations and despite their own forest protection they remain the largest importer of illegal timber from malaysia indonesia and papua new guinea.
so before we can conclude any trade deals they need to know that we will expect them to clean up their act.
a deep and comprehensive free trade and economic partnership agreement would surely contribute to the emergence of new synergy between the partners.
the vision of the eu for intellectual property rights in free trade has already failed at domestic level.
acta was intensely disliked by citizens and there are now additional concerns about the negotiations the commission is having with canada in the comprehensive economic and trade agreement.
this negotiation exercise comes at a time when at multilateral level in the world intellectual property organisation we are for the first time ever advancing the rights of citizens instead of the rights of rights holders in the deliberations on the treaty for the blind. is there a reason why we are choosing to set aside the multilateral system again at this time and for this topic?
i wonder whether i could ask you this question.
you rightly said that japan can be a very complex country and it can be difficult to access markets in japan and also to take over companies.
but could not the same be said of some countries in the eu?
therefore are you not just another eu protectionist?
impunity cannot be accepted neither in yemen nor in any other place.
address the full needs of twenty eight million people.
even if some of these blockades are lifted now this in no way compensates for the devastating choice of blocking in the first place.
we also should have eu funding for accountability mechanisms that must hold violators of international law and those who commit crimes against humanity to account.
half of all health facilities closed due to damage destruction or lack of funds' world health organization;
conventional weapons of war including cluster bombs have been used and are causing civilian deaths on top of the indiscriminate airstrikes that continue to kill.
i quote the largest food security emergency in the world' says the un food and agriculture organization;
key elements of such an eu strategy should be to engage the saudi and iranian sides to engage in ending the violence and to support the un led negotiations.
the most respected international organisations are crystal clear.
we call for an urgent end to the violence and urge the high representative to come up with an eu strategy towards yemen.
one hundred and thirty children dying every day' save the children;
of course airstrikes and the killing of civilians should stop as well as all blockades so that lifesaving aid can continue to reach people.
million yemenis who require assistance and as if that is not cruel enough and bad enough the saudi led coalition as well as rebels are blocking land air and sea borders and access for lifesaving deliveries to people in need.
security concerns. at the same time the new measures taken by the coalition are having a severe impact on the delivery of life saving assistance.
more than seven million are on the verge of famine.
donors. the un human rights council decided in september to establish an international group of experts to examine alleged violations of human rights and international
upon. we are already working with our partners on health nutrition and local development programmes.
mr president i too remain deeply concerned about the large and unacceptable levels of civilian deaths allegedly due to the poor targeting or even indiscriminate targeting of civilian areas by the saudi led coalition in this tragic conflict actions that must be condemned in the strongest terms.
the saudi led naval blockade is leading to unacceptable food and medical supply shortages.
poor sanitary conditions have also led to a tragic cholera outbreak of epidemic proportions as the number of cases is set to reach one million by the close of this year only a few months after the first reported case.
i therefore echo calls for the eu and member states to continue their support for the efforts of ismail ahmed in trying to negotiate a peace in his role as un special envoy.
this tragedy must stop and all war crimes must be investigated and all those brought to justice.
the ruthless bombing of civilians and civilian infrastructure amounts to war crimes.
the people of yemen deserve to live in democracy in freedom and with respect for fundamental human rights.
amnesty international describes the current conflict in yemen as the forgotten war.
more than two and a half years of brutal bombardment from a saudi led coalition has received very little media attention.
millions of people particularly women and children are now living in horrific conditions.
the european union must therefore use all means at its disposal to demand the opening of a humanitarian corridor in order to provide water food shelter and medical attention.
as europeans we must call out our own governments for the responsibility they bear in the widespread human rights violations in yemen.
not only have france and the uk backed saudi arabia in the conflict some member states have also contributed to the extrajudicial killings led by the us. under the pretence of war against terrorism the trump administration has hugely increased the size and scale of its operations on yemeni territory including destructive air and drone strikes.
i am ashamed that my country contributes to the devastating situation of the yemeni people by sharing intelligence with trump's criminal administration and helping them find locations for strikes.
other eu governments are also involved in these widespread human rights violations.
germany plays a crucial role in this programme through a satellite relay station located on its territory that allows us drones to function and italy allows the us government to fly drones across libya from its sigonella airbase.
we must expose the west's cooperation with saudi arabia and in this respect theresa may's most recent visit this week to saudi is ineffective and hypocritical.
the saudi bombs dropping on yemen say made in britain'.
therefore i call on the commission and the member states to increase efforts to communicate acta to citizens and to seek their consent when it is ratified.
meanwhile i have received a vast number of messages from eu citizens and beyond who were concerned about their rights. i find it bizarre that the eu and twenty two of its member states signed acta before addressing the concerns of the citizens in an appropriate transparent manner as democracies should.
so we know from bitter experience that keeping to the rules does not always deliver and certainly will not deal with the current crisis.
i hope i never have to repeat them. europe can do much better than that for itself and for ireland.
those are the hardest words i have ever said in this parliament.
from two thousand and two to two thousand and eight ireland did not once break the stability and growth pact unlike others.
our debt levels directly linked to bailing out banks in ireland and in europe are unsustainable and yet we are told that more of the same without any commitment to eurobonds to redemption funds or debt restructuring will solve our problems.
it was reported widely in the media that what i might call showboating may have been responsible for this.
i want to look at the wider picture.
here the first amendment merely moves money from one pot of money to another moving it to the european external action service but it does not make a penny piece difference to the original budget. our amendment would save taxpayers eur fifteen million in commitments and seven million in
all the political groups that participated in the shadows' meetings are fully supporting the report which i think is very powerful. we were also assisted by the european added value unit in this house and the excellent research they commissioned from professor anne weyembergh and anand doobay whom i thank warmly for their assistance.
only reform at eu level would ensure the proper functioning of the eaw guaranteeing effective and efficient justice while ensuring respect for the fundamental rights of suspects and accused persons.
i supported it twelve years ago and i am glad i did so.
it is a very good idea but it was launched without the support and safeguards necessary to make it strong and sustainable not least as meps were ignored in the legislation.
justice delayed is justice denied to victims.
however i think the eaw could be called the euro of the justice and home affairs world.
while there have been some unilateral reforms at domestic level by some member states ad hoc and uncoordinated action is not optimum for smooth cross border police cooperation and to enable practitioners courts prosecutors lawyers and police to be clear about procedures and rights.
we also proposed which is not in the eio a consultation procedure so that the courts in the two countries can exchange information hopefully to ensure that the eaw will not be misused as a fishing expedition to interview suspects and witnesses as opposed to its intended purpose of criminal prosecution.
my report proposes that both of these must be duplicated for the eaw.
so varying criminal justice standards and practices have led to legitimate criticisms that the operation of the eaw needs to be improved.
individuals should not be spending long periods in pre trial detention waiting for the prosecution to prepare its case.
the eaw is a critical tool in helping law enforcement authorities to tackle increasingly complex cross border crime and keeping our citizens safe in an open and free europe.
every year thousands of suspected and convicted criminals are returned through judicial processes to be tried or to serve their sentence much more quickly than under traditional cumbersome and lengthy extradition in which government ministers are involved.
our report will feed into the permanent ongoing work on reviewing the eaw is insufficient.
i want the uk to implement the european supervision order too.
i am pressing the uk government on the right to a lawyer directive.
i look forward to pressing the commission and then working within the framework of cooperation between parliament and the commission to get a legislative proposal from the commission in the year ahead.
but i absolutely agree with vice president reding on the importance of the procedural rights directives in the roadmap launched four years ago.
we are calling on the commission to explore all the means available to improve standards of detention including legislative proposals on the conditions of pre trial detention.