kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
capacities such as firefighting aircraft firefighters and vehicles were deployed on nine occasions.
i know i can count on the european parliament to be a strong ally to support our proposals because we must rapidly offer solutions to our citizens. they expect more from us as european institutions.
we don't have our own means therefore we have to admit that sometimes our contribution is not sufficient.
certainly not in his case.
this evaluation has marked the starting point of reflections on the future framework of the union civil protection mechanism which the council will continue in the coming months.
at the same time a swift and efficient response is dependent on costly and therefore limited resources.
however despite significant efforts at national and eu level to prevent forest fires we have to stay prepared and ready to respond in a more efficient manner to these catastrophes.
as honourable members are aware the union civil protection mechanism which we jointly adopted in two thousand and thirteen provides for a number of measures to prevent prepare for and respond to disasters.
on behalf of the council i would like to express my deepest condolences and sympathy to the relatives of the victims to thank the countries which have provided assistance and also to thank the commission for its coordination efforts.
this includes the european emergency response capacity which is a voluntary pool of member states' assets precommitted for immediate deployment inside or outside the eu.
these resources have been deployed a number of times to provide assistance in combating forest fires across southern europe.
in this context the presidency has taken note with interest of the recent announcement reiterated yesterday by president juncker of an upcoming commission proposal to revise the union civil protection mechanism.
finally the council has attentively examined the commission's recent interim evaluation report on the union civil protection mechanism.
i would like to respond to some of your observations. first of all as i said we need to take a comprehensive approach.
this is quite important for me.
first additional financial support to be better equipped to respond to disasters.
for me increased prevention and preparedness should be a precondition for any extra support.
such progress was deemed to be of high importance for further work with a view to refining the remaining aspects of the future ftt and drafting the legislative text of the directive.
are well aware of the history of this file.
the presidency will be supportive of that process and assist where it can.
the political objectives and implications which could be expected from such a project were made clear by the commission when the ftt proposal was put forward. you are well aware that the negotiations on an ftt are of a very complex nature and they have turned out to be quite time consuming.
nevertheless some eu member states already have their national laws on taxing financial transactions in place.
the presidency is ready to continue this practice even though malta is not an ftt participating country.
it seems clear to us that further work in the council and its preparatory bodies will be required before a final agreement can be reached among participating member states.
these laws are adapted to national specificities and we have to clearly evaluate which aspects of such a national tax could be introduced at eu level.
on the financial transaction tax you.
that if negotiations proceed in a constructive manner there will be a chance for a first step in the area of ftt at eu level.
some have also made the more general point that if the ftt is not implemented on a wide scale globally the threat to national revenues markets and the investment environment may outweigh any benefits.
in two thousand and eleven no agreement among the twenty eight member states could be found so some member states decided to pursue the route of enhanced cooperation in this area which is an option foreseen by the eu treaties.
against this background i would like to brief you on the remaining issues that need to be resolved in these negotiations as we understand them from the perspective of the presidency.
moreover participating member states presented their findings relating to the cost efficiency of ftt collection as the discussions so far have shown a need for further reassurance that the tax can be collected in a cost efficient way.
in the last ecofin meeting during the slovak presidency in december on the initiative of participating member states further progress was demonstrated on a number of elements of the ftt.
second to ensure that the financial sector makes a fair and substantial contribution to public revenues;
the commission therefore fully supports the work of the member states participating in the enhanced cooperation and acknowledges the significant basic agreement among the ten participating member states on the core engine of the text.
there are still some features of the text design that have to be decided upon. the commission stands ready to continue to provide technical support to participating member states in their effort to present the final ftt design.
the commission encourages and supports the ten member states participating in the enhanced cooperation to undertake all the necessary steps in order to define a calendar that will allow a compromise decision on the full text to be reached by mid.
two thousand and thirteen the objectives of this latter proposal are first to strengthen the single market by reducing the number of divergent national approaches to financial transaction taxation;
and finally the financial transaction tax will support regulatory measures in encouraging the financial sector to engage in more responsible activities geared towards the real economy.
it took in half a billion last year.
but secondly there is a real concern in my own member state about the secondary debt markets as to the negative impact that this could have in terms of increased liquidity and also in terms of reduced investor demand.
from my perspective there are three major problems with this.
one is displacement if you have a system where there is a tax in some financial centres and not in others that will lead to displacement and could actually lead to an unintended consequence in terms of money going offshore.
it is also fair to say that since two thousand and eleven the percentage share of tax that has come into the eu from the corporate sector has increased much of it as a consequence of the oecd agenda. i was glad to hear the presidency refer to the fact that those member states not participating in the financial transaction tax proposal would also have their views heard and listened to.
we know that there are two major problems with the ftt.
the extent to which this negative effect contains productive capital flows may be substantial.
first the tax rate has to be set at a very low level to minimise efficiency losses and hit only high frequency speculative transactions.
if however an ftt is to be eventually implemented it should be carefully designed so as to minimise the risks involved.
three suggestions can be made in this context.
you demonise them but they are responsible folk investing for their future in the hope that they will not become a burden on the state mostly people saving for their pensions.
an ever larger group of people will become ever more dependent on the state but that's what you want isn't it? a whole generation crushed by tax and regulation.
that's what this place is all about.
in the process you will discourage business from using capital markets and encourage investors to look outside the eu.
i'm relieved that the uk will not be taking part in this tax on pensions but for your sake i despair of the economically illiterate fiscal incontinence that will drive down your ability to be competitive and of course the business will move to the city of london.
it is not going to be rich fat cats in the city as you seem to think it will be;
you are going to be damaging the european union as a financial concept. people will go elsewhere to britain or to the far east to do their financial transactions.
well let us just for a minute remind ourselves of what the expert opinion is indicating will be a direct consequence and series of direct consequences if this is enacted.
now does the european union really want to inflict this degree and this type of damage on an important sector that has places and locations and centres of financial expertise right across the member states?
we have heard even this evening with the opening statement that further work is required.
well i suggest two bits of further work either bin it or park it and come back with something that can be worked through and delivered and is not detrimental to the financial sector of europe.
it is also a way to contribute to our national budgets as well as to the budget of the eu and is a crucial question for social justice without which citizens will not trust our governments.
it is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children.
i am glad that the un general assembly in december two thousand and twelve adopted a resolution on the elimination of female genital mutilation.
in my own constituency in the north of ireland teachers are being warned to watch out for girls taking prolonged absences from school to visit their or their families' countries of origin for fear that they are at risk of being mutilated.
i praise those such as the national network of migrant women living in ireland for the work that they have done in this area but i regret that the practice still takes place at all.
or by being brought back to their parents' country of origin.
the practice causes severe pain and has several immediate and long term health consequences including difficulties in child birth.
those who survive the procedure have severe and lasting effects from infection.
it is estimated that well over three zero women in ireland have been victims of fgm despite the fact that the law prohibits it and that thousands of girls and women across europe are at risk of undergoing the procedure either illegally in europe
obviously the fact that we are still here discussing this means that not enough has been done.
ireland has done well to make this practice illegal under irish law but there is still a lot of work to be done with regards to awareness of this issue.
successive presidencies of the european council have failed to make this a priority but it is a european problem.
it reflects a deep rooted inequality between the sexes and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women.
next month i am holding a public hearing in my constituency of london bringing together experts in this field.
we will share information and data in a move towards eliminating this practice in all member states.
we need to work in our member states to put forward a policy of zero tolerance.
the resolution this week is a call for action. today i ask you to join me in this action.
i look to other meps to join me in the fight against this form of violence of child abuse not only today the international day of zero tolerance to fgm but every day.
we need to support ngos who are working around the world to educate and approach communities to inform them that this is not an acceptable practice. it is child abuse and has no place in our society.
in the next week i will be holding a public hearing on the prevalence of fgm in europe.
we in the united kingdom have started the fight to stop this barbaric practice. the leading london paper the london evening standard is in the forefront of this fight. by highlighting and informing the public of this practice we can put a stop to
you are all welcome to join me at either or both events.
in the united kingdom we estimate as many as sixty five zero girls are at risk most of whom live in my constituency of london.
but prevention does not mean prosecution.
we need to move away from the criminalisation approach.
prevention of fgm means working for and with affected communities and in particular with young people.
prevention also means training professionals who are likely to be in contact with affected women and girls.
we must lift this taboo we must face up to the scale of the problem and we must reach out to find a way to bring an end to this barbaric practice the world over.
the commission must also consider how it can help to eliminate the practice in third countries.
the fact that one hundred and twenty five million women around the world are affected by this brutal practice which leaves them with serious health and life threatening problems is an astonishing figure that commands our attention. the practice of fgm must be condemned worldwide and i fully support calls for the commission and the external action service to take a firm stance on those countries which do not.
but we must also ensure that the member states themselves understand better the prevalence of this in their own society as well as tackling the problem through effective prosecution and punishment.
the physical and mental impact of this devastating practice and the harrowing experience of a young woman echoed by millions across the globe left a lasting impression on me. as today is the international day of zero tolerance to female genital mutilation i feel it is more important than ever to call on the commission to set out its recommendations on how member states can tackle this illegal practice which affects more than half a million women here in the eu. we must make sure that the public realise that this practice constitutes
two thousand and twelve let me now address the question of european union legislative action.
and it is preparing a regional campaign on fgm which will be carried out by its delegations in third countries
the european union is also taking its first steps towards developing and applying a human rights based approach in development cooperation.
fgm is also a form of child abuse.
the commission is working to improve knowledge and data collection and to prevent violence.
this legislation emphasises the need for specific and appropriate protection for victims of gender based violence.
the directive against sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography;
as regards external relations policy i reiterate that human rights democracy and the rule of law are inherent in our analysis when it comes to assessing whether and what type of budget support is appropriate in a given country.
this framework needs to be effectively implemented by member states at national level.
i would like to emphasise that all the commission initiatives and measures are mutually complementary and that they already constitute a solid and comprehensive framework for concrete action bringing tangible results and making full use of eu competences to support the member states in eliminating all forms of violence against women.
civil society organisations are recognised as fully fledged actors and partners for development.
the commission and the european union as a whole are committed to a strengthened policy response to combat all forms of violence against women within the union territory and in our external relations.
female genital mutilation is a brutal manifestation of gender inequality and a violation of human rights. on several occasions this parliament has called on the commission to act ambitiously.
we have a comprehensive legal framework at european level to protect women against all forms of violence.
the commission is assisting them in this respect and will monitor effective implementation.
and the directive on the rights of crime victims.
those measures already contribute to supporting member states in preventing the violence.
we have made significant progress in adopting concrete legislative proposals in the field of criminal and civil justice to support women against violence. this includes the directive on trafficking in human beings;
women's and girls' rights are of course part of this.
it is estimated that currently five hundred zero women and girls in the european union alone may have suffered from this harmful practice. this parliament calls for a specific strategy and an action plan on violence against women.
this is demonstrated in the commission's action plan implementing the stockholm programme the women's charter and the commission's strategy for equality between women and men.
this is not about imposing some great european values on other countries or other cultures it is a struggle for human rights for women's rights for children's rights which involves people in african cultures struggling for those rights and with their allies all around the world.
it is not some isolated barbaric practice it is about the oppression of women.
in many countries where fgm persists the practice is illegal.
this is another dark stain on europe's immigration policies and we have plenty of them at the moment.
we should remind ourselves that african cultures cultures that have islam as a prominent religion are not alone in barbaric practices against women.
member states have an obligation to protect women and girls trying to escape fgm.
it is a manifestation and an instrument of oppression against women and it is a way of denying women as sexual beings of denying sexual pleasure to women.
it goes to show that more than laws are needed investment in publicly owned free healthcare systems that guarantee full sexual and reproductive rights to women that lower the dependence on traditional circumcisers who often also play a role as midwives or nurses in the community;
activists have also raised the fact that some member states have deported women back to countries where they are at risk of fgm.
let us look at the domestic violence which affects one in five women let us look at rape which affects one in ten women.
the reform of the current system will be a missed opportunity if the policy focus remains solely on balancing budgets and reducing public debt.
sound public finances are very important but at any point in time we must get the balance right between potentially conflicting policy objectives.
what is proposed for the twenty four million unemployed across europe?
in essence they want to strengthen an imbalanced policy approach which has failed us now for over a decade.
mr president on economic governance my group supports efforts to achieve stronger european economic coordination but we have serious doubts about the direction being followed by the commission and council.
we need economic governance that can achieve a balanced policy mix with sound public finances and high quality full employment.
this mistaken view is based on the assumption that balanced budgets combined with more flexible labour markets will per se bring about properly shared growth and prosperity.
it is just an instrument not an end in itself.
more competent means more geographically representative for the union of twenty seven because competence is not geographically neutral.
then the instrument may work.
we can afford richer better and more competent foreign policy drawing competence from the experience and wisdom of all twenty seven member states.
we agree absolutely with that but it is the timing and method of approach that you adopt which is also crucial.
if you do it far too quickly as is being proposed that we get back to the three deficit criteria by the end of two thousand and thirteen that could well cut off any possibility of growth and lead to long term stagnation and high levels of continuing long term unemployment.
at the same time i would like to assure you that we have not forgotten the importance of growth and employment. for that we need to use the eu two thousand and twenty strategy tools because we would like to set the european economy on new bases on new wheels and we want to pursue the smart inclusive green meaning healthy growth of the european economy.
therefore we need to focus more on employment on better education on high quality youth policies and of course on the reduction of poverty.
therefore geographic and gender balance as well as an agreed balance among the sources for the european external action service from our institutions and member states as has been agreed are very important in building up the new professional staff of the european external action service.
i would like to assure all of you that baroness ashton is clearly and very much involved in the process.
i believe the intention to grant to pakistan increased market access through the immediate reduction of duties on key imports to the eu is an important step even though i regret that the policy will need to be time limited rather than becoming the rule.
i fear though that the need to take into account industrial sensitivities referred to in the declaration will turn a dramatic initiative into something of a timid half measure.
we in my group will therefore be watching closely to ensure that the ambition of the declaration is not thwarted by any selfish protectionism.
we welcome the progress that has now been made to provide emergency aid for pakistan and we are pleased that the council agreed that a comprehensive package of measures for pakistan's recovery and future development is required.
secondly on the roma i want to make it clear that we have been pressing very hard to get a very clear legal statement from the guardians of the treaty the commission.
but aid is only one side of the coin.
two thousand and thirteen and yes mr schulz the coalition government in the uk comprises conservatives and liberals just to make the record complete.
firstly i should like to congratulate the council on its concentration on improving economic governance in europe.
the long term future of the developing world rests on the ability of each nation to create a robust dynamic trading economy.
development aid for pakistan as elsewhere is vital and the new uk coalition government is proud of its commitment to spend.
given the plight of the people of pakistan such a betrayal would be a disgrace.
nonetheless the call to establish a major new trade partnership between europe and pakistan was a bold proposal by the uk prime minister david cameron which has been pursued with determination by the coalition's trade minister ed davey.
the eu has all the potential to be a great power as we have been for years in the economic and cultural field.
the cfsp and the esdp are currently non visible policies from a political point of view.
we have opportunities and we have responsibilities and the lisbon treaty has given us the tools to secure our goals in both.
the commission is committed to using this as an important platform for the eu for the coming year.
second to broaden economic surveillance to tackle imbalances;
on economic governance the work of the task force chaired by president van rompuy and the preparation of detailed proposals by the commission mean that we have come a long way since may.
the eu institutions have gradually taken over the functions of the rotating presidency for representation and coordination.
i know that parliament is fully conscious of the desirability to start quickly on your examination of these proposals.
it was very important that the european council will come back to the task of building a common approach on a regular basis.
this agenda will be deepened still further when the task force makes its final report to the european council next month.
on all these subjects the union's institutions and instruments have been shown to be working as the treaty intends.
i simply want to make one point the commission has the responsibility here as the guardian of the treaties.
it was also agreed that we should find ways through trade to help pakistan.
maximising the eu's voice is good for europe and i believe it is also good for the world.
but it is also right to say that we should help the long term prospects of the pakistan economy through trade measures and the commission will be making specific proposals next month.
this shows what is possible an agreement which was not easy but which holds out the prospect of huge commercial benefits.
finally the issue of the roma.