kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the new system would involve the setting up of special courts outside the jurisdiction of national courts or the european court of justice where investors could sue governments if they believe that the actions taken or the legislation adopted by those governments would put their investments at risk.
i strongly argue that we do not need special courts to protect investors. we do not have special courts to protect citizens' rights to protect the environment or to protect human rights or workers' rights.
this week the commission launched a communication on harnessing globalisation and making it work for citizens.
improving workers' rights in this sector and stopping the exploitation of truck bus and coach drivers should be the absolute top priority of these proposals.
unfortunately this resolution does not sufficiently underline this priority and in particular the paragraph on establishing a european road transport agency to protect and promote workers' rights amongst other areas including proper enforcement of road transport legislation was
this resolution also does not establish sufficiently strong protections on tackling climate change and air pollution.
so in overall terms i am sorry to say that i voted against this resolution.
but ian how can you call yourself a scottish nationalist when you want to hand over our fishing grounds to the european union?
once again with her good cooperation we have been able to achieve something which is acceptable if not perfect.
special thanks goes to my colleagues from the greens and the gue they have had the good taste to reintroduce one of my amendments.
the agreement that you have reached in the trilogues together with the council is a very good result and i would like to thank you all for working tirelessly to ensure a solid sustainable result that works in practice.
i also want to thank the rapporteur for ensuring a timely adaptation ahead of the full implementation of the landing obligation.
for example by introducing flexibility through the concept of ranges which allows us to quickly adapt following the most up to date scientific advice to the benefit of stake holders and also to the benefit of sustainable stocks.
let me highlight that the landing obligation enters fully into force in less than one year and we are all aware of the challenges it entails for our fishing industry.
the north sea plan contains a range of tools to help towards this transition and i would like to call on all member states to use the flexibilities which exist in order to ensure smooth implementation.
i have taken due note of this very interesting debate and also of your general overall support.
to ensure this they must focus on the tools to ensure a practical and sustainable management framework which also allows for flexibilities for our mixed demersal fisheries.
you replied by telling me that you did not understand this.
to be frank i think that trying to get you commissioner vella to understand how and why british fishermen feel abused is a little like trying to explain how to ride a bike to a shark.
so let me be clear or try to be clear if you want members to stay in a club when they feel abused unhappy and invisible you first listen to them especially the complaints about abuse;
i believe that in order to ensure a coherent approach at eu level it is crucial that member states should not be able to differ in terms of the amount of information that they provide automatically to each other.
although the commission shares the concerns of parliament on the need to ensure adequate protection of personal data we do not consider it necessary to overload the legal text with references to eu data protection rules. the question of data protection is already tackled by relevant prohibitions in the existing directive which are also applicable to the current proposal.
all our road safety achievements can be considered as a kind of european quality label.
i have also voiced concerns that this report could potentially prevent over twenty thousand repair garages in the uk from effectively carrying out inspections and as a result would undermine our uk mot system which is robust.
on a positive note i am relieved to see that the testing on classic cars motorcycles and agricultural tractors has rightly been left to the competence of the member state.
there is no evidence to suggest that the inclusion of caravans a six billion pound industry in the uk and light commercial trailers would benefit from a road safety angle. we should be encouraging our leisure and tourism industries not penalising them.
on roadside checks inspections need to be targeted on heavy goods vehicles and not vans and member states' subsidiarity must be taken into account.
these are increasingly used to replace trucks because many obligations for heavy duty vehicles do not apply to them.
at the same time they are involved increasingly often in fatal crashes.
seventeen member states that have introduced testing for motorcycles report a significantly lower number of fatalities.
i would therefore ask you to reconsider the arguments and vote in favour of testing. i am also disappointed that the proposal to test old vehicles more frequently has been dismissed.
closer cooperation and a better exchange of information between member states will make it easier to re register vehicles in other member states and avoid the re registration of vehicles that are not fit to be on the road or have been scrapped.
the answer is simple in an area of freedom of movement where we can drive our cars from one end of europe to the other it is clear that we need to make sure that all vehicles crossing borders are safe for the safety of everybody.
we also need to be consistent in our approach.
we are doing a lot to raise the safety and environmental standards of vehicles at manufacture but we need to make sure that they are maintained through the life of the vehicle.
i still have some concerns about trailers and caravans.
i have been asking questions about the justification and the evidence for the testing of trailers and caravans ever since the beginning of the process.
mr president i have recently been in contact with the president of the caravan club of great britain.
he is most concerned about this possible new legislation.
i don't know how many other people here i speak for but i was a caravanner for many years and belonged to the caravan club not to attend their gatherings and rallys and so on but to obtain advice and information including tips on how to tow.
why? because i took my caravan for servicing myself every year. i did not want to part company with my caravan down a german autobahn.
do people not understand that if a caravan is not in good order and has an accident on its own like snaking or suddenly departing from its pre designed course then it takes the car with it and everybody in the car will suffer injury if not death?
they will look after their caravans for the sake of their own necks.
mr president here we have more legislation from the eu sausage machine to waste uk civil servants' time and confuse citizens.
you would serve your countries better by staying at home and chewing cardboard.
there was a time when the british thought the italians were amusing ignoring the rules after making so many.
we now understand that an over supply of silly rules leads to disrespect for the law and pedestrian crossings become suitable only for those with a suicidal tendency. we have far too much law.
eu rules are openly broken and are not enforced by the commission.
this puts those who obey the rules into an adverse trading position.
or like the italians make love not law.
exchange of database information but these have now been addressed safeguarding national sovereignty over the data that member states collect and protecting uk citizens' private details.
we can all agree that we want to see an easier and less bureaucratic system of vehicle re registration across the european union;
i would like to thank you all for sharing your views on this important matter. as you have confirmed deforestation is a very complex issue and i think we can agree on a number of points. but we need to take a broader look at deforestation because it is not caused only by the palm oil industry.
we all agree that we should stop irregular and unsustainable production not just of palm oil but any unsustainable production of any product.
true. the process involved a sustainable palm oil round table which involved growers cooperatives processers traders development ngos environment ngos and social
consumers have responsibilities too.
nine which is a significant amount of deforestation.
no it does not! nor does it call for the phasing out of palm
madam president the sd group are pleased with this own initiative report. we have had good cross group cooperation and agreement on the important issue of palm oil and deforestation. at the eleventh hour a letter was received by some of us from ambassadors representing some of the palm oil producing countries outside of the european union.
too many schemes are now confusing the customer. we need one certification scheme.
it is an inclusive report.
the fourth criticism is that the report is partial and not inclusive.
ngos. it was inclusive.
oil. the third criticism that the aim of a single certification scheme is redundant is not true.
the letter makes four criticisms of parliament's own initiative report on palm oil and deforestation. however all of these can be countered. the first criticism made in the letter is that palm oil is not the main deliverer of deforestation. in reply it may not be the single biggest cause of deforestation but it is responsible for some twenty
the second criticism is that the report attacks the reputation of palm oil producing countries.
the european union has signed up to ending deforestation and as the third largest market for palm oil the eu cannot turn a blind eye.
coupled with illegal logging we are witnessing an ecological disaster as these wildernesses are being sacrificed on the altar of anthropogenic global warming climate change.
in fact borneo and sumatra are the only places on earth where tigers rhinos orang utans and elephants coexist. such deforestation caused by the increased demand for palm oil over the past twenty years is driven in part by the demand for their use in biofuels and biomass and has led to the decimation of parts of both the indonesian and amazonian rainforests. to add insult to injury these wildernesses teeming with wildlife are being replaced by huge palm oil plantations a sterile monoculture that supports very few living creatures.
as a follow up to the seventh eap the commission launched this last year in two thousand and sixteen a study to consider the feasibility of options to step up eu action to combat deforestation and forest degradation.
the european union has consistently been at the forefront of action in this area through both international and domestic initiatives. at the international level the european union has proactively engaged in the un forum on forests
deforestation is a complex problem with many drivers such as infrastructure and agricultural expansion and with different dynamics in various countries so there is no single solution. tackling it requires action at many levels at the international national and local levels and through joint efforts by different actors acting together governments industry and business and civil society. it means working in partnership with countries which are most
the environmental and social challenges of deforestation and forest degradation has been and will continue to be a priority for the european union and in particular for the commission.
affected by deforestation and it means adopting a comprehensive and broad approach by identifying all the relevant policies processes and tools we can work with.
that is the case now more than ever as part of the implementation of the two thousand and thirty agenda for sustainable development as well as for the paris agreement.
in the convention on biological diversity in the implementation of the redd framework and under the un framework convention on climate change.
the evaluation of our flegt action plan demonstrated that the work we have carried out so far to combat illegal logging is achieving significant results but also that we need to work more and we need to work better both internationally and domestically. addressing illegal logging is not sufficient on its own. the main drivers of deforestation are related to a broad range of societal factors.
in that context we also have to look for example at our own consumption and agricultural commodities that are often associated with deforestation such as soybean and palm oil here in the eu. we are of course aware of the degree of public concern at the environmental impacts of palm oil production such as deforestation and biodiversity loss greenhouse gas emissions and indigenous rights issues but we are also aware of the opportunities that it presents for instance contributing to lifting thousands of people out of poverty
the results of this report should be available by
the commission believes that we need to address the issue of deforestation by looking at a much broader range of issues and drivers.
it is the call for one single certification scheme at eu level. this is a scheme which businesses and consumers can easily recognise.
i believe the existence of multiple certification schemes confuses consumers.
i am delighted that in our report we have laid that out really very carefully.
a huge amount of work went on from the rapporteur to get that right so that it is sensible it is annotated it lays out what we think could be done what we think should be done.
i believe that this is a huge step forward.
rather than continue to demonise palm oil some of the language even this evening i cannot possibly agree with although i do recognise that deforestation is a bad thing we should move ahead firmly with the certification schemes as laid out in this report and really get ourselves behind it here in the eu.
madam president i would like to start by saying thank you to kateina konen as rapporteur for her work on this report and also to our s d shadow paul brannen because whilst progress has been registered in international european and national policies and in the regulatory framework and whilst various commitments have been made from political financial and industry leaders we still need to work harder to make sure that the business of clearing out forests for palm oil and timber plantation of robbing indigenous people and invading the land and resources will no longer be considered business as usual.
sustainable policies addressing deforestation can stimulate economic growth and development. they can encourage agricultural productivity and reduce social conflict.
they can be a win for our climate for inclusive development for economic growth and for small scale farmers and indigenous people alike.
but we need to act together.
only if we all do our part can we achieve these benefits.
this is an appeal to promote forest protection as a new way of doing business and not as a threat to business.
we require measures that are environmentally sustainable measures that are socially responsible.
ultimately it is our responsibility to support sustainable production and provide eu consumers with a choice based on informed decisions.
i think at the core what we are seeing here is that we as the european union should start using our bargaining power as a big market. we are the second importer of palm oil in the world.
twelve percent of the global production is imported into the eu.
the standards that we are setting will be a global example.
we are doing it for example for conflict minerals.
now it is time for us to take the next step looking at palm oil production knowing that there are cases of human rights violations that there are cases of environmental destruction.
if we set our standards and make sure that according to these sustainability criteria only the good stuff is used for import into the eu we will set a global standard.
for the choice of commissioners the most important aspect is that commissioners designate are chosen on the grounds of their competence their european commitment and their independence.
therefore the commission values your engagement to enhance the european political process and to enable eu citizens to also become genuine eu political actors be it in the context of the european elections in two thousand and fourteen or beyond.
within this framework the european political families are always free to look for the best way to ensure the best candidatures.
it is now for all of us to take the appropriate and sometimes bold decisions in the run up to the elections in.
the presentation by european political parties of their candidate for the post of commission president at the european parliament elections in two thousand and fourteen would be an important step.
two thousand and fourteen it is with this in mind that the commission will come up with proposals to enhance the democratic legitimacy of our union.
i support the change suggested to bring forward the elections from june to may.
the member states in council will choose the new commission president.
in the united kingdom holding the election in may will make it easier to tie in the european elections with our local elections.
i hope that the new commission contains both men and women of real talent.
we all agree that we need to improve the procedures of the next european elections.
i was pleased that the paragraph which called for at least half of the commissioners to be drawn from members of the european parliament was removed in committee.
madam president may i thank mr cassini and my fellow committee members for their work on this resolution which contains several good suggestions.
this will save the taxpayer money and should increase participation.
i do not support the demand in this report that the european political parties nominate a candidate for the presidency of the commission who should lead the campaign.
we should not restrict the right of member states to choose whom they wish to be their commissioner.
for that reason my group cannot support this resolution.
we should try to encourage greater participation in these elections by our citizens.
i ask members here this question if centre right parties form a majority in council in two thousand and fourteen do you really think that they will appoint a socialist perhaps like martin schulz to be the commission president just because socialist parties hold more votes than epp parties in the european elections?
two thousand and fourteen you did say at the start of the debate that there would be no catch the eye but you did not say and it has not previously been put in any of the material or by e mail that there would be no blue cards.
i think that is a real breach of this debate and shows the eu to be what it is it talks about democracy but it does not want to let everyone have their say or even their vote.
and of course the size of union membership.
fuelling debate about serious questions in front of the next parliament such as the character gender balance and strength of the commission;
our success will be measured in just how the personalisation and dramatisation of the election campaign captures the public imagination
we need to convert our european political parties into serious campaigning organisations willing to articulate an ideology
the nomination of party champions as candidates for the commission presidency as well as the drawing of members of the college from the parliament follows the
this motion starts that process by calling on our political families to step forward and take responsibility for building the democratic polity of our more federal
the size and shape of the budget;
all political actors and institutions have to guarantee that the elections will be held in compliance with international standards and civil society organisations have to participate actively in the overview of the whole electoral process.
in the light of this we should clearly recognise albania's role for regional stability in its full alignment with relevant eu declarations demonstrating clear commitment to european integration.
the observations in your resolution provide good guidance in this specific regard.
this vetting process has now started and the commission is supporting and overseeing these efforts with the launch of the international monitoring operation last week as called for by the constitution of albania.
recognised as a candidate country in two thousand and fourteen it has consistently made steady progress on the five key priorities leading to the commission's conditional recommendation in november two thousand and sixteen to open accession negotiations.
to conclude i would like to reiterate that the commission will continue to intensify its support monitoring and assessment of the results that albania will achieve on its reform path.
i hope that all political actors in albania will also work with this important objective in mind.
in this respect occasional actions and statements which negatively impact on good neighbourly relations are counterproductive and should be avoided.
albania also needs to implement property rights.
two thousand and seventeen moreover i would like to commend albania's progress made in several aspects beyond these five key priorities. in particular we welcome its generally constructive engagement in regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations
let me first of all welcome the steady progress albania has made in addressing the five key priorities of the opening of accession negotiations. these are positive signals showing that albania is on the right path and we encourage it to continue these efforts.
this implies carrying out the re evaluation of all the members of the judiciary.
depoliticised and professional public administration.
moreover we also welcome the adoption of the decriminalisation legislation which should enhance citizens' trust in their political representatives and public institutions.
however significant challenges lie ahead and further efforts are still needed.
let me also mention in particular the major step albania has taken with the pivotal constitutional amendments which opened the way to a comprehensive reform of the judicial system as well as the continued efforts for reforming the public administration.
we now look forward to its effective implementation.
efforts need to be intensified in the fight against corruption and organised crime and it is important to achieve tangible and sustainable results in these two areas. i would also like to underline that further progress is key to consolidate achievements towards a more efficient
in particular it will now be essential to pursue the comprehensive and thorough reform of the justice system including the court system.
the european council will consider the opening of accession negotiations once albania has met all the five key priorities and this represents a strong incentive to move forward.
which remain an essential element of the enlargement process.
let me also reiterate the need for effective legislative and policy measures to reinforce the protection of human rights and anti discrimination policies including the equal treatment of all minorities and access to rights for persons belonging to them.
the council also commends albania for its full alignment with the eu's common foreign and security policy.
that being said it must also be applied rigorously in view of the upcoming general elections.
this includes in particular the transparency of party financing as well as the independence and professionalism of the electoral administration.
i particularly welcome the emphasis that this resolution places on the reform of the justice system.
for instance as outlined in this resolution albania urgently needs to finalise the reform of the electoral system.
with a view to establishing a solid track record of investigations prosecutions and convictions in the fight against organised crime and corruption at all levels.
this enhanced engagement will help albania better address the challenges in this area.