kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
i would also argue that the eulex mission to kosovo needs to be strengthened in order to help facilitate the fight against systemic corruption in kosovo.
one of the greatest assets of kosovo is its multicultural and multinational character. its serbian community should be united not divided by the iber river.
one of the key issues in this respect is the issue of missing persons which is also being tackled in the high level dialogue.
kosovo formally lags behind its neighbours in the integration process.
lastly i want to urge all parties to the dialogue on visa liberalisation for kosovo's citizens to do their utmost to finish this process as soon as possible. over two million people in kosovo will feel left behind and neglected by the eu as long as their freedom of movement is severely restricted.
as you are well aware the council took note in december two thousand and twelve of the feasibility study for a stabilisation and association agreement between the eu and kosovo.
the council also noted that the commission will propose negotiating directives for an saa once kosovo meets the short term priorities concerning the rule of law public administration protection of minorities and trade which are identified in the feasibility study.
the structured dialogue on the rule of law the visa liberalisation dialogue and the stabilisation and association dialogue all play an important role in guiding kosovo's reform efforts towards further progress on the eu path.
there should be irreversible progress towards delivering structures in northern kosovo which meet the security and justice needs of the local population in a transparent and cooperative manner and in a way that ensures the functionality of a single institutional and administrative set up within kosovo respecting the particular needs of the local population.
the joint report of the commission and the high representative on progress in the areas outlined in the council conclusions of december last year will be presented in the coming days.
major efforts are needed to strengthen public administration reform and consolidate rule of law namely by providing evidence of the fight against organised crime and corruption judicial reform and freedom of expression.
agreement on this issue will hopefully lead to a possible decision to open negotiations for an saa with kosovo.
solid and continued efforts by kosovo will further pave the way in the months ahead.
let me underline that we support kosovo's european perspective and we really do want both serbia and kosovo to continue on their respective european paths.
we stand ready to assist the economic and political development of kosovo through a clear european perspective in line with the european perspective of the region.
i encourage kosovo to continue to engage in the ongoing efforts to reach a mutually agreeable solution on the proposal for an association of serbian municipalities in kosovo.
these have been delayed as you know to allow for further progress in the belgrade pristina dialogue which is meeting again today. as i said in relation to serbia we recognise and genuinely commend the political courage and consistent efforts shown by both prime ministers.
let me also stress the importance of continued cooperation with eulex and the work of the eulex special investigative task force.
this was without prejudice to member states' individual positions on status.
joint reports of the high representative and the commission on serbia and kosovo and a commission proposal for negotiating directives for a stabilisation and association agreement with kosovo.
the commission will then revert to the issue and ensure that a positive outcome of the dialogue is reflected in the final version of both the report for kosovo and that for serbia which will be rapidly adopted.
let me repeat what i said in my previous speech on serbia.
we will shortly submit our recommendation to the council to agree to and sign a framework agreement with kosovo allowing it to participate in european union programmes thus fulfilling a key wish of this house.
they should encourage our member states to decide to open negotiations on a stabilisation and association agreement with kosovo and accession negotiations with serbia.
we hope the two leaderships will seize the historic opportunity that lies before them in the very best interests of their citizens.
this is in the strategic interests of both serbia and kosovo of the western balkans as a whole and of the european union itself.
the country continues to face very serious problems with regard to organised crime and human trafficking.
you cannot have your laws made in the european union and still be an independent country.
i thought this was the whole idea of this place.
am i missing something or are you missing something?
if kosovo ever becomes a member of the european union it will of course cease to be an independent country in the same way that my country ceased to be an independent country when we became members of the european union.
one of the key targets for this aid has been to combat organised crime and establish the rule of law.
we already have enough thank you very much.
eu entry would enable yet more to come.
the eu office of criminal intelligence has said that the situation regarding organised crime in kosovo has not changed considerably since.
mr president over the last decade the international community has spent an enormous amount of money in assistance to kosovo.
one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine' a council of europe parliamentary assembly report in december two thousand and ten linked senior kosovan politicians to criminal gangs involved in human organ trafficking. we already have plenty of criminals from kosovo in london despite the fact that it is not yet a member of the eu.
i would like to express also my expectations that the talks between prime ministers dai and thai today will be successful.
kosovo authorities should make further efforts with regard to the reconciliation process and reach out to the serbian minority particularly in the north so as to ensure broad integration within society.
at the same time kosovo serbs should use all means provided by the constitution to play a constructive role in politics and society.
i remind you that there is a renewed commitment on the side of the european union to further assist kosovo among the other aspiring countries on its path towards eu integration through the instrument for pre accession assistance for the period.
kosovo needs to continue with the same dynamism with further credible efforts on the rule of law and all the issues we highlighted in our two thousand and twelve feasibility study.
we want kosovo to be ready across the board so that we can convince our member states to develop our relationship further.
since the last report a year ago many things have changed for the better.
the road map has started to be implemented by the government. last year supervised independence ended. we have had progress in the dialogue. a year ago nobody could have imagined that at the border between kosovo and serbia there would be integrated border management with officials from both countries.
kosovo is now participating in regional fora in the regional cooperation council and even in the european bank of recovery and development.
union. this normalisation is essential for citizens in both countries and for the economic benefit of everybody.
i hope if the evidence is sound that the people will be brought to criminal proceedings.
you said yourself the investigations are still going on.
the allegations have been made.
i am just wondering if you talk about the independence of your country why are you against the independence of kosovo?
it is very much appreciated.
i do not propose to reiterate the points which have been made very comprehensively and very eloquently by my friend tefan fle.
i would just say i suppose in summary that regional cooperation and particularly good neighbourly relations are absolutely essential elements of the stabilisation and association process and parties concerned in the western balkans must ensure that any disputes
between them do not have a detrimental effect on their shared goal of progress towards european membership.
obviously the case of kosovo and of serbia is a work in progress not without significant challenges.
the process is in place as i said in the earlier debate so it is key that the two parties do not lose sight of the ultimate goals the long term goals of peace and prosperity.
i think the best way of achieving that is a successful outcome from the dialogue which is taking place as we know today so that both serbia and kosovo can continue to build momentum on their
path towards european integration.
that is something that the irish presidency very strongly supports and we are very hopeful for a positive outcome.
thank you to all of the members who have participated not just in this debate but in the previous debate.
the summit has been carefully prepared by the external action service working in close cooperation with the commission and the two presidents preparations built on the debates held in the european council and the council on russia as a strategic partner in late two thousand and ten and in january two thousand and eleven
the european union will be represented by the presidents of the european council and the commission.
overall our relations have improved over the last two years.
work is also ongoing in the regular framework of the four common spaces and all its technical dialogues.
the summit cannot replace negotiations in geneva but it can urge russia to take constructive action.
as far as russia is concerned its main objectives for the summit can be expected to focus on visas the wto energy including nuclear safety and security cooperation.
eight we will repeat our invitation to russia to engage in negotiations on a comprehensive euratom russia agreement which should promote the highest standards for nuclear safety.
the visit by prime minister putin and an unprecedentedly large russian government delegation to the commission on twenty four february was a clear sign of russian determination to seek closer relations and cooperation.
but negotiations on our common steps at expert level are to date not finished.
third we shall maintain top level support for the partnership for modernisation as an important vehicle for russian commitments to reforms.
we do not rule out bringing the issue of russia's unjustified ban on european union vegetable imports to summit level although we hope that scientific evidence will allow a quick solution at an expert level.
we will also underline the need to cooperate on fighting climate change. to pursue our goals of highest standards on nuclear safety we interact with russia both at the bilateral level and in multilateral fora such as the international atomic energy agency
in fact progress on moldova transnistria will serve as an important test case for closer foreign policy cooperation.
before the end of two thousand and eleven building on the eu russia bilateral agreement reached in two thousand and four and last december.
we believe that necessary cooperation structures are in place;
of particular concern is the situation regarding democratic development and human rights in russia. in the context of upcoming duma and presidential elections the standards of the electoral process will receive particular attention.
the european union has prepared and agreed in march its proposal for the list of common steps towards the possible establishment of a visa free travel regime and we have indeed started negotiations in april.
now i would like to turn your attention to our main objectives for the summit which are as follows first the european union will strive to encourage russia to resolve the last remaining outstanding multilateral issues to facilitate wto accession
russia might come back to the idea of a new political and security committee at ministerial level.
finally we should also use the summit to reconfirm our political commitment to make progress on crisis management cooperation provided our decision making autonomy is in no way affected.
we will emphasise the need for further reforms in the russian electricity and gas sector with a view to establishing a level playing field.
fourth we will promote human rights and the rule of law in russia and fifth we will encourage russia to deepen cooperation in our common neighbourhood and continue the dialogue on other topical international issues like the middle east for example or north africa.
second the european union will impress upon russia that more progress needs to be made on agreeing substantial trade and investment provisions including on energy in the new eu russia agreement in order to provide a solid legal basis for deepened economic cooperation in the years to come.
russia can still achieve wto accession before the end of two thousand and eleven if it can take the necessary decisions to resolve the handful of outstanding issues at multilateral level.
we must be clear at the summit that there are no political short cuts.
with regard to the fukushima accident the european union will push for equivalence of approaches regarding stress tests for both existing and planned nuclear power plants.
let me remind you that russia is the only external partner with whom the european union holds two annual summits.
since then a permanent partnership council on justice and home affairs has been held and clear progress has been made.
we have concluded bilateral negotiations on russian wto accession agreed on the approach towards a possible future visa waiver regime and agreed the partnership for modernisation which is now in its implementation phase.
on the results of the previous eu russia summit and the visit by the russian government to the commission in february.
obviously any negotiations with russia have to be underpinned by a recognition of the important values of respect for human rights and respect for neighbours.
right now we are calling on russia to respect obligations it has undertaken in the context of the council of europe the united nations and the osce regarding free and fair elections and to cooperate well with odihr to ensure appropriate monitoring.
partners should talk to each other frequently they should try to achieve consensus where possible but should not hesitate to openly address more problematic aspects.
we agree that it is a multifaceted relationship in which economic social and environmental issues human rights and rule of law security aspects and political cooperation are all of paramount importance.
is at the very core of this initiative and we have concrete projects in this area.
unfortunately this is not yet the case and the european union will therefore stress the need to have an honest and useful dialogue for which a review of the consultations' modalities is necessary.
the main forum for addressing human rights and rule of law issues is the european union russia human rights consultations.
should there be irregularities in the upcoming elections these issues would have to be addressed.
i fully agree with the honourable members that the partnership for modernisation should be broadly based. the coordinators will present in nizhny novgorod the second programme report on the implementation of the partnership and as you will see the rule of law
we will place a special emphasis on the issue of the registration of new parties and access to the electoral process.
we have talked about some of these problematic aspects today.
we share most of them and these issues will be raised with the russian president at the summit.
we have seen that we have convergent views on many subjects. we agree on the key importance of our relations with russia both bilaterally and in multilateral contexts whether regional or global.
as a permanent member of the un security council russia exercises a potentially decisive influence on international affairs from our relations with north korea to its involvement in the un quartet.
i also hope that the kremlin will align itself with the rest of the international community on stopping iranian nuclear proliferation. i also accept that russia has economic interests in the former soviet republics some of which are now thankfully gravitating away from moscow towards the eu.
however the eu should continue to insist that it will support and engage with these now independent countries such as ukraine and make sure that the door is left open to them in terms of euro atlantic aspirations.
russia is not a mature liberal democracy.
but whether we like it or not we still have to engage with the bear.
on behalf of the alde group i would like to invite the representatives of the eu to address all the concerns raised by the european parliament with their russian counterparts. the european union will face major difficulties in relations with russia unless the two partners rely on the same values and principles.
the surging suppression of the opposition must be brought up at the summit and the opposition parties must be allowed to register.
ladies and gentlemen russia is not china.
therefore she must uphold her international commitments and obligations.
furthermore russia must abide by her own constitution.
russia has to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours.
we cannot accept this.
major changes have occurred in the world since the last one.
climate change has brought more and more dangerous consequences. osama is dead but terrorism is alive and has targeted innocent people all over the world.
the list of events is long and all of them concern both the eu and russia two neighbouring global players with predominantly similar or complementary long term interests.
their relations can only be further developed if they are based on mutual respect openness and transparency.
any hidden agenda has the potential to distort if not destroy these relations.
now with regard to the upcoming summit i would like to highlight four issues.
first of all the summit should bring decisive progress on all the remaining obstacles related to russia's accession to the wto.
this important step will create better opportunities for the business communities on both sides and will further liberalise trade and economic relations globally.
in this respect the application of protectionist measures is counterproductive and we hope they will not be hidden behind overplayed health threats which is in our opinion the recent case with the ban on imports of vegetables from the eu.
we hope that the road map for visa free travelling announced in may will accelerate further visa facilitation and will bring closer the moment when the visa regime between the eu and russia will be fully liberalised.
the last two years have clearly shown that this eu initiative is not aimed at competition but rather at cooperation with russia since the stable and self confident common neighbourhood is in the interests of both the eu and russia.
in this respect we urge russia to intensify its efforts in facilitating the peaceful resolution of the conflicts in transnistria and in the more and more worrying nagorno karabakh region.
finally i would like to mention that the eu and russia should fully cooperate in the revision and elaboration of higher standards for nuclear power safety following the events in japan. we expect that higher standards are kept not only in the newly built but also in the already operational nuclear power plants. i hope that this issue can be part of the discussions in nizhny novgorod.
and i can hear commissioner that you basically concede that we should apply the same principle to russia as well even if russia is not a part of the eastern neighbourhood.
we underline the need to maintain close contacts and support programmes for the development of civil society in russia.
i have been informed by civil society organisations there that pre emptive measures have been taken by the law enforcement agencies. attempts have been made to question people who could communicate with the eu representatives and this is completely unacceptable.
we must continue to try to develop relations in the context of the four common spaces and on the basis of last year's partnership for modernisation.
as the commissioner said the last two years have seen improvements.
progress this month in solving the transnistria conflict would be another positive step.
however as baroness ashton said last month after the khodorkovsky lebedev judgment and as the european court on human rights has concluded on many occasions real progress requires respect for democracy and human rights and a stable and fair legal framework for business which are too often absent in russia.
a structured civil society dialogue would help;
common action to fight climate change would help to build trust.
but the russian bear still has a sore head and i advise the commission to carry to nizhny novgorod not only a jar of honey but also a large net.
we have fifty two weeks of maternity leave guaranteed in uk law compared with the eu requirement of.
last year the commission launched a new start' initiative to improve worklife balance for parents and other people caring for family members.
the commission's plans to create a european pillar of social rights have gender equality also at their heart.
i would also like to thank her for setting out the recommendations in the report so clearly. while the female employment rate has increased to just above sixty four in two thousand and fifteen women's lower earnings and underrepresentation in the labour market continues to mean that their financial situation is less secure than men's.
we continue to keep a close eye on these issues and we have provided country specific recommendations to those that face the greatest challenges.
women's lower pay and the fact that they often do parttime work and take gaps in their careers often leads to gender pension gaps;
in june last year the council agreed some conclusions on the gender pension gap and these called for work to continue to narrow this gap and for member states' social and employment policies to be assessed as part of the european semester process. last december the commission published a strategic engagement for gender equality that set out the overall framework for european initiatives that were aimed at improving gender equality and in that priority areas included increasing the numbers of women in work
the draft pillar that's now been agreed for wider consultation puts the emphasis on improving the situation of women in the labour market. i think that fairness which lies at the heart of this report is central to the commission's agenda and the principle that no one should be left behind will continue to drive forward our work to support greater gender equality in europe.
that looks at a range of measures to promote adequate leave and flexible working arrangements and to support affordable professional care services. the second phase of the consultation will be launched shortly on the legislative parts of the new start' initiative and my colleagues will be tabling proposals on that by the end of the year.
reducing the gender pay gap and the pension gap and also making women more financially independent.
as set out in your report adequate worklife balance policies are needed so that women who want to can play a full part in the labour market.
the message is clear we have to change our rules.
it has to be harmonised.
issued. we do not have to accept that kind of discrimination in the twenty first century in the european
i asked commissioner hogan about these debates.
as prime minister of a small country a country similar in size to ireland i wish you luck. as a young prime minister who hopefully has a long life ahead of him you will be looking at a long life ahead in the eu no doubt. within that context i have a question to ask you about the white paper on the future of europe.
can you tell me prime minister when and where these debates are going to take place or is it the case at this stage as is said around ireland that it isn't the white paper on the future of europe it is the invisible paper on the future of europe.
the four economic freedoms of the single market are very important principles of the union.