kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the commission will then come back during the course of two thousand and fourteen with the results of this process.
we already have extensive legislation in place and more legislation is under discussion on protection against discrimination in areas outside of employment.
the treaties provide the union with a number of powers and these have been used successfully to introduce a range of legislation.
amongst other provisions it requires member states to criminalise public incitement to violence or hatred directed against persons belonging to a group defined by reference to race colour religion descent or national or ethnic origin.
these are violations of the principles of liberty democracy respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
furthermore the treaties provide the union with the competence to take appropriate action to combat such discrimination.
the fact that we need to organise a europe wide week against racism is a clear indication that europeans still live under the shadow of discrimination prejudice and aggression.
it has brought peace stability and prosperity all on the basis of freedom democracy and rule of law.
the council stands firmly alongside this parliament in rejecting all forms of racism xenophobia and homophobia.
all the institutions of the eu must stand shoulder to shoulder in defending fundamental freedoms and fighting all forms of discrimination.
the eu's charter of fundamental rights prohibits all discrimination on the grounds of race colour ethnic origin and religion or belief.
we can be proud of the achievements of the european union.
president honourable members allow me to conclude by addressing the issue of what more might be done.
the council has in particular taken steps to protect european citizens from all forms of racism and xenophobia.
the council's framework decision of two thousand and eight ensures that such behaviour constitutes an offence across all member states.
let me first address the situation in which we find ourselves today.
the european union should be encouraging the development of a society based on equality tolerance and respect for human rights.
so as to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of the rule of law common values and protection of the fundamental rights of all in europe.
in addition member states have their own domestic laws covering these areas.
this leads to my second point what is the eu doing?
bigotry and discrimination have no place in the europe of the twenty first century.
lgbt persons ethnic minorities including jews and roma and other groups continue to face prejudice discrimination harassment and worse.
events such as the action week against racism play a vital part in keeping these issues in the public eye and so bringing abuses to light.
the irish presidency suggested that a mechanism to better support protection of fundamental rights and the rule of law in member states by sharing best practice benchmarking practice and outcomes in an objective way and formulating appropriate recommendations and guidelines for action would provide such a holistic framework for effective responses to these issues.
i commend this parliament for keeping this issue high on the agenda. in your resolution of may last year you called for more determined action and referred to specific concerns in some third countries.
let us live up to the ideals which it represents.
the legal protection which the eu offers to racial and ethnic minorities is already fairly broad covering employment social protection healthcare education and access to goods and services.
this subject is at once very focused concern about the growth in xenophobia anti semitism homophobia and other extreme forms of intolerance and how to take effective action at national and at eu level to combat these evils and very broad in that it touches on fundamental questions about the rule of law and the effective functioning of political and public institutions in the protection of the fundamental rights of citizens.
every time a representative or any politician for that matter of one of the twenty seven member states points out a country an ethnicity a minority a religion or a sexual orientation as a scapegoat it is the eu as a whole that suffers from it.
that is why politicians must not be afraid to talk about the issue to keep educating and to realise that addressing racism and inequalities is not about creating more legislation but about achieving real equality in hearts and minds and by bringing religions and communities together.
europe is facing a time of social economic and security challenges and during such times people look for someone to blame and for things to be afraid of.
we do not want to hear the arguments this morning relating to either political positions or attitudes to individual countries that are members of this union. we want to talk about the subject.
this is an area where we must never believe that the job is done.
however condemning a whole nation as some people seem to be doing this morning for the views of a few citizens is simply not acceptable.
this uncertainty and fear is often then fed upon by populism and our media.
it is a very remarkable thing to hear the commission and the commissioner talk about what has been achieved in the framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia and what can be achieved in the race equality directive in the employment directive and all the tools that we have had in this house to deal with anti discrimination but the fundamental issue is that it has not been implemented in the way that we have wanted.
it was about the very real human suffering on many streets around the european union where people suffer hate crime the reality of what it means to be different and to be violated.
then we will have something that we can be proud of and that this resolution has focused on today.
mr president in january the irish presidency delivered a very strong statement asking the eu to counter hate crime racism anti semitism xenophobia and homophobia and highlighted the need for better data collection.
that very mundane issue of data collection in fact is very important.
that is the issue for us in this house today implement what we have implement the tools that we have developed in this house and that many members in this house have worked very hard to deal with.
that is the reality of what we are discussing here today being a community of values but understanding that even at european union level there is something that can be done.
besides their persistent joblessness segregated education unhealthy living conditions terrible healthcare situation political under representation and geographical isolation.
it focuses on forty million of the poorest european citizens only ten million of whom are of roma origin.
many colleagues have drawn attention to problems in south eastern europe but i hope the commission will not overlook challenges in western europe.
their canvassers on the doorsteps were far worse arousing atavistic anguish and fanning the flames of fear.
mr president i would like to thank the commission for its work in fighting racism and xenophobia and to commend the work of the european union's fundamental rights agency in vienna which i visited last month.
in hard times extra vigilance is essential.
in a recent by election in the united kingdom the united kingdom independence party put out leaflets claiming that twenty nine million bulgarians and romanians will come to the united kingdom next year.
you know also that the fundamental rights agency is crucial for the collection of data on hate crimes and that our roma integration work is crucial in order to prevent
may i inform you that the national roma contact points are in place to ensure that national strategies are implemented.
it requires all member states to penalise hate speech and to ensure that a biased motivation for any other offence is taken into account in the severity of the penalties.
the commission monitors the transposition and implementation of this eu legislation which prohibits discrimination and hate speech and hate crime.
under the new citizenship programme of two thousand and fourteen two thousand and twenty i have proposed an increasing amount of financial assistance to be provided for remembrance projects.
you know too that the commission together with parliament always insists that the equal treatment directive the so called article nineteen directive should be taken in hand by the council but progress is slow if not to say non existent.
in addition to legislation of course the commission lends its support to a number of activities to prevent acts of intolerance and also to remember our common past because only if you know the roots on which you are growing can you prevent things from happening again.
i will report on the application of the race equality directive and the employment equality directive as well as on the transposition of the framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia.
eu. no member state can boast a clean record when it comes to these crimes.
a council recommendation in order to open new avenues to improve the effectiveness of measures by member states to achieve roma integration in real terms and not just on paper.
and that those who commit them are not punished.
that is why i am very grateful to my colleague alan shatter who to start the irish presidency held a gathering of the justice ministers in dublin in january this year in order to discuss the problems of racism xenophobia and hate crimes anti semitism islamophobia anti gypsyism and homophobia all those manifestations which are completely incompatible with european
nothing is moving on this.
this house also knows that we have completed the victims' rights directive which gives victims of crime a broad set of procedural rights including access to justice compensation and restoration. particular attention is paid to the special categories of victims of hate crime. so these instruments
things that are happening in several member states.
we all know that these instances occur in a number of member states;
that is why i want politicians to continue talking about these matters and educating their populations.
it does nothing whatsoever to aid our debate today on this very important subject for individuals sometimes from a political point of view but sometimes wishing to criticise other countries where they do not reside themselves or of which they are not citizens to bring this matter into a specific.
we are helped by general discussion and improving standards wherever they may need to be improved throughout europe.
i agree completely with her on that point because they can get to young people and show them what the result is of these terrible practices in reality.
if crimes are committed they are not committed by race they are committed by individuals so whenever you want to penalise you penalise the individual.
at the same time when another individual commits a crime because he or she does not agree with the fact that a person is different this must be penalised and of course it must have an even bigger penalty.
violence and incitement to violence must of course be recognised as thoroughly despicable criminal acts. however it appears that racism and xenophobia go beyond violence.
can you define these terms?
is it not absurd to try to criminalise something that cannot be defined?
i would make one point in this debate and it is this i think we have become complacent in the european union on the prevalence of aids.
it is important that the un and the eu work as partners as we approach the high level meeting.
in my own country the numbers last year were at the highest level of new cases for the past five years.
as others have said a huge amount has been done in this area in recent years but we still have exceptionally large numbers of people across the globe who have to live with the reality of aids.
the reality is that sixteen million people at least are living with aids as a consequence of having antiretroviral drugs following proper testing.
this needs to be a collaborative effort. domestic funding for this purpose particularly in middle income countries also needs to be increased.
treatment coverage and access to care is high.
again this needs to be a collaborative effort.
it destroys a way of life by virtue of the fact that the amazon red indians are being wiped out;
at the end of the day is there anything we can really do or are we just talking?
i am not sure whether or not you have participated in question time before but you are allowed a supplementary question that relates to the main question.
i suggest that you look at the rules. as far as i am aware there were no supplementary questions at the time i closed the last question.
i am sorry but i have to rule your question completely out of order.
i am very sorry but your question does not appear to be related at all to the last question.
at present however many european union countries do not have plans in place to develop national strategies for dementia;
minister thank you very much for your participation in this first question time with your presidency.
during the financial market growth and some banks perhaps again not all banks but many banks are continuing to behave irresponsibly in the time of the budding weeks and months of recovery.
it has taken the opportunity to reduce his overdraft and put him under pressure in his business a business that is viable a business that will survive this recession.
please minister take these banks in hand tell them we are giving them taxpayers' money and we expect them to take the public interest into account not just the interests of their shareholders some of them very wealthy shareholders.
i bring good cheer because one of the few successful outcomes of the copenhagen conference was broad agreement on a mechanism that will enable developed countries to contribute financially to prevent the destruction of tropical rain forests.
so would the minister agree that one of the objectives of the spanish presidency should be to give this agreement substance and to secure a good indication from europe about how much we are prepared to commit to prevent the destruction of rain forests?
it was supported by my group because it would have allowed specific aid under the first pillar to compensate for natural handicaps and also to ensure that agricultural activity was maintained in mountainous areas in environmentally sensitive areas and in natura two thousand regions.
i voted against amendment twenty three not because i support gmos i do not but because i support subsidiarity and i believe that member states should be able to make their own choices on gmos.
i was also pleased to see parliament support a multi tiered safety net in the event of market disruption and indeed emergency situations.
madam president i voted in favour of the dess report but i must say i was disappointed that amendment four was not successful.
finally i was pleased that we overwhelmingly voted that the budget be maintained at least at the two thousand and thirteen level.
the commission has carried out a specific study on over indebtedness of european households and families.
i understand that consumer insolvency is of particular concern to some of you.
it is obvious that we need modern and efficient insolvency rules that help rescue viable businesses and give entrepreneurs and consumers a second chance.
as regards next steps besides the evaluation of the recommendation and the already existing material the commission is carrying out a comprehensive comparative legal study in the twenty eight member states regarding consumer insolvency procedures.
today in europe half of all businesses do not survive the first five years of their existence. in the eu two hundred zero firms go bankrupt per year that is six hundred a day resulting in.
and last year adopted a recommendation on a new approach to business failure.
reported by stakeholders relates to legislative steps to make insolvency proceedings more readily available.
around a quarter of these bankruptcies concern businesses that work cross border and the latest crisis has led to a surge in non performing loans in all member states without exception.
this is a very tangible benefit of the reform and it will foster a cultural change in the business community across europe.
people who lose their jobs and incomes have a higher probability of falling into the debt trap as do people confronted with accidents of life no one can anticipate.
mr president the vote tomorrow will conclude a two year long negotiation process on the recast of the regulation on insolvency proceedings.
it was a useful first occasion to gather views and brainstorm about the next steps.
the capital markets union project which the commission adopted recently also contains a clear reference to the need for modern insolvency regimes as a gateway to a flourishing business and investment climate.
the revised regulation covers also preventive insolvency proceedings which aim at rescuing businesses as well as a larger range of personal insolvency proceedings.
bad financial choices come down to two basic scenarios a credit which is too short term or interest rates which are too high often to be explained by inadequate financial advice by lenders. in the framework of this study the most frequentlynamed best practice
last month we held a conference in riga to look at the way ahead.
we are interested in members views when starting to map out the next steps.
the revision also provides the first legal framework for coordinating the proceedings of members of groups of companies. of course our work is not finished with the adoption of the regulation. we will spare no efforts so that practitioners and citizens can properly apply the new instrument by the time it replaces the old regulation. the commission has also followed up on your goal
it will be completed in mid january two thousand and sixteen and this will provide us with a good basis to discuss next steps.
however the situation is not homogeneous across the
the commission is currently assessing the actions the member states have taken in response to the recommendation.
eu. for example in a number of member states consumers do not have access to personal insolvency proceedings and in many others the discharge periods are much longer than the recommended three year period provided for in the commission recommendation.
the findings are clear.
i would like to recall that the principles laid down in the commission recommendation are also relevant in this regard. in particular in its recital fifteen the commission urges member states to consider applying the principles of the recommendation also to consumers.
so in the seventieth year of the nhs thank you.
madam president in a few weeks' time the uk's national health service will celebrate its seventieth anniversary and i take this opportunity here in the european parliament to say thank you.
doctors nurses support staff all help make the nhs what it is through their professionalism and skill and their care and compassion every single day and with brexit now causing so much uncertainty it's now vital that the rights of those eu nationals working in the nhs are protected for the future.
after eleven months' litigation the bulgarian courts continue to empower the russians even after determining that the claimed meeting was invalid.
some russian owners convened a non quorate meeting out of season when most owners were absent.
last year russian nationals exploited gaps in bulgarian law to set up a property fraud.
they elected themselves as the new condominium management and imposed a new regime of rules on all owners that enable flats to be seized.
that law allows formal meetings of owners to set community rules.
it is the commissioners' responsibility to ensure that justice systems are fit for purpose before and after eu accession.
eu citizens own flats in the nestinarka holiday condominium which they use during the holiday season.
the ira terrorists received an amnesty under the good friday agreement and were able to walk away from their crimes.
i want to join those calling for an act of parliament for an amnesty for these ex servicemen for their alleged historical offences.
men in their sixty s and seventy s are now in danger of being charged with serious criminal offences because of allegations made against them concerning their service decades ago.
this friday fifteen june.
madam president a group of people are being unjustly persecuted in the uk. these are british ex servicemen who served in northern ireland.
i also call on anyone who can to show their support for these men by attending a protest rally at parliament square at eleven a. m.
these men defended us against the cowardly terrorists and murderers of the ira and sometimes they had to make split second life and death decisions.
one now sits in this house.
pride should not be a marketing opportunity for multinationals.
trans people suffer from the highest rates of repetitive violence and hate motivated crimes.
pride is a time for solidarity against discrimination and against violence an assertion of dignity and equality rights of lgbt persons.
so this year let's not celebrate pride by patting ourselves on the back for marriage equality.
ireland has the second highest prevalence in the eu of hate motivated violence against trans people.
instead of visibility of billion dollar social media networks let's have visibility of trans identities.
it is a celebration but most importantly pride is political and pride is protest.
we cannot afford to have it trivialised and commercialised especially not when we still have so much unfinished work to do for the lgbt community.
my constituents who use thames link and those who use northern rail services in other parts of the country have seen since the end of may hundreds of trains cancelled daily a total and utter failure to reorganise the timetable.
madam president the notice issued by the commission on twenty seven february this year sets out measures that must be met to ensure continued interoperability of passenger and freight services through the channel tunnel after twenty nine march.
the uk transport secretary doesn't seem to accept responsibility and won't resign.
however it would be hard to blame people in the uk for having no confidence in the current uk government to get anything right on the railways.
people are not bargaining chips.
but now their right to family life is threatened by brexit.
the eu and the uk must now repay that debt and work together to guarantee citizens' rights to a family life regardless of the outcome of negotiations.
many british military personnel have been stationed in eu member states becoming part of the local community. some fell in love and married their new found neighbours.
veterans have served to protect the fundamental values that underpin the european union.
madam president thirty june will be armed forces day in the uk. the men and women who serve in our armed forces across the eu are a crucial part of the union's defence and security as well as playing a vital role in peacekeeping around the world.
the uk government's careless approach to negotiations has failed to give our service personnel the respect they deserve.
they've got children and grandchildren and some have moved back to the uk taking advantage of european citizenship for their spouses and dependents.
if the answer to that question is no' then the problem is on our side not on theirs.
we have to start talking about what we gain from enlargement about the well educated regions the new markets creating stability creating lasting peace etc. what our citizens will gain.
we have to remind everybody else how the opposition to spain and portugal was and how today these countries are regarded seriously and are respected.
we have created a system where almost all the parties are almost always in power.
until we can move to a full democratisation with an opposition involved in the stormont assembly we cannot call it a properly democratic state.
seventy one it is more than it was in the soviet union at the height of the cold war.
we all know being democratic politicians that the thing that keeps you on your toes is an opposition a prospective future government.