kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
we will study it very carefully and of course share the results and our analysis with member states and with members of the european parliament. the exchange will be a first step in this new phase and mercosur has already indicated that it is a first phase and that they are ready to improve offers during the negotiations and we will set
we have kept you and member states informed about this.
a timing for negotiations when we have analysed each other's offers.
with regard to the impact on the agricultural sector we have already conducted two studies in two thousand and eleven on the impact of a potential deal between ourselves and mercosur which examines a range of scenarios and we take account of those conclusions in the calibration of our offer.
making the final checks with member states of course.
investment protection was one of the parts in the question as well. the mandate for this negotiation dates from one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine which was well before the lisbon treaty;
there is therefore no chapter on investment protection foreseen in the mandate.
we hope to make progress on all areas with the aim of obtaining a balanced comprehensive and ambitious agreement with mercosur.
so in terms of trade mercosur countries offer eu exporters and investors a very attractive market and this is still subject to significant tariffs and barriers.
following the various impact assessments conducted during the course of the last negotiations we will conduct a new impact assessment and a new sustainability impact assessment for the trade part.
mr president despite the fact that the socialists are ignoring this resolution in this house the liberals think it is very important because the blatantly restrictive situation in tibet in particular in ngaba county has this year driven ten tibetans to self immolation.
the high representative and the eeas have been tasked with raising the human rights issue at the next eu china summit and constantly monitor the human rights situation in china.
so there are plenty of things that we have to ask the chinese authorities and the only way we can do this is by using this chamber this opportunity to show our concern about all these issues.
we urge the chinese authorities to ensure that those tibetans who have survived their self immolations are now allowed to recover in hospital and receive the medical treatment that they require to take steps to lift the siege on the ngaba region removing the heavy security presence in the area and the military personnel posted around the kirti monastery and lastly and most importantly to suspend the implementation of beijing's repressive religious control regulations.
in each case seven of which have occurred in the last month the self immolation was undertaken in protest at china's restrictive policies in tibet and in particular over the three hundred monks who were taken away from the kirti monastery in april.
finally i want to reassure this chamber that the eu will continue to follow up this important matter in all other appropriate meetings with the chinese authorities including the next session of the eu china human rights dialogue.
we therefore strongly encourage china to create conditions which will allow the tibetan people to fully exercise their political religious and cultural rights in line with the chinese constitution and the chinese legal provisions on local autonomy.
the eu acknowledges the priority the chinese leadership gives to maintaining territorial integrity and economic growth in minority areas such as tibet.
while the eu does not question that tibet is an integral part of china at the same time we are greatly concerned about the lack of progress on the ground as is illustrated by the recent distressing cases of self immolation of ten monks and nuns.
intellectuals and cultural figures the harsh measures taken against any tibetan attempting to protest against official policies and the impact on tibetan culture of the mass forced resettlement of nomads.
demonstrates the profound depth of feeling among many tibetans that their religious linguistic and cultural rights are not being respected.
china claimed that the series of self immolations is instigated by forces that want to destabilise tibet'. while taking note of the chinese position the eu can only conclude that the growing number of tibetan monks choosing to take such tragic steps
since the unrest in tibet in march two thousand and eight this house has discussed the evolving situation on many occasions.
the eu raised its concerns regarding tibet at the last eu china human rights dialogue on sixteen june. the eu focused on increasing legal restrictions on religious practice in tibet limitations on the teaching of the tibetan language the ongoing official campaign against tibetan
however as the recent tragic events show all too clearly economic development is not a panacea.
furthermore we hope that the dialogue between the envoys of the dalai lama and the chinese government which regrettably has been frozen will resume soon since we strongly believe that only this dialogue can lead to positive results by aiming at resolving outstanding issues in a peaceful and sustainable way for tibet.
the people are protesting against the chinese authorities because the chinese are preventing them from practising their religion.
i realise that the european union's power to influence china's policies is limited.
we need to find a substitute for fishmeal this is absolutely fundamental for the future of the industry.
so i welcome the report's call for a proposal to consolidate and simplify regulation. but i would make a plea that in bringing forward the proposals it genuinely does simplify and genuinely does reduce bureaucracy and that we do not end up with a situation where we have another layer of regulation on top of what is already there that actually does not simplify and reduce the framework.
but most importantly of all aquaculture provides opportunities for employment in remote and island areas around scotland where no other jobs are available.
not to mention additional planning and environmental constraints in their own member states before they can reel in a single fish and this is not simply from dg mare it is also dg envi dg trade dg cinco and a host of other agencies.
we import over sixty of our seafood needs when we are perfectly capable of producing this food ourselves.
we lead the world in the science and technology necessary for a thriving aquaculture sector.
so this is good news it is what we have been demanding for years. europe used to lead the world in the production of farmed fish but in recent years we have allowed our eye to go off the ball.
i think it is an excellent report and i really feel that this report heralds a new dawn for european aquaculture.
we have allowed our non eu competitors to assume dominance in this sector and we have seen our indigenous industry haemorrhage jobs to countries outside the eu.
that is also mirrored by the support and enthusiasm for fish farming which we have heard in repeated comments from commissioner damanaki herself.
aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector in the world and in europe we have the perfect environment for fish farming we have an almost limitless coastline with ideal bays fjords and sea conditions;
first of all let me too congratulate mr milana for his great cooperation and consultation during the progress of his work.
by tying the hands of our fish farmers with red tape we have simply handed a competitive advantage to countries like china japan and vietnam just look at the vast quantities of low quality pangasius we import from the mekong delta as mr cadec said.
well as we have heard from other speakers it is because aquaculture has become one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the entire food production industry in europe and i am appalled that i have heard speakers this morning calling for even more regulation. eu fish farmers have to deal with over four hundred different pieces of regulation
opportunities exist for the continuing sustainable development of the aquaculture sector and smile the sustainable mariculture in northern irish loch ecosystems provides shellfish aquaculture carrying capacity predictions for each of the northern ireland sea lochs.
the last ten years have witnessed a significant expansion in this sector most notably with the production of mussels which accounts for much of the eight five hundred tonnes of shellfish harvested annually in northern ireland.
it gives employment to ninety one full time and fifty six part time men and women.
in terms of the northern ireland fishing industry aquaculture is a small sector with a value of first sale fish and shellfish in two thousand and eight of gbp. nine six million.
yet these figures hide what we believe has been a success story.
indeed it is a trait of northern ireland's industry that its success with minimal eu interference has attracted investment from other parts of europe and particularly from the netherlands.
introduced.
however i think for the future of the aquaculture industry research and development is absolutely pivotal and i would like to ask the commission to go a little further on what opportunities are available in the new framework programme and to look at the technological developments where we can support our aquaculture industry because quality has to be our watch word.
first i appreciate your support for a greater focus on our aquaculture sector. eu aquaculture is at the forefront of sustainable development.
environmental protection animal health and welfare consumer protection trade and research.
it must be clear however that this regulation cannot cover measures which relate to sanitary issues or trade issues or aquaculture products in general.
however on governance and better legislation we must recognise that a number of measures to address the aquaculture challenges largely depend on decisions taken by national and local authorities.
the commission will continue to ensure environmental protection in its policies and actions.
we need to help the sector organise itself more efficiently and in particular strengthen its producer organisations to better link production forecasts to market needs and ensure higher value for their products through marketing and labelling. similarly we will have to define which priorities should enjoy specific eu financial support.
no decision has been taken so far but my preference would clearly be for a financial instrument in support of the reformed cfp in which aquaculture would be given a specific place.
i think it has great opportunities for the future.
this is one of the fastest growing areas.
assistance to that development would be extremely welcome.
it is a poor country.
that takes me to my second point the situation on the other side of the border.
the commission swiftly provided humanitarian aid.
we have followed the events closely from the very beginning and the foreign affairs council on fourteen june discussed the situation only days after the first outburst of violence.
his team has been substantially strengthened to help him pursue his active role in this critical period.
moreover the political and economic situation of the country continues to be very fragile and violence could resume.
in early june the southern provinces of kyrgyzstan witnessed a serious outburst of interethnic violence which led to the tragic loss of hundreds of lives and many more injured as well as hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees.
with respect to security as for all other areas for eu engagement our course of action has been that of close and constant coordination with the international community. we are in touch with the kyrgyzstan authorities as well as with the osce and un regarding the intention of bishkek to set up a national commission to investigate the june events in the southern provinces.
the quick return of refugees from uzbekistan and the relatively calm security situation currently prevailing throughout the country are encouraging signals. the remaining challenges however are considerable.
as well as social stabilisation.
we are also in the process of stepping up our efforts to support the stabilisation and democratisation processes initiated by the provisional government notably by assisting in the preparation of the forthcoming parliamentary elections strengthening key institutions and supporting interethnic reconciliation and civil society initiatives
in this critical context the peaceful and orderly conduct of the constitutional referendum on twenty seven june came as i mentioned in a statement on twenty eight june as a welcome development towards the re establishment of the constitutional order and democratic process in kyrgyzstan.
establishing the facts constitutes an indispensable preliminary step towards fighting impunity encouraging reconciliation between communities and preventing such events from occurring again.
the commissioner knows the area very well. i am delighted that she is with us for this debate.
we will support international efforts.
the eu special representative ambassador morel has been twice to the country.
commissioner georgieva has just returned from the region where she was able to take stock on delivery of aid and further needs on the ground.
in this regard coordination with the osce and the un is key.
it will revert to it again in july.
the remarkably high turnout and the overwhelming support for the constitutional reform demonstrate the resilience and desire for peace of the citizens of kyrgyzstan.
the emergence of a stable and democratic kyrgyzstan in a hitherto authoritarian and unstable part of the world is a goal we are ready to support.
i pay tribute to the incredible work that she has done there and elsewhere.
over the past few weeks the provisional government has struggled to restore control over a situation which ran the risk of spilling into outright civil war and regional destabilisation.
we will therefore insist on the need to ensure the credibility and impartiality of any truth finding commission be it of international or national character.
as the country prepares for parliamentary elections in october and moves on towards further stabilisation severe humanitarian needs deep interethnic tensions and the weakness of institutions remain.
we are looking carefully into initiatives currently on the table including the osce proposal for a police task force.
international experts and assistance have been requested.
in its response the eu has not spared its diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.
i am pleased that the european union has been active throughout this crisis.
he has had extensive discussions with the kyrgyzstan authorities and other international stakeholders including the un and the osce.
in addition the instrument for stability will provide eur seven million for elections legislative support and social and physical rehabilitation.
there is little confidence among the population that the government can control the situation in the south if it explodes again and humanitarian organisations are stocking supplies to be ready in case violence returns.
let me finish by assuring you that the commission will make every effort to help kyrgyzstan in the tough months ahead.
of those reconciliation is by far the more difficult and the more important objective.
as the high representative reported president otunbayeva has already asked the eu for help with an international inquiry into the source of the conflict and an international police contingent to train and reinforce local police.
this confidence and the value of this confidence and i would very much like to thank you for it.
and security. through me people send their gratitude to the european union. today beneath the calm there are deep tensions and fears that the violence may return again. a mother of a five year old girl who was shot
in front of her eyes told me how can i live with myself if there is no justice?
i can say that we did help save lives and provide food water and shelter but more importantly we had a physical presence that in the eyes of the people in osh was the main contribution to safety
in this environment as the high representative stressed there are two priorities for our support restoring trust among the main uzbek and kyrgyz ethnic groups and restoring the livelihoods and housing affected by the conflict.
both the government and the people in osh firmly believe that the chance of success for reconciliation is much higher with the support of the international community.
i would like to add that this is also the strong wish of the people in osh who i met they very explicitly asked for help with the inquiry and help with the police.
i was very touched by the vote of confidence the kyrgyz authorities and ordinary people have in europe. europe is perceived as neutral and caring supportive of human rights supportive of democracy and able to galvanise the international community to help this small island of democracy at the heart of central asia which is surrounded by authoritarian regimes. the discussion this evening in the european parliament proves
we will support the restoration of livelihoods through cash for work and cash for food programmes the rehabilitation of damaged houses and the provision of construction materials to families osh is a very cold place in the winter and that has to be done quickly as well as legal and psychological support to victims.
this nation is a bulkhead of democracy and deserves our support.
it is now part of the shanghai cooperation organisation which china and russia use to dominate the central asian landmass and whose agenda should be regarded with some suspicion.
let us hope that iran follows shortly. this lady roza otunbayeva is the first president of an ex communist central asian country and good for her.
indeed the trigger seemed to have been the constitutional changes that they wished to aspire to. it is also one of the few muslim nations in the world to be headed up by a woman;
all democratic nations should be doing all they can to support an aspiring parliamentary democracy of this sort but it is swimming in a sea of powerful autocratic neighbours and with the ever present threat of radical islam on its borders.
china and russia have incentives to destabilise the country to threaten the presence of an american airbase there as well with covert backing of opposition forces.
this country is already the poorest and the smallest of the former soviet republics.
i fear it has become a pawn in larger power games.
the resulting exodus of refugees across the border into uzbekistan numbered in excess of.
i had meetings with senior ministers in tashkent who briefed me extensively on the refugee crisis arising from the recent violence in southern kyrgyzstan.
this level of violence would be bizarre and unlikely in an uprising involving local kyrgyz youths alone although teenagers and young men from both the kyrgyz and uzbek populations did get involved when they witnessed the extent of the violence that was taking place.
some of these refugees have now returned to kyrgyzstan but many have taken their tents with them and set up camps just across the border ready to flee back to uzbekistan again at the first sign of trouble. they are terrified to return to osh or jalalabad where more than seventy five of uzbek homes and most uzbek businesses have been destroyed. the uzbek government is of course grateful for the eur five million
they fear that the refugee problem may be long term as many of the displaced uzbeks are afraid to return to their homes in kyrgyzstan because of the massive violence they witnessed.
the uzbek government stresses the need for an international inquiry into the circumstances surrounding this uprising and i am delighted that we will support this in this resolution.
they urge the un to provide personnel to oversee the distribution of all aid on the ground but they reaffirm that they require around eur five million a day in uzbekistan alone to deal adequately with the refugee crisis.
sustaining the cost of the operation.
one hundred zero these refugees were accommodated in fifteen camps set up near the border. the uzbek government provided a good level of tented accommodation sanitary facilities food and medical aid for this vast influx of people but the numbers far exceeded anything they could ever have predicted and they are having difficulty
they have all the supplies of grain and the other essential foodstuffs and medicines in uzbekistan but they cannot sustain the distribution of these commodities without financial support.
the fifteen refugee camps in uzbekistan are now crammed full with elderly people women children and many wounded all of whom are receiving proper medical attention from the uzbek authorities.
they are particularly desperate to receive financial aid to purchase foodstuffs.
apparently many of the victims were shot by trained marksmen pregnant women were disembowelled young girls were brutally raped and murdered and babies were decapitated and their bodies hurled into the river.
the general view in tashkent is that this uprising was planned well in advance and financed by bakiyev with the orders on the ground in southern kyrgyzstan being relayed by his family and loyal supporters.
i have written to the high representative in detail on this issue.
they point out that the kyrgyz and uzbek population in these cities have lived together in harmony for millennia. the ministers i met are convinced that the level of violence and brutality perpetrated against innocent civilians was horrific and could only have been carried out by experienced mercenary killers
the recent violence directed against people based on their ethnic group is a further nightmare for the ordinary people.
it is the coming together of working people and the poor both kyrgyz and uzbek that lays the basis for a solution linked to radical demands to bring the wealth of the nation into public ownership so that it is utilised for a change for the benefit of the majority of the ordinary people rather than for the corrupt elites that have dominated society up until now.
there has been widespread agreement that our efforts should be placed firmly within the broader international context.
i believe that it is important and i trust that honourable members agree that we continue to coordinate very closely with the united nations and the osce and as mr rinaldi said that we also look to the fact that justice is going to be extremely important.
in that context the involvement of human rights organisations is something which i pick up and take forward as an important aspect of this.
we have to be very vigilant and continue to discuss debate watch engage and work with our partners on the ground to ensure that we are able to do everything we can to help this democracy grow and flourish.
for my part i will do my utmost working with commissioner georgieva to ensure that the response that we give is commensurate with this challenge.
third country producers.
rather we should speak of an acceptance by third country producers which is an absolute condition in order to place cosmetics on the eu market.
this task is more for the commission and the commissioner will most probably be able to say more. according to my information eu industry and eu consumers have so far not registered any more major problems with regard to profitability or availability of products.
in the introduction to their questions the honourable members point out that the european union ban on animal testing for cosmetic products which is stipulated in article eighteen of the cosmetics regulation and fully applicable in the internal market since march two thousand and thirteen has had positive consequences.
it would be for the commission to carry out such negotiations on the basis of and in line with a mandate from the council.
your further questions point more to the future. regarding the current global impact and acceptance by third countries of the eu ban on animal testing for cosmetics we have to differentiate between a statistical economic part and a legal part.