kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
mr president the following is a statement of fact not an indulgence in national feel good under the maltese presidency some very good work has been done and that has been acknowledged a number of times already. there was painstaking preparation for it and an all out commitment to get the job done. unfortunately meanwhile efforts were made including in this parliament as we have just heard to denigrate the maltese government with claims that the rule of law was not being respected in malta.
these clumsy allegations did not succeed in derailing the work of the presidency.
some indications regarding future prospects can be taken from the maltese presidency and the experience of it.
we need a special effort.
the danger here is that instead of reaching for an outcome that is politically fair and strategically smart both sides get stuck in detail.
thirdly issues relating to tax policies and financial services are increasingly being subjected to opaque manysided calculations at the level of the council and also this parliament.
as proof of this the zhanaozen trials were rampant with independent accusations of evidence fabrication torture and intimidation. the progress in the negotiation of the new partnership and cooperation agreement must be linked to the progress of political reform.
i welcome the announcement of the ceasefire which does mean that the people of gaza could sleep last night without bombardment but a lasting peace will only be achieved when there is an end to the national oppression of the palestinian people and fundamental socialist change in the region in the interests of all working class people.
from the nobel peace prize winners obama and the eu we had the usual support for the right wing israeli narrative that this was about israel's right to protect its population as a statement of the foreign affairs council of the eu declared.
it took the lives of almost one hundred and fifty palestinians the majority of whom were civilians and a number of whom were children.
it is the palestinian masses struggling from below linking up with israeli workers and poor who can achieve that.
this onslaught had nothing to do with the security of ordinary israelis and everything to do with the interests of that right wing israeli establishment seeking to increase support in advance of january's general election and seeking to disrupt the attempt to get un recognition for palestine.
this is why i welcome the commission's decision to open chapters twenty three and twenty four early on in the accession process and to work on the basis of concrete detailed benchmarks.
they do need a lot of protecting particularly in the future in relation to the way they are being discriminated against especially by the big factory ships which are engaging in practices such as mincing and in not declaring their real catch when then come to shore.
fisheries and these are the people that need most protection under the cfp.
my constituents do not wish to hear propaganda paid for by their taxes telling them how great the eu is.
mr president i can say with some certainty that in times of austerity my constituents do not want their taxes spent on political campaigns and propaganda.
they feel the reality of cutbacks in public services whilst the uk pays more and more to the eu a luxury we cannot afford. in two thousand and fourteen the we demand a referendum party will put on the ballot paper those words we demand a referendum'. this will allow the electorate from the uk to send you and our government a message loud and clear that we demand an in out referendum.
in successive eu elections people have used the elections to express their disapproval of the eu. opinion poll after opinion poll shows dissatisfaction with the eu and a wish for a referendum.
we must address them and protect our communication structures and infrastructures from any kind of intrusion.
i would also like to say that cyber criminality is not limited to cyber attacks vulnerable populations are also targeted by criminals acting from behind the computer.
cyber threats and attacks against government administration military and international bodies are a rapidly growing menace.
the eu must be able to respond to these challenges and to the geopolitical changes taking place on the international scene.
on the contrary strong transatlantic relations will be further reinforced.
mr president uk conservatives have grave reservations about the csdp in particular that it will result in duplication of the work of nato which must remain the anchor to britain's national defence at a time of defence cuts. the advantage of nato is to forge strong transatlantic links with the united states and there are serious concerns that the csdp could decouple us from our american allies.
i will be watching with interest the mission to mali with ecowas to see what it can do to stabilise the sahel region as well as the eulex mission which is a civilian mission to kosovo.
i support the animal welfare campaigns and the eu regulation now proposed to end the excision of fins from sharks to make shark fin soup and then throwing the animals' carcasses back into the sea for a slow and painful death.
in britain we have already made it illegal to practise shark finning on british registered vessels and it is surely time now for the eu to meet the standards set by many other countries worldwide.
any derogation or loophole in legislation which creates a potential for allowing shark carcasses to be discarded at sea must be stopped immediately. this barbaric practice can lead to sharks either starving drowning or being eaten by other fish and the process often takes a number of days.
it is shameful that these creatures are treated in such a way and as self proclaimed proponents and enforcers of animal rights globally it is embarrassing that the european union is behind many other countries around the world when it comes to enforcing rules on the removal of shark fins.
i am fully in support of the commission's proposal to remove the ability of member states to issue special fishing permits thereby mandating that sharks are landed with their fins naturally attached. i do not wish to see in any way a continuation of the derogation in this regulation.
this is why member states and the european union must develop a policy for the prevention of and response to all major security threats identified.
another crucial issue is to find a proper balance that would allow for a quick response involvement of all eu institutions and enforcement of the principle of accountability for the decisions taken.
they have a direct impact on the global economy and are also the source of political instability.
however do we need a special representative for climate security or do we need a council working group on climate security for this purpose?
in this statement they accuse the unregistered opposition of extremist actions and say they filed a lawsuit to ban them together with a host of independent and media outlets such as the newspapers respublika and vzglyad the satellite television station k and dozens of associated online news sites.
it is clear that the situation in kazakhstan with regard to human rights has gone from bad to worse.
in addition vladimir kozlov the leader of the opposition party alga who was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison lost his appeal three days ago.
human rights watch had declared that kozlov's conviction is unsound given that the charges against him are vague and overbroad and are fundamentally incompatible with human rights treaties kazakhstan has signed.
in addition vadim kuramshin the well known human rights defender faces up to fourteen years in prison. i make an urgent call here today for the immediate suspension of the negotiations on the enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement unless there is a profound and proven change in the human rights situation in kazakhstan.
this in my view must include an unconditional amnesty for all prisoners convicted on political grounds including vladimir kozlov and vadim kuramshin.
i call on the international trade union movement and civil society organisations to echo this call and to put pressure on european institutions and on catherine ashton who will visit kazakhstan next week to make it crystal clear that there can be no business usual with the nazarbayev regime.
it is not acceptable that the eu's economic and strategic interests in kazakhstan's energy resources take priority over the deteriorating human rights situation.
i take note of the commission's proposal extending the rules on technical measures for another transitional period but additional changes are necessary to complete the update.
both its size and massive oil and mineral wealth ensure that it cannot be ignored by the eu nor should it be because it offers a bridge between europe and asia and the country has much to contribute to both continents. certainly it is perfectly able to retain links with russia by being part of the eurasian economic committee and at the same time seek closer cooperation with the european union.
such cooperation will bring tangible benefits to both sides but it must come hand in hand with more democracy and better human rights for its people.
if these goals can be met the pca together with the eventual kazakh accession to the wto will be a good idea and will more closely integrate kazahkstan into european union friendship internationally together with its partners and also into the multilateral organisations where kazahkstan rightly belongs.
overall the proposal aims at placing ten regulations under the legal framework of the lisbon treaty.
strengthening common commercial policy will enhance economic growth as the commission is responsible for making all member states follow these regulations.
this means that there should be no rockets from gaza into israel on the one hand but it also means that israel needs to stop its bombardment of gaza and also ensure that there are no extrajudicial assassinations by israel.
but we need to ensure that the ceasefire leads to a lasting peace otherwise we will be here again in a few months or in a few years.
that is why i was particularly happy to co sign and sponsor this motion which sets out a roadmap for a lasting solution. it calls for an end to the gaza blockade and it reiterates eu support for the two state solution recognising palestine's right to statehood and also acknowledging that israel has the right to live peacefully within its borders.
this policy has to remain the eu's crisis management instrument.
it also needs to be brought to its full potential especially when it comes to implementation of the mechanisms introduced under the lisbon treaty.
i also want to stress the important role of eu civilian and military missions for the eu's political credibility.
on the progress afghanistan has made in the field of human rights and rights of women in particular since. two thousand and one the situation of afghan women in this society often remains precarious.
although progress depends on action by the government of that country the eu and member states can exercise influence through engagement and dialogue with the authorities by supporting measures which address women's human rights and by assisting access to justice. among many human rights concerns faced by women in pakistan violence is one of the most serious issues to address. the eu consistently uses its political dialogue with pakistan to raise issues relating to the rights of women.
a long term objective is to ensure effective implementation of the un convention for elimination of all forms of discrimination against women of which pakistan is a signatory.
regarding pakistan promotion of women's rights is a priority for the eu and member states' engagement with pakistan.
this terrible situation cannot be used as a pretext to continue the occupation. the troops must be withdrawn now and activists in the west need to give real assistance and solidarity to women's organisations organisations of workers and the poor to fight for.
two thousand and five according to the ngo womankind anywhere between sixty and eighty of marriages are forced and eighty seven of women complain of domestic violence.
it is the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman.
mr president it is now over ten years since the newly found concern for women's rights was used as one of the pretexts for going to war in and then occupying afghanistan.
she was raped when she was nineteen by her cousin's husband became pregnant and as a result was convicted and jailed for the crime of adultery by force'.
we believe that as well as the measures taken by the governments of the countries themselves the commission should give even more assistance to those projects that promote and protect the rights of women in these two countries.
despite the significant financial and technical eu aid in afghanistan girls and women are still experiencing major difficulties in accessing primary education due to deeply rooted cultural discrimination against the female sex.
pakistan's tradition of honour killings must be addressed in particular and the government there must take much stronger action to ensure that this crime in particular does not go unpunished.
this is something which we need to address and this is why we ask the afghan security forces not only to be trained in counter insurgency but also in law and order community safety and protecting women and children from abuse.
afghanistan made a commitment to include the upholding of human rights commitments in its constitution including equality between men and women which is to be welcomed and supported by the european union.
this is the third consecutive year the court has found the accounts to be free from material misstatements and reliable. as regards legality and regularity the court gives an unqualified opinion on revenue and commitments as in previous years.
and that accountability is also clear.
improving the quality of spending should be a high priority.
the information provided by the commission on recoveries and other corrections is not yet completely reliable and cannot be meaningfully compared with the court's estimated error rate.
next year the commission will present legislative proposals for policies and programmes covering the main areas of expenditure in the next programming produced.
earlier this year the commission presented a draft recast financial regulation. in its recent opinion on this the court concludes that it contains a number of proposals that provide opportunities for the commission to improve transparency and financial management.
so. if we analyse this year's results and compare them to last year we see that the most significant change is in cohesion.
the estimate for the most likely error in cohesion spending was significantly lower than in previous years and for the budget as a whole the court's estimate of errors has fallen over recent years. however a degree of caution is necessary before drawing any conclusions about the trend in this area;
due to variations in spending patterns the population of payments can change considerably from one year to the other two thousand and nine being notably different from.
simplification of sectoral legislation remains however an important route to a significant improvement in the quality of spending.
simplifying the legislative framework and introducing more cost effective control systems to reduce the risk of errors should contribute to this goal.
this year's annual report confirms the conclusions and the recommendations set out in the court opinion on the risks and challenges for improving the financial management of the european union.
the court recommends reducing the risk of error by improving the quality of information in the databases used for establishing entitlements and calculating payments and by clarifying and enforcing rules on land usage and maintenance.
i would like to present to the house the four key messages contained in this year's annual report. first the court concludes that the accounts of the european union give a fair presentation and a true and fair view of the financial position and the result of operations and cash flows.
however and this is the second key message of this year's annual report payments from the budget continue to be materially affected by error except in two areas.
this agenda outlined the key strategic objectives and concrete steps which the commission will take to move further towards a positive court statement of assurance.
the simplification of eligibility rules where their complexity is an obvious source of errors;
moreover in preparing the budget review i have promoted the new focus on impact rather than input through the definition of clear and measurable objectives and key performance indicators.
i also see some criticism and it is the commission's commitment to closely follow up on all the court's recommendations.
the commission is of course very satisfied with this result as it confirms the lasting effects of our accounting reform.
our discussion on tuesday showed that there are other challenges before us for instance a greater accountability for the key financial actors in particular the member states and a cost effective control policy based on risk and performance.
i also agree with the court when it points out the weaknesses of the member states' systems and some other issues in shared management. in my view the way forward includes the design of cost effective control mechanisms;
in particular in cohesion in the future.
now i address the british prime minister.
mr president year after year over the last sixteen years the auditors have been refusing to clear ninety or more of the budget and this year is no exception. they talk about errors but the nature of the irregularities they find goes far beyond that of a mistake.
the commission is in the best position to establish the rules and to sanction those who breach them but it has failed all along and this parliament also bears responsibility as it has approved the situation every year and keeps asking for an increase in the budget.
the fact is that taxpayers' money has been unlawfully spent.
what is the essence of the problem?
on behalf of british taxpayers i hereby request that you lead the demand for a significant reduction of the two thousand and eleven budget.
this year the auditors claim that at least gbp six billion should not have been paid out.
the lack of responsibility. the commission and the auditors will as usual blame the member states but the fact is that the failure resides within the commission due to the lack of proper controls.
suffice to say that such a situation would cause the closure of a company in the private sector and the conviction of its directors.
there is no hope any more that the eu budget will ever be cleared by the auditors. at this point the only way to protect taxpayers' money is to reduce the eu budget drastically.
and the main reason for this as we said in our report is that on the one hand the systems put in place to manage the funds for this programme period two thousand and seven two thousand and thirteen are performing better.
if we have to look forward i would say that we now have a unique opportunity to build a new momentum for a better management of the european union budget.
the court is an independent audit institution governed by the treaty.
if we have to have simple rules if we want to have more efficient cost effective systems to manage them through the member states and within the commission that is the moment to address those issues.
what are the reasons behind this?
the budget review is also on the table next year.
we provide you with an overall assessment of the situation;
we are not being kind to the commission or kind to the member states.
we base our findings on the evidence and it is what we report to this institution which we have the obligation to assist in this discharge procedure. we are willing to assist you in this work
this is the measure of the progress we have found.
madam president i want to be as positive as i possibly can about this report because i always believe that we should use audits to improve things and to learn from our mistakes.
there are many examples where this can be done by the commission by member states and by beneficiaries in order to improve matters for example in agriculture. constant changes in requirements by the commission cause difficulties for member states and beneficiaries;
in wales they tell me that all the time.
to reduce claims for ineligible land by farmers the commission could also provide legislation which clearly defines active farmers across the eu which would then be used by all member states whereas at the moment they have some discretion. lastly with cap reform imminent there is a golden opportunity to simplify the processes to ensure that in europe we have value for money for our spending but also continue to provide benefits for individuals and communities.
two thousand and eleven kazakhstan is one of the key partners of the european union in central asia and with the future deepening of the eu's cooperation with kazakhstan there is a need for such open debates and analyses of the eu's policies towards kazakhstan.
this approach of representing the eu's interests in seeing progress in political reforms and in deepening our economic engagement with kazakhstan is a balanced one.
human rights and the respect for the rule of law are best secured through open dialogue political pluralism and a vibrant civil society.
in parallel the european union has been dedicating considerable efforts to the development of civil society as well as engaging on human rights and rule of law issues with kazakhstan.
you can be sure that i will pass on your comments and your advice to the high representative vice president who will make a visit to kazakhstan next week and remains as committed as ever to ensuring that this partnership develops in a way that promotes
this is why we have been surprised and are concerned by the initiative taken by the almati prosecutor general's office in declaring the alta party and people's friend movement as extremists along with eight independent newspapers and twenty three internet outlets and banning them. of course the european union supports efforts to combat extremism and terrorist activities. however combating extremists should not be used to justify
he has also filed lawsuits to ban them together with a host of independent and opposition media outlets.
i want to draw particular attention to the case of human rights defender vadim kuramshin who was arrested in january two thousand and twelve and cleared of all but one minor charge in a jury trial.
mr president next month marks the first anniversary of the brutal repression and massacre of striking oil workers and their supporters in zhanaozen.
this is the country in which some members here want to suggest that the human rights situation is improving and that it just needs to be given a small push further which a further enhanced agreement would do.
in it he accuses the unregistered opposition of extremist actions.
association and of religion and belief.
through this process the european union is committed to standing alongside kazakhstan and its citizens both as a friend and as a partner on the path of political reform and economic development.
this is a priority for the european parliament but also for the european union.
the european union has been observing the political and human rights related developments in kazakhstan since the tragic events of zhanaozen in december two thousand and eleven with serious concern.
the respect for democracy the principles of international law fundamental freedoms and human rights is an essential component of the new eu kazakhstan agreement.
in this regard the european union expects that the customs union between kazakhstan russia and belarus will not constitute a barrier for enhanced cooperation with the european union as also stated in the european parliament report.
the negotiation of the new agreement proves the importance of kazakhstan for the eu and is the recognition of our strong economic and strategic relations.