kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
high representative and vice president ashton has officially expressed her full support for the joint call made by united states secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister lavrov to convene an international peace conference on syria as soon as possible as a follow up to the geneva conference
however i want to use my very brief intervention to highlight the plight of the palestinians who despite being neutral in this conflict have been disproportionately affected.
but we are not talking about numbers we are talking about human beings human beings caught up in a bloody conflict in their country who had to leave everything behind in order to seek safety in other countries.
we in europe have been unable to end the syrian conflict but i am convinced the member states can certainly do a lot more for the refugees.
since the beginning of the syrian conflict we have had sixteen council conclusions three un security council resolutions the report of the independent international commission and countless statements by high representative ashton and commissioner georgieva.
moreover the opposition continues to be fragmented and foreign involvement on both sides continues unabated complicating the situation with every passing day.
the problem is of course that neither side seems likely to win decisively in the foreseeable future.
the conflict is often depicted as being one between incontrovertible good the opposition and incontrovertible evil the government.
the government is politically repressive but socially secular.
the answer is not to provide arms to either side and it is not to bring the population to neighbouring countries or to europe.
the answer is for the whole international community to urge talks between government and opposition without preconditions except of course for a ceasefire.
over the last few months we have been watching the worst of mankind being shown to future generations the fanaticism and cruelty of several radical groups from both sides; the sadism of numerous fighters from both sides the masochism of others quite a lot coming from europe or from neighbouring countries;
the hunger suffering and despair of many caught in the middle of a tragedy to which they did not contribute;
the mutilation disfigurement lack of dignity and hope of common people who simply wanted to live their lives in peace; the torture punishment degrading treatment and abduction of many from the comfort of their families;
the crying agony and the violation of children and women;
the forced displacement of thousands and thousands;
the dramatic situation of the refugees;
the hypocrisy of the international community of those involved and of those that do nothing to stop this massacre.
this means that trying to stop a civil war from the outside is extremely difficult.
i believe that under the aegis of the notion of responsibility to protect we would do well to call upon the arab league and all the members of the arab league to shoulder their share of this responsibility to protect their brothers and sisters.
this is actually the european year of the lung and the petition can still be signed by colleagues who are interested in our work against the tobacco industry and on tobacco control.
yes we need to get back to the three level but we need a longer time frame. i fully accept that many of the difficulties are self inflicted and i am not looking for sympathy but i am saying that mindless austerity will destroy our small open economy that two years into the crisis still has four businesses closing every day.
madam president earlier this evening we debated the social provisions and the lisbon treaty which obliges the union to consider the social consequences of a decision when making its policies.
how about the need to rebuild our economy?
venture capital is the honeybee of alternative funds owing to its ability to pollinate emerging businesses and drive growth in the global economy as exemplified by google facebook and skype.
venture funds provide access to capital business expertise and often the market place itself for innovative private start ups and smes.
however the european union proposals intended to prevent a repeat of the financial economic crisis lump venture capital key to driving small innovative start ups in the eu together with speculators such as hedge funds.
over the course of the two day visit our delegation held an extremely informative exchange of views with members of the icelandic government and of the icelandic parliament in relation to their application for membership.
the exhibition was dedicated to innovation in food production and consumption.
we also expect three thousand two hundred pilot projects to be implemented in twenty four member states.
however i believe that this is its strength.
we are all increasingly conscious of the need to ensure food security and of the need for a greater focus on more sustainable food production.
we think that the current policy mix is a good one because you cannot have one size fits all'.
i have taken very careful note of the many actions which the commission is asked to take in relation to the issues raised whether that is in relation to ict based management systems the need to reduce the use of antimicrobials or the need to stimulate integrated pest management.
therefore the relevant level of policy intervention may be national or regional. i welcome the acknowledgment in the report that agriculture has always developed new practices and techniques and i agree also that innovation is a prerequisite for maintaining this progress.
i think all of us were impressed with what we saw because it is representative of many of the issues you have raised here this evening the practical application at farm level of the development of technology and the investment in and value of innovation.
we should always look critically at our instruments and policies to see whether we can improve them and i will be glad to do.
in many such areas local conditions require local solutions and the commission is not automatically best placed to address all of these issues.
while there we saw several very exciting and innovative uses of technology in crop and other food production.
innovation allows the sector to develop new products new production methods and services to respond to challenges like climate change and to address other societal challenges particularly in the environment as well as addressing issues around our competitiveness.
i note that the draft report is concerned about a fragmented implementation of the eip under the rural development programmes.
adoption of the new agricultural technologies by european farms has been modest until now.
in the context of climate change rising food demand population growth and threats to the environment we really need to support agricultural innovation in order to increase the productivity and sustainability of the sector. in other words farmers will need to produce more with less in the future. however
two thousand and fifteen the council has taken a business as usual' approach although we are facing an unprecedented situation.
it is taking a two step approach whereby first a low level of payment appropriations is authorised in the budget with the understanding that a supplementary amending budget may be needed in the course of the
current experience with a shortage of payment appropriations in two thousand and fourteen the commission can only regret the position taken by the council in its reading of the two thousand and fifteen budget.
similarly for our external policy in spite of the eu's commitments and engagement in recent crises in particular in neighbouring countries substantial reductions of eur three hundred and eighty four million are proposed to the commission's draft budget. we need the full amount of payments
there must be some limit to pushing payments into the next years over and over again. we must re emphasise in this context that what the commission requests for two thousand and fifteen might suffice only if we keep on track with what is required
we simply cannot ignore the claims coming in.
exceptional additional revenue from fines means that the additional payment request for two thousand and fourteen will be at virtually no cost to member states.
second we need to find a solution and take under control the increasing backlog.
year. that is not a sound budgetary approach it creates a major liquidity problem for the annual budget.
this is welcome at a time of tight national budgets. we should seize the chance to try and take control of the situation.
for research the reduction by ten would impact under horizon two thousand and twenty on around six hundred projects involving more than seven thousand participants of which around one thousand four hundred are smes.
first we need to secure adequate resources for financing the political priorities we have agreed under the new financial framework.
the council acts as if the situation called for a business as usual' approach ignoring current priorities and the budgetary situation.
hopefully we can clarify this in tomorrow's votes.
this must be backed up by rigorous independent oversight and inspections. legislation must not compromise this goal setting approach or sharing of good practice.
a true safety culture is one that encourages every worker to put safety first in applying improving and testing safety procedures.
not all deep water is dangerous and not all shallow water is safe.
we know that there is currently not an active market for operators to purchase external insurance. future legislation regarding financial liability should not exclude smaller operators especially during the exploratory phases.
if negligence occurs those responsible should be held accountable and operators must be financially liable for costs and damage.
the european maritime safety agency has experience in monitoring and detecting spills and in the supply of clean up equipment so should maintain a log of all public and private equipment enabling its rapid deployment.
indeed if it drained experienced resources from national inspectorates it could be damaging.
our approach to safety in eu member states must enable inclusion of neighbouring countries and also recognise that issuing licences is a member state and not an eu prerogative.
a tick box' approach to safety allowed the gulf of mexico disaster to happen and we must not have the same in europe.
however much offshore oil development in european seas is off the coast of non eu countries and it would be unwise if eu legislation pushed exploration out of eu waters into neighbouring areas especially if a spill could still affect our seas and shores.
the report recommends a site specific approach with authorities and operators working together to address the individual risks of each installation not only before drilling but at every stage of its working life.
offshore is crucial to meeting europe's energy needs and its energy security.
finally a moratorium on new exploration or a ban in the arctic is not appropriate.
the gulf of mexico disaster was compounded by the length of time it took to cap contain and clean up.
all sites are different;
they could meet this financial obligation in a number of different ways including for example mutual insurance funds which work best in individual sea areas.
however emsa does not have experience in spill prevention nor the expertise to regulate offshore installations.
as with many parliament reports this one contains some clear messages but some of the statements are contradictory and a couple are factually incorrect.
safety is not proprietary and rapid sharing of information and good practices between operators and regulators is vital especially in the case of significant incidents or near misses.
madam president thank you to everyone who has contributed to this report including colleagues from many committees and industry regulator and environmental organisations.
whistle blowers must be protected. inspectors must be qualified and experienced and also understand the specific conditions of each site.
madam president i would like to make three points as a contribution to this discussion.
despite the fact that the accession negotiations are now on hold relations between iceland and the eu remain strong as has been outlined.
it also delivers an important message to iceland which cannot be repeated often enough the european union remains fully committed to continuing and completing the accession negotiation process if iceland wishes to do so.
additionally the commission will not sign any new commitments under our current ipa i instrument.
mr president honourable members it is a pleasure for me to contribute to your debate on the two thousand and twelve progress report on iceland and the post election perspectives.
we noted that iceland remained and still remains an important partner for the european union in particular in the light of its membership of the european economic area and its participation in the schengen area.
we will of course follow the on going debate in iceland about european union membership including the upcoming presentation of the government's assessment of the accession negotiations to the icelandic parliament.
the commission for its part is willing and able to complete the accession negotiations and remains confident that we can reach an outcome that is beneficial and positive for all sides.
but the fences and the borders that have been erected in the past month destroy pretty much all of that.
fences are not a solution for anything neither at the internal borders nor at the external borders.
about where we will stand tomorrow but this future starts today.
closing borders does not stop people from coming;
and our internal borders are on the way to be coming as deadly as our external borders are.
this is why we need to pull down the fences and to overcome the borders once again because this is what europe is for.
borders that used to be once the cause of war could be crossed easily in the past and i believe it is really at the borders where european citizens can see and experience the true value of the european idea and what europe really means.
slovak border guards have been shooting at refugees;
whatever we do wrong right now cannot be mended tomorrow.
let us not destroy this fundament this stuff that europe is really built on.
this is the situation we are in right now.
they divide people it is harmful to the economy and it destroys the fundaments of europe.
it only makes their journey more distressful and increases the death toll.
then look at the french german border and look at how all these border regions have integrated and how we are trying to do that much more to the east and all of that is being disrupted if not completely destroyed. that is why i believe and that is why we believe that this closing of borders has to end immediately and not just in a couple of months at the end of the year or whenever.
this schengen debate really is a debate about the future of the european union;
this is a shared responsibility involving all our institutions as well as the member states.
that is why the commission presented on four may a proposal on article twenty nine of the schengen borders code a proposal recommending a coherent eu approach to the reinstatement of internal border controls until the structural deficiencies are remedied as well as proposing border controls only at the sections of the border where they are necessary and proportionate.
now as we all know last december the commission presented a proposal for a european border and coast guard.
member states must grant access to asylum procedures for all applications made at their borders.
the european council also underlined the importance of restoring the normal functioning of the schengen area in a concerted manner while giving full support to member states facing difficult circumstances.
yet over the past months the system has been severely tested by the migration crisis leading several member states to reintroduce internal border controls.
now as you all know the aim is to ensure that any and all remaining obstacles are removed by the end of the year at the latest for the costs of losing free movement within the schengen area would be huge.
clearly securing the eu's external borders ensuring efficient border controls and improving the functioning of the asylum system are prerequisites for restoring normal free movement within the schengen area.
i am of course referring to greece whose external border has been under immense pressure.
at the same time they should refuse entry to third country nationals who do not satisfy the entry conditions of the schengen border code and who have not submitted an application for asylum despite having had the opportunity to do so.
however serious deficiencies in external border control persist today even if many of them have been and are being tackled by greece.
it is imperative that we adopt this proposal as soon as possible so that it becomes operational and it is therefore of great importance to work together in order to start trilogues in june and strike a political agreement soon thereafter.
without any doubt it has brought important benefits to european citizens and businesses alike.
in other words proper control at our external borders is our common responsibility hence the need to reinforce our collective ownership over that common good.
mr president in the wake of the terrorist attacks in paris and brussels it was understandable that national governments would reinstate border controls to increase security and try to monitor who was coming in and out of a country.
i question the principles of all those urging the uk to vote to remain in the eu.
it is my sincere belief that the british people are safer outside of this leaking terrorist haven of a political union.
ensuring better protection of the external borders and assisting the member states that suffer the most is absolutely necessary. however since one of the main reasons for reintroduction of border controls was and still is their thoroughness revision of internal cross border security measures is highly warranted.
we need solidarity and unity in order to perform and to deliver.
however not all deficiencies identified in the management of external borders control have been remedied.
our objective is to return to a normal functioning of the schengen area with no internal border controls as soon as possible and within six months at the latest because the costs of internal border controls are already visible.
they may seek to move irregularly to other member states.
the principles of necessity and proportionality are the guiding principles for this and any future decision.
let me be clear about two things.
let me therefore reiterate that our proposal is an exceptional temporary measure to ultimately allow for the safeguarding and return to a normally functioning schengen area as soon as possible.
moreover a number of these unregistered migrants remain in greece or in other countries of the western balkans.
in addition we clearly state that the controls introduced should be proportionate and limited to what is strictly necessary to respond to the serious threat and safeguard public policy and internal security.
this is why we need to take coordinated action at european level making use of the tools that the same schengen borders code provides us with so as to allow member states to do what is necessary in the current circumstances while preserving schengen as a whole.
we have repeatedly said here that it is maybe the most tangible achievement of the european integration. this commission from the very beginning has done everything in its power to make sure that we preserve it in accordance with the steps set out in our back to schengen roadmap.
let me first acknowledge that greece has made significant progress in the last few months.
we requested it because we welcome the roadmap that was presented by the commission for restoring a fully functioning schengen system. however in practice we do not see much progress.
we see more rather than less border controls. we see walls being put up not broken down and a couple of days ago we even heard about a violent incident on the border of one of the schengen countries with refugees being shot at so the situation is actually getting worse not better.
what i would like to know from the commission is how strictly are you applying the criteria because you keep saying it has to be necessary and proportionate but that seems to have become a bit of a mantra because we do not see border controls disappearing.
i do not see any steps in the direction of abolishing them.
we seem to think that it is a kind of replacement for a fully fledged refugee and security policy or a replacement for a european border and coast guard but this is in the hands of the member states. the member states should take their responsibility and no longer hesitate about a common asylum policy the common security policy and a border and coast guard rather than
i think it has been said by others that schengen is a great achievement and the current border controls come at a huge economic cost so we have every interest in abolishing the border controls as quickly as possible.
quite frankly i have not seen many cases where the commission has said sorry this is simply not justified.
when we say it has to be exceptional and temporary' we are talking about i believe six schengen countries now or eight for a very extended period of time.
that does not sound like exceptional and temporary.
i agree with all of you or most of you i have to say that it is of the greatest importance to restore full freedom of movement in the schengen area as soon as possible and as soon as the circumstances allow us to act accordingly.
some of you remarked that things are getting worse rather than better.
the utter chaos that we experienced at our borders earlier this year is disappearing.
but it is true that we need to further stabilise the situation and this further stabilisation of the situation is necessary before we can lift all controls and return to normal again.
of course mrs in t veld is totally right when she says that schengen is one of the greatest european achievements i totally agree with her and mrs fajon and others are right in pointing out the economic consequences if the schengen
we have heard things like i don't buy the economic argument' or i do buy it'.
it is of great importance for all our citizens and businesses alike.
so as i said earlier the aim is to ensure that any and all remaining obstacles are removed by the end of the year at the latest and i sincerely hope that we will collectively succeed soon.
dublin is being dumped not because it did not work but because the state has turned a blind eye.
now nation states are putting up borders borders work that works. i was in calais again last week; five and a half thousand migrants are camped there all waiting illegally to break into my country.
but they are not refugees they are economic migrants.
because i go there and ask them i do not listen to the commission i do not listen to the left and the human rights industry that are promoting this i go there and listen to them myself. when i was there last week they were deciding they were refugees because the human rights industry was telling them they were.
we have to put back up the borders.
that this cannot go on.
we cannot waste a day anymore.
we must do what we can and that is to say clearly that if these atrocities do not stop the european union will consider punitive sanctions and also consequences in the context of trade preferences that myanmar enjoys. losing valuable investments is the only thing that will make the myanmar army generals maybe understand
here we have a european union role to play that we are playing in a quite a remarkable manner.
we are ready to support the implementation of these recommendations in all possible ways. the government of myanmar should also continue its cooperation with the united nations and make it stronger including with the un special rapporteur and the un human rights council's independent fact finding mission.
during myanmar's fights for democracy the international community and europe never left the people of myanmar alone and we will not leave them alone now.