kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
mr president all over europe we are sacrificing perfectly good coal fired and nuclear power stations on the altar of environmentalism.
today's globalised world is a house of cards built on the suicidally unsustainable use of finite fossilised sunlight.
by two thousand and fifty we will have a low carbon economy for the simple reason that we will largely have run out of carbon. all the increases in non conventional hydrocarbons including from environmentally catastrophic shale oil and gas fracking are only just about keeping up with the worldwide decline of conventional oil production.
those who think we can deal with it by building wind farms and eating nut cutlets may mean well but the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
if we continue to fail to do so today's children will look back in despair at all the time and energy that our generation wasted trying to kill the wrong pig.
its ratio is twenty to one.
that is an input of twenty calories of oil energy for machinery fertilisers and pesticides for every calorie of food produced.
this old saying is very true about reducing our use of hydrocarbons.
oil based agriculture uses far fewer people to produce far more food.
the long emergency of peak oil has begun.
the biggest threat is to food production.
this is the real carbon crisis which we need to address.
some of the more unfortunate part of the discussions up to and in the council last friday was probably that it was as if the milestones that we are discussing should apply today as if we were talking binding targets and specific effort sharing at this stage. that is all for later.
i agree with ms yannakoudakis who said that we should also look at some of the possibilities here and not just at the challenges.
so please look at the eurobarometer.
worse? or do we use our knowledge our technologies man's ingenuity to pursue a cleaner and greener kind of growth? that is the kind of choice we have to make and we have to make
one of the outcomes of durban was that all countries of the world now admit that we have to be equally legally bound
to focus on energy efficiency and renewables will also be in our own industrial economic and job wise interests.
now. i think that it is totally irresponsible not to plan for the future especially here because the kind of investments you are talking about when it comes to energy systems for instance lock in your energy choices for the next forty fifty or sixty years. that is why short termism will not work
it now. that is the whole point of the roadmap the sooner you make that choice the more cost efficient the transition will be. neither i nor the commission is in doubt as to which way we should choose but i am glad to note that a very large majority in this european parliament is also not
we are as mankind at a crossroads.
it would be good if through intelligent climate and energy policies we could reduce that kind of bill and at the same time increase our energy independence.
of course europe cannot give in to threats that i think and hope will be clear to everyone here.
mr president when we talk about climate change all too often we concentrate on the challenges rather than the opportunities.
cutting greenhouse emissions must go hand in hand with creating green jobs.
i welcome this report's call to increase the eu competitiveness in the low carbon economy.
we must support ventures such as the green enterprise in my constituency of london.
managing emissions is one of the fastest growing sections in the financial service industry.
the eu should not interfere with the carbon markets.
a readjustment which removes carbon allowances from the eu emissions trading system could be dangerous. it could lead to certain businesses locating outside the eu which is unacceptable.
while promoting green jobs we must also ensure that our existing industry remains competitive.
the easiest and cheapest thing for this house to do now is to criticise. i would like us to be positive and place the pressure where it needs to be. i say this to all members of this house. we need to put pressure on our own member states to bring forward more aid and more aid in kind.
the great tragedy is the earthquake.
let me make four points.
the pledge made by the commission has been honoured.
i agree with each and every one of you who spoke about immediate mobilisation and the need to help right now.
we also have to call on the member states to provide in kind assistance.
we fully support her in stressing the importance of allowing national and international aid workers to continue lifesaving activities without disruption. considering the serious and rapid deterioration of the cholera situation further contributions are urgently required to fill gaps in health water sanitation hygiene and logistics.
we are focusing on saving lives through prompt treatment of those affected increasing access to clean water promoting better hygiene behaviour and supporting epidemiological surveillance in order to know where and how the epidemic is evolving.
time. eu support can be channelled through the eu civil protection mechanism. the endless efforts of haitian and international aid workers to meet the current challenges on the ground are commendable but it is clear that the sheer scale of the crisis requires even more assets and resources.
we are therefore now working hard on stepping up our emergency response together with our partners but difficult times are certainly ahead due to the rapidly evolving situation.
the haitian public health system is now seriously overstretched despite substantial support from the international community.
an eu civil protection and technical support team with member states' experts is to be deployed early this week.
priorities include medical personnel and other personnel specialised in water sanitation and hygiene as well as medical supplies beds water purification units and tablets. the commission is therefore in contact with the belgian presidency and the member states to encourage further eu support to help haiti at this very critical and difficult
firstly i would like to know whether the pledged money has arrived the money that was promised and whether it was disbursed and absorbed.
apart from being an individual disaster for millions of people a failure would also be a backlash for the international community's effort and capacity to conduct a joint effort in humanitarian aid.
i believe that we have to put all our experience all the lessons we have learnt in haiti and elsewhere and also enough money into the pot.
we have to make sure that this support reaches haiti immediately that it arrives in full and not just in part and that we support the right initiatives in order to make it effective.
we have to make sure that we do not lose the battle against this catastrophe and that we manage to get results and help haitians to build their future.
this is ridiculous.
but you have got to be there to see the conditions under which the aid workers are working and when you talk about a health service i am sorry mr president haiti does not have a health service like the rest of us and you know it they are dependent on mdecins sans frontires the british red cross and many other organisations from all around the world.
but until they get a president and a prime minister who can lead them they will have no chance of moving forward.
the uk as a net contributor would likely be expected to bear the heaviest fiscal burden.
it is of course my opinion that the people of wales would be better off if the uk left the eu.
spending on debt ridden eurozone countries including greece was pursued with little hesitation and amounts to a trillion euros over three years.
mr president it has been suggested that the commission will withdraw regional development funding to all but the most economically weak areas of the union post two thousand and thirteen by removing regional competitiveness and employment objective funding. although many areas of wales benefit under the convergence objective
has the commission thought at the very least to draw up an impact assessment to judge the social and economic consequences of cutting funds?
eu funding to wales currently worth gbp two hundred and eighty million could be withdrawn.
what transitional measures are being proposed?
financial support to numerous projects created under the auspices of the regional competitiveness programme could be stripped threatening thousands of associated jobs.
wales also suffers high unemployment levels and will be greatly affected by forthcoming uk government civil service cuts. another threat to wales could be the proposed renationalisation of structural funding which could see britain undersold on entitlement to support.
reflecting the country's economic shortcomings as many as seven welsh regions are now threatened with losing eu money.
the eur fifty five billion spent on regional competitiveness and employment funding account for just six of the entire eu budget.
the uk will continue to pour increasing amounts of money into brussels yet the one area where some of that money is recouped albeit very little is the area the commission are looking to axe.
i do believe then in this context that funds such as the esf have a vital role to play in ensuring the employability of those who are hard to reach and low skilled.
it is therefore essential that future esf projects and the money directed towards them can be considered in the context of domestic schemes many of which have similar aims.
regional flexibility is of the utmost importance for the successful operation of the esf.
we in northern ireland receive significant funding from the esf administered through the department for learning and employment and i note that in a recent house of lords enquiry into the esf it was noted the esf continues to make a significant contribution to supporting economic growth in northern ireland aimed at creating a knowledge based economy with a highly skilled and flexible workforce.
that level of joined up and targeted thinking can only bring greater rewards.
mr president at a time when member states are reducing public spending in the uk our government is seeking to overhaul the benefits system to make work pay more.
post two thousand and thirteen i believe that the limited resources of the esf should continue to be focused on assisting the hardest to reach and least skilled into work or back into work through access to training and further education.
finally i believe the european social fund should remain part of cohesion policy and not be moved out to sectoral projects. i look forward to the publication of the fifth cohesion report around nine november.
i believe competitiveness should be maintained and would therefore urge all colleagues who are interested to attend this afternoon's march organised by the committee of the regions.
the key issue for post two thousand and thirteen reform of cohesion policy is how to make it more effective in generating growth jobs and competitiveness for the european economy in a sustainable way.
two thousand and thirteen over the years many parliamentary resolutions have stressed the necessity of maintaining a strong comprehensive cohesion policy well equipped with sufficient budgetary means to permit regions and cities to expand their development potential.
it must better exploit territorial cooperation potential.
regions and cities carry the key to re energising europe in order to overcome its extraordinary difficulties and to successfully achieving the transformation of our economy.
two thousand and twenty cohesion policy must contribute not only to reducing productivity gaps generated by the crisis but also to putting productivity gains on track.
we are intensely aware of the necessity to ensure that cohesion policy and its cumulative effect over the whole territory of the union is one of the key instruments which will enable the union and its member states to achieve the ambitions of eu.
it is therefore to afford the commission the possibility of explaining its view of the future that we have tabled this question.
we hope and believe that the european commission shares our resolve to ensure that cohesion policy remains the union's major all inclusive tool.
it must invest in better links between leading regions and those that are catching up.
it must take into account the post crisis territorial reality at regional level looking for the most effective solutions to the challenges and opportunities of different european territories. it must be made an integral part of the implementation of the eu two thousand and twenty strategy and its flagship initiatives.
in these exceptional times we are convinced that they must all be encouraged and assisted to invest in ground breaking ideas in new technologies and in innovation.
cohesion policy is a major source of european public investment and must work as a catalyst for structural change by investing in research and innovation resource efficiency new and sustainable jobs and infrastructure. it must not merely be a financial tool for investment.
funds of course need to be put to good use in sustainable projects hopefully with many smes benefiting both directly and indirectly in order to ensure the return on investment for a future investment programme in these regions to use.
the cohesion funding should be a mechanism for stimulating economic growth across the eu but needs to have a specific goal as supporting smes and entrepreneurs who are the backbone of our economy.
my nation of wales is currently in receipt of cohesion funding and given how badly the private sector in this region has been affected by the economic downturn i and many others recognise the value of these funds to potentially transform the economy.
so there are links between all of our policies.
i have a few points in relation to the resolution.
we have seen where member state policies have undone the good work of cohesion and regional policy.
their voice must be not just heard but listened to and responded to.
as some of you may already know there is a leaked document on the future of the common agricultural policy towards two thousand and twenty which also addresses the territorial challenges of the future.
this week we met members of regional authorities who spoke about the huge level of frustration when they are trying to access funding.
we also need coherence in member states.
we have to avoid these trajectories and identify the issues requiring further action.
the two are interlinked and we have to make the esf capable of serving a wide range of objectives within a social agenda.
mr president for me too this has been an extremely useful and helpful discussion about the future of cohesion policy and within that the future of the european social fund.
it is clear that the discussion identified the major threats to cohesion policy such as sectoralisation or nationalisation or weakening the overall capacity by reducing the size of the envelope.
within inclusive growth we have to support both targets to increase employment and reduce poverty.
the discussions on the future of the esf are at a decisive stage now.
the commission will present its proposal for the new esf together with the other structural funds by mid.
at the same time we must not lose sight of the long term challenges.
furthermore poverty continues to be a daily reality for many europeans including children.
the commission and member states should work together to establish core priorities particularly on employment.
the esf should contribute to territorial as well as social and economic cohesion alongside other eu funds.
the european social fund has been the main instrument at eu level for investment in human capital and social inclusion. for over half a century it has been a concrete proof of solidarity between european citizens and it should continue to be so in the future.
for this to happen the future scope of the esf should be broad enough to ensure that all member states regions and local stakeholders can design operational programmes that address their particular needs.
the commission has already made a proposal for a new financial regulation laying down some common rules and we will put forward some specific proposals in the course of.
two thousand and eleven european citizens expect to see eu level funds focused on results and achievements.
we need full alignment between the esf and europe two thousand and twenty as it will be a major instrument for implementing the integrated guidelines.
this should be facilitated by establishing some common rules for all funds to make coordination between them easier.
we need to put in place systems to monitor the performance of the actions supported by the esf and we need to think about moving to more results based delivery systems. access to the funds should be simpler and also more user friendly.
i look forward to the contribution of this house to that debate.
the esf is one of the key tools at our disposal in reaching the europe two thousand and twenty headline targets particularly those on employment education and poverty reduction.
however member states will choose their own individual paths to follow in order to reach these objectives with the support of the esf.
issues such as the ageing population rapidly changing technologies climate change and other environmental challenges all need to be addressed with urgency.
we should work towards improving the visibility effectiveness and delivery of the social fund.
whilst it is true that we are slowly emerging from the economic crisis it is equally clear that our recovery needs to be based on solid foundations and at this time we cannot be entirely sure about these foundations.
nevertheless a broad scope should not lead to a fragmentation of the instruments.
finally i would once again like to emphasise and ensure that article nine or the social clause' permeates all our policy decisions because that really will lead to cohesion in the eu.
i agree with many of the speakers who have argued that we need a framework to establish synergies between all european policies and the structural funds.
they have serious issues with the levels of bureaucracy and red tape that confront them.
this issue is highlighted in article ten of our resolution on the future of the social fund and is to me of crucial importance.
given that context this issue really needs to be dealt with.
i also agree with commissioner andor when he says that eu citizens expect results based delivery systems.
we have discussed this issue of simplification again and again in committee and in plenary and yet nothing has changed for the better.
after the internal market social policy is the next on the list followed by economic social and territorial cohesion. that gives an indication of the priorities in the treaty.
i regularly speak to voluntary community and other groups who access these funds.
there is also a strong argument for greater visibility of these funds and an urgent need for simplification.
perhaps we can begin to get it right this time.
following on from that article nine clearly states that in defining and implementing its policies and activities the union should take account of requirements linked to the promotion of a high level of employment the guarantee of adequate social protection the fight against social exclusion and a high level of education training and protection of human health.
we need actions and they must be supported by adequate resources from the eu and national budgets.
we should further develop and adapt it to the new challenges and realities by building on its achievements and not by totally transforming the policy. this is equally important both for its basic principles and for the future budget.
so is a mechanism to drive change in a dynamic way which is best achieved in my view by engaging all stakeholders in a structured manner.
the fundamental role that services of general interest including social services play in economic social and territorial cohesion in job creation and improving quality of life has so far been ignored in this debate.
at the same time as we are debating how to make eu funds more effective in delivering cohesion council and commission policies on fiscal consolidation are undermining services of general interest which are essential to cohesion. without them all the funds that europe can pour into the member states will be pointless.
another problem is the negative impact that eu market rules are having on regional and local authorities' right to maintain and initiate services of general interest including social services.
yes let us have more effective funds which are result orientated but we must stop the nonsense the madness of stripping our societies of essential public services.
that is where the action is and yet if you listened to the debate in this chamber there was so much rancour so much bitterness and so much politicisation attacking these two relatively democratic countries which are not in the way that their neighbours are reverting to caudillismo'.
in such a situation why would you ever expect a country to be able to repay its outstanding loans and where are our entrepreneurs going to find markets? the answer of course is outside europe in the parts of the world that are still booming.
it takes eight great grandparents to produce one great grandson.
you have to wonder sometimes at the grip on reality of the people in this chamber. unless we are buying and selling with the bits of the world that are growing we are doomed.
in september two thousand and eleven dublin hosted the first international conference on building age friendly cities from which the dublin declaration was launched.
the declaration also reiterates the world health organisation's recommendation on the need to recognise gender aspects of aging and develop solutions to meeting the varying needs of women as they age.
this declaration calls for new thinking in practice on promoting the quality of life and well being valuing the contribution of older people and removing the barriers which limit or inhibit their choice and ability to live life to the full.
i also welcome the fact that the rapporteur took into account the psychological issues of women particularly many older women living alone.
mr president the twenty three million small and medium sized enterprises across the eu including over two hundred and thirty zero in my own country ireland are indeed the backbone of the european economy.
i urge the commission and the member states to take up these proposals and implement them without delay.
in ireland they account for over two thirds of all private sector jobs.
so how do we allot the benefits of the digital single market?
get out of the way and stop putting up barriers to the creativity of digital wealth.
it may have seemed a nice idea so that meps could have cheaper phone calls as they crossed international borders but it has suppressed the profits of some of the mobile phone companies giving them less to invest in some of their digital structures.
what we need to do rather than having reports in committees and structures and discussions and debate about it is to get out of the way and let the digital entrepreneurs roll out their ideas.
let us get out of the way and help the companies invest in digital infrastructure for a single market.
let me give you an example.
this is why i say we need to put all our efforts into boosting growth through innovation and help european business in particular small and medium sized enterprises to compete globally especially during the economic crisis.
unitary patent protection has been a goal for several decades but certain obstacles such as legal uncertainty and high costs have not been eliminated and this has led to a fragmented and insufficiently competitive system.
mr president the european patent is thirteen times more expensive than in the united states and eleven times more expensive than in japan thus suffering from lower productivity and development.
at present sixty of e commerce websites are unsuitable for cross border on line shoppers and consumer and business confidence in the digital environment is still low.
we must support member states' initiatives to develop e skills to stimulate innovative internet based business models.
at present we do not exploit the full potential of the digital economy.