kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
we must thank all those involved with these programmes and we commend their efforts.
by reconciling communities giving hope and opportunities talking planning and working together we can and must help to build a shared society for all the peoples of northern ireland.
but there are still outstanding issues that are getting in the way of full implementation of the peace agreement and these issues must be tackled as soon as possible.
therefore in my opinion all of the peace sponsors the uk the irish republic the americans the european union have failed financially to assist lasting peace and more still needs to.
may i therefore suggest that rather than the uk handing over gbp fifty five million every single day to the european union a proportion of that money is spent in northern ireland where it is so badly needed.
peace is great and we can all agree on that but i believe that we have left northern ireland in an economic wilderness following the end of this bloody war.
northern ireland also has the highest rate of unemployment in the uk.
the real point here is that the peace process is moving forward but equally economically northern ireland has stagnated and i believe that if we save money from not contributing to the european union we can invest in northern ireland even more.
but let me just finish.
that is actually six days in contributions that we as the uk hand over to the european union.
this is the very time that we in this parliament can and must show our collective will for lasting peace in northern ireland and offer our practical support to achieve that.
despite many brave and positive steps over the past years the peace process in northern ireland as we have heard still has some way to go.
there have been huge achievements in ending violence and bringing different parties together around the table.
many people scoffed at that at the time but i do believe that the eu can play a much greater role internationally in peace and conflict prevention and i know my constituents in wales want to see us doing that.
i do not believe that there is any desire or drive for the reunification of ireland.
these show that more people in northern ireland identify with the union and more people in northern ireland identify as northern irish as well.
i do not think this will come certainly not by two thousand and sixteen and it will only be by the support and democratic will of the people.
that is an interesting development.
my reason for saying that there is now stronger support for northern ireland remaining an integral part of the union is based on all the recent life and times surveys that have been carried out independently in northern ireland.
this requires effort and a willingness to sit down with your political opponents and i urge all parties to invest politically emotionally and financially and to deliver for this and future generations in this most beautiful part of europe.
labour meps agree with the motion for a resolution and that all aspects of the good friday agreement be implemented as quickly as possible.
the northern ireland peace process can show the world the benefits of politics in achieving peace but the impasse which has been mentioned cannot continue or tomorrows political leaders will have less incentive to take it up.
to get to that point required enormous amounts of effort from all concerned but the effort was worth it and the key part of that success was ensuring that everyone had a stake and a say in how their communities were run.
a whole new generation is now emerging since the good friday agreement was signed and if this generation is to know nothing of the hatred bombs fear and bullets of the past then we have duty to ensure that this process does not now come to a halt.
we must do all we can to ensure that the new generation finds that the political process is infinitely preferable to the alternative.
although weapons have been decommissioned and ceasefires declared the irish peace process still has a way to go before real peace is achieved.
in fact the peace process will always need reinvigoration and constant monitoring.
my son and his family have just moved to the north near belfast so i have been able to observe at first hand the underlying violent and criminal activities in the community which seem to pass largely unremarked and unchallenged.
it seems to me that this antisocial activity is rooted in gangland crime and social and economic deprivation rather than any religious or cultural differences.
as this resolution states the implementation of the peace process has reached an impasse'.
it urges all parties to the process to work constructively towards a lasting resolution of the conflict and the full implementation of the good friday agreement and subsequent agreements'.
this resolution is the result of meaningful cooperation amongst meps from six political parties.
i was one of the authors of the joint motion for a resolution and am very proud to have done that for my group.
we here in the european parliament all want to see a lasting resolution to the conflict and a full implementation of the good friday agreement.
this joint motion for a resolution is a very good reminder that we have seen here a good example of conflict resolution from across the eu and beyond.
of course this is a very special and important part of our history for the united kingdom and islands of the united kingdom and northern ireland and ireland.
it is a very special moment and we will hear from mr nicholson in a moment.
we spoke about reconciliation and all of us have had those practical examples of reconciliation and work.
all the same i think what we want to see and what we have seen in this resolution is that issues are dealt with the overall progress has to be made in northern ireland and should not be underestimated or forgotten in this debate.
while there have been numerous problems along the way requiring delicate political negotiation the processes remain largely on track and we need to promote the progress made as a positive example of conflict resolution.
the lesson that can be drawn from the peace process is that the ability to empathise is essential.
all sides to a conflict must be able to understand what the other side feels what it wants and what it hopes for.
this helps to encourage compromise and as we all know politics is the art of compromise.
i welcome the commitment that the commission continues to support the northern ireland process the various generations of peace programmes attest to this.
the establishment of the barroso task force was also an important sign of the european unions commitment to progress in northern ireland and we must understand that this process is not over yet;
the northern ireland task force still has a valuable role to play and indeed it is promising that commissioner creu appears to be holding the task force in high regard.
i think this is part of the whole peace process that people look at the situation see what happened and approach it with a view to getting peace and justice for everybody involved.
if we look back to our own history the primary objective in establishing the european union was to end all wars within our borders and to find ways and means of living together.
now for many people especially those who have no memory of war this may seem a very simple a very straightforward and sometimes even an inadequate objective because they have grown used to living in peaceful times.
but peace of course is never a given.
it is always a process and that is just as true in mainland europe as it is in northern ireland.
but the process of peace building in northern ireland is still in its infancy.
it is no longer a tiny new born but it still requires assistance and support.
like any toddler it can be knocked over and it can fall over.
all it can do then is haul itself back up on its feet and take the next step because there is no other way.
the eu has acted as an honest broker and has funded a number of peace building programmes.
the last two programmes had as their priorities reconciling communities and contributing to a shared society and the new peace funds will focus on young people and children.
and speaking of young people and children in my opinion much greater emphasis needs to be placed on some form of integrated education system where we can ensure cross community interaction between four year olds that would be a positive start.
what i would like to stress here is that while we have the word impasse' in our resolution we do not have the word collapse'.
what we are talking about here is making sure that this is only an impasse and that there is a political responsibility on the parties in northern ireland and on the parties in the republic of ireland and the united kingdom to get us out of this impasse.
i welcome this week the intensification of talks in belfast to reach agreement on the key issues that are outstanding in the peace process.
there is an impasse or a stalling but that is not to take away from the very good work that has been done.
the ongoing efforts to reach an overall agreement will have to address the past and its legacy and only then can we provide restitution to victims and to their survivors.
there is an understanding that we have so much to gain by working together and so much to lose if we do not and i think that has been echoed across the floor here tonight.
we are making progress we continue to make progress.
but let me start with a quick mention of what has happened since we signed our political dialogue and cooperation agreement.
we the european union intervened immediately with our humanitarian aid in their support and we are also helping them restart their farms and rebuild their homes in a more sustainable way so that the next hurricane will be less devastating than the last one. these are three examples of concrete projects that have already improved the life of the cuban people thanks to our cooperation.
international cultural relations for the people of cuba are an opportunity to meet the world and to look beyond their island as well as to strengthen their own cultural tradition.
as you know such dialogue already started informally in.
the european parliament together with all other european institutions continues to invest in dialogue respectfully without hiding the differences and the difficulties but also while taking all the opportunities that this dialogue can bring about.
but only through dialogue and engagement can we address our differences explore avenues of cooperation in different sectors and accompany cuba in its modernisation in particular in these times of change with the end of president castro's mandate coming up.
and i won't mention here all the cultural historic links the social links that are there between our people.
let me stress in particular as we mark the year of european culture and in the year when the city of havana celebrates its five hundredth anniversary.
first renewable energy which is key for both of us.
let me mention just three of them.
of course the joint council will also be an opportunity to discuss other issues for instance the us embargo and its extraterritorial effects.
i would say even more so when we have differences and difficulties.
the first joint council meeting which we plan to hold in mid may will be the opportunity to consolidate and expand this work.
it is the best tool we have to work for sustainable development social justice democracy and human rights.
we have already expressed it several times we believe the embargo does not achieve the goal of improving the lives of the cuban people.
i have visited the centre for cuban youth that we have opened in old havana together with unicef that is providing young cubans with the skills they need to live better lives and the space to meet and work on common projects in many different fields.
and let me say if we care about human rights in cuba and we in this room all care if we care about widening the space for civil society this is the best path to follow to the benefit of the cuban people.
for me this is the sign of how promising this new season in our relations can be.
our political dialogue and cooperation agreement is the tool we need to better accompany and support a process of economic and social reform.
on the contrary it is only damaging the cuban people and the cuban economy.
i have seen it during my visit to cuba at the beginning of this year.
two thousand and fifteen since then it has allowed us to exchange on human rights issues directly in a very open frank constructive manner with the cuban authorities.
second sustainable agriculture especially for the areas hardest hit by the hurricane.
because we believe this is the best possible way not only to build a more peaceful and cooperative international environment but also to improve the daily lives of our people both in europe and crucially inside cuba. it is quite clear that we do not see eye to eye on all issues we do have several disagreements with the cuban government.
as you know the european position is very clear.
today we are here to discuss the preparations for the first joint council between the european union and cuba and the way ahead.
we both believe in international cooperation and dialogue as the best way to address international disputes. we believe that a multilateral global order is possible and it would help us build a more sustainable development world wide.
this is a field where i see enormous potential for our relations to be increased and deepened.
our cooperation has started to make a positive difference for the people and this is i believe what counts the most.
and finally while there i heard the stories of one hundred and eighty zero men women and children who were hit by hurricane irma.
we do have disagreements as i said and i am sure our cuban friends would say the same.
as we prepare for the joint council we are also working to formalise our annual human rights dialogue.
so let us continue to engage aware of the differences ready to address them in a spirit of dialogue respect and frankness aware also of the opportunities for our common work in different sectors of cooperation and continuing to work on our side in unity.
we also recognise that the most important issue in the process of cuban democratisation is the holding of free elections with a plurality of political parties and programmes allowed to compete on equal terms.
in these cuban elections millions of cubans who reside outside the island are not allowed to vote. for those within cuba the choice is limited to the one and only candidate listed for each available position.
through this declaration we manifest our total rejection of the spurious and anti democratic process that is about to take place in our country of birth.
cubans within the island and those abroad should be allowed to participate and the elections should be held in the presence of supervision of international observers.
that leaves cuban citizens of course with no freedom of choice.
i would like to point out that in the past fifteen years this european parliament awarded the sakharov prize three times to cubans who fought for fundamental human rights.
but obviously the success of this agreement depends on its implementation and compliance with it.
they were detained at havana airport and denied entry to cuba.
its rank of freedom of expression is among the worst in the world.
mr president as previous speakers have already pointed out the signing of the political dialogue and cooperation agreement established a new legal framework for the relations between the european union and cuba while maintaining our eu's interests. the agreement attempts to support human rights to improve the living conditions and social rights of cuban citizens and to strengthen trade between the eu and cuba.
just to point out one recent example last wednesday the former presidents of colombia and bolivia andrs pastrana and jorge quiroga tried to travel to havana to receive an award on behalf of a democratic initiative of spain and the americas.
with these actions the castro regime once again unsuccessfully tries to silence the voice of freedom and democracy in the country.
in my opinion we should not just focus on economic relations but work systematically in promoting the values of democracy and human rights including the rule of law and good governance.
mr president the political dialogue and cooperation agreement gives the opportunity for better cooperation between the european union and cuba in the future.
we should continue to promote such dialogue but in a responsible way with focus on the sustainable development democracy and human rights.
our aim is to stimulate reforms in this country but their actual implementation is no less important.
an improvement in this area will be necessary in order to achieve the proper implementation of the agreement between cuba and the eu.
so we have time to observe the ongoing reforms and if necessary to put additional pressure on the cuban authorities.
i believe that the eu cuba cooperation agreement opens up a new space for improved relations. but the european union must keep its human rights and fundamental freedoms as a basis of this new relationship.
honourable colleague i don't know whether you expect an answer to this kind of question. i think it is completely inappropriate to compare the situation in a democracy like spain a valued member state of the european union with a regime in havana
you should go to cuba and look for yourself at what a devastating state this country is in.
economic political and social modernisation is vitally important for the country.
however protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms must go hand in hand with placing eu cuba relations on a higher level.
this is no mystery.
what can encourage positive development and channel our approach our principles and our expectations is a strong open frank and constructive dialogue based not only on respect but also on very clear messages that we never hide.
us. we simply have the instruments to enter into a different phase.
i would expect that this parliament will accompany us in this implementation phase keeping clear our perspectives our differences and our points of convergence.
public sector and governments must also change and learn to do things better with the new technologies and i'm very happy that the commissioner took up these concrete ways in europe as well.
we must not curb innovation but set the framework for a legal and trustworthy environment.
we as a society need to adopt a strong but soft approach to new technological possibilities.
blockchain technology developers need to answer these questions when developing the technology and applying it hopefully destroying some old thinking and models of the way of life today. i'm also curious to see how old companies will find new ways to integrate this technology.
the artwork lists the names of thirty four three hundred and sixty one migrants who have died trying to reach safety in europe.
he was one of the lucky ones a syrian refugee who did not drown as he crossed the mediterranean.
in greater manchester in my constituency a third of people recently surveyed have reported being the victims of hateful abuse based on their ethnicity.
it stood as a reminder of the horrifying risks that people are forced to undertake in order to seek safety and a sustainable life.
last week however at the fundamental rights forum in vienna i met a successful young business student.
the right to life is recognised as a human right.
it is high time that the right to choose to die with dignity was recognised as a fundamental human right of every european.
in april when christine and i last met she said to me that if she lived in a civilised country she could choose to end her own life when it became intolerable because it was after all her life.
to live according to one's own beliefs is recognised as a human right.
christine and many others have expressed this view to me over the years and on their behalf i raise this issue again in this house. every day terminally ill people face suffering that they would choose to end but are denied the right to die with dignity by most member states.
the resolution to be voted on during this plenary will provide additional impetus and support to the eu's vision for developing and promoting these technologies during the coming year.
of course blockchain may not be the panacea that will solve all our challenges but it is an opportunity that we cannot overlook an opportunity for the eu to lead in new trusted business models and for public services to deliver better
i shared my concerns with you on this matter at our last debate on this subject.
energy grids health care the financial sector supply chains transport education the creative industries and the public sector are just some of the possible fields.
one of the core messages of our text was to signify that the european union aspires to become the global leader in the fourth industrial revolution.
blockchain also has strong potential to improve the quality of public services and as an instrument or indeed a platform to increase efficiency between the state and the citizen in relation to smart contracts public documents avoiding duplication certificates licences land registries and even voting.
and what initiatives would the commissioner undertake to create a competitive blockchain ecosystem in the eu?
distributed ledger technologies and blockchains have not only shown great potential in improving existing value chains but also create new value chains that reduce intermediation costs and transactional friction and that remedy trust issues monitoring problems and transparency concerns.
the applications of blockchain are numerous and encompass a wide range of sectors.
let me just say that technology is neutral.
how we use it depends on us.
on behalf of the itre committee allow me to deliver the following oral question to you vicepresident.
this directive is very important as it will regulate various aspects from enforcing eu quotas to how many adverts can be on television in a day.
this is an extremely broad piece of legislation that could be highly damaging to the audiovisual media sector.
on demand services like netflix and amazon prime will be obligated to ensure that thirty of their content is made up of european work.
they are also targeting social media services such as facebook instagram and snapchat.
is there any aspect of our lives that the eu will not regulate?
this legislation has also been extended to apply to videosharing platforms which will affect companies such as youtube and potentially twitch.
mr president i propose that we have a full debate on the audiovisual media services directive which is due to be voted on tomorrow.
furthermore it is creating an eu regime whereby any media service may be forced to financially contribute to another government.
he was a star on the rise and the world is a darker place for his disappearance and alleged torture.
oyub titiev the chechen director of the rights group memorial who first denounced the attacks on gay men in the region is still in pretrial detention.
the situation of trans people for example worldwide is appalling.
more than one year after the russianbacked purges there has shamefully been no criminal prosecutions for the deadly violence.
i urge the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release titiev.
is both a homophobic and antiabortion party.
ironically the chechen strongman leader ramzan kadyrov and officials at russia's justice ministry have the audacity to say that the rights of the lgbt community were not violated in chechnya because there were no gays there.
his case demonstrates how hostile the environment in chechnya has become for human rights defenders.
these violations of lgbtiq are happening in all countries in many different faith communities including european christian societies and members on the far right have failed to understand that the rightwing dup in northern ireland for example
we should also remember that it is not only gay men who face hostile environments and human rights violations in russia and elsewhere.