kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
they also congratulate us on the necessary courageous and often painful reforms that several member states have had to put in place.
have been. together we are emerging from the crisis united open and i believe
a year ago some were still talking of the collapse of the euro some were even speculating about the disintegration of the european union. i think we can say that together we have proved that the prophets of doom were wrong.
deficits have been halved and significant structural reforms for more competitiveness are under way reforms such as the modernisation of our labour markets and public administrations or the youth guarantees that are being put in place to ensure that all young people under twenty five receive a good quality offer of employment continued education an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of leaving formal education or becoming unemployed.
this is the year in which we are moving away from recession. the recovery is expected to continue and to become more robust during this year and to strengthen further in.
but at the same time it would be politically inaccurate and i think intellectually dishonest to deny the progress we have made.
sector; by getting rid of the blockages in business and professional services retail and construction;
tackling unemployment and the social consequences of the crisis will take time and resolve.
and by improving access to finance for our
we are about to conclude and i certainly expect the strong support of parliament on this the banking union which is a significant step in the deepening of economic and monetary union. and finally we have overhauled the system of economic governance in the european union particularly in the euro area.
by introducing the european semester we have ensured that coordination of member state economic policies takes place at european level respecting of course the national competences.
this parliament passed a resolution with a large majority in favour.
by giving us a programme for the digital single market?
so that is the big message from my committee which i hope will be taken on board.
i was very pleased that mr kourkoulas and mr barroso i am sorry he is still not here both included in their speeches explicit references to the potential of the single market and areas that need to be moved forward in order to create the jobs and growth that we all seek.
i just want to supplement this by saying in particular to the commission to mrbarroso that we already gave you the instruments by approving in this parliament the single market acts which were not in your original europe two thousand and twenty programme because we wanted a political programme to complete the key instruments of the single market so why are you not following those through properly in this semester? why are you not taking the lead from this parliament
the council asked you for it.
where is the commission's programme on this key growth instrument?
but even if you had they would not have listened so obsessed are they with building the euro. ok a simple lesson in economics when you have two countries that are at completely different stages of the economic cycle one currency needs to devalue.
what you could have told them mrkourkoulas is that according to the respected medical journal the lancet there are now eight hundred thousand people in greece without access to welfare or medical care.
but if those countries are pegged or tied inside the same currency and they cannot devalue you have to devalue the country and that is what is happening to the mediterranean. we are devaluing the mediterranean and it is leaning towards third world status.
the obsession that you will use the crisis to build a united states of europe.
however the taxpayers in london do not object strongly to transfers going to newcastle or scotland or wherever they may be needed because we are part of the same country. the problem you have with the euro area is not just this huge economic imbalance between north and south but that increasingly the taxpayers of the north do not want to go on subsidising the south because there is no sense of european identity.
we are very different countries.
what happens in practice is that conservative centre right policies are actually delivering the agenda that we all want to see.
of course the socialists and the greens can talk a good story can talk about concern and compassion but the results on the ground show that their policies are misguided and on the ground do not actually deliver any results.
mr lamberts it is all very well for you as a green mep to say that it is a disaster that people are finding the cost of living so high yet it is your green policies firstly not allowing gm crops to be grown properly in europe which would make food cheaper and secondly your crazy energy policies which are raising the price of energy to every single household.
mr farage i think that many things you said make a lot of sense internal devaluation in a currency union is inevitable if there are no transfers. now would you then applying the same reasoning to the united kingdom say that if the economic cycles of wales of scotland or of northern ireland are different then probably the best solution would be to dissolve the currency union and to then leave each part of the current union to live its own life possibly with
we do have the capability to invest.
then the question is how do you correct the impact of these measures on those at the lowest end of the income spectrum via ambitious tax policies? that is what we need to change.
what the commission said has helped to rebuild confidence and what the member states and the commission have done despite the negativity has restored stability and confidence.
let us be clear about that message.
secondly i have heard a great deal about jobs and growth but we are missing a key word here.
in ireland we had jobs and growth to beat the band during the celtic tiger era but it was unsustainable.
let us talk about sustainable jobs and growth. my third point let us talk about spending money cuts etc.
we have wasted money;
we have thrown money at problems.
we need quality spending of member states' budgets just as we need quality spending of the european union's budget.
it has been the lack of structural reforms. that has created unemployment and deep social problems.
we all know that the policy of spendarity which is advocated from that side has led to ever growing costs for interest rates squeezing out important spending on welfare and important investments in infrastructure.
yet still some of the colleagues here are defending more spending more deficits higher interest rates more cost for interest rates but every step which is taken in that direction undermines prosperity and competitiveness. what we see now
spending or spendarity caused high unemployment and high interest rates and undermined public finances.
over twenty zero elephants were killed by poachers last year;
this marks an important step in the protection of highly endangered species around the world.
but the trade in living wild animals is also thriving.
these animals face extreme stress poor conditions and are at a high risk of early death.
we can and must develop an action plan working closely with countries such as china.
they deserve our protection.
the eu can be a global leader in the fight against this serious and most profitable crime as a full member of cites.
all parties to cites must act decisively and quickly to prevent animals being traded as commodities.
at this very moment the zimbabwe government is profiteering from baby elephants removed from their herds to be sold to zoos in china and the uae.
we will also be responsible for implementing and enforcing the convention and will participate fully in cites projects.
a record six hundred and sixty eight rhinos in south africa alone were killed for their horns just to make trinkets and medicines that do not work. unless we act now these species and many others will become extinct.
more than ever international coordinated action is needed to end illegal wildlife trade stop poaching and the increasing rate of biodiversity loss.
barely a week goes by when we do not see some new seizure of goods or medicines fashioned from endangered species from tigers' bones to rhino horn.
i would like to see this as just the very beginning of the eu's new approach to cites.
in my view this will give the eu a platform to move forward together at the conference of the parties employing the power and influence of all twenty eight member states together and i hope that in the near future we will be able to use this influence to promote tougher enforcement of the licensing system.
we must reinvest in natural capital construct green infrastructure and ensure that all spending under the eu budget is supportive of halting the loss of biodiversity.
on the specific question raised here today on the eu action plan against wildlife trafficking we have taken good note of the parliament resolution on wildlife trafficking and the recent letter signed by eighty one meps arguing in favour of an eu wildlife action plan.
the eu voice will be stronger in an international arena.
and the conference of the parties later the same year.
as commissioner vella has already indicated the eu should be leading the fight against wildlife trafficking both domestically and internationally.
madam president honourable members we are grateful to hear the strong support of parliament for the upcoming eu accession to cites. with the prospect of parliament giving its consent to the council decision tomorrow the eu should finally be able to become a party to cites next year and be ready for the next meeting of the cites standing committee in january two thousand and sixteen
like the elephant if it has ever more characteristics of a sovereign state then it is obvious to all that this is exactly what the eu is becoming.
it will enable the commission to lead negotiations and be a catalyst.
the eu acquires the one vote counting as twenty eight votes and my country along with twenty seven others lose yet another freedom to decide for themselves.
the usual weasel words are in the report.
there are those especially in the uk who are in denial about this fact that the european union as a direct inevitable consequence of the commitment to ever closer union and as set out in successive treaties is taking over the sovereignty of member states.
the impact that losses like these have on ecosystems is catastrophic.
one cannot ignore the fact that the vast majority of this illegal trade is carried out in the developing world in conflict zones.
if annual turnover for the illegal trade is estimated to be usd nineteen billion making it the fourth largest illegal trade in the world the extreme poverty of many african communities lends itself to this trade.
when the tusks of a single adult elephant are worth more than ten times the average annual income in many of these countries is it any wonder that impoverished people resort to wildlife trade?
the eu of course should support these countries where they lack equipment and funds for enforcement but we must also look at the bigger picture.
the european union cannot be found wanting in its actions and it cannot allow species like the african elephant and rhino to be consigned to the history books.
the eu and member states must of course comply with obligations under this convention but it is one thing to ban or limit trade and it is another to effectively enforce it.
ninety five of the world's rhinos have been wiped out in the last forty years and let us also not forget all the other less well known species that are illegally traded on a daily basis.
cites has recently engaged much more in regulating international trade in marine and timber species.
these are also areas in which the eu has strong legislation and policies.
at its last meeting in july the cites standing committee adopted very concrete measures targeting the countries most involved in wildlife trafficking particularly in ivory rhino horns and rosewood.
to conclude i would stress that the eu's accession to cites will reinforce both the eu as a global player and cites as an essential multilateral instrument for sustainable development. the commission is aware of the interest of parliament in these matters and we count on your support
however the eu will gain visibility at the cites meetings as eu positions will be expressed by the eu on matters of eu competence. the eu will also be able to participate fully in the various bodies set up under the convention and contribute to its annual budget.
the situation will be similar to the other organisations such as the wto the fao or the convention on biological diversity of which the eu has been a full member for many years.
medicines cosmetics and food products.
when presenting these political guidelines to parliament in july president juncker made clear that one of the aims of the new commission is to reinforce the eu as a strong global actor. the eu accession to the cites convention is to be seen in this context.
this wide scope combined with the legally binding nature of its decisions and its robust compliance mechanism makes the cites convention a critical tool to address the overexploitation of natural resources which is one of the biggest threats to biodiversity today.
these are all areas in which the eu is a leading actor on the international scene.
the cites convention stands at the crossroads of environment trade and development.
the cites convention aims to make international trade in wildlife species sustainable. it is a very operational and efficient instrument that regulates millions of cross border movements of animals plants and commodities derived from them such as timber leather goods
in operational terms the way we prepare for cites meetings will not change much after the eu accession as there is a well established practice to agree on common eu positions before each meeting.
these measures need to be implemented within strict deadlines and failure to do so could result in the adoption of trade sanctions. increasingly cites is also engaging in close cooperation with international organisations like the un office on drugs and crime and interpol which also
the current dramatic surge in wildlife trafficking calls for a strong response from the international community.
cites is also at the forefront of the fight against wildlife trafficking a problem which i know is important to this parliament.
these are very valuable commodities traded in large amounts.
the eu's accession to the convention will reflect its leading role and it will increase the eu's visibility and accountability.
madam president it is a sad reflection on mankind that we can put a man on the moon but we are not capable of keeping some of our most valuable animals alive on earth.
we give the highest financial value to those commodities that are scarcest on earth but sadly that logic applies to animals as well even to the point that the rarer a species becomes the more sought after and the more valuable it or its body parts become.
it is now the stroke of midnight for a number of the world's most endangered species.
however there is still time but only if mankind can work together to get a message to all cultures on earth that we cannot go on like this to outlaw the immoral trade in animal products from rare species and to urge all authorities to join in enforcement.
i commend cites and i welcome the accession of the eu.
we did not speak with one voice we were not very united we were more occupied by our internal negotiations as eu member states and then we made a strong position at the conference itself so i am very relieved that we have finally become a party to cites.
another thing i would like to address here and the commissioner has already mentioned it as have many of my colleagues is the importance of the fight against wildlife trafficking. that is something that should be done with cites but of course and the commission knows this this is something that should also be done much more strongly
i therefore hope that commissioner moedas can give the message not only to his colleague responsible for the environment but also to his colleagues higher up the hierarchy in the commission that we really need an eu action plan against wildlife trafficking and the sooner the better.
issues relating to cites have a crucial impact on eu policy in a great number of areas. wildlife trafficking for example is not only unethical because of the harm it causes to animals but is also depriving local communities of sustainable development opportunities robbing countries of potential tax revenues deterring investment providing financing to terrorist groups and enabling the spread of diseases like ebola.
so i strongly believe that the eu should take a leadership role in cites in putting a stop to the trafficking of tigers and all other endangered species;
and i recall in the last parliament when i was here the impact of the save the tiger conference and exhibitions which i held here.
therefore packaging techniques such as modified atmosphere packaging and innovations such as active and intelligent packaging can ameliorate this. my party and i therefore believe that plastic packaging which cannot be reused should be made of a substance that can be recycled.
madam president my party and i strongly value products materials and resources in our economy and we believe that these should be kept in use for as long as possible in order to minimise the generation of waste in our environment.
however food packaging has led to a reduction in food wastage.
and as far as packaging is concerned we will be extremely ambitious and we will come up with legislation and we want this to happen very quickly.
they know they need to be part of this.
how are we going to deal with micro plastics coming out of tyres on cars or coming out of our clothes when we wash them?
but let me give you one guarantee this commission will try everything it can to put on your table legislative proposals in those areas where we can come up with legislation.
this is what we will do and this is a promise i make on behalf of all of us we will make proposals for legislation where we can.
but i have the feeling that given the sense of urgency that is shared by industry we will be able to do a lot of things together as well.
but we will not rush into things especially if we haven't got the science right yet or if we can still wait for industry to do its part.
two thousand and twenty so i see the message you gave to us today as a strong endorsement for this commission to continue along this path.
plastics can be fantastic if they're the right plastics and we need to get the science right.
these are complicated things and we want to make sure we get the science right before we put legislation on the table.
we've already started with reach on micro plastics in cosmetics paints and in detergents but sometimes we need more analysis.
but we've also seen that the unity of purpose in this room is shared by industry by and large they want to be part of this.
everyone agrees that we need to do something; perhaps not everyone agrees on the measures we need to take or the speed with which we will do it.
that creates a complete economic value chain giving the industry the possibility to adapt to the new rules. moreover while taking into account food safety we need to discourage multi layer packaging and encourage easier to recycle plastics.
that is why i welcomed the proposal for quality standards for recycled plastics and the intention to incentivise packaging for the construction and car industries to use more of them.
we can and should have more ambition when it comes to micro plastics in detergents in detergents and cosmetics and single use plastics by building on the success of our legislation on plastic bags.
we have an immediate concern around illegal dumping i took a walk in the countryside at the weekend and i was disgusted with what i saw around me.
there is one area where we are encouraging people to use the internet to buy goods and services. however when it comes to buying products we all know that the amount of packaging that comes through our post or otherwise with internet sales is enormous and we are not talking about it.
this is something we've got to talk about and deal with or the mountains will rise.
that's the good news.
the bad news is that my country is one of the largest producers of plastic waste in the european union so we've got a lot of work to do. we need to talk about china and its decision not to take our dirty plastic anymore. i've tried to find out from the industry where it is going to go. i wonder do the commissioners know?
it seems to me that we're moving from landfills to sea fills and that's really serious because of the impact on our ecosystems.
it has got to work.
a french colleague saw my pictures on twitter and shared her experiences so we need to tackle that in the member states.
my young children buy things on the internet and i have more waste as a result.
there is a tide of growing awareness and concern among people businesses and governments about the enormity of plastic pollution.
the package the commission adopted yesterday keeps us on this very positive track.
every second approximately seven hundred kilos of plastic waste ends up in our oceans. if we go on this way there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by.
we need the full support of this parliament if we are to be successful.
single use plastic items constitute fifty of litter found on eu beaches and it is important that we significantly reduce the use of these products.
also we will continue our work to ban oxo plastics because these oxo plastics fragment to tiny pieces exacerbating the micro plastics accumulation even more.
two thousand and fifty micro plastics are found not just in our oceans but also in our water in the water we drink in the food we eat and in the air we breathe. also the way we produce use and dispose of plastics today is a threat to several economic sectors fisheries and tourism to name two.
in the shorter term we need to curb plastic waste and reduce the use of certain types of plastic.
it is therefore paramount that we address packaging as a priority. our aim is that by two thousand and thirty all plastic packaging placed on the eu market will be reusable or recyclable in a cost effective manner.
we will also develop additional measures to motivate those working on boats to bring the fishing gear to land and not dump it into the sea.
since a significant part of plastic pollution comes from other parts of the world we will need to work together with the rest of the world to make sure that we improve the situation.
together with this strategy we adopted a new directive on port reception facilities which goes a long way ensuring that waste is brought back to land instead of being discharged at sea.
with this strategy we aim to foster a new sustainable and profitable plastics economy with the design of products and other parts of the production chain taking into account re use and recycling needs. plastic packaging accounts for about sixty of all plastic waste generated in europe every year.
we have been a global leader on climate action and we can be a global leader here as well.
micro plastics are another serious problem.
we have launched a process to ban micro plastics that are intentionally added to products such as cosmetics paints and detergents and we can do that under the reach framework.
in last year's special eurobarometer survey eighty four of european citizens said that they are worried about the impact of plastics on our environment.
the main element of this package is the plastics strategy for europe.
it often seems to be forgotten that high levels of plastic recycling can only be achieved by improving the way plastics are produced and designed.
and if we manage to set things right the world will follow us. it is always the case that good european policies are copied elsewhere and that should be our goal to have a global impact.
but plastic waste reduction depends not only on the recycling infrastructure it can also be reduced by using more sustainable materials which could replace traditional plastic while offering the same functionalities.