kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the enhancement of the water information system for europe and the development of a road map for water research.
the commission presented at the world water forum a unique eu web based platform the european climate adaptation platform which is a concrete solution focusing also on water issues like drought and flooding.
the implementation of the new commission policy framework on water management in developing countries will translate integrated water management into concrete action that is by expanding the eu water initiative. the ministerial declaration of the world water forum complements the commission communication on a development agenda for change by highlighting the key water related issues for the implementation of eu development policy.
but in spite of our efforts the achievement of eu water policy goals is still challenging due to a number of old and emerging water management issues related to both water quality and quantity.
in reply to your questions first i would like to recall that a ministerial declaration was developed by the host france together with states' representatives and the commission.
finally the blueprint will reinforce the eu's commitment to achieve the mdgs on access to drinking water and sanitation while taking into account relevant outcomes of the rio twenty conference.
we also have to look ahead at the vulnerability of the water environment to climate change and ensure that adaptation to climate change is taken into account in our water policies.
third i would like to refer to the two thousand and twelve blueprint to safeguard europe's water resources that will present the eu policy response to current water challenges.
at global level the eu will do its utmost through its development cooperation policy to promote integrated river basin management as a key tool to achieve the millennium development goals and multi level governance.
on economic incentives to propose recommendations on how water pricing can reflect the true cost of water use and pollution;
on innovation the blueprint will be complemented by a water innovation partnership with stakeholders and the private sector.
the eu will continue to promote this approach worldwide.
the aim of european epilepsy day is to explode the myths and remove the stigmas surrounding a condition that six million people suffer from within the european union.
this campaign focuses on generating more openness and more knowledge about epilepsy and addressing care issues for people with epilepsy. at present there is a huge shortage of consultant neurologists in my country the worst in the entire european union where you have to wait for up to two years to see a consultant.
mr president today is not just st valentine's day but also european epilepsy day as st valentine was reputed to have epilepsy.
mr president i would like to inform european citizens that last week the deputy permanent representative of the russian federation to the european union warned me that the european parliament should neither have a debate nor adopt a resolution
i would like to assure you that we the members of this freely and democratically elected parliament cannot and shall not follow the dictates of the kremlin.
we are not to be pushed around by putin.
and certainly not by using deplorable violence even though it is based on a court ruling.
so the result of this referendum was already known before it began. what do you call this?
moreover to declare independence based on the outcome of a defective referendum is totally irresponsible not so much for spain not so much for europe but for catalonia itself.
cooperation inside federal structures in a federal europe.
you knew very well in advance that a majority of catalans would not participate and would stay at home as the majority of them are against separation.
that the referendum was against the constitution is not my main point.
that is the only way to find solutions and that is the real strength of good politicians and of statesmen.
and to go and sit around the table.
the point is that this referendum simply lacked basic democratic legitimacy.
it is not by accident that you did not even install a minimum threshold.
look a little bit if i can ask that to your own basque countrymen. look at what they have achieved how they have developed their country defeating terrorism and reinventing themselves proud and autonomous.
manipulation?
deception?
the spirit there around that table has to be the understanding that the future of more than seventy european nations the future of catalonia the future of my own flemish community lies not in brutal separation but lies in deep cooperation
now thirty six years later spanish democracy has to surmount itself again to surmount this deep division and to overcome this existential crisis. it has to do so not by believing that the judiciary can solve the problems on its own
despite the shots not one of them blinked an act of courage and determination that anchored forever democracy in spanish souls.
the shame on spain rests mainly on rajoy and now also the king of spain for not only permitting the brutality of their police but also shamefully for blaming the violence on those violated and seeking to dismiss the abused as the originators of the abuse.
their first response should have been to completely condemn the violence.
i watched with horror as a grandmother's blood washed down her tear strewn face after a beating by the spanish police.
well i will tell the catalan people there are those who oppose violence by your police against you and they are your friends forever but if the eu continues to ignore the violence against your people you will know that they are not your friends ever.
mr president sunday one october will forever be remembered in spain and across the globe as the day that a forgotten history of spanish state brutality on its people returned to its country.
but no whilst every right minded person was outraged they were critically silent on the violence.
i watched as young people hands held aloft in peace were smashed by black suited armed storm troopers and their wild batons.
so. for the moment everybody is focusing on the separatists but who is taking the perspective of the rest of the country into account?
the european way of life does not need division but unity in diversity. the european way of life needs not more nationalism but more cooperation.
there is no doubt that spain is a country that guarantees fundamental rights for all citizens.
not the protests on the streets but the institutions in a democracy in spain will decide on the future of the country.
we are sorry for all people hurt. we stand behind spain's integrity. we support the spanish government and the politicians who respect the rule of law and we ask everybody for a constructive peaceful dialogue in a european spirit.
' it is not a conflict between catalonia and spain he said it is a conflict within catalonia. a government without a majority of votes in the last elections is using all means for this escalation.
it is unacceptable that a few catalan politicians encourage civil servants officials and citizens to break the law.
this is not credible behaviour.
this conflict can only be solved by the spanish people itself.
the spanish legal situation is clear for us in spain no person in charge not even the catalan regional government is allowed to disregard the law.
europe needs both strong nation states and regional diversity. for today we appeal to the catalan authorities do not take irreversible steps and please keep in mind that whoever leaves spain leaves the european union.
the rights of all spanish citizens have to be respected.
for a living democracy freedom of demonstrations is not only indispensable it is also desired. nevertheless demonstrations cannot replace a democratic decision making process in a society.
the eu has neither the will nor the right to intervene in a true liberal democracy such as spain.
from our point of view the referendum is not valid. the legal base was not adopted in line with the constitution of catalonia.
it is against the spanish constitution and last sunday the catalan authorities were changing the electoral law forty five minutes before the so called referendum started.
we will not find a solution to this spanish internal conflict here in the european parliament.
another point dear friends is also clear we need an inner spanish dialogue on the basis of spanish
instead of further escalations we call upon all the actors involved to engage in dialogue in spain but first and foremost in catalonia itself.
spaniards from catalonia aragon castilians have been living together in one country over centuries peacefully and now an irresponsible government in catalonia is splitting the country.
the european way of life needs not more egoism but solidarity and the willingness to compromise.
we as the epp cannot accept such a behaviour. europe is built upon the rule of law and spain is built upon the rule of law.
let me be very clear mass demonstrations in barcelona will not change the constitution of spain. only democratic institutions can do
in europe after the second world war then after the end of dictatorships in spain portugal and greece and again after the fall of the berlin wall we have shaped our democratic societies on the basis of three principles democracy respect for the rule of law and human rights.
if the law does not give you what you want you can oppose the law you can work to change the law but you cannot ignore the law.
in that debate we should be guided by the values set out in article two of the treaty on european union values which are common to member states and citizens and on which our union is founded.
it is never an answer never a solution and it can never be used as a weapon or instrument.
and let me add nowhere is attachment to the rule of law stronger than in those nations which have memories of what it means to be deprived of it.
that does not change the fact that we have all seen saddening images from sunday.
jean claude juncker is in touch with prime minister mariano rajoy who i trust will ensure that the situation is resolved in a spirit of dialogue and in full respect for the spanish constitution and the fundamental rights of citizens.
all lines of communication must stay open.
freedom of expression is a fundamental right for all european citizens and thus for all spanish citizens.
looking ahead it is clear that an agreed way forward is needed in spain.
at the end of the day the real answers can only come from all those concerned.
none of us want to see violence in our societies. however it is a duty of any government to uphold the rule of law and this sometimes requires the proportionate use of force.
as jean claude juncker said in his state of the union address to this house last month our union is not a state but it is a community of law. we must never lose sight of this.
allow me to stress that the development of spain since the spanish people liberated themselves from dictatorship is one of the greatest success stories europe has seen in its history.
those indirectly concerned are all europeans who are citizens of all the other member states.
we understand that people wanted to express their views.
there is general consensus that the regional government of catalonia chose to ignore the law when organising the referendum held last sunday the spanish constitutional court having suspended the catalan laws on the organisation of the referendum and issued daily penalties against those who went against its orders.
in less than my lifetime spain was transformed from a nation under the boot of a dictator into a nation that leads globally in a great many areas where every citizen has full rights protected by the rule of law where culture flourishes and the economy grows.
those directly concerned are all forty six million europeans who are spanish citizens.
but one opinion is not more valuable than another opinion only because it is expressed more loudly.
as the commission has stated under the spanish constitution sunday's vote in catalonia was not legal.
it is time to talk to find a way out of the impasse while working within the constitutional order of spain.
in the commission's view as president juncker has reiterated repeatedly this is an internal matter for spain that has to be dealt with in line with the constitutional order of spain.
the power of dialogue of sitting down and talking to each other even if and especially when we passionately disagree is what our union is built on.
europe knows this better than anywhere else.
all this was achieved through hard work commitment dialogue and respect for diversity.
let me be clear violence does not solve anything in politics.
this must be the goal for all of us.
so it is fundamental that the constitutions of every one of our member states are upheld and respected and this is the basis for our debate today.
mr president today's debate is carefully worded as being about the constitution the rule of law and fundamental rights in spain in the light of the events in catalonia.
respect for the rule of law is not optional it is fundamental.
you cannot use one against the other.
in the future i believe the spanish government must refrain from using police violence against peaceful people.
it must aim to find a political solution because the catalan crisis is a political crisis a political problem and therefore it needs to be solved politically not by police force.
it goes to the heart of the european union's fundamental values because the european union is built on the conscious decision to live together on this continent settling our differences however great they might be through dialogue through negotiation and through compromise rather than through violence.
i think if we have any chance at all to do something to do our small bit then we should do it. i believe mr timmermans that you have a chance to do something and i hope that we will use it all together.
we have to solve political problems by political means and dialogue is the only way forward.
he has refused the dialogue that was offered and he has used and reverted more to judicial means to police means.
colleagues and commissioner i think it is very important that all of us understand how grave the situation is and how easily and how quickly it can escalate even further.
i think this is something we all have to agree on.
they have to agree to negotiate to sit together to accept mediation and to prevent further escalation.
i think it is important that we offer our help that we promote dialogue that we tell both sides to stop escalations.
i believe the european union has a role to play in that because the whole affair is not just an internal matter for spain.
the right to self determination is firmly anchored in international law and both sides both the spanish government as well as the catalan government have to take the responsibility to find a common solution for how to put it into place in a peaceful and in a democratic way.
president juncker cannot sit on the fence and just watch from berlaymont what is happening and how the conflict escalates.
the world was watching while this was happening while the riot police met people with brutality charging with batons and even firing rubber bullets.
what happened in spain is unacceptable.
whatever you think about the referendum whatever you think of independence i think that has to be clear that violence is not a mean for solving political conflict.
we saw peaceful citizens confronted with a huge police force ready to use all the force they had.
this was massive police violence against peaceful people and that was beyond any proportionality.
i think it will unfortunately also set the image that we all have of the situation for the future.
violence so disproportionate cannot be justified no buts and no excuses.
families pensioners people of all backgrounds were confronted with a state that was willing to use almost all means to stop the referendum from taking place.
polling stations and hotels schools and city halls and streets were turned into front lines between national police and their own citizens.
the whole crisis is a breakdown of the rules and the democratic consensus that so far ensured a peaceful and non violent relationship between spain and catalonia.
the spanish and the catalan governments of course also have their responsibility.
but the judges cannot solve a political problem police cannot solve a political problem.
citizens all over europe are looking at us looking at what we are doing in the european union.
further police violence and intimidation will not solve the problem.
no one knows what tomorrow will bring.
colleagues here have said that this is the way forward.
i think this is something i would really expect of the european union.
i really think that rajoy has not really been helpful in this situation.
the political solution must always mean that people talk to each other that all sides talk to each other.
it is wrong i believe that the commission shies away.
they claim that the eu is a community of values. what they do not say is that laws are subordinate to it that democratic decisions freedom and self determination are subordinate to it. freedom democracy and human rights apply only to member states that serve the eu agenda.
equality and respect are not a right only for europhiles and globalists they are a right for all citizens in the
and of course the state has the monopoly to use force to protect the rule of law. the state can use proportionate violence to stop unlawful behaviour or to prevent this from happening.
certainly violence does not belong in politics.
but when hundreds of thousands illegally enter a country would it be proportional to beat up eight hundred of them?
for spain national sovereignty and the primacy of the constitution apply.
in spain eight hundred people have been beaten up and needed hospital treatment because hundreds of thousands were about to vote in a formally illegal referendum.
this eu is indeed a community of values of double values and double standards.
the conspicuous silence or the aesopian language of the european commission will not make the problem disappear.
it is for the spanish government spanish society and the catalonian people to decide for themselves.
whether and how soon an effective resolution is possible in catalonia i do not know and very few people if anyone in this chamber knows that.
everything depends on who is involved.
however i do caution that the passions of those citizens in catalonia seeking a new settlement is unlikely to fade away by simply drowning out or ignoring the voices of dissent. to sum it up the action of the riot police
i wish to be honest with our spanish colleagues riot police and violent scenes have not helped but shocked and whatever your intentions those scenes will continue to be a part of the image of your government for some time.
that what you think works for you now can be used against you by others who perhaps might feel as passionate about their position.
the rule of law in our union is the only thing that protects the weak from the power of the powerful.
the rule of law is the only thing that protects what is small from what is big.
the rule of law is the only way we can create a union of member states and citizens where big does not dominate small where there is equal treatment before the law of every single citizen wherever they come from.
applause i detect in some of the discourses by political movements who feel deeply inspired by populist nationalism
from the institutional position of the commission however i have to insist on this point of the rule of law.
there is also no doubt that the only way forward is dialogue and there is also no doubt that spain is a country where the rule of law is respected where the institutions are independent and where there are no impediments whatsoever for a dialogue to start immediately.
we have all seen the media images regarding the attempted suppression of the independence referendum called by the catalan government over the weekend. my first question would be why? why did the madrid government feel it necessary to stop this in such a heavy handed brutal and in the final analysis counter productive manner?
it is blatantly obvious that by doing so they have handed the initiative to the catalan nationalists.
is the madrid government so afraid of its own people and so removed from political reality that it thought these actions would calm the situation?
given that the madrid government has repeatedly stated and we have heard it today that a majority of catalans do not want independence and furthermore that the referendum had no validity under spanish law why did the government not simply state that whatever the result the vote was null and void and the catalan government was merely wasting everybody's time and money?
instead of which we now have a template which every independence movement on our continent can use to provoke unrest.
the fact that the eu's institutions and its leaders have failed to recognise the human rights abuses which have taken place and have instead focused merely on legalistic verbiage shows how shallow the foundations of this project really are.
any ruling order that can condone acts of state violence has no popular legitimacy.
those catalans who have looked to the eu for succour will be sorely disappointed. i feel that the only way the spanish government can restore trust is to accept that its behaviour was ill conceived launch an immediate independent committee of inquiry into the violence
and state that when the inquiry has concluded a new and binding referendum under the auspices of the office for democratic institutions and human rights will take place.
intensive negotiations will be needed in order to find common ground on these outstanding core issues.
it should provide a long term vision of the need for transformation towards a lower emission and climate resilient economy and it should enable broad and effective participation.
two thousand one hundred we have less than ten months and we need to use this time efficiently.
the presidency of the council is determined to ensure that the eu intended contribution is submitted to the secretariat of the un framework climate change conference within the first quarter of.
intended nationally determined contributions should therefore allow each party to choose its contribution type and define its level of ambition in accordance with its national circumstances and capabilities. in october last year eu leaders endorsed a target to reduce the eu's domestic emissions by at least forty
we have to talk to our partners all around the world to try to find common ground.
the first is guidance for the communication of proposed emission reduction targets the so called intended nationally determined contributions' and the second is the preparation of elements for the draft negotiating text for the paris agreement.
let me underscore that despite the significant progress there are still important issues on which a shared global vision has yet to emerge in particular on differentiation between countries' obligations on the legal form and force of the paris agreement.
the results of the lima climate change conference and a sense of urgency expressed by world leaders at the un climate summit in september provide a necessary impetus for the work this year.
we will do everything possible to ensure effective european union representation at international negotiating sessions and we understand that on the way to an agreement we must be prepared for very intensive work.
still i would like to use this opportunity to share with you a few points on the energy union.
we need an energy policy that is based on solidarity trust and security a better integrated energy infrastructure more efficient governance and sustainability.
as you know the european council in december called on the commission to present a comprehensive energy union proposal before the march european council and the presidency will lead the discussions in the council to prepare the endorsement of a strategy by the european council in march.
therefore this year will be important not only to the climate process.
this is also highlighted in the resolution of the european parliament.