kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
it is clear that the future development of shale gas will depend on the extent of public acceptance of fracking.
as the report recognises technological advancements have spurred a rapid commercial development of unconventional fossil fuels especially shale gas in certain parts of the world.
the commission's impact assessment is already looking at options to manage risks and to address regulatory shortcomings.
i have discussed these issues in depth with my colleagues gnther oettinger who is sitting here next to me and of course also connie hedegaard and the commission has now included in its work programme for next year two thousand and thirteen a new initiative that will strive to provide maximum legal clarity and predictability for market operators and citizens and prevent
we will assess how to prevent surface and sub surface risks to adopt monitoring reporting and transparency requirements and finally to clarify the eu regulatory framework and remove potential obstacles with regard to both exploration and extraction activities.
it has identified the most salient issues calling for close follow up including a number of uncertainties or gaps in current eu legislation.
we have to respect the natural resources that each member state has and see that they are explored and exploited in the best way using the best environmentally friendly
last and not least from our side as politicians we have to have a balance with the economic crisis that exists within the twenty seven member states.
methods and techniques. for the commissioners it looks like we are at the beginning of a long journey concerning and referring to shale gas.
i think we have started well with this debate today and i wish good luck to this new natural resource in europe.
all the precautions that have to be taken by the industry when they are fracking.
i am old enough to have my own opinion.
this is my text. the shadow rapporteurs have worked on this and we have come to a consensus on many things. this is the product of collective work that has been done within the itre committee.
mr president the honourable member may wish to run the risk of having salt or soapy water or citric acid in his drinking water supplies.
i do not wish to run that risk or to have these things in the drinking water supplies of my constituents.
i think by comparison and indeed by the comparison of the number of jobs local jobs that we can create in the construction of things like wind turbines and the long term cheaper energy supplies that we can develop from these energy supplies which will never run out then the economics suggest that shale gas is not the way forward.
yes this technology has been used and is used in the united states but in a loss making economic model and with very uncompetitive prices.
we should ensure that the highest level of health and environmental protection remains our primary principle over potential economic and strategic interests which still have to be demonstrated.
long term strategic decisions may need to be taken to secure energy supply ensure sustainability and keep costs to consumers at reasonable levels.
the exploration of shale gas reserves may provide another possible solution to the energy challenges which we face.
onshore and offshore reserves of shale gas have been identified as being safe in the united kingdom including in my own region of northern ireland.
while i am aware that this is a controversial issue i believe we must strip away emotive arguments and look at the issue in an open and transparent way by concentrating on the facts.
we must assess the impact of extraction and possible benefits for energy security energy prices and employment alongside the possible environmental and safety concerns human and animal health implications and the impact on tourism.
mr president of course we need to reduce our dangerous levels of energy dependence on russia but the extraction of shale gas requires millions of litres of water and chemicals it threatens already scarce water supplies with contamination and it risks geological fracturing which can lead to earthquakes such as those we saw in blackpool in the united kingdom.
i welcome the sonik and tzavela reports but i have in my constituency an area of outstanding natural beauty the mendip hills where there are plans to exploit shale gas.
this is simply not needed.
we have green clean energy everywhere.
while we will in some countries to some extent no doubt develop shale gas we can invest now in alternative technologies that can provide for almost all of our energy needs.
mr president mr watson was talking about the dangerous chemicals used in fracking but is he aware that those chemicals actually contain salt soapy water and citric acid basically washing up liquid and lemon juice
mr president i urge member states not to authorise any new hydraulic fracturing operations in the eu.
it is clear from past experience in countries such as america and from studies that fracturing does pose unacceptable risks to the environment to public health and to local constituents.
research shows and governments have had to admit like the government in poland that companies and governments almost always nearly overestimate shale gas deposits in order to support their actions.
notwithstanding the environmental impact caused by emissions created by fracturing the considerable amount of constituency concern is entirely understandable given the very real risk posed by fracking to both agriculture and tourism in places of beauty like fermanagh.
in may this year a government appointed panel said that fracking is safe in the uk and we can move ahead with stricter legislation.
i have listened to this debate and in the interest of fairness perhaps you will pass on my email address to all of those lobbyists from industry who have lobbied you because i am on the environment committee and i have not received any of that.
i have on the other hand received a great deal of lobbying from people who are very concerned about fracking and i take on board their concerns but i do think you do a disservice to this debate by making the suggestion first of all that we can be influenced unduly by any lobbyist and secondly that it has all been in one direction.
we have an opportunity as european legislators to make sure that if any country chooses to go ahead and exploit shale gas we have in place proper environmental controls.
a lot of the problems in the us were because at the beginning there were no environmental laws to protect the water table. yes there are problems with water contamination in the united states;
we have this opportunity this space and i hope we will take that space and support the report of the environment committee which is a very balanced report on shale gas and that is why it got a big majority in committee.
i hope that whatever happens on that amendment tomorrow colleagues in this house will support the environment committee's report.
parliament and the commission clearly share the same vision and the same goal for sepa. let me however recall three important points. firstly as mentioned earlier the commission has been very active in helping to drive forward the sepa migration process
we know there is little time left before the entry into force of the sepa direct debit and that our guidance should therefore be available before november.
we have put a process in motion and are convinced that a lot of ground work is needed before such a commitment can be envisaged.
thirdly i can confirm that the commission will provide guidance on the compatibility of multilateral interbank remuneration with competition rules.
in particular by putting pressure on public authorities to be early adopters.
this work is progressing primarily through the commission's assessment under the competition rules of the two major international card schemes namely mastercard and visa.
however there are initiatives that could develop into a new pan european debit card scheme and an overall backstop is provided by the existing powers of eu and national competition authorities.
implementation correctly identify the key issues we need to resolve to make a success of sepa.
the second question asks if a critical mass of payments will have migrated by the end of.
we therefore favour establishing a clear process to examine this question by collecting information on the impact of an end date on different stakeholders and launching a meaningful debate with them.
third the commission is carefully monitoring the impact of sepa on customers by launching studies.
we see the strong merits of fixing an end date and of course two thousand and twelve does not seem unreasonable.
in relation to sepa direct debit the commission is willing to assist industry by providing urgent guidance within the framework of a sustained dialogue with the banking industry and on the basis of contributions by the relevant market actors.
i therefore very much welcome this resolution and parliament's strong support for sepa.
firstly sepa should foster competition and increase operational efficiency through economies of scale both producing downward price pressure.
so the current pace of migration is too slow to attain critical mass migration by.
and your final question asks what specific measures the commission intends to propose to make sure that sepa migration does not lead to a more expensive payment system.
that is why the commission fully supports the efforts of parliament and the council to find a temporary solution within the context of the revision of the regulation on cross border payments.
and also by striving itself to be an early adopter of sepa.
we need a temporary solution to the business model problem to provide legal clarity and get the sepa direct debit successfully launched.
the first question asks how the commission intends to promote and foster migration to sepa instruments.
the fifth question related to how the commission is tackling the mif issue for card payments.
the commission seeks to maintain a level playing field for mastercard and visa europe as well as for the other payment card schemes which might emerge in the future.
this could pave the way for some political endorsement and if needed a possible legislative proposal for example at the end of the year.
in the commission's opinion this should not happen.
this guidance should be provided by november two thousand and nine at the latest.
in a market economy it is incumbent upon industry to propose an appropriate business model.
however for many member states this remains a very sensitive question.
secondly sepa should also increase transparency which will limit cross subsidisation and hidden pricing although optically some users may perceive the switch from high hidden pricing to low visible pricing as a price increase. here clear communication by banks will be important.
two thousand and ten the third question was on the necessity of a clear and binding end date.
in relation to cards as i have said discussions are ongoing with mastercard and visa.
on nineteen december two thousand and seven the commission decided that the mastercard mifs for cross border card payments with mastercard and maestro branded consumer credit and debit cards were not compatible with the competition rules.
in march two thousand and eight the commission opened proceedings to establish whether visa europe's mif constitutes an infringement of article.
and finally as announced in last week's commission proposal driving european recovery' by coming forward with proposals to ensure that the full benefits of sepa are realised.
the european union's special representative for human rights stavros lambrinidis who visited bahrain last june was given the opportunity to visit some prisoners detained for political activities. we will continue to closely monitor developments on this issue.
but as we have consistently said over the last three years a lasting reconciliation process requires a combination of moderation and concrete confidence building steps by everyone including the release of those arrested in the context of peaceful political activities
two thousand and eleven at this significant juncture we believe the consultations undertaken since then have the potential to pave the way for long term national reconciliation and sustainable reform in bahrain. we call once more on all parties to refrain from violence and to work together
these institutions must produce concrete results in order to win the confidence of the public.
we will also continue to engage with the authorities on the need to tackle impunity and accountability noting that the ministry of interior's ombudsman the public prosecution office as well as the prisoners and detainees commission and the national institution for human rights
to implement fully and swiftly the bici and universal periodic review recommendations and will provide all possible support for the achievement of this goal.
should play an important and proactive role in this regard by fulfilling their mandate in full independence.
we also considered that a visit by mr juan mndez the united nations special rapporteur on torture and other cruel inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment would be a particularly important signal to measure the progress accomplished.
ali salman for the first time since the events of february.
to overcome the deep polarisation of bahraini society.
the european union welcomes the positive steps taken by the bahraini authorities to implement the recommendations by the bahraini independent commission of inquiry thus improving the human rights situation but much remains to be done and we will continue to encourage bahrain
bahrain is a country that has been a longstanding friend and ally of the west and in particular of my own country.
all politicians of good will in bahrain of whatever political colour should be prepared to engage constructively in the national political dialogue.
to make a general point first of all of course we have to stand up for genuine human rights and we must help others on to the path to reform.
but we also have to recognise the realities of every particular situation the presence of extremist elements interference by outside countries that wish to destabilise a regime and of course the need for law and order. but that in itself is not an excuse for arbitrary imprisonment.
following the king's initiative the crown prince of bahrain has shown great leadership in a process of sustained and comprehensive reform which will improve democracy and help build stability.
i was talking about interference from countries on the other side of the gulf not least from iran.
at the same time there are also encouraging signals that the bahraini government has committed itself to reforms following the national independent commission of inquiry report.
it was actually our group that proposed to refer to this concern in the resolution but it was your group as well as the epp that did not want to refer to that.
we must look at the broader context in the middle east when addressing the problems in bahrain and to make sure that we can overcome them because we have worse crises to deal with.
anyone who looks more closely at bahrain realises that it is shameful that the royal family and the government have not managed to adequately address the human rights concerns and grievances of the population.
let me stress that they do not need interference from either saudi arabia or iran in their domestic affairs.
instead the bici report as well as the universal periodic review recommendations should be implemented full stop.
we also identify a few other urgent reforms that must take place.
we oppose forced disappearances and the use of special or military courts to try suspects of so called national security crimes.
especially when it comes to juvenile detainees bahrain should treat them in line with the un convention on the rights of the child to which the country is a party. in this resolution we also call for a moratorium on the death penalty and hope it will be abolished.
once again we call for the release of all political prisoners and human rights activists.
on a more positive note i hope that the decision by the arab league to set up an arab human rights court in manama will serve as a catalyst and a reminder about the respect for human rights that needs to be guaranteed in bahrain and across the region.
the sad thing is that looking at the entire middle east one would hope that problems in bahrain that are solvable will be dealt with once and for all so that its ambitions on the global stage are not just economic or strategic but are matched with granting the people of bahrain rights and opportunities and so that i as an mep
it is now time to get rid of programmes that have not proved efficient of which we have many in the present eu budget.
does anybody think that these countries are in a position to finance an increase in the eu budget?
the answer to both questions is no'.
does anybody think that the rest of the member states are in a position to bail out these countries and additionally to finance an increase in the eu budget?
some difficult choices will have to be made at this point to allow a reduction in the eu budget.
we are not therefore in a position to cover the requirements of the lisbon treaty and the europe two thousand and twenty strategy. the president of the european commission has dramatically announced that democracy could disappear in greece spain and portugal unless urgent action is taken to tackle the debt crisis.
i think we have to be conscious of this.
that said perhaps the analogy of a cake is appropriate at this point that people look at the european union budget in the shape of a cake.
i think one of the great difficulties we have in this parliament is that we have not communicated enough the value of a european union budget and what it does.
when citizens are in difficulty whether it is from flooding or a jobs crisis they turn to the european union for support and they turn to it for budget support.
others have of course discussed the realities for member state budgets and member state governments as well as the concern about looking for additional funding when all our member states are having financial and economic problems.
however if we are to have more europe there is a requirement for more resources.
that provides solidarity to the european union which is something that you cannot put a price on.
if you recall again in the votes today we voted on the globalisation fund.
earlier today we voted on budget two thousand and eleven and we all know how difficult it was to manoeuvre within the very tight margins in the budget. we also know that we were due a mid term review of the budget.
if we have more demands on it we will continue to slice it ever thinner unless we increase the resources.
if we continue to measure and count euros rather than looking at what we are trying to create in the european union i think we will limit our vision for the future of what we all hold dear at the european union.
i am looking forward to cooperating on further steps.
of the financial framework when the precise needs are known and cannot be covered by other means which is not the case so far.
this analyses the flexibility and the margins not as a goal in itself but in the context of possible new developments.
even with iter we need commitment for the long term financing of this large scale project.
he is absolutely right in that and obviously the lisbon treaty gives us stronger control over those situations because in the recent past the real lesson to be learnt is that politics and politicians were not in control that we allowed bankers regulators and rating agencies to do as they wished and we see now where we are as a result of it.
two thousand and twenty in the meantime i am confident that discussions like this one contribute to the public debate on the issue and to awareness raising in the capitals.
perhaps it is due to the fact that for judges at the general court relevant experience of at least twelve to fifteen years is requested and that women are less represented in this category of experienced lawyers and judges.
to further develop and implement effective measures aimed at ensuring the balanced representation of women and men in decision making and leadership including training mentoring and sponsoring schemes.
this brings me back to my initial point the council conclusions of december two thousand and fifteen on equality between women and men in the field of decisionmaking. in order to achieve de facto a more balanced representation of women and men in the general court we now need to concentrate on different aspects such as awarenessraising and regular monitoring of progress made.
the council thus called inter alia on member states' governments to promote a balanced representation of women and men in the political sphere including nominations to highlevel positions in the eu institutions.
the phasing in of new judges has been conceived in a way which ensures that over time the regular terms of office of the two judges of each member state end at the same time.
regarding the selection procedure the decisive criterion for the appointment of judges is not gender but merit.
this is of course not yet satisfactory even if there is a slight upward trend which hopefully we will further consolidated.
candidates are screened and interviewed by an independent panel of eminent persons which has set very high standards in terms of qualification and independence and whose opinions on the candidates' suitability have so far always been followed by member states' governments.
this has led many member states to introduce internal procedures with an open call for candidates and an objective selection to identify the best candidate.
as you know this reform foresees an increase in the number of judges at the general court in three stages.
the treaty provides that judges are to be chosen from persons whose independence is beyond doubt and who possess the ability required for appointment to high judicial office.
this is a welcome development to ensure the highest quality of judges but of course there is no guarantee that there will be a sufficient number of women among the candidates nor that the best candidate for a given position will be a woman.
the equal participation of women and men in decisionmaking is a matter of justice respect for human rights and good governance.
the first stage the appointment of twelve additional judges is currently being completed and the second stage is also in the process of being implemented with a view to reaching the number of forty seven judges.
the idea is that this should make it easier for member states to propose one woman and one man.
the final stage in which the court will comprise two judges per member state will be completed by two thousand and nineteen and only then will it be possible to assess whether we have come closer to the objective of gender balance in the composition of the general court.
what the legislator can do and has done in the context of the reform is to create a legal framework which facilitates the nomination of one woman and one man by the member states.
what can we do in order to reinforce an equal gender representation among judges at the court? of course under the treaty the appointment of judges and by implication the nomination of candidates is the exclusive prerogative of the governments of the member states. neither the council
against this background it is not surprising that the importance of ensuring gender balance in high judicial functions was also reaffirmed in the context of the reform of the general court which was adopted in december two thousand and fifteen and is currently being implemented.
since the sixteenth century lady justice has often been depicted wearing a blindfold that shows that justice true justice is blind to wealth power or other status and in today's society we might well add gender amongst other characteristics.