kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
we need to decide what really matters what is core in terms of the digital ecosystem and whether greater transparency around suppliers supply chains and foreign investment is enough to offset the security risks.
we need to think strategically around these issues of security.
madam president honourable members i agree with everyone who said that this is a very important subject a very important debate. i would even have welcomed this debate slightly earlier in the day with the opportunity to have slightly more people in the chamber because while we may be discussing technology that is not yet part of our everyday lives it soon will be.
it may be that some pieces of backbone digital infrastructure are simply too critical for us to risk.
security concerns are not an excuse for arbitrary protectionism but equally we can't ignore those concerns.
and the fact that it will form the backbone infrastructure connecting everything means that we now have to think very seriously about how to get security right from the outset from the start.
so i think the solutions need to reflect our europe's particular perspective based around keeping markets open and trade fair.
trying to protect everything won't work.
storing data in the cloud and artificial intelligence open up huge opportunities to make use of or to abuse huge volumes of personal data to give just one other example.
as far as the commission is concerned we take these issues very seriously.
it is now under discussion between member states and parliament and i hope that the outcome of these discussions will be beneficial for the sector.
a key objective of eu transport policy is multimodality and as you may recall i spent a lot of time and energy in two thousand and eighteen in promoting multimodality.
game changers which are of course digitalisation decarbonisation investments innovation and people are bringing to transport and logistics.
these reports emphasise the need to continue working to put inland waterways transport in the place it deserves in terms of a reduction of the overall environmental impact of transport. for the inland waterways transport sector it is crucial to be part of the fundamental transformation that the big
in my final year as transport commissioner the smooth implementation of the directive on technical standards and on professional qualification for inland waterways is a priority. we will also continue to look at how best we can bring digitalisation to the sector and link it better into the whole logistic network especially considering its
the eu's position in relation to inland waterways transport is that of strong support.
i do however have to stress that the adoption and implementation of this programme will of course be subject to the orientation of the next commission.
this is why i am pleased that the follow up programme you propose in your resolution will reinforce the commission's activities in this field.
i would like to clarify again one very important point today we are discussing ets which is an electronic tolling system and again let me restate that the issue related to the vignette systems will be addressed in the road charging initiative which is also part of the first mobility package which as i said will be negotiated with your house hopefully by the end of. two thousand and nineteen
it will help reduce the cost while enhancing the market in electronic tolling ultimately benefiting citizens.
i wish presidencies had been more ambitious and ready to engage on this topic but we expect the council to be ready to engage into negotiations with your house by the end of the year.
but before i conclude allow me to respond to a few of your questions and comments.
let me also respond to honourable member mayer.
if we don't change we have no future.
ms anderson is always blocking every new development and always hiding behind the social rights of the workers.
we have unfair competition from outside the eu.
in contrast the european market is fully open to chinese investment despite the lack of reciprocity.
we are strengthening our tools for responding to the possible risks that certain investments could pose to our security or essential interests of the union.
however no economic growth can be achieved without a stable and secure environment.
the ambitious cybersecurity package presented by the commission in september two thousand and seventeen was followed the by a set of council conclusions and an action plan for their implementation.
it is the presidency's intention to reach a general approach on this important file in the coming weeks.
the regulation will establish a framework for screening by the member states and for a mechanism for cooperation in the exchange of information about investments from third countries.
in this regard this house will be voting this week on a very important piece of legislation the investment screening regulation.
however access to the chinese markets for eu companies remains highly restricted and china ranks among the least open economies to foreign direct investment inflow in particular in certain key sectors.
these emphasised the need to enhance the eu's capacity to prevent deter and respond to cyberattacks. the cyber security act an important part of the package will be formally adopted in the coming weeks.
the council is also making progress in the discussions on the proposal for a regulation establishing the european cybersecurity industrial technology and research centre and network of coordination centres.
supplemented in december two thousand and eighteen against chinese practices that force european companies to give up sensitive technology and knowhow as a precondition for investing in china.
firstly that the amounts for cohesion policy stay at the same level or increase because people in europe expect more growth more competitiveness better infrastructure and we cannot do more with less.
two thousand and twenty one we might not yet have concrete amounts of money and this is particularly due to the delays in the council i would like to understand but our position the vote in parliament will define how money is spent to whom it goes and under which circumstances.
madam president i think it is safe to say this morning that this regulation that we are voting on today is one of the most important pieces of legislation that we have voted on in this mandate and i would like to congratulate the two rapporteurs for all of the work which they have done.
it is important because it lays down the founding principles of how eu structural funds will be spent in the seven years after.
five six million singaporeans enjoying the eighth highest per capita gdp in the world.
and that is the opportunity for britain or any other country in the world simply remove the obstacles between businesses and their customers.
simply this unilateral free trade.
what was the magic ingredient that transformed those swampy mangrove trees into the gleaming skyscrapers that we see today?
it was the moment as lee kuan yew was to put it when they plugged into the global economic grid.
singaporeans invited the traffic and commerce of the world unconditionally without waiting for reciprocity and they especially did so after one thousand nine hundred and sixty five following an acrimonious split with their largest neighbour.
how did they manage that? this is a place with zero resources.
for the eu the list of non cooperative jurisdictions and the work at the oecd level on digital economy taxation are two examples of successful international cooperation that has been established and that is contributing to the objective of fair taxation. firstly on the eu list of non cooperative jurisdictions.
however all countries are free to adopt the tax policy that suits their specific needs.
but when tax incentives are harmful others should be free to adopt appropriate counter measures.
secondly on the digital economy eu member states are working closely with the oecd to find a global and comprehensive solution to the challenges brought about by the digitalisation of the economy.
allow me to recall first of all the anti tax avoidance directive which is a major success in the eu providing for a comprehensive framework of anti abuse measures aimed at ensuring that taxation will occur where value is created.
some may say that the eu could do more in the area of taxation but i'd like to recall the progress that has been achieved so far over the last few years in this area and we assure you that the romanian presidency will continue work in this direction.
this proves that we want and we have to address tax issues on several occasions.
i am fully confident that member states will agree on a compromise.
the eu member states operating through the code of conduct group were able to have a contribution to changing the behaviour of most of the tax havens.
tax policy is one of the key elements of national economy policy and each country has the right to choose tax incentives to make its economy more attractive.
the digital services tax directive would fill the gap while the long term solution is being negotiated. we are likewise acting in the domain of vat where major progress has been achieved.
obviously an arms control treaty which is not respected by all of its parties is not sustainable. the eu our member states and the united states have raised many times in moscow our serious concerns regarding russia's compliance with the inf.
while neither the european union nor any of the eu member states are parties to the inf we do have a very high stake in the preservation and the implementation of this treaty.
for nuclear disarmament and an important element in the future development of nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes.
we as the union stress the need for concrete progress towards the full implementation of article six of the npt especially through an overall reduction in the global stockpile of nuclear weapons taking into account the special responsibility of the states that possess the largest
the world does not need a new arms race that would benefit no one and on the contrary would being even more instability.
as the world's main destination for foreign direct investment the eu cannot allow this proverb to underpin global trade and investment.
to harness globalisation we need to safeguard the critical infrastructure and long term strategic interests that directly support jobs and people in europe and protection is not protectionism as was insinuated by mr pretzell.
we all want a better world.
we all want good air quality. we all want to see ecologically sound moves.
what needs to be done is to facilitate an environment where science develops better maybe tax breaks on these kind of things.
nobody wants to live in a situation like the area that i came from originally the black country in the uk which around the nineteenth century during the industrial revolution was known as the black country because during the day it was black from the soot and smoke from the furnaces and at night it was red because of the foundries.
everyone wants that.
people died because their lungs were being clogged up by this stuff. so we all would like to see a better environment to live in.
you can't do this from the top down imposing and forcing. you're ignoring human nature the desire to create wealth to better their souls through trade.
so the actual products and services that go towards sustainability are attractive to the consumer and market forces will create the situation that we all want.
mr president i would like to thank my colleagues for their work on this resolution. it is an important statement on behalf of our parliament about a treaty that has made our continent and our citizens safer. the eu has been the main beneficiary and it is in our interests to return to
for these reasons the resolution makes clear that we want russia to return to full compliance with the inf treaty and for the high representative to take the necessary action to ensure the continuing protection of our citizens that a revitalisation of this treaty would present.
it is also imperative that the right signals are sent on other arms control and disarmament treaties most particularly the continuation of the new strategic arms reduction treaty although.
having the inf treaty provides a framework that helps to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations.
our priority should be to preserve the benefits the inf treaty has brought we call on the high representative to explore new additional multilateral avenues to deliver arms control.
points similarly made by the european economic and social committee have not been properly accommodated in the report and there is still clearly a risk of profitable routes been exploited to the detriment of good public service contracts.
madam president this proposed regulation on coach and bus service liberalisation has serious flaws and i believe it is premature to vote on our report on this issue now.
equally there is significant evidence from surveys of bus drivers and trade union reports that as others have said the liberalisation already in place in many member states has impacted negatively on drivers' terms and conditions of work.
if we have twenty eight different kinds of regulation there's always this unfair and unjust practice.
this is in particular the case regarding the role of the national regulators and for public service contracts granted with an exclusive right.
likewise it is essential that we find the right articulation between public services and those provided on a commercial basis.
on certain points such as on the administrative burden on operators and on the definition of bus terminals we fully understand the good intentions behind the compromise amendments but we believe more work is needed.
the proposal will lead to an increased offer of domestic services that are more responsive to citizens' needs in particular for those on lower incomes.
i would like to thank him for his hard work and the quality of his report.
in this context the proposal presented by the commission as part of its second mobility package aims at improving the mobility of eu citizens within member states while increasing the sustainability of national transport systems offering an attractive collective transport alternative to the use of private cars.
it will also bring economic and social benefits with increased investment and job creation in this sector.
it is indeed very important to have a strong regulator in all member states to carry out the necessary economic equilibrium tests and to deal with possible appeals.
to conclude i believe you have a very good and promising report in front of you which will contribute to improving bus and coach services to the benefit of eu citizens.
as rightly mentioned by mr zle those social conditions are regulated in another piece of legislation which is being revised under mobility package i.
i hope that clarifies the first point that was raised.
commercial services carrying passengers over distances of one hundred km or more will concern only a small proportion of public service contracts throughout the eu because many routes operated as part of public service contracts are under one hundred km long and passenger journeys on them are implicitly shorter. in addition public services and not only those with exclusive rights
we want every single village to be connected.
this would be a big missed opportunity for the sector and for citizens.
and you know what such rules mean a bigger market better salaries more competition better service.
and i'll tell you who would lose most lowincome groups and those living in remote areas.
let me also stress again that this proposal does not affect the social conditions applicable to bus and coach drivers.
can remain protected.
i very much welcome the broad support expressed tonight and i took note of certain concerns that were raised so allow me to respond to the main points. first a general comment on public services.
that is and has been and will be fundamental to growth jobs etc.
and with your support we are about to deliver just that for our citizens that their security and public order interest will be protected.
moreover for the first time they would have the possibility to collectively assess potential risks to their security and public order. i welcome parliament's and the member states' understanding of the need for a key role for the commission here as well in this mechanism when security and public order in several member states could be at risk or with projects of the union's interest like galileo or horizon two thousand and twenty fundamental for our future.
the cooperation mechanism has been reinforced in many aspects.
several member states and some of our international partners actually most of them were already experienced in this type of legislation screening foreign direct investment.
this regulation will help set a common framework increase cooperation and information sharing and building on efficient practices.
furthermore you have proposed reporting with the yearly public report on the implementation of the regulation.
increasingly in an interconnected and interdependent world we share opportunities but also threats and this becomes even more important in the internal market where a foreign investment in one member state might have an impact in another or the whole union.
i think we can all salute this moment and hope for a very strong vote tomorrow because we know that this is of concern to our member states to our companies to our citizens and we will have delivered by then.
tomorrow's vote will be an important milestone. as we will be shifting towards implementation we will use the transition phase to ensure that member states and the commission can swiftly put in place the necessary arrangements for this new mechanism.
in september when we launched the proposal this was as was said by the two rapporteurs a new policy area.
international cooperation with like minded third countries is also encouraged and i would like to thank you for these improvements.
but the majority of our member states did not have their own legislation or mechanism in place.
this proposal has triggered a constructive debate at european and national level and what we see is that several member states are now in the course of reforming or even introducing their own screening mechanisms.
for instance with the possibility for a member state to proactively seek opinions or comments the strengthened provisions on anti circumvention or an increased scrutiny by the commission when a third of member states issue concerns on a specific foreign investment.
thanks to the new regulation member states and the commission will have a much better overview of foreign investment in the eu.
in its initial position and in the course of the negotiations parliament has made it clear that it was supporting this proposal and it has sought further improvement and they have largely passed into the final compromise.
but a condition for being open is to be able to trust that foreign investors will not threaten our security and our strategic interests.
by concluding this file we send a very strong message to our partners. we are open in the european union to foreign investment.
now new forces are at work in russia and once again it would seem that opportunities are being seized to create dismay and divergence between western allies.
the political objective was to create dismay among western european governments to stimulate the so called peace movement and to create division between the europeans and the united states whose territory was not directly affected at that time.
it was a great achievement.
member states have the right to take measures against companies for reasons of national security.
the regulation will establish a mechanism enabling member states and the commission to assist each other where a foreign investment in critical technology infrastructure as in other sectors could affect the security or public order interests of other member states or of the union itself.
finally negotiations are underway on the proposal for a european cybersecurity research and competence centre and network which will stimulate the development and deployment of cybersecurity technology and complement the capacity building efforts in this area at eu and national levels.
the act also establishes an eu framework for cybersecurity certification boosting the cybersecurity of online services and consumer devices.
but we need to work together the institutions our agencies and the member states to make use of the various provisions and powers.
again as has been underlined the cybersecurity act that we reached agreement on last december will soon be adopted and published.
there are as has already been mentioned a number of instruments in place which can be used to boost that resilience. for a start while five g standards are global theoretically allowing suppliers from anywhere in the world to do business here in europe anyone who wants to access the eu market
thank you for organising this debate this evening.
as my colleague commissioner malmstrm said to this chamber a little earlier today by concluding the work on the fdi screening regulation the union is sending a strong message to its partners. we are open to foreign investment but a condition of being open is to be able to trust that foreign investors will not threaten our security and our strategic interests.
cyber and cyberenabled threats already pose a significant challenge to our european union.
it's no surprise that the resilience of critical digital infrastructures including in relation to the imminent rollout of five g technology has aroused healthy debate in member states around the role of third country technology providers not least in the light of the two thousand and seventeen chinese national intelligence law.
driving this urgent work forward and building stronger coordination among member states will be essential to our joint efforts to increase our collective digital resilience.
five g infrastructure will be the backbone of our digital economy providing mission critical services not only for consumer services but for a myriad of other sectors transport energy health defence and the security sector and it will not be easy to replace once it is installed.
to those who have questioned why we are discussing this and to those who have tried to warn us off i want to say this it's absolutely right that we should be discussing this. it's entirely legitimate and indeed necessary.
securing this critical digital infrastructure is necessary to protect our government our industry our democratic institutions our personal information and indeed our core values such as the protection of fundamental rights and data protection.
this is not going to change any time soon and with the emergence of new technologies which will change our entire connected lives we need to be thinking right now about our digital security requirements.
needs to comply with our rules.
together we need to demonstrate the necessary political will to better assure our digital security and it's vital that we remain vigilant to all the cyber and cyberenabled threats including those to our digital infrastructure given that they will continue to evolve and they will continue to be cross border. for our part the commission is committed to continue working with member states and the other european institutions on these issues.
as well as who is supplying our infrastructure we also need to consider how cyber secure it will be once it's in place once we're using it.
these various measures create the right kind of incentives to enhance cybersecurity products and services in the eu both for business and consumers and along supply chains.
for example most member states have already transposed into national law the security of network and information systems directive.
that was the first euwide legislation in this area and for any member states who have not yet transposed this i think they would be well advised to do so. the directive seeks to develop national cybersecurity capabilities increase eulevel cooperation and ensure that operators of essential services including certain digital service providers adopt appropriate risk management measures and report significant incidents to their national authorities.