kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
mr president it is extraordinary the way the number of people in this chamber keeps on growing.
although we occasionally say that we should put a cap on it it somehow never gets around to happening.
i am reminded rather of the long parliament in the uk which in the name of democracy fought a great civil war but never got around to dissolving itself and holding fresh elections for mandates for new members.
mr president last month twenty seven heads of state got together and agreed the first ever cut in the eu budget and yesterday five hundred meps said they wanted more money.
we need to stop spending money at an international level if that money could be spent better and provide better value for money at a local level.
money does not grow on trees and the eu budget needs a complete root and branch review.
the economic growth promised by the lisbon agenda and financed by the current long term budget has instead brought economic stagnation.
we should lead by example and share the austerity burden;
it enshrines sound financial management as the guiding principle of the eu budget.
i fully support the deal negotiated by the british prime minister at the european council.
two thousand and thirteen like other political groups the ecr emphasises the need to spend more efficiently rather than simply spend more.
i regard the rejection of the council agreement by the other groups as a slap in the face of european taxpayers.
as israeli president peres said this week in his moving keynote address in plenary one of the inspirations of the founding of the european union was the determination that europe must never again see a repeat of the one thousand nine hundred and thirty s and the rise of the extremist ideologies that led to the holocaust. we must address those worrying issues within and across our national borders in order to prevent discrimination and intolerance.
hate crimes have no place in a modern european society and must not be tolerated.
we must also continue to strive towards fair and just treatment for all our citizens.
mr president energy security will in many ways be the key to the future prosperity of my country and all other member states which must think long term and be forward looking in this respect. it is crucial that we seek ways to diversify our energy sources and thus to protect all european countries from external influences which affect costs for consumers and threaten energy security.
however while i support these facets of the report some sections remain vague and unclear. i would appreciate more concrete long term targets for the eu with regard to energy options leading up to. two thousand and fifty the report is also timely in other respects and it is necessary in order for the eu to move successfully into the future with a plan for energy production and consumption.
mr president this report is aimed at smoothing the process of integrating migrants into the labour market and into society.
the report acknowledges that diverse open tolerant societies are more likely to attract skilled workers who possess the human and creative capital required to power knowledge economies particularly in large urban areas.
it also acknowledges the hugely important role ethnic businesses can play in job creation in helping to regenerate declining urban areas and building bridges to global markets which is of crucial importance in an era of globalisation and global diasporas.
i was disappointed that parliament voted to respect fundamental rights of undocumented migrants and yet did not support a route to employment for the undocumented or support voting rights for migrants at local level.
many excellent integration programmes are being implemented in different member states often through projects carried out by local authorities who play a key role in delivering integration objectives.
i welcome the many constructive recommendations set out in this report and urge the commission and member states to respond to them in a very positive way.
we certainly do not always agree on the same clubs but people follow football with a passion from london to poland.
we owe it to the football fans across our constituencies to ensure that criminally fixed matches are prevented and the legitimacy of the game is upheld everywhere.
while we must encourage the governing bodies of the sport to increase monitoring and certify that matches are played fairly we must also take legal action against those responsible for this corruption of the sport. such criminal acts cannot be tolerated anywhere within the european union and we must address them accordingly with severe punishment.
the extent of this corruption and the apparent size of the criminal network behind it are of great concern.
in material terms the case for agreeing the budget is clear the member states took the collective admirable stance that eu spending could not continue in its current form while domestic budgets were being slashed.
but let them answer for that decision publicly and not seek to hide from the citizens who put them here as it was suggested that they do with the idea of a secret ballot which frankly outraged us all.
mr president agriculture and cap support to rural communities is a common thread across all eu member states but the industry varies in importance from those whose economies rely on productive farming such as poland to those with a much smaller agricultural sector such as my country the uk.
for all of us rural development is the key to a healthy agricultural industry but ultimately i would like to see radical downsizing of the whole cap scheme.
the general framework of this regulation is acceptable as many of its measures will be voluntary for member states allowing each country to address the specific needs of its own industry.
while i totally reject the need for double funding for greening and extended risk management tools i stand behind the regulation pragmatically and appreciate the independence it gives to individual member states.
mr president nuclear power is the energy of the present and the future; it is cleaner in terms of greenhouse gas emission and more efficient and more sustainable than any other prominent energy source.
it is also crucial that we do so cautiously.
stress tests on nuclear power plants are very necessary to ensure the safe production of this form of energy.
these plants must be able to withstand strain such as that associated with earthquakes.
the need to guarantee and monitor safety measures should not be misconstrued as a negative quality of nuclear power production but rather a necessary regulation for a highly beneficial industry and to reassure the public. while regulatory measures are essential there is no need to encode them only at international level.
this report on endocrine disrupters would apply drastic precautions that are disproportionate to the reality of the known science on the subject. how can we take action against substances that are not yet even scientifically defined or detected in sufficient quantities in our food chains?
while prevention is of the utmost importance when it comes to matters of health such measures must be proportionate and based on science.
mr president our energy infrastructure requires long term investment and for long term investors we need long term strategies.
indeed at a time when we are fighting across the world for that investment we need international and global leadership.
i am concerned when european policies simply send manufacturing to other parts of the globe and the eu's ets urgently needs looking at.
this review has been a missed opportunity.
while not officially eu territory they nevertheless deserve our political and financial support.
nevertheless octs are not immune from the effects of the global crisis and we cannot dramatically increase our funding to them when mainland populations are experiencing severe spending cuts.
i was also proud of the falklanders who showed their overwhelming allegiance to britain in their referendum a couple of days ago so hands off' to argentina.
mr president i am extremely proud that in my region we have just opened the planning process for the next generation of nuclear power.
therefore i support the nuclear stress tests.
therefore i voted against this report which called for more power for the european parliament.
mr president i view this report as a great missed opportunity. migration for work brings many benefits but we also need to look at the pressure that migration has put on local services and especially at the issue of migration for welfare and healthcare which has affected so many parts of
mr president the workforce is an essential component of any country it is the workforce that upholds national economies and supports our national populations.
as our working age population declines across the member states we should all share concerns over the negative effect this trend will have within our countries. country specific needs based controlled and managed immigration of skilled workers into the national workforces is therefore one solution to this demographic trend.
however an eu wide approach in this respect is not the answer.
furthermore to extend the competence of the eu in making social security agreements with third countries would be an unnecessary and unacceptable erosion of national sovereignty in a very delicate political area and one that we have to address politically on the doorstep.
mr president i want to comment on the extraordinary decision by this chamber to mark no smoking day by voting to subsidise the growing of tobacco. there is a paradox in how this parliament like the eu more widely responds to smoking.
with one hand we harass and victimise smokers not content with the rules on cigarette advertising we have even seriously debated in this chamber whether you should be allowed to smoke in your private car because if it was sold second hand that might constitute a form of passive smoking.
yet at the same time with the other hand we are advancing subsidies to growers for the export of their product.
the truth is that they are both about power.
they both draw more client groups into reliance on the eu.
the tobacco lobbies the anti smoking lobbies and the growers all develop a dependent relationship.
women played a fundamental role in the north african revolts but the appalling sexual abuse perpetrated by the security forces and the continued practice in some countries of forced marriage and female genital mutilation demonstrate that a revolution counts for little if the state fails to protect its most vulnerable citizens.
in my role as rapporteur for human rights in the sahel and western sahara i am witnessing how women too often bear the brunt of war political strife and chronic poverty. we must do all we can now to help our partners in african countries to improve women's access to healthcare education and decision making end legally sanctioned discrimination and reverse once and for all the acceptability of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
mr president cotton is one of the unique materials that could be classified as a universal commodity. the material is found across industries and markets and produced all around the world.
membership of this committee would allow the eu for the first time to provide input on the regulation of the cotton industry and provide opportunities to increase international trade and streamline production.
a place on the committee would also allow the eu to better monitor the social issues associated with the industry such as forced child labour as alleged in certain central asian countries.
most of the significant improvements took place in countries which have taken or have considered taking legislative action.
you all know that the figures are alarming.
the commission has been consistently striving for equal pay to become a reality be it by awareness raising activities or by monitoring the application and enforcement of legislation on equal pay by the member states.
madam president honourable members we all know that it is only by uniting forces and by everybody taking their responsibility at european level at national level at local level and at the level of the ngos that we can change things.
now this we all know has multiple causes women are working in undervalued and underpaid sectors and occupations; women are under represented in senior and leadership positions;
together we have put in place a comprehensive legal framework at european level to protect women against all forms of violence.
madam president last week the fundamental rights agency released the first ever european survey on violence against women in order to help us to understand the extent of the problem.
we adopted a recommendation on strengthening the principle of equal pay between men and women through increased transparency.
and last but not least the directive on the rights of crime victims stressing the need for specific and appropriate protection for victims of gender based violence.
i really hope that the current blocking minority in the council can be overcome.
the knowledge of different pay levels within a company or an industry is a powerful driver of change and that knowledge is all too often missing today.
women are still facing barriers to advancement into senior management positions.
i am very proud of the substantial progress which has been achieved during those years and also since this commission took office with the constant support of parliament.
the commission recommended that these member states invest in childcare facilities and remove fiscal disincentives for second earners.
last year in the framework of the europe two thousand and twenty strategy for growth the commission addressed recommendations to thirteen member states aimed at promoting female employment.
madam president for over fifty years europe has been leading the efforts towards gender equality.
as a consequence the commission adopted the proposed directive for women on boards you all know this directive and i am very grateful for parliament's support as expressed in your first reading position.
we should definitely continue to emphasise the economic reasoning against the gender pay gap and convince the overwhelmingly masculine business community that equality pays off.
and they unequally share the burden of family and domestic responsibilities.
this framework includes the directive on trafficking in human beings the directive against the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography the directive on the european protection order applicable in criminal matters the regulation setting the european protection order covering the civil matters
the commission will continue to work constructively with co legislators with a view to the speedy adoption of this landmark proposal.
the first of its kind at eu level this recommendation is a breakthrough because more wage transparency could create further pressure for pay equality.
the european commission also adopted a comprehensive policy package against female genital mutilation in november two thousand. and thirteen it co funded in this context fourteen national governments' campaigns against gender based violence as well as projects led by non governmental organisations.
this is unacceptable and we have to act.
you have called on the commission to oppose violence against women and we have responded.
last week the commission provided member states with a toolbox of concrete measures to tackle pay discrimination and the persisting gender pay gap in the form of a non binding legal act.
we have to put our finger on the problem;
we have witnessed a real talent hunt in recent years as companies started to hire more women for top senior positions in two thousand and ten when the commission first announced that it would consider targeted initiatives to improve gender diversity in companies. however recent progress has not been evenly spread across the eu.
today they account for an average of eighteen of the members of boards of directors in the largest publicly listed companies.
it is therefore important that the angle is included in the report.
it is high time for concrete and better gender mainstreaming in all social and economic policies of the union from their conception to their implementation. when it comes to the impact of the fiscal consolidation this parliament had already asked for a real assessment of these measures on equality between women and men.
if all three institutions do their part eu citizens will be able to notice a change for the better.
unfortunately however no one has benefited from these directives in practice because the council is not doing its part of the work.
if the council is serious about gender equality unblocking these directives needs to be a top priority.
parliament is eagerly awaiting new proposals for directives such as on the gender pay gap and a binding one please on violence against women on paternity adoption and filial leave.
finally a short remark on the report itself though we support almost everything that is in it we cannot vote in favour if paragraph sixty seven on prostitution is not deleted.
to thank all the members for their strong commitment to promoting equality between women and men.
we have achieved a great deal and we should continue with this dual approach in the future.
the measures include the entitlement of employees to request information on levels of pay broken down by gender for categories of employees doing the same work or work of equal value;
mr president i would like to thank all the members who have insisted that much has been done but also that so much remains to be done.
that is the reason why we have presented the recommendation in order to strengthen this principle of transparency.
over the last few years the combination of gender mainstreaming with specific measures to promote gender equality have borne fruit.
conducting pay audits in large companies;
so i think that we are fast approaching the breaking point of the euro.
it is because of the incapacity of the two main players today in european politics the incapacity of merkel and sarkozy to deal with this crisis.
i think they are the obstacle to the solution of the crisis.
in other words yes he is in favour of a fiscal union but in reality he still wants a political reading of the sanctions mechanism and he is even opposed to the fact that the european court of justice should have the right to intervene in the budget.
it is true that germany and france have in the past made agreements which have been beneficial and important for the union;
so let me say it very openly.
the time is right today to say yes to an economic union to a political union yes to a eurobond market and yes to the proposal of the five wise germans.
she is even against the idea of her own wise economists.
that is the euro crisis of today;
that is the reality today. italy yesterday managed to raise eur eight billion on the markets at an interest rate of.
let us be blunt about this it is not because of greece and it is not because of italy.
i think that this is the message that we all share solidity solidarity stability three s's.
i think we will best use the ten days left before the european council to prepare it in such a way that we can find the right responses and that it will be a set of decisions that will bring confidence and will allow us to
i think we all have to realise that the stakes are so high that everybody will have to show flexibility and i think this is very much the appeal that the commission the president of the european council and the presidency share and try to promote.
will mean that delegations will also have to shift.
it is therefore a horizontal problem of the whole union and not of a euro club.
therefore the answer should be given at eu level not at a subgroup level.
of some eurozone member states and some candidates. it is not a problem of the euro as a currency. it is problem of excessive indebtedness and the problem of healthy and unhealthy countries.
cutting the vessel into pieces is not a solution all of it will sink.
the reason why i often choose to reiterate this exercise of hindsight is the fact that it seems to be forgotten when our european leaders meet to resume their exercise in crisis management.
the major trigger was cataclysmic financial market failure in two thousand and eight subsequently fuelled by deepening asymmetries between the centre of europe and its periphery.
its focus will inevitably be on the economic situation and on the measures we have proposed to restore confidence in the euro area and the european economy.
this survey is being published at a time when the eu is going through the most challenging times of its history.
the treaty. before concluding let me say a few words on treaty change. let us be clear a treaty change cannot offer an immediate contribution to the solution to the current
second that normal lending to the economy has to be restored.
union. the president of the european council was asked with the presidents of the commission and the euro group to identify possible steps on further reinforcing economic convergence within the euro area including exploring the possibility of limited treaty
you may say that some of these priorities are not new.
fourth unemployment and other social consequences of the crisis have to be tackled.
governance and last week's proposals represent a further step in the direction of stronger economic
we also have to pay more attention to the impact of consolidation on growth.
council. the commission's view is that any treaty change should be based on the principle of one union based on the current institutional framework which is clearly exemplified by the community method. european integration can only be achieved by a single legal framework of one union. that is the best
the european union.
as part of the package we also proposed two regulations based on article one hundred and thirty six for the euro area member states. these present a major step forward in euro area fiscal and economic integration. they build on the six pack'; they complete the european semester with rules for the second part of
crisis. but it is true that by working to embed stricter discipline and stronger governance into the euro area in particular we may help to prevent a future crisis by creating a real stability
without swift and determined implementation these priorities will do none of us any good nor help achieve sustainable and inclusive growth.
budgets. but most importantly it proposes tight monitoring of national budgets which you have been calling
to complete a comprehensive and effective response to the crisis by the european union.
yes the decisions of the eurozone summit of october need to be fully implemented.
this means that countries under market pressure need to continue to put their fiscal house in order and reform their economies to generate growth and jobs.
i sensed yesterday in the euro group and today in the ecofin meeting of finance ministers that there is strong support for these proposals and even going beyond these proposals among the ministers.
a treaty change cannot offer an immediate contribution to the solution of the current crisis.
in the very short term or rather immediate term this work must continue and we must consider further means to reinforce this leveraging effect for instance through increasing resources available from the imf for the european
need to take bold and determined action to reverse the current negative dynamics in the financial markets.
the two regulations which i introduced today based on article one hundred and thirty six will ensure closer monitoring of fiscal and economic policies. they add another building block onto the economic and fiscal union and especially onto tighter fiscal surveillance based on the six pack' legislation which you have recently approved.
in the meantime the commission has taken the initiative and we have proposed new legislation that will strengthen economic governance significantly.
this is just a reality that should be not only admitted but should be also reflected in our actions.
this is reality.
therefore both parts of the european union must remain equal.
anyway this is your responsibility in the eurozone. i can only wish you good luck.