kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
so here is an example of a country that can restructure itself based on the recommendations that were there within the semester and create real job opportunities for people.
i think it is crucially important if we are to really deal with the problems of poverty and inequality in europe that we create a pro jobs enterprising europe where countries are encouraged to create jobs and where the right environment is there.
another reason why i voted in favour of the semester is that we need the same set of rules for every country within the eurozone and for every country within the european union.
the government's response to religious clashes is poor and it refuses to grant nonnational races citizenship. christian and muslim populations such as the rohingya face religious persecution and it is difficult for nonbuddhists to obtain government jobs.
the dedicated session of the unhrc on myanmar was therefore more than welcome.
certainly not the president of russia.
it also highlights a number of key points such as the need to have refocusing of policies to achieve the two thousand and twenty targets the fight against inequality the need to move away from jobless growth combating youth unemployment giving smes adequate tools to operate voluntary mobility and shifting taxation from labour to capital.
this report mentions introduction of a minimum income scheme throughout the eu and stresses that the employment and social considerations in the european semester should be put on a par with macroeconomic ones.
as internet availability grows worldwide online child abuse is increasing at an alarming rate.
mr president i am pleased that parliament voted on this resolution on the fight against child sexual abuse on the internet because it is critical that we act efficiently and decisively to eradicate this horrible practice that ruins the lives of millions of children worldwide every year.
in the uk it is estimated that a staggering one in fifty eight children will suffer contact sexual abuse before turning eighteen with approximately ten zero new child victims being reported each year.
mr president i voted in favour of this report as i believe the single market is one of the most powerful engines at eu level and its potential needs to be fully exploited to boost growth competitiveness and creation of new jobs.
the report fully reflects this.
this report sends a strong message to the commission and the member states and calls for improvement of single market governance to promote and facilitate growth and jobs but also serves as the benchmark for commitment to structural reform in the member states.
in my region the west midlands the report identifies a number of key sectors smes public procurement digital single market free movement of goods better consumer protection and tools for single market integration.
i really applaud the recommendations as to how to improve these in order to unlock the potential of the single market.
the eu delegation in khartoum has been in close contact with the pastors' lawyers throughout the whole procedure and following their advice has been observing the hearings in collaboration with member states. we continue to do so. we believe that this sends a strong political signal of the importance that we attach to the process most importantly to the freedom of religion freedom of belief freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial. this illustrates once again the deeply worrying situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in general in sudan as well as the tight grip that the security forces have on state institutions.
they spoke out against the demolition of this church following the dubious sale of the land on which it stands and their arrests were carried out by the national intelligence and security services of sudan.
let us not forget as some of you have mentioned that the situation in darfur south kordofan and blue nile continues to cause endless drama and a lot of suffering for so many people. we will continue to work for the release of the two pastors and prioritise human rights and peace in all our contacts with sudanese stakeholders.
i hope that i stand with everyone else in this chamber when i say that the death penalty for practising christians anywhere in the world is completely unacceptable.
i will be voting in favour of this resolution and i urge the whole of this chamber to do likewise.
questions are an important mechanism for us as members in holding the commission to account and seeking information to support our work. thirty two last year is not good enough;
now i don't know where members of the commission went to school but i'm sure in anyone's book thirty two is not a particularly impressive or acceptable grade. on this the commission is going to have to do better.
i welcome all the recommendations particularly on the members' code of conduct but i specifically want to mention the recommendation on parliamentary questions that they should be answered within six weeks.
the sixweek limit is important.
as a result we lose both citizens' trust in national public administration and in eu institutions.
since it's clear that we cannot fully rely on the efforts of twenty eight or twenty seven national anti fraud systems we need to give more possibilities to olaf.
i wish all our national police and investigation authorities would read the report tomorrow instead of the morning paper.
i want to share some points you mentioned in your speech;
the answer is that we as europeans can provide the developing countries with the technologies to have growth without climate impact.
we made the paris agreement possible.
people decide about the future in which direction we should go.
that is what we always hear from the national leaders.
you see the demonstrations of the yellow vests in france for example.
one principle is that the solution on climate change to give an answer is not to forbid things is not to prohibit things is not to ban things.
but it is absolutely in the interests of our children.
do. we cannot say to the developing countries or to the emerging economies in the world that they have to stop to grow.
because we hear from a lot of leaders that say we should fix the money but then additionally we need a strong border control we have to do something on cybersecurity and we have to build up more innovation in the european union. so if this is a demand for europe then the member states must also be fair with the contribution to the budget.
so innovation is for us a key principle.
that is not the answer.
the people must follow the changes.
then it is about this sustainability because that means future.
that is what we have to
then we have to put the money on the table we need for giving an answer on the demands on the table.
it's not to say to the citizen that they cannot go any more on their holidays to majorca because the co two footprint is too intense. that's not our answer. our answer is that in the future people will fly to majorca in a clean airplane.
let me be a little bit critical because you started in your paragraph on speaking about the mff you started with saying first of all the amount of money must be fixed.
a lot of people here in this room can finance higher energy prices but outside there are a lot of people who cannot finance higher energy prices. so we have to do the changes in a way that people accept the changes and follow our approach.
so i hope that after your very good speech today your government will reverse that position to save the great natural heritage that you have but also to preserve the carbon sinks because if we wanted to achieve a net zero carbon economy in europe by two thousand and fifty then we need more forests and not less.
on climate protection the eu has a huge responsibility and every member state has to play its role.
we should really take them seriously.
the european union must strengthen the social cohesion in europe and contribute to the welfare of all its citizens and not just those who have good connections to state or businesses.
this is also something that we need to talk about when it comes to the mff at european level.
but they are also an important factor indeed in the eu climate policy. the finnish forests capture twenty seven million tonnes of co two equivalent per year.
that would be an efficient implementation.
and education is a big part of preparing them for the task and finland is famous for its education system.
they've also been marching in finland.
and rather than telling other countries that they should grow more forests it is important that we do something in order to keep our own forests. so i'm very happy that you've mentioned that you want to have more ambitious targets. we are very much on your side and i am glad to see that you've been doing that in the nordic council but i hope that you can also bring that to the eu council to your fellow prime ministers to make sure that this goes ahead in europe.
but it is by our actions that we truly show where our heart stands and how much our words mean. that's where we show that we are serious that we are committed to building that better future together.
i'm very happy that you mentioned that you are very committed to that that you want to go ahead; that you want to have more ambitious climate targets fantastic!
and the young people that i've mentioned they are also the ones that will run our countries societies economies in the member states in the eu in the not too distant future and i think it is better sooner than later.
mr president prime minister i wish to thank you very much for joining in this debate on the future of europe. and while we're speaking there are tens of thousands of school students outside in the streets here in brussels.
the beautiful finnish forests are an important natural heritage for your country and also largely due to its forests finland has become the welfare state that it is today.
i very much agree with that.
so we will not accept a shrinking budget and the finnish presidency will be key in order to ensure sufficient finances for the european union because only then it can efficiently implement its tasks.
nationalists and far right movements all across europe are gaining support by spreading fear and disinformation and pro european speeches are wonderful;
so we need to invest in that.
but we need more investment into the future not less.
they're necessary.
so it is in our common interest to preserve them and to manage them sustainably but different from what you said your government actually plans logging of the finnish forests which are not sustainable which are absolutely excessive and they will put the huge asset that you have in fighting the climate crisis at risk.
so i want to ask you today prime minister to commit to the future to listen to those young people and to invest in the future when it comes to climate protection to education and to working together as europeans.
and they show us what really matters to put people and planet before profit.
we are also looking forward to discussing the topic of gender equality at the informal meeting of the epsco ministers in bucharest in april.
the romanian presidency has been organising bilateral talks with the blocking minority in order to seek a possible solution.
under the ordinary legislative procedure an agreement among member states requires a qualified majority.
we have also scheduled meetings at workingparty level on the file but we must not forget that the presidency is in the hands of the member states.
in addition to the work we have undertaken in cooperation with parliament to advance european legislation we are also as i mentioned preparing a set of conclusions on the gender pay gap and policies to improve the reconciliation of work family and private life.
as i said in my opening remarks the council commitment to gender equality is real and unwavering.
allow me also to take this opportunity to inform you that the romanian presidency will be hosting the highlevel group on gender mainstreaming in bucharest in february.
thank you very much for this opportunity to discuss these important topics here today.
by working together the council and parliament we can end discrimination and unfairness and make equal treatment a reality for all women and men.
it would appear that his salary and payment from bertelsmann are not sufficient.
it's true that it will be a very challenging period of time when our eu presidency starts.
mr president thank you very much for the speeches.
i think even my federalist colleagues will admit that this has been the theme of the reforms of this parliament over some time.
i suppose the one argument that could be made is that this house in its new attitude to free speech is at least in line with changing in europe as a whole.
but i just wanted to draw the house's attention to amendment fourteen of the parliament's rules of procedures which is a deletion and one of the lines deleted is this one the application of this rule shall not otherwise detract from the liveliness of parliamentary debates nor shall it undermine members' freedom of speech'.
despite all the rhetoric we get about tolerance there is an intolerance of people who run up against the challenged views on european integration.
still what a sad comment for what is at the end of the day a parliament.
madam president the debate has tended to focus on the plans here to make life harder for small groups groups that challenge the orthodoxy or represent dissident opinions. no surprise here;
we call for stricter criteria and a for true tax haven list which also calls out tax havens right here in the european union.
therefore we have drawn up a plan to shift towards more sustainable ways of working producing living which go hand in hand with social progress for the people a just transition with the united nations development goals as our signpost. today i call on finland to join us in this very important battle.
but prime minister in your speech today besides better implementation i missed this ambition to be a champion and driver for positive social change in europe. where is your ambition to make europe the world leader in a transformation to a sustainable development model in a just way where all people are included?
we must be rulemakers not ruletakers because we live in times with growing inequality caused by the greediness of some elites and uncontrolled globalisation.
this must change prime minister.
we live in times when our earth and our sources of life are under attack from climate change and pollution.
professor richard murphy showed in a study last week that the tax gap in europe is eur eight hundred and twenty five billion a gigantic amount of money.
but our citizens and our workers are also tired of being the only ones paying for the transformation to a more sustainable way of production.
but are you willing to join us in this battle for fair taxation?
if we achieved that prime minister your recent project in finland as i understand the privatisation of hospitals and health care could not just had been avoided but public health care could have been strengthened in finland for example.
our group has been in the forefront in the fight against money laundering and tax crimes. we call for a minimum corporate effective tax in europe to stop the race to the bottom on corporate taxation.
it's time for radical change to shape europe for all people and leave nobody behind.
they are outraged to see multinationals polluting our planet and reaping huge benefit but not paying their fair taxes.
where is your ambition to make the lives of europeans better? what you presented to us today sounded a little bit more like yesterday's neoliberal slogans that led to the deep economic and social crisis in europe. prime minister we socialists and democrats have an ambitious vision for europe.
the only way to address this is by finally fixing taxation and ensuring good salaries and working conditions for all based on the social pillar.
prime minister we see forces that are tearing our societies apart but we need this radical change to social democracy and to more sustainable equality.
finland clearly demonstrates that small countries can be on top of the world not only in geographical terms.
we europeans need to shape globalisation our way not fall victim to destructive forces.
it is also a matter of equal rights.
nevertheless there is broad consensus in europe on the need to improve the gender balance on company boards. although the member states have different approaches the principle is not contested.
in europe it is never the case that one size fits all least of all in the field of employment and family policy where traditions economic realities and social assistance vary very greatly between the member states.
the most recent meeting on the file took place under the maltese presidency in two thousand and seventeen and the proposal has not been formally discussed by the council since.
these were some of the considerations we had to address in the negotiations on the worklife balance directive.
we will address the gender pay gap in a set of council conclusions that we hope to see adopted at the epsco council in june.
this is only feasible if workers with families have adequate leave rights and if those rights are extended to both women and men.
on the commission's proposal for a directive on improving the gender balance on company boards.
on the one hand we need to make sure that europe's highly educated highly skilled women are able to take advantage of labour market opportunities.
we must do all we can to help our citizens reconcile work and private life.
i would also like to recall the european pillar of social rights which was jointly proclaimed by parliament the council and the commission in november.
the average gender pay gap is.
i want to begin by saying that gender equality lies at the heart of the council's vision of social europe.
despite the enormous progress that has been made over the past half century and more equality in practice continues to elude us. let me give you an example.
this commitment of course echoes the eu treaties and our existing legislation but this issue should not be left aside.
there is still a large gender pay gap in europe.
the council's commitment to equality between women and men has been strongly affirmed in many declarations as well as in the legislation that we have developed over the years together with parliament.
two thousand and seventeen gender equality has pride of place in this document and i quote equality of treatment and opportunities between women and men must be ensured and fostered in all areas including regarding participation in the labour market terms and conditions of employment and career progression.
this is all the more important in the context of the demographic situation and labour market changes.
this success was made possible also by the excellent progress that was achieved under both the bulgarian and austrian presidencies. facilitating worklife balance is a vital part of social and employment policies.
in order to deliver on the promise contained in the pillar of social rights we need continued and determined action on the part of the commission the colegislators and the member states. honourable members today you have asked us to comment more specifically
meanwhile it is also necessary to respect the diversity of the national systems in place.
i regret to say that as of course you know there is still a blocking minority in the council.
on the other hand european women and men should be able to have children without having to choose between being a parent and having a job.
this of course is not equality.
we must respect the principle of subsidiarity.
as things stand right now the file remains blocked.
it was not easy but i am pleased that we found a solution that raised the minimum standards in europe yet gives the member states the necessary flexibility.
this makes obvious economic sense.
here we have better news.
in this vein the romanian presidency aims to facilitate discussions at the council level in order to explore possible ways forward. i would also like to mention the proposal for a directive on worklife balance for parents and caretakers.
in the meantime the commission is not waiting.
we are also funding a lot of projects which promote diversity.
it's good to pay attention to the current version which we are promoting.
these are the multinationals which are promoting the idea of diversity which is advantageous for business in many member states including the states where there is no legislation.
so when we compare those figures we have to say that there is something unhealthy and abnormal in other european societies and that's why we are working hard to change this.
so we are doing a lot of things in the meantime. it's something which i call plan b not to wait for the adoption of the legislation but to do a lot of other things.
we have some governments in the member states where there are only one or two women.
but i have to repeat at the end of my concluding remarks that we still believe that this piece of legislation will be adopted.
we are doing a lot of nonlegislative work.
bit. we could maybe have the best single market in the world when we also have a single market in the markets of the future digital energy capital.
they have to do their homework.
you said yes we have the best single market in the world'.
i think the biggest waste of money for the moment in the european union is the lack and the non existence of a real european defence
so i agree with you but the one doesn't contradict the other in my opinion.
to do with new instruments.
union. we are spending half the amount of the americans on military. we have a budget in europe on military that is three times bigger than the russians' budget but we are not capable i think to do our defence alone and that's because we have twenty eight times duplication and that's why i hope also that the european defence union will be one of the key priorities of the finnish presidency.
and yet i was amazed to discover yesterday that at the same time the european commission expects the money to be paid even in the event that there is no deal.
the united kingdom was happy to sign up to more than any international court would think was a strict liability for the sake of good relations and facilitating a future trade relationship.
there's a complete unwillingness to show any flexibility that would result in a deal.
the story is the same every time.
extraordinarily there are people including some in the socialist and communist groups in this house as we've just heard who still stand by the discredited tyrannical regime of the chavistamaduro claque.
now we have seen the worst refugee crisis in the history of the western hemisphere more than three million people displaced inflation touching ten million annually.
how many times do we have to go through this experience before we understand that the problem of socialism is not some glittering implementation.
when i was growing up in south america in the seventy s venezuela was a country that people emigrated to.
quotas do not address nor resolve underlying issues of inequality.
first you set a quota between men and women and what about the under representation that may exist amongst women?
quotas signal to women that we are inferior and incapable of achieving success.
quotas do not signify any increased opportunities or promotions nor equate to more female ceos.
companies should have the freedom to choose the most suitable candidate for a job but under article six and recital thirty of this directive there are calls for sanctions for fines to be imposed and forced dissolution of companies that do not fulfil the quota requirements.
how utterly demeaning for a woman to find out she has been chosen for a position due to a quota and not through her accomplishments.
and the generations to come. for our sake and for our common future we all need a determined efficient
secondly we must debate to discover each other's priorities in relation to the eu's action and budget.
sinks will be increased. my strong message is that we
it into other products. the eu needs to invest in research and development and to exploit the huge potential of science technology and innovation in
forward looking discussions about the european union are essential for two reasons.