kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the murderous attack on daphne was an attack on european values our fundamental principles. let us not forget that people who suffer from corruption in their countries put their hopes in europe.
and lastly we are proposing the introduction of a european galizia prize here in this house for investigative journalists modelled on the sakharov prize.
on the contrary this was a brutal demonstration of power by those who consider themselves above the law. it is very clear why the murderers did not place a bomb under the car of the police chief or the attorney general.
second malta should take that opportunity finally to join the european prosecutor. third we demand a serious investigation by the european commission on the rule of law in malta and systematic treaty infringement procedures to enforce anti money laundering law everywhere in europe.
daphne was killed in the open there was no hiding.
malta has sold its sovereignty to dirty money.
today for the commission is about honouring the memory of daphne it is about sharing our grief in this parliament.
this starts of course with a full investigation of what has happened and bringing to justice those who are responsible.
we are always prepared to engage directly with the maltese authorities at a political level to make sure that they implement the rules that we agreed at european level.
that if this is linked to organised crime or to corruption that this is pursued.
i think this is the biggest challenge we face that we are not intimidated by what was done;
the effect of such a public display of barbarism which this assassination was the intended effect of course is to intimidate to make sure that no investigation is carried out any more that nothing is pursued that others will
that we as europeans collectively accept the responsibility in the eu to make sure that we are not intimidated;
be self censoring their own investigation.
this will not happen. this is a promise i make on behalf of the commission and this is how we will pursue the issue in close cooperation also with the maltese authorities and other bodies that could be implicated in the investigation.
and this commission will leave no stone unturned in that area to make sure that this atrocious barbarous assassination does not lead to the conclusion which is clearly wanted by those who perpetrated it namely that we don't dare ask questions or we don't dare investigate.
let me end on the following.
but i fully recognise that the only way we can really honour her memory is by following up on the issues that underlie the assassination.
as i said in my contribution if in this investigation and in the course of this analysis things are brought to light that are of a more structural nature or that warrant other actions the commission will certainly not hesitate to assume its responsibility where we have a responsibility.
this is also an important step we need to take.
i can for instance give as an example that we have now let me just check the numbers we have opened infringement cases that concern fourteen member states which have not notified laws transposing the fourth directive and two member states whose laws clearly show that these were not sufficient to transpose the directive.
her name has been mentioned several times here today and i would also like to give my condolences to her family.
i met her sons this afternoon and i was really impressed by their wisdom and their strength but if you read about her life that's not surprising. she was an exceptionally courageous and strong woman and i think that we have to show the same courage because i think we are all united today in
but we also have to act.
the first one to act obviously is the maltese government they will have to investigate her murder and make sure that the murderers do not get away with impunity.
but also those who actually wanted her gone should not get away with impunity because this was not just a murder tackling an individual person she was exposing corruption and crime.
we should investigate that as well because this is not a mere maltese problem this is a european problem.
so i think there is a task here for the european union and i think the european people's party just suggested that we investigate the rule of law in malta that was a kind of general statement but i do think it is very important that we get clarifications from the maltese government about the allegations of corruptions which she was investigating.
on the investigations into corruption and crime.
but i think we should also look into ways of continuing that and deepening that investigation and make sure that we eradicate corruption and crime and money laundering from the european union and malta is part of the european union.
finally commissioner you said that the european commission doesn't have the competences to actually intervene and i don't think as mr gonzlez pons said that it is for the european commission to conduct a police investigation into a murder.
or romania does not uphold the european standards when it comes to the rule of law that means that there is no rule of law in the european union. we have an area of freedom security and justice so if one member state doesn't function in this respect then the whole system fails. so it is in everybody's interests that we investigate.
yes it is. but this is a political union we all have to make sure that these problems are eradicated and i think we owe it to daphne.
we cannot just make statements here;
we have to be courageous and go against those who actually do not wish us to investigate.
this has to be done and i hope that we are going to find agreement amongst all the political groups for the exact instruments the appropriate instruments in honour of daphne.
during this debate. the estonian presidency and the council as a whole attach great importance to the protection of journalists and the defence of media freedom.
words of condemnation are never sufficient.
first of all i wish to express my sincere condolences to her family friends and colleagues.
the perpetrators must be brought to justice. the mission of journalists requires personal devotion and courage and those who have these qualities deserve our deepest respect and protection. media freedom is an indispensable pillar of our democratic societies. journalists are the guardians of properly functioning democracies. where there is no freedom of speech
and people have to fear for their life every time they criticise something there is no democracy.
for this reason freedom of expression media freedom and pluralism are guaranteed in the eu charter of fundamental rights.
they are among the core basic democratic values on which the european union is founded.
these freedoms are an obligation for our governments.
it is an absolute priority for all democracies to protect journalists also from financial or political pressure.
the importance of media pluralism as a prerequisite of the rule of law and democracy was underlined by the council in its annual rule of law dialogue last week.
let me be clear attacks on media representatives to silence their voices are unacceptable everywhere in the world. if they occur we have to act immediately condemn the crime find and punish the perpetrators and re establish the confidence of our citizens in the functioning of our democratic institutions.
i am convinced that we are all aware of the responsibility of our governments for the protection of journalists and the defence of media freedom.
within the eurozone and in particular for preventing future crises.
i will ensure that the president of the european council is aware of the specific points which have been raised here in this morning's debate.
the key issue of youth unemployment is primarily about addressing one of the most serious consequences of the crisis.
this is about ensuring that europe is able to emerge stronger from the crisis with increased potential for economic growth and the creation of new jobs.
there will be a particular focus on the digital economy. we have to promote a digital single market which benefits both consumers and businesses.
nine you could have voted on the whole mff during this plenary.
this decision includes guidance on the implementation of international law obligations relating to search and rescue in accordance with the search and rescue convention.
we have to make full use of the potential of the internal market for services.
i am grateful for his suggestions and proposals.
a wide range of issues have been covered during the course of the debate.
as i made clear in my opening remarks this week's european council is set to address a number of different issues but they are interlinked and coherent. the issue of deepening economic and monetary union is about ensuring that we continue to emerge from the economic and financial crisis and create a stronger framework
digital services telecommunications e government and skills are the drivers of tomorrow's growth and productivity.
we must urgently address the underlying shortcomings and create the right environment for investment.
this is unacceptable given the level of youth unemployment that we face. this is why the commission has launched the grand coalition for digital jobs a multi stakeholder partnership to exploit the employment potential of ict.
my main message to the european council tomorrow is that over the next weeks and months the european union can and must achieve concrete results in all these areas. many of our initiatives can be brought to a successful conclusion even before this house rises ahead of next may's elections.
we need to combine the digital agenda with a better framework for the protection of data and privacy rights.
on the other hand the implementation of the country specific recommendations is not
file. we should do all we can to conclude this much needed modernisation and strengthening of the eu data protection rules before the end of this legislature.
indicators. the commission intends to make use of those indicators in the forthcoming alert mechanism
by everyone. of course we also expect our partners to adhere to and deliver on their commitment to the reforms and to the values that underpin these
necessary. completing the banking union in particular is the single most significant and important advance we can make to end the unfair distortions of lending conditions in financial
core european values namely the respect of fundamental rights including the right to privacy and security also matter just as much on line as off line.
level. we should not act where it can be done better at national or sub national
produce results. i think there are no excuses and the opportunity to go forward before the elections
we plan to withdraw some pending proposals and repeal existing laws which no longer serve their
quickly. we need to unblock the flow of credit and help businesses especially
mechanism. now we have to find a final agreement on the directive on bank recovery and resolution and a political agreement in council on the single resolution mechanism by the end of the year. our goal must be to conclude negotiations with this house in
results. i thank you for your attention.
creating the right business environment is also key to stimulating
and europol. we must not allow the momentum on such vital issues to be fuelled by
those in need. in this sense and knowing well that most responsibilities and competences lie at national level more has to be done at european level in terms of cooperation with countries of origin and transit and of member states' efforts
the commission is actively working on a series of measures to fight against tax evasion in general working with the g eight g twenty and oecd. but there are some specific challenges which are posed by new digital business models which existing tax policies may not yet fully address.
programme. but let me be clear this is not about calling into question established policy goals nor should it be a battle of competences between brussels and national
work. we also expect member states to do their own work in terms of ensuring the availability of any necessary backstops in line with state aid rules if private solutions are not adequate and in terms of the full cooperation of national supervisors to bring this exercise
of concern. we are approaching the programming
economy. this remains one of the biggest bottlenecks in the european
discussions. we also need to pay attention to the balance sheet assessment and forthcoming stress test exercise in the banking
not. we will need to increase our efforts public and private to keep up with international competition.
eib loans. i will call upon member states to bring forward concrete pledges and to go beyond the
tragedy. these elements form part of the solution but first and foremost we need the
i also expect member states to cut red tape at their level and avoid gold plating' eu legislation by adding new national burdens to european
yet there. we need a final push from all concerned in order to
markets. equally important in our comprehensive crisis response is that we move forward on the road to a deep and genuine economic and monetary
unemployment. as you know in june the commission proposed the frontloading of the social funds so that the initial eur six billion is invested in the first
partners. our common goal is to conclude association agreements including deep and comprehensive free
the other thematic priority for this european council will be research and innovation. the evidence is there member states that have continued to invest in innovation have fared better in the current crisis than those that have
shares. honourable members you know that together with the eib we have also looked into other alternative instruments for financing the economy including forms of risk sharing by pooling and leveraging parts of eu funds and
to them. the widening of these to the social and employment dimensions will surely contribute to enhancing ownership. as you know the commission has presented a communication on the social dimension of economic and monetary union. one of the core proposals is stronger surveillance of employment and social challenges and policy
neighbourhood. this european council will prepare the eastern partnership summit which will take place in vilnius later
international investors are now finding their way to europe but business research and development expenditure in the eu is far below that of our main competitors.
status quo. we are not asking governments to renounce part of their funds we are asking member states to increase the effect of the funds including for the benefit of smes which suffer the most from the fragmentation of europe's credit
back in. two thousand and nine four years later we are now in a position to deliver on our common objective of political association and economic integration with our eastern
growth. the preparations for the next mff have come a very long way but we are not
two years. adopting the necessary regulations is a matter of urgency and
that includes making sure that those who operate in the online world do not escape from fair taxation.
sector. the commission will support the european central bank and european banking authority in any way possible in that important
level. at the european council tomorrow i will be looking for a strong endorsement of the refit
few years. these funds will help kick start private funding
to be realistic. but the character and scale of the problem calls for stronger measures to organise search and rescue operations to save lives in danger to better protect our borders to effectively tackle the criminal networks behind the migration flows and to protect
let us all make maximum progress on this file by the end of this legislature. this package complements a number of important recent proposals on the completion of the digital single market for example on reducing the cost of deploying high speed broadband networks on invoicing in public procurement on cyber security and on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions.
smes. frankly i am disappointed that the member states are not more ambitious here and i will say this tomorrow to the european
the spring. i want to thank the european parliament for its efforts and the hard work that has been done to prepare its position for these
partnerships. i therefore launch from here an appeal to ukraine to fulfil the remaining benchmarks and seize the opportunity of the extension of the cox kwaniewski
the commission has recently launched an indicator of innovation output to focus attention on the right rd policies. but additional investment in rd makes no sense without critical structural reforms of national research and innovation systems. the commission will continue to push for reforms to create a true european research area. we must enable the mobility of researchers and provide open access to publicly funded research results and transnational access to research infrastructures.
like this. i hope the european council will pave the way for a new chapter in the common management common responsibility and cooperative management at european union level of migration
yet optimal. this is also due to insufficient ownership by each member state of the recommendations which are addressed
period. the member states with the support of the commission are in the process of finalising the design of the youth guarantee implementation plans and youth employment initiative
report. moreover in the annual growth survey to be adopted by the middle of next month the commission will present a first overview of the implementation of the country specific recommendations.
even in the crisis this is a sector that has continued to show growth potential and we predict there will be nearly one million ict job vacancies unfilled in the coming years.
we need a thriving digital sector to drive all other parts of our economy and the internal market for telecoms has to be at the heart of this programme.
but i will make it clear that we can only deliver if there is the necessary political will among our member states. just yesterday as you know the commission approved a very substantial working programme for.
work. hundreds of people die in the mediterranean nearly every day there is an accident but in june two thousand and fourteen we will come with
for example. let us not just say ok we want to do something' because the burden always lies with countries like jordan turkey lebanon
yes we need more innovation more digital economy.
policy. let us open the strategy for legal migration in order to combat illegal
let me come back to the third chapter which is i think the most cynical and the most devastating
it is a complement which is absolutely necessary.
our countries. so let us have a sensible migration
that is what we expect from a progressive economic policy in the european union to have an enhancement of the economy of business of start ups but at the same time integration of those people who need to be integrated into society.
issue. this is a conclusion of the council. this is the orientation and the speediness of the council's
but the cause of unemployment which is the real taboo is immigration especially immigration from the third world.
their migrants are assisted by anti discrimination laws while what we really need are native population preference laws so that each country's nationals could go to the top of the employment list.
i fear that this agenda merely asks for business as usual while outside real businesses are still struggling.
europe should be exporting goods and services not jobs and wealth but every time we place an additional burden on businesses and industry we make europe less attractive to potential investment.
madam president i and my group welcome the emphasis that tomorrow's council will place on economic matters.
the only question in my mind is whether we have the political will to actually deliver it.
just think of all the ngos that we face every day which are paid by the commission to campaign for yet more regulations and yet more red tape. we seek their opinions as stakeholders but all too often we are simply receiving the opinions of individuals with a centralising agenda of their own.
well today in the eu we have an eu of the ngos by the ngos and for the ngos.
but last week we were presented with a new way forward.
these reports show the way forward to reforming europe's economy.
with any red tape of course it is much easier to put in on than it is to get it off again.
we could slash the eur. seven five billion that the commission gives to those very ngos.
it sets out the reforms needed so that we can fully represent the people of europe and not predominantly the interest groups of the european district.
we need to look again at many of those laws.
i would recommend it to you as yet more set reading.
because there is nothing pro european about obsessively pursuing an outdated vision that is undermining europe's future potential.
it is all too often a case of one step forward and two steps back.
i think mr barroso already has a copy of it and i hope that he will go and beat commissioner andor over the head with it because it is his department that produces many of the regulations that we want to get rid of.
one of the absurdities in this debate is that many of the people in this room who bask in the title of pro european have an agenda for centralisation that will actually damage europe an agenda that will limit its economy limit the opportunities of its people and condemn us all to a poorer future.
this challenge is why much of the good work done by the commission's internal market and trade and industry departments is undermined by the paid allies of the commission's own social affairs or environment departments.
but unlike those ngos these are the people who actually provide the jobs and the taxes that pay all of our salaries and for all of our services.
i hope we will see some action from the european council this week action to break down barriers to starting and expanding a company action to break down the barriers to europe's competitiveness and action to ensure that our debates are not drowned out by the special interest groups with their own agendas.
overcoming those vested interests should be our challenge but it will be very difficult.
this report on eu red tape was drafted by the leaders of some of europe's most successful businesses.
eu red tape is no different.
a report here by the new direction think tank outlines exactly that.
that is the old fashioned agenda that is reinforced by many of the vested interests that we have within the brussels beltway.
it was almost exactly one hundred and fifty years ago at gettysburg that lincoln outlined the challenge of a government of the people by the people and for the people.
perhaps instead of thematic discussions we need clear decisions. instead of taking stock let us actually have some action and instead of assessing ongoing work perhaps some radical reform to remove the barriers to competitiveness would be useful.
in my own member state research by the think tank open europe highlighted that of the one hundred most costly regulations for the uk economy twenty four of those laws actually cost more than the benefits that they bring.
that does not sound very inspiring to me.
we all know what needs to be done.
at the european council the commission will underline the importance of maintaining momentum in rebuilding the economic and monetary union and as a next step completing the banking union. why is this important?
we have to be more forthcoming in this critical field.
progress to support economic recovery and job creation.
first the commission fully agrees with the need to enhance legal economic immigration and labour mobility instead of illegal immigration.
we must accelerate ongoing work on the various legislative proposals in this area.
i would like to add a few words about another important issue on this week's agenda economic and monetary union.
these include measures to ensure that the union's intellectual and scientific potential is actually transformed into new products and services which can be sold on the markets.
two years on a significant number of issues highlighted then are being complemented.