kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
with the forthcoming resolution we call for effective measures to end this complicity and we ask for support for the green proposal to impose an eu arms embargo against countries that are responsible for such serious breaches of international humanitarian law. this resolution draws on our previous call for a weapons embargo against saudi arabia in reaction to its bombing campaign in yemen.
the eu guidelines on international humanitarian law also provide for other measures but we the european union do not do enough to implement them.
they include the support for information gathering missions that can be useful for investigations of war crimes and for the international criminal court as well.
investigations into violations with a view to prosecute are crucial in order to send a clear message to those responsible and to prevent further killings of civilians.
the rising number of attacks on schools and hospitals is a horrific example of growing indifference towards international humanitarian law.
it is vital that schools and hospitals remain and are protected as a neutral secure space during situations of armed conflict.
the upcoming world humanitarian summit provides an opportunity to reaffirm the centrality of international humanitarian law and discuss the ways of strengthening compliance with it.
i was disappointed for example that one sole member state was blocking the decision to extend the collection period.
the problems with the online collection especially with the online servers have been partially resolved with the help of the commission. but we have to find a sustainable solution.
however these positive developments should not hide the technical difficulties faced by the organisers so far and the remaining challenges.
the same goes when it comes to finding the right balance between data protection and user friendliness.
the number of initiatives submitted so far their european aspect and the fact that they represent new ideas makes me feel optimistic. i feel that european citizens have really started to see its added value.
we need improved cooperation between the european institutions and the information offices but also more cooperation from the member states.
moreover we need to reduce as much as possible the cost of an eci and improve our communication.
on the single seat in brussels which so far has received. one two million signatures and that the petitions committee will now respond to that petition thanks to the intervention of the chair of the committee ms mazzoni and mr schulz?
the commission is continuously engaging with the organisers and with parliament to ensure that any decision about a possible revision of the legal framework is taken on a well informed basis.
that means for example that uk or irish citizens in the eu but outside their country of origin may be unable to support a european citizens' initiative depending on the requirements of their country of residence. the commission agrees that this is not acceptable and has consistently encouraged the member states to lower as far as possible their respective data requirements.
that is entirely correct.
as you can imagine these measures have had an important impact on the time and resources that the commission has had to invest.
the commission's legislative proposal allowed all eu citizens to exercise their right wherever they resided.
the commission therefore offered as a temporary and optional solution to host online collection systems on its servers in luxembourg free of charge.
steps to do that are under way an open source community workshop was organised by the commission late last year and we are encouraging contributions from external stakeholders.
i would like to conclude by thanking the member states and of course this house which has been so important in committing to this from the beginning and ensuring that it is a success. the commission recognises that when you raise concerns about the functioning of the initiatives it is because we share the same objective reconnecting better with europe's citizens and encouraging their participation in the political life of the
these concerns have now been dealt with and we can expect future organisers to be better prepared technically and administratively.
right. this is not related to the software or the commission's hosting platform.
let me highlight a few issues where the commission has been trying to deal with the initial hurdles as well as clarify some misunderstandings and misconceptions.
also there are claims that the commission's online collection software has not been tested;
that might be true but we are dealing with very important and sensitive personal data here.
the security and technical requirements are designed to protect not only the signatories but also the organisers responsible for collecting signatures.
else. it is up to the organisers themselves to market and broadcast their initiatives effectively.
together they have collected in the region of two million statements of support. but looking beyond that it is evident that these groups are mobilising cross border public opinion and triggering europe wide debates on very important issues and that of course is what we wish the initiative to do.
fourteen initiatives are currently registered with the commission;
i would like to thank all the members of the european parliament who have been so active in getting this into place following it up and promoting it. although the first twelve months of the european citizens' initiative have not been without difficulties i believe that we can be proud of this new instrument of participatory democracy.
broadly speaking it has been a success. the positive trends of the first year suggest that we are witnessing something which has the potential to become a very popular and possibly influential means of enabling european citizens to get directly involved in the work of our institutions.
it is up to us to provide them with the means to do so and while it is impossible to predict the end result of any single initiative to ensure that they feel it is worth their while.
to reflect where things stand and to sketch out a few considerations that may serve for the future.
they cover a very broad range of areas media pluralism public goods and services education animal testing climate change voting rights roaming charges speed limits and mobility.
it has not been trouble free however. there have been some well documented teething problems and the commission in cooperation with the organisers and the member states has had to work significantly harder than we could have predicted to ensure that the instrument was quick and successful.
needless to say the commission has gone far beyond what is strictly required by the regulation to make the european citizens' initiative a success. some of you may say that much of this work would not be necessary if the requirements of the implementing regulation were less strict.
of course nothing is set in stone.
the commission can continue to offer technical help to optimise the preparation and use of the procedure.
it has gone to considerable lengths to provide organisers with training guidance and advice at all stages of the procedure and it has had to engage extensively with the member states to overcome their concerns.
to date however only two external developers have expressed an interest in participating.
union. the european citizens' initiative is an important complement to our more traditional representative democratic structures.
that is not accurate.
it is in fact the legal framework that is in default.
when the european citizens' initiative entered into force a year ago in april two thousand and twelve few expected the organisers to have such difficulties in finding affordable service providers to host and to help with the certification of their online collection systems.
proper testing has been carried out for each release including unit tests functional tests stress tests and vulnerability tests. there have also been concerns to ensure that this open source software is further improved using a community approach.
these are all important issues for us to consider but they should not be allowed to overshadow what we have achieved over the past year and the enormous effort that we have all have made to ensure that the european citizens' initiative is a success.
perhaps the biggest question that will need to be resolved by the review of the legislation is whether to keep the current decentralised system for the hosting of initiatives or move towards a centralised system of collecting signatures. with regard to the online collection software developed by the commission critics have argued that it does not help organisers carry out their campaigns.
however the regulation as adopted by the european parliament and the council introduced varying data requirements across the member states.
vice president efovi has said that the tools provided by the commission are designed to facilitate the collection of signatures nothing
the other is that legislation is always top down'.
we must ensure citizens are treated equally regardless of their nationality or where they are residing.
the citizens' initiative the very instrument introduced to address the democratic deficit between citizens and policymakers to engage citizens with the european union project is faltering due to a lack of communication and a complete absence of awareness of this avenue for engagement with the legislative process and policymaking.
as with the ongoing building and commitment in widening and deepening the european union we must make a greater effort to engage with citizens in a meaningful and practical way and ensure that we are building a european union for citizens together with the citizens.
the fact that initiatives have been received on the right to water waste management media pluralism and speed limits among others are testimony to the potential of this tool as a real driver of european policy and engagement with citizens.
it is clear that the problems with the online collective system requirements must be addressed in a practical manner making this citizens' initiative actually accessible for citizens. i support the idea that there should be a single point of contact for the initiative so as to avoid the citizens organising the submission having to enquire in twenty seven soon to be twenty eight member states for information and updates.
i think it also provides an opportunity for citizens of different countries to join together to raise transnational interests.
i was encouraged by the commissioner's contribution this morning. it thought she showed a clear commitment to the citizens' initiative and we know from our history that she is personally committed to it.
there is no political identity with which they can identify so you can never have a true democratic system in the european union as a whole.
the only democracy that makes any sense is the democracy of nation states where people identify with a common political identity.
all democratic governments in different countries take different forms.
but in order for a country to be called a democracy it must have one single characteristic the ability not only to elect the government but also to sack the government and replace it with a different government.
of course that is the one thing you cannot do in the european union.
the people do not select the commission who are the effective government of the european union and they cannot sack them.
therefore no country that is a member of the european union can claim to be a functioning democracy.
we are seeing our democracies destroyed. all the governments of the western world and in particular those of the european union are disconnecting from their own people and imposing policies on them which they do not want like mass uncontrolled immigration and idiotic climate change legislation which is destroying their economies.
the only citizens' initiative which makes any sense is the initiative to leave the european union.
as a political activist i have been engaged in many signature collecting campaigns and the system put in place in the european citizens' initiative has got to be the least user friendly system that has ever been designed.
now it turns out that it excludes many millions of eu citizens living outside the eu including many irish citizens who have been forced to emigrate and who have more reasons than most to contest important aspects of eu policy.
we are ready for the commission's part to continue to host the online collection system of the organisers.
this is a temporary and far from ideal solution but we hope that it will help until we find a permanent solution.
i have been listening to different comments here and we are looking into that.
we are also in contact with member states on extending the deadline.
some of you have asked about this and we have had a very constructive dialogue on this.
i am quite confident that we will find a solution very soon.
i think my views are very clear and known on this specific issue.
the correct answer to your question is of course that treaty changes are not included in what can be proposed in this.
this is the year of the citizens.
in a way every year should be the year of the citizens but this is a particular year of the citizens that we need to take very seriously.
on the commission side we are very much involved.
and all of us bring up the issue of this possible initiative.
together we must do everything we can to improve the functioning of this initiative and to spread the knowledge because it is indeed a very strong and powerful tool. thank you very much for this debate.
you can be sure that i will report directly on all the different interventions to vice president efovi and we will continue to follow this very closely.
there was wide agreement between the member states and meps that there is an urgent need to protect our communications infrastructure.
while the member states took some convincing to realise that it is better to track space debris than people we are now looking forward to better cooperation particularly between the large member states in protecting satellites and other objects that we put in space.
today almost six million young people are unemployed varying from less than ten in some countries to more than fifty in other countries.
it will offer more possibilities to students of higher education and vocational education to spend part of their studies abroad or to gain valuable work experience in another country.
we have to help them deliver the skills we need today and for the foreseeable future.
first in higher education it brings together all internal and international capacity building and mobility instruments under one roof.
europe's economic and social crisis has only given new urgency to our support for education training and youth policy. i am happy to say that the text we are debating today does justice to our collective efforts. in two thousand and eleven the commission put forward a proposal for a new eu programme for education training youth and sport. in the light of slow economic growth unacceptably high youth unemployment and the huge challenges brought about by new technology and the digital shift the commission was convinced that business as usual was not an option. our spending priorities have to match our political aspirations.
second we will integrate our main youth activities under the new programme building bridges between non formal learning and formal education fostering much needed cooperation across sectors.
the programme will also offer opportunities for institutions and youth organisations to work together with partners in other countries exchange experience learn from each other and build common projects and it will offer support to member states for innovation and new policy development.
nevertheless and i am pleased that this is due in no small part to the support of the european parliament despite the overall decrease in the eu budget the eu budget for these policies will amount to eur. fourteen seven billion over the next seven years which represents a forty
to tackle some of the most urgent challenges facing europe today we must invest more in education training and youth participation.
this will increase the efficiency coherence and visibility of eu action and trigger synergies.
this is why we need an eu programme that strives to improve levels of competences and skills and to modernise our learning institutions both formal and informal.
third and in line with our policy goals we are strengthening the links between education and the world of work by stimulating new partnerships and putting stronger focus on the employability of young people.
at the same time paradoxically we see more than two million vacancies in europe while one in three enterprises has difficulty finding people with the right skills.
this means that the new programme will expand the opportunities for both citizens and education training youth and sports bodies.
staff from all educational sectors as well as the youth sector will have more opportunities to update their skills abroad.
these are the people that can really benefit from this.
mr president a lot of work has been put into the reorganisation of this programme over the last eighteen months and i have to say that about a year ago i did vote against the parliament's position on this programme.
however on a positive note i am pleased that sport has for the first time been given a dedicated budget although i would have been happy to have given sport an even larger part of the erasmus budget.
however following the trialogue under the irish presidency the text has developed for the better. it is not perfect but it is better.
however i still remain deeply disappointed and sceptical towards the vast sums that have been attributed to the jean monnet funding which goes towards promoting european integration and training the brussels elite.
in my own country the erasmus programme is seen as something that really works the eu is seen to be adding value somehow and i am hopeful that this programme will continue to allow young people to take advantage of the opportunity to study overseas learn new skills and experience different cultures.
i find it outrageous that parliament has elected to spend more on training its own bureaucrats than on a new area of competence sport.
at that point my group had major concerns about a number of issues the budget size and the master's loan guarantee to name but two.
but i particularly welcome the focus on grassroots sport.
so the text is not perfect but together i and my group will vote in favour of this final agreement as it provides opportunities for young people and for vocational training and i am hopeful that these opportunities will benefit not only those that participate but also the wider economy.
what you mean is that we must have an open door immigration policy and i have just heard a conservative mep support that.
it is simply a glorified student exchange programme which we could do without the existence of the eu.
you want a greater european identity in sport and a call for a european sports day so inevitably that logo is going to be on our sports shirts.
erasmus is not really about educational excellence is it?
you get to cynically use young people to further your political aims. amendments forty two and seventy eight say that the programme is aimed at supporting the eu's external action and should promote european values that says it all doesn't it?
united kingdom universities have numerous exchange programmes all over the world without needing to be in a political union.
one five of the european budget let us keep in mind that there is a lot more that we can and must do for the younger generation of europeans looking for opportunity and political leadership.
we believe that in erasmus plus the student should be the centre of attention at a time when budgets are being cut and young people are paying a disproportionately high price for the lack of leadership in solving the economic crisis in europe.
for the alde group efficiency and the integration of procedures and spending as well as inclusion were key points.
it is essential that we get the biggest output for our investments.
sadly there was also a bit of a battle in this house to avoid very long wish lists that would water down the proposed impact and efficiency of erasmus plus. we must now focus on quality for the estimated four million people who will have the opportunity to take part in exchanges and hopefully that number will even increase through the loan guarantee. yet with the erasmus programme's budget now significantly increased but still taking up only a small.
the lack of mobility in europe hurts our solutions to youth unemployment.
they are full of big words and newly invented terms.
' it is unintended irony surely to associate the name of erasmus with the european union the greatest folly of our age.
a wall of imposing definitions conclusions corollaries and explicit and implicit propositions protects them.
their opinion of themselves is so great that they behave as if they were already in heaven;
one point that i would like to make is that as far as heading four is concerned it is also a responsibility of parliament to vote for sufficient funding for erasmus plus in the external action instrument and i appeal to all of you to support this
it also shows that we have designed a credible and powerful tool that can make a real difference to the lives of millions of europeans.
this demonstrates that the union has fully understood the urgency of improving europe's education training and youth policy sectors and placed them at the heart of our strategy for growth.
i do not think they need the european union to tell them how hard to work.
throw money at young people tell them how wonderful the eu is and they will vote for it!
what is right and what is wrong and their ability as mature young people to live and learn by sharing experiences.
no i have a more noble vision for the office of president of our house.
but sadly just a few weeks after the european elections we are being invited to endorse a cosy consensus brokered behind closed doors.
the president should be fair to all open to all attentive to all.
have failed?
it embodies so many hopes for the future.
mr president i rise to speak with a sense of duty. like so many of you arriving here today for the first time i came in two thousand and four with great hope and celebration we were reunifying our continent after decades of division.
as a former commissioner once said it is hard to respect a parliament that does not respect itself.
i do not want to return to the politics of backroom deals of years gone by i want to reach out to all those europeans who look to our institution with hope for the future. this is my dream for the european parliament but such dreams will not become reality if we allow the better angels of our nature to be defeated by political calculation or personal ambition.
but is that what we are being invited by some to do here today?
i am sure you did not either.
i am told this election is a foregone conclusion that the deal has been done before a single vote has been cast and that i and you should simply bow to the inevitable.
this is not a vision i could possibly share.
i humbly ask for your support for my vision of a presidency worthy of this house and worthy of the peoples of europe.
i do not want to look after my interests i want to look after yours.
i am sure many of you also share this vision in which one nation alone does not shape our paths and priorities but we fight our battles and accept the results.
our institutions should not however be snared by one political faction or another or traded for control elsewhere.
that is the kind of president i aspire to be.
of course while we share hopes for the future we have many different views about the route to be chosen to fulfil these aspirations.
the president should represent this house with honour and dignity throughout europe and indeed the world.