kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
again based on what we have in front of us in this case and in many others the focus really has to be on implementing the legislation we have rather than on saying oh well let us go out and write another piece of paper and stick it on top of
area. we can help with training but we do not have a mandate to be inspectors and to substitute for national authorities.
let me make this very
what can
myself; i am talking about us as european citizens.
nine hundred and seventy nine and two thousand and four he was an immense ambassador of the christian cause as well as a fervent advocate for northern ireland.
not only this but also the killing rampages against christian communities in syria and iraq. it is imperative that the eu makes available effective means to help protect christian members of minority faiths across the middle east.
we in northern ireland will never see his like again;
madam president we are all shocked by the barbaric killings we have witnessed recently in the middle east and our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have been affected and with the family of alan henning and indeed alan henning himself who faces a terrible threat
i dare say europe will not either.
his work here led to european support for peace funding for my constituency.
it is fitting too that my thoughts should also turn to the recent passing of the right honourable lord bannside who represented my constituency in this parliament between one thousand;
they would have called on the eu to implement its own article two of the eu israel association agreement by freezing the agreement as long as israel continues its violation of human rights;
i think people across europe are going to be disappointed to learn that this house including meps from ireland voted against resolutions today that would for example have called for the release of thirty four legally elected palestinian representatives;
the actions of this house today by contrast make the european parliament a symbol of international inaction against the illegal war being waged against the palestinian people.
these types of hate crimes are completely unacceptable and as meps and as a parliament it is absolutely vital that we send a message across europe that religious tolerance has never been more important.
secondly we must recognise the impact that operation protective edge is having on the safety of jewish communities across the eu.
madam president i feel that there are several aspects that must represent the core of this parliament's response to the current situation
in the united kingdom alone there were approximately two hundred and forty reports of anti semitic incidents in july as the fighting escalated.
firstly we need to stand behind israel's sovereign right to defend its borders and people from terrorism but we are also mindful of the immense suffering hard felt by the people of gaza as a direct result of this operation and we need to act to help.
swift and coordinated action by the international community is of the utmost importance.
mr president i voted against eu stability bonds or eurobonds as they fail to address the central problem the euro itself.
the sooner troubled nations like greece devalue and default the better.
is there no end to these desperate measures to prop up this political currency?
the cure is now more dangerous and deadly than the malady.
it is clear the euro is a dangerous and failed construct and no political posturing or economic gesturing gets us away from the basic truth that the euro is disastrous for the world economy.
yes in ireland we must deal with our deficit but guaranteeing our banks in order to prevent contagion in other eu banks has meant that our debt to gnp ratio will increase to at least one hundred and forty seven so without a redemption pact or some other mechanism it simply means that irish citizens will be unable to pay for casino banking in our own and other countries.
i support the call for a european redemption pact.
while it has its limitations at least it is an effort to deal with the serious overhang of debt which is smothering recovery in many countries including my own.
it is interesting that this mountain of debt was not just our own choice.
it is worth noting that overall production in the eu is six below the quota but in some countries like my own that is not the case. in this context it makes sense to find an overall eu solution and that certainly should include some form of soft landing so that dairy farmers in all eu countries can look to a sustainable future.
they are the weakest link in the chain they are price takers not price makers. given that in two thousand and fifteen there will be a major shift with the ending of quotas we need to ensure a more stable future for the sector and in this context the bargaining power of producers is absolutely crucial. i also believe that the introduction of voluntary contracts is certainly preferable to introducing mandatory ones.
if this is to be funded from the limited eu budget then it should only be sourced from within the existing esf which is for social purposes.
mr president although this proposal allows for the continuation of a scheme which provides food for deprived individuals in some eu member states i do not agree that eur five hundred million should be allocated for this scheme from the common agricultural policy budget.
i am pleased to hear today the commission say they recognise this fact.
this essentially is a social policy which therefore should not be part of the cap.
social policy and its implementation should be a member state competence and so this initiative should be funded by national social and welfare programmes.
the report calls on the european council to set up a tax on financial transactions to enhance sustainable job creation.
i will not vote in favour of a report which proposes a tax that could harm jobs for the people from my constituency in the east midlands many of whom commute to london every day.
i am afraid that this cannot even be considered by politicians claiming to represent the interests of the british people.
it is time for the rest of europe to wake up and realise that britain will defend her interests and will not be bullied into accepting disproportionate responsibility for euro area failure.
mr president i have opposed this own initiative report on employment and social aspects of the annual growth survey for the reason amongst others that it continues to support a european and not a global financial transaction tax.
farmers in wales should have greater bargaining power and control over the price they receive for their milk. this has become ever more important as the number of dairy farmers in wales has halved over the past decade from four thousand to two thousand farms.
this would be particularly important for farmers in giving them a better sense of certainty and stability in the current economic climate.
however i would be opposed to introducing a mandatory eu wide contract as this would only increase the bureaucratic burden for member states and farmers alike.
for those member states that choose to impose contracts it is sensible to require certain conditions to be met relating to the price to be paid and the duration of the contract.
it is right that contracts should continue to remain voluntary at national level and the welsh government could intervene in this way should that be deemed necessary.
an increase of only a few pence per litre in the average price for milk would significantly change the economic position of the dairy sector in wales and secure its future.
there is austerity and poverty and deflation without end.
that is what happens when you base your whole policy on signalling your disapproval of nationalism.
i noticed in the debate this morning that it seems to be dawning on some of our colleagues on the left that they have picked the wrong side that they are lining up with the establishment the bondholders and the banks against ordinary workers in greece and that this bailout money is going to rescue some very wealthy individuals from the consequences of their mistakes but the repayment is going to come from ordinary taxpayers.
that is what happens when you take a position based on doing the opposite of people that you do not like. but it is never too late to come to your senses my friends joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance.
mr president one in five greeks is now unemployed sixty zero small firms have closed in the last year the economy which was scheduled to contract by three in two thousand and eleven has contracted by six and there is no end in sight as long as greece remains in the euro.
the programme is one hundred eu funded and the amount eur five hundred million is small in the context of the overall common agricultural policy budget.
it benefits over eighteen million of the most needy people in nineteen member states.
i commend the rapporteur for the huge amount of hard work put into it and for the very practical approach which allows this scheme at long last to come into operation as soon as possible.
funding should not be taken from the cap and the scheme should not be delivered through the eu but left to individual national governments to decide upon as a matter of subsidiarity.
mr president i voted against the report on food distribution to the most deprived persons in the union. the scheme clearly does provide nutritious benefit to a certain number of deprived people and i do not deny that soup kitchens many of which receive this money are a lifeline for the homeless.
what i find difficult to reconcile is that eur five hundred million of funding for the scheme comes from the cap and is not used by many member states.
i firmly believe that a scheme such as this would be better managed by the individual member states themselves from their social security budgets as such a policy is clearly a social policy.
i believe in the principle that the eu should be doing less and should be doing it better.
well in ireland whenever we are having a debate about social policy we often use the phrase about the difference between boston and berlin.
it is very worrying when we see that all three met significant resistance in the council.
two thousand and thirteen unfortunately parliament itself had no real margin for any substantial renegotiation with the council because of the urgency of the situation and because of the fact of course that this proposal has been blocked for two years.
i have to say that it is very worrying when we look at social issues which i believe have a european dimension issues like the distribution of food products the continuation of the crisis derogation for the eaggf the microfinance programme etc.
if you ask me that difference is getting less and less every day.
i think it says a great deal when we see that the council decision is to phase out the current scheme after.
altogether this is a good start on the issues within the dairy sector.
mr president i voted in favour of this report as amended because it encourages farmers to come together and increase their collective power within the supply chain.
the safe landing for the industry which was promised after two thousand and fifteen when quotas are to end is another area which the commission must look at and plan for.
this is an imbalance within the supply chain which must be addressed and which impacts on the small family owned farms characteristic of northern ireland.
if we experience a dramatic increase in milk production which consequently reduces milk prices within the eu we must have clear guidance as to how the commission intends to protect producers.
the future of the common agricultural policy and ensuring safety nets' must also be a priority in order to protect producers when the market fails.
i voted against this report also because of its support for a financial transaction tax supposedly to support employment and growth.
this is the scandal of president barroso the commission and the euro establishment.
in reality it will be a raid on the united kingdom tax base to prop up the euro zone's profligate spending.
mr president the terms growth' and employment' roll off the tongue quite easily but it is the policy pursued by europe which is denying employment and denying economic growth to many of its citizens.
it is a scandal that is manifesting itself in greece in violence and in the greek parliament where euro bureaucrats are pre eminent over elected representatives.
ideally the annual growth survey would work in parallel with the economic governance package and the eu could add value by coordinating what is being done at the member state level.
however in this report parliament has decided instead to focus on broad sweeping eu schemes and taxation including the ludicrous financial transaction tax.
worse it tries to come up with an eu approach to things like unemployment as though it can be solved by some eu silver bullet.
the reasons behind unemployment and the measures member states may use to tackle it are culturally specific and market specific.
mr president once again this house is in full cartesian demon mode imagining that somehow with this sententious declaration about the needs of the hungry we wipe out and efface the reality of our policies.
the single policy which causes most indigence and hunger in the world is the common agricultural policy a policy which doubly affects developing countries both by denying markets to their chief exports and then by dumping surpluses upon them.
but european policies are no longer just exporting hunger we have now brought it into the european union too.
according to news reports well dressed greeks are rummaging through dustbins and farmers are bringing food supplies into the cities to their relatives all in order to sustain the euro.
we comfortable and well fed here rather than admit our mistake are prepared to inflict this terrible price on people outside and then we dare to pass high minded resolutions like this and pat ourselves on the back and feel good about ourselves. i am sure you are long past trying to convince your constituents but my friends i think you are now past trying to fool yourselves about this.
mr president i voted alongside my group the ecr in favour of the report on the first programme of the radio spectrum policy.
with the freeing up of a certain amount of the radio spectrum following the digital switchover the spectrum can now be used more efficiently and we believe the proposals put forward by this report outline an effective way in which this can be achieved.
we back this proposal as we feel that its attempt to coordinate certain spectrum use is useful and it is done in such a way that it leaves enough flexibility to the individual eu member states.
this means that services can still be protected at a local level and also that innovation is not hampered as a result. i particularly welcome the fact that more wi fi coverage for broadband internet access is a development that may come about as a result of these proposed changes.
without doubt the radio spectrum could be used more efficiently as we complete the transition to digital. we need to ensure that the bandwidth previously required is now released for this spectrum to be allocated for use elsewhere.
measures which facilitate access to broadband in rural areas are to be welcomed.
i know that this recommendation and subsequent actions will be particularly beneficial to my constituents in wales as there is currently a severe lack of broadband coverage in some of our more remote areas a situation which needs to be urgently remedied.
mr president while this scheme has merit on a social and compassionate level i would question whether the eu is the best level at which to define the needs of the most deprived and then address them in an efficient and cost effective way.
as a believer in the primacy of the member state i believe that this is where need is best defined and met.
but this is not only about poverty and social exclusion.
in this parliament we are currently in deep discussion about a reformed common agricultural policy a cap which should be about food supply and security.
we should ask the commission to reconsider its proposals and put this at the heart of the policy.
but is it not ironic that today in greece we see people going short of food and farmers bringing food supplies into greek cities to distribute for free while at the same time we have demands for more austerity that we know greece cannot meet?
however i cannot accept the central conclusion of this report namely that we need to change the eu treaty in order to give parliament co decision rights over the annual growth survey.
i am not convinced that this is something we should be legislating for.
i find it concerning that yet again the european parliament is navel gazing over its institutions and the interaction between them instead of seeking proportionate responses to the current crisis.
mr president i generally believe that the eu should not uniformly dictate employment laws across its member states.
i also remain sceptical about the need for an eu strategy on jobs or a reinforced coordinated strategy on employment.
forcing our member states to adopt the same uniform policies across the board when their social structures and the economic problems they face are very different will do little to nothing to aid employment levels in the union.
what is good for one country will doubtless prove unworkable for another so i think it is best if member states are left alone to define their own national reform programmes and to implement their own reforms as they see fit.
mr president in any crisis the first instinct of the eurocrat is to reach for his wallet or rather to reach for somebody else's wallet because of course as we know in this chamber although this is not widely known outside employees of the european union are exempt from paying national taxation.
so somebody else is picking up the bill in order to cover this error.
it is a policy of excessive monetary integration and a policy of excessive spending that brought us to this pass;
we are not going to get out of it by accelerating the very things that led us here.
it really does seem extraordinary even by the standards of this organisation that the one solution we have to a debt crisis is more debt. we have got like a runaway train into this kind of momentum bailout and borrow bailout and borrow.
there comes a point when you run out of track and i think we have reached that point now.
mr president i voted against this report because it aims to strengthen employment policy and economic governance at european level.
these are clearly member state competences and this is the way it must stay.
this parliament is hell bent on destroying the financial service industry in my constituency of london and again this parliament refuses to listen to member states that do not want to and will not accept this tax.
mr president when we look at the state of the economies across the eu and even at many households including in my own country of the united kingdom we see the consequence of member states and their people living beyond their means.
irresponsibility put us into the financial quagmire we now find ourselves in and my concern with stability bonds would be that irresponsibility would be given greater dispensation and investor confidence would be further diminished.
mr president the eu should not have responsibility over setting an eu strategy on jobs or for developing an eu level strategy for employment.
i fundamentally believe that member states are better placed to make decisions on employment and develop their own employment strategy.
a one size fits all model really cannot be applied because the employment situation in each member state and indeed within each member state as in the case of wales within the uk is affected by different factors.
a tailored and targeted approach must be adopted to ensure that we tackle priorities locally for employment and find specific measures that improve future employment opportunities especially for our young people.
should russia not abide by the latest ceasefire then we should increase sanctions further. at a time when the solidarity and resolve of the nato alliance is so vital it is not helpful mr juncker mr verhofstadt for you to start fantasising about an eu army.
the eu needs to be in a position where it does not matter if mr putin turns off the gas taps because we can import as much gas as we need though our liquefied natural gas terminals and transport it across the whole continent.
i welcome the commission's plans on the energy union.
this will increase competition and lower prices for consumers and businesses and that will create the growth and jobs we all want.
i want a continentwide single market in both gas and electricity.
mr putin also uses energy policy to threaten us and here the eu can play a useful role.
russia is providing military equipment financial assistance and troops to the socalled separatists in ukraine sparking a conflict in which more than five zero people have died.
in these circumstances we must remain resolute.
but at the same time we also have to come up with a positive package for russia and for the russian population where we make a clear distinction between the putin regime on the one hand and russia and the russian population on the other. this is not a war against russia;
i think we need a twotrack approach to russia.
not necessary.
do. that should be a huge step in the right direction.
india has today a fully digital single market with no roaming charges; with net neutrality.
that is not the way to handle the european union and to have a common foreign policy.
it has to be a strategy where maybe we strengthen sanctions i think it shall be necessary in the future unfortunately.
this is not a war against the russian population so why not decide on visa liberalisation for young people for researchers for businessmen of small and mediumsized companies inside russia?
it is very important to keep the political momentum and to proceed without delay in making the energy union a reality.
it will be dedicated to three major topics the energy union the economy and external relations.
the council expects from the european council clear political guidelines for further work.
we are concerned about the destabilising effect libya has on the region as well as illegal migration and terrorist threats that cannot be tackled without addressing the internal situation in the
that overall there is a common view in the council that all five dimensions are equally important and interconnected and they should be mutually reinforcing.
on decarbonising the economy the views in council were in favour of using the potential of renewable energy sources more cost efficiently and sustainably.
year. we all want it to be a success.
i reiterate our full readiness to cooperate constructively with you to adopt the legislative act by june so that the european fund for strategic investments can be fully deployed from mid. two thousand and fifteen on the economy the european council will also discuss the state of play in the negotiations with the united states on ttip. this is a very timely and important debate which could give further impulse to the process of negotiations.
more incentives for the most advanced partners and development of individual bilateral relations with other partners should be considered.
second on a fullyintegrated european energy market the council underlined the necessity for strong and coordinated action to accomplish key infrastructure projects and to increase reinforce and coordinate cross border interconnections as well as underlined the need to fully implement the legislation.
leon. the council will continue closely monitoring the situation in order to respond adequately when appropriate.
that reducing energy dependency and vulnerability especially concerning gas supplies is a priority.
this will also include implementation of the association agreements with georgia the republic of moldova and ukraine.
meaningful deliverables and clear vision for the development of the eastern partnership in coming years both in the multilateral field and in relations with each individual country are equally important.