kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
but it's disappointing to see swathes of voters on the other side of the chamber standing against acceleration of this action trying to put on the brakes.
this is a betrayal of people and animals it's a betrayal of the collaborative project that is the eu.
biological diversity. this reflects a moment at which this parliament has increased its green vote considerably and a shift in public opinion.
eu institutions should be an example of high ethical and transparency standards.
madam president i am standing here today to denounce the problem of revolving doors between eu institutions and private lobby groups.
and in order not just to criticise but also to provide some solutions i would like to ask for four things first a harmonised legal framework which would apply the same ethical standards at eu and national level;
too often senior eu officials leave their high level positions in order to exploit inside information and contacts to the benefit of private sector lobbying.
second establishment of an independent ethical body to investigate all problematic cases;
finally in order to ensure maximum transparency of our public institutions declarations of interests and finding of conflicts of interests shall be published online to make it accessible to all citizens.
post public employment conflict of interest has really become a systemic problem that has the potential to endanger our integrity and reputation.
this is why i call on the commission to do more to prevent such conflicts of interests and on the european court of auditors to look into this systemic issue and identify best practices. last october the commission promised to review the post employment ethical regulations.
the attacker used a three dprinted weapon the blueprint of which he uploaded on twitter.
finally what progress has been made regarding the actions the commission has committed to undertake following the two thousand and eighteen juri committee report?
if so which eu measures do you foresee to be impacted and what is the timeline of the actions you plan to undertake?
do you foresee taking any legislative action based on ongoing and previous studies and evaluations?
madam president three d printing is a technology with significant economic potential for european businesses notably for small innovative enterprises and many countries have started to adapt strategies to promote its development.
already in its two thousand and eighteen report the committee on legal affairs expressed concerns regarding the manufacturing of weapons explosives drugs and other hazardous products in the context of three d printing but also regarding the problems relating to civil liability and intellectual property rights.
what will you do to ensure a timely response?
different studies by the commission have shown the existence of loopholes in eu legislation regarding the use of three d printing.
burundi is a signatory to the international covenant on civil and political rights in which the protection of freedom of expression is enshrined.
they are potentially facing fifteen year prison terms for just pursuing their profession.
while they were later released the government warned that future cases would be punished.
even children are not safe from prosecution.
three schoolgirls were arrested last year for allegedly doodling on the president's image in their school books.
one of the first steps to holding human rights abusers to account is freedom of expression but this too has come under attack in burundi. the bbc had its licence revoked by the burundian authorities which also banned its citizens from providing information to the bbc.
more recently the police arrested four journalists from a burundian media organisation and their driver.
madam president the people of burundi continue to suffer from human rights abuses. the united nations report from september last year showed that the police the intelligence services and even the youth wing of the governing party have been responsible for the killings the disappearances and the arbitrary arrests
we must press the burundian government to release these journalists cease the persecution of independent media and opposition politicians and reverse their suppression of freedom of expression.
the commission of inquiry on burundi in its latest report in september denounced the persistence of a climate of fear and intimidation of all persons who do not support the ruling party.
in the next four months the time leading up to the elections it will be crucial that burundi strives to ensure a credible transparent and inclusive electoral process open up political and civic space and bring an end to human rights violations and impunity. respect for the spirit and the letter of the arusha agreement is key.
has no intention of abandoning burundi.
violations and abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms in particular freedom of expression freedom of assembly and freedom of association persist across the country.
the eu believes that the burundi crisis should remain high on the international agenda and we will continue to work with our partners in the united nations the african union and african regional organisations.
through its development cooperation the european union remains strongly engaged in the country also working with civil society and human rights defenders and building up the resilience of the population.
the commission also raised red flags at the serious human rights violations that were committed some of them constituting international crimes. i do not however believe that we should just accept as inevitable that things can only get worse from now on. that is not in anybody's interests and most certainly not in the interests of burundi and its people. i wish to assure you that the european union
i encourage burundi to take this path noting that there are elements to build on such as a code of conduct broadly supported by political parties and the president's reconfirmed announcements not to run for a fourth mandate.
i recall that last december the council confirmed the need to maintain appropriate measures according to article ninety six of the cotonou agreement against burundi.
particularly with regard to the manufacturing of weapons explosives and drugs and any other hazardous objects and that particular care should be taken with regard to production of that kind.
the commission is preparing a report on the application of the directive covering issues notably related to the impacts of new technologies such as three dimensional printing.
this report which is due by september this year will assess whether further action with respect to three d printing is required.
and this applies also to manufacturing through three d printing and using technical specifications available on the internet.
according to the directive on the acquisition and possession of weapons also known as the firearms directive the manufacturing of weapons is already illicit unless it is authorised by a competent authority of the member state where the manufacture or assembly takes place.
the main problem with three dimensional printed firearms is not that they are defective and therefore subject to the product liability directive.
europol issued in october last year an intelligence notification for all law enforcement authorities on this subject.
monitoring of the situation is currently taking place in the context of the eu policy cycle for organised and serious international crime.
so as we leave let me wish the many friends i've made here including the committed believers in a federal europe every possible success.
it's difficult to recall the world when i was first elected. there was no wiki no wifi you had to get your tickets through a travel agent they would come in physical form and our post arrived in envelopes with stamps on.
you can always rely on our open markets on our military alliance on our diplomatic support but we will now be living under our own laws and for the rest of you good luck.
an awful lot of things have changed but one thing that hasn't changed is the direction of this chamber and the other institutions despite referendums against closer integration in the netherlands in france in denmark in ireland in greece and of course in the united kingdom it's still full speed ahead to closer and closer integration and it was that ultimately that i think made inevitable that britain would take a different trajectory.
i urge burundi in the strongest possible terms to change course and create the conditions needed for an open and vibrant democracy and i salute the efforts of the journalists and human rights defenders who are working for that end.
they were arrested in october when they were covering clashes between rebel and government forces and they've been accused of complicity with undermining the state.
we call on the government to immediately and unconditionally release these journalists and these human rights defenders.
i welcome the fact that president pierre nkurunziza has said that he will not seek re election but in order for there to be credible elections major changes considerable improvements to the political and human rights situation are needed.
in such a context the role of human rights defenders the role of freedom of expression in an unfettered press are even more important.
we've been prompted to debate this topic today by the most recent example of burundian government repression of freedom of expression.
madam president sadly violence is nothing new in many regions of nigeria and for those and we have them in ireland who criticise nigerian asylum seekers as economic migrants and not worthy of coming to europe they should really look at what is happening in that country.
the decade long conflict with armed groups such as boko haram has obviously resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people the displacement of two million and tens of thousands missing a majority of them children.
so we shall not tolerate our european institutions and agencies' credibility crumbling just because of some individuals' interest and we should always remain vigilant in making sure and guaranteeing that they are not influenced by private interest.
and accompanied by an appropriate temporary allowance.
revolving doors where one jumps from public institutions to top positions in the private sector from regulators to regulated or from supervisors to supervised and vice versa unfortunately not only undermine the credibility of the individual engaging in such behaviour but undermine the credibility of the whole institution and more generally the trust that citizens have in public bodies
so for this reason we call for a review of this decision by the eba board of supervisors.
let me remind you what the eba's responsibilities are the eba is responsible for supervising the eu's banking sector and for setting technical standards implementing key financial regulations.
it also of course makes it a constant lobbying target for the industry.
in compliance with the staff regulations and ethical rules the eba's board of supervisors has taken a decision to impose fairly light restrictions on its executive director both while in service at the eba and after leaving the eba.
moreover it is not clear to me who will monitor the effective application of these restrictions in particular the one that provides that he cannot engage in lobbying or advocacy of the eba or have professional contacts with eba staff for twenty four months after leaving the authority.
this makes the eba a fundamental institution that regulates and supervises the financial sector.
afme like other stakeholders appears to have permanent interactions with the eba.
and the trust that citizens have in public institutions is the backbone of democracies.
sadly mr farkas' is not the first case and will probably not be the last of a postpublic employment job in the private sector that poses evident problems of conflicts of interest but we absolutely must act to ensure that this is the last. i really hope that this is the last.
finally we call on the commission also to assess whether it is appropriate that the eu agencies concerned decide for themselves on the enforcement of the rules for the prevention of conflicts of interest and how a consistent application of the rules can be ensured.
for this reason we call on the commission to assess the current practice on postpublic employment at european and national level to extend this review to pre public employment conflicts of interest and also to put in place a harmonised legal framework which should include an extension of the possibility to block professional moves and the provision of a coolingoff period that is proportionate to the specific case
fearing for their lives thousands of nigerians are fleeing their homes and need aid.
while the attacks by these groups are already a serious cause for concern nigeria further faces ethnic religious and communal violence.
in an already unstable situation the government must also deescalate religious and communal tensions immediately.
the eu and the international community must continue to do everything it can to support the fight against terrorism in nigeria and the region as a whole.
as the security risks involved have led to humanitarian organisations leaving the nigerian government must step up to fulfil its duty towards its citizens to protect them to guarantee their human rights and uphold the rule of law.
a strategy has been developed but it's not been implemented.
women and children are the most vulnerable in this conflict.
we have abductions suicide bombings attacks on civilian targets by boko haram people are still getting killed and of course boko haram also target their attacks across the border in chad and in the cameroon.
president buhari was re elected in two thousand and nineteen on the promise of defeating violent extremism undertaken by terror groups such as boko haram.
this has led to a complete failure to address the real problems the country faces.
civil society is left to lead the campaigns against arbitrary arrests detention and torture but it should be the nigerian authorities themselves which guarantee the respect for human rights in the country and lead this fight.
decades of old communal conflict between nomadic herdsmen and settled farmers in the middle belt have recently intensified and further exacerbated the security situation in the country.
for instance despite some advances by the military boko haram remains a threat to security in the northeast region.
it's high time to concentrate all of the government's efforts to keep that promise developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy.
the external action service of the eu and the member states need to help through technical assistance.
madam president it seems a little rich to me that we are here in the european parliament in strasbourg debating freedom of expression in burundi when actually because of a rule made by this parliament this week i am not free to express myself by having my national flag
are you really lecturing other nations about their freedom to express themselves when you are repressing and denying our colleagues here the right to proudly display their national flags? what are you afraid of?
yes help others to improve their nations but get your own house in order.
while the guardian of the treaties has looked the other way thus far commissioner this institution has taken up the challenge to defend the rules that we hold dear.
the eu has strong safeguards against revolving doors and the perverse incentives that come from that.
however without their application and enforcement rules turn into paper tigers.
we need to continue to address potential conflicts of interest in the eu and this starts in two weeks' time if mr farkas indeed takes up his new job.
we should highlight one thing no one comes out of this story looking good.
so much better than standing up in defence of our common rules is not to let their strength be doubted at all.
why are these persecutions against christians usually not talked about?
on wikipedia and it says a banner can be a flag or other piece of cloth bearing a symbol logo slogan or other message'.
on that basis new administrative structures and practice will eventually be developed as the banking union and the capital markets union beckon.
complex interests are at play national and transnational state and private.
all states and corporate actors the general european public the regulators themselves must have the assurance that this is the case.
that assurance is not available as of now. post employment calculations and expectations can colour the way in which the regulatory process is being developed.
also post employment the inside information and know how obtained when working in regulatory mode can serve to give advantages to one's new employer but the revolving door practice is still being tolerated.
we need to understand how conflicts of interest could arise from positions held pre public employment when nominating people to top regulatory or executive positions.
that problem too cannot be ignored.
we should not tolerate the contamination of the regulatory neutrality that the eurozone requires if it is to develop properly.
the situation of both human rights defenders and media representatives is really dire and we cannot imagine free elections without them being available for the general public to present information genuine
reasonable and reliable information.
the current situation in nigeria should hold lessons for the imperialists in europe.
the strife is a direct consequence of british colonialism and meddling.
we visited the christian village of maaloula in syria two years ago and where the christians were directly targeted by the jihadists jihadists that were armed by the west that were brought into the country facilitated across the turkish border.
the lack of inconsistency is terrible.
the treatment of the palestinians by the israelis.
madam president i am happy to support this resolution as there is no doubt that the public wishes to see transparency in these senior roles particularly in the world of finance.
since european economic and monetary union became a reality we've been told by the sceptics populists and brexiteers that it was a disaster and that the euro was certain to collapse.
given the circumstances the euro has done remarkably well and i suggest that it will still be around long after their baboonery has been forgotten.
timing is everything.
i appear to be the last uk mep to address this chamber.
i may or may not speak again in the brussels session but if you'll bear with me there's some people who need to be thanked yourself and the other vice presidents and my friends colleagues and opponents but never enemies in this chamber.
most of all you are as good as your staff so public thanks are in order to kay wilcox sarah mckinley and kim chapman in my uk office mat hogarth sive thompson and lately jenny mcconnel in my brussels team who have been challenging and fabulously loyal to the last and have shared many things including i'm afraid this cold.
when i was re elected in may however i did the usual thanking of the police and the electoral staff and i forgot to mention one person who i could not have done any of this without and that of course is the absolutely fabulous jane coney.
so jane it doesn't get more public than this.
the worst aspect of this job is having to be away from you.
now the point is not what is a banner and what is not a banner the point is that if the president of this house comes to a decision then this decision is to be obeyed as long as it is not taken back.
there is total impunity for the perpetrators and thousands of burundian refugees are fleeing to escape the violence and humanitarian crisis.
in an already dire situation the presidential elections this year risk generating even more instability and potential violence with people opting to join armed opposition groups.
the government must take action now. it must protect its people and restore and uphold their rights to prevent the situation escalating further.
it must release the jailed journalists and cease to censure society.
the rule of law must be upheld and democracy fostered or the country risks disintegrating further.
under these circumstances the eu has had no choice but to suspend financial support to the government of burundi. but we should not let down the burundian people.
we must strengthen our development cooperation to help relieve the humanitarian crisis and we must stand ready to offer all we can to support a peaceful electoral process.
vague ethical standards without implications we're talking about rules that actually matter to the taxpayers.
because if those who are setting the rules are actually not setting the rules for the taxpayers but they are setting the rules for the system because they're hoping to go back to the financial system etc.
what we end up is with rules that are actually not working with rules that lead to bailouts and with rules that lead to taxpayers footing the bill.
the favourite bet of investors is one where heads they win tails the taxpayers lose.
that's why this case is so important and that's why parliament is sending a very loud and clear message.
we are continuing working on building and maintaining these boundaries between regulators and those who are regulated.
this case goes beyond any conception of those boundaries.
it basically makes a laughing stock of those staff regulations you mentioned mr commissioner and it basically means well you know if you want to ignore those rules and go around them then you may.
that's why parliament has taken such a decisive action.
and we would like to thank you.
madam president i abstained on this motion because as the director of the academy of ideas in the uk i am a champion of public debate increased civil society and engagement in politics and citizens having more chances to discuss their views.
human rights abuses against women and children are the most pervasive in the world.
they're always the ones targeted right at the forefront of it and we must do everything we can to protect them throughout the world and especially in nigeria.
the multinational joint task force has to go forward and has to do its work in conjunction in my view with the african union and all the actors that are on the african continent.
i want to just say for the last speech in the european parliament in strasbourg that i want to thank every single person who represented wales very positively sat in this seat throughout the time that the european parliament had direct elections.
i want to thank all staff members past and present for all the work they've done on behalf of the welsh people and the uk people and i want to thank all of those pro european groups in wales and around the uk who have sprung up as a result of this terrible referendum result.
keep up the good work. we will be back one day i hope and to the european parliament and parliamentarians in particular they've been fantastic colleagues thank you very much and courage'.
first of all i would like to assure you all that first the commission is not indifferent to issues of potential conflicts of interest and second we are certainly not taking lightly this or any other case involving a potential conflict of interests.
it is not for the commission to play the role of an advocate for a decision taken by an independent body the board of supervisors of the eba but we do feel that we can shed some additional light.
the board of supervisors looked very carefully into this matter and was of the view that the conflict of interest could be managed by imposing additional restrictions such that go beyond the minimum condition applied to senior officials.
i would like to note that the decision by the eba board of supervisors includes a provision on implementation.
the restrictions that were imposed will be communicated to the eba staff and they will be required to report to the chairperson on any contacts with mr farkas after he has left the service of the eba.
furthermore the eba is subject to an obligation to inform the public each year on the implementation of the prohibition on lobbying and advocacy including a list of the cases assessed.