kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
as for the european fund for strategic investments the draft resolution specifically calls on the eib to ensure that the efsi is not indirectly used as a means of increasing the eib's capital to regularly review the bank's involvement in efsi and to show that the conditions on additionality laid down in article five of the efsi regulation have been met.
it also encouraged the eib to make funding contingent upon the disclosure of country by country tax relevant data and called on the bank jointly with the commission to establish a stringent public list of criteria ensuring the proper selection of financial intermediaries.
as to bank supervision another previous call envisages putting in place effective prudential banking supervision of the eib.
the fact that in two thousand and fourteen the eib successfully implemented one of its most ambitious business plans amounting to eur.
now as to the substance in the light of the extraordinary challenges confronting the european union and member states at present it is even more urgent that the bank fully commits to implementing its core task to support projects that contribute to the balanced development of the internal market
given all the above i suggest the eib should lower its sights a little and in a proactive way open its arms and its coffers to smes.
the same eur thirty one billion is now in the process of being destroyed and taken back out of circulation at the insistence of the same ecb.
if there are some rules preventing that i am sure the same ecb will find a way around them.
i suggest also rather than go to international money markets for its millions the eib should go to the ecb for funding at negative interest rates.
if one listens to some of the reports recently from the eib there is an argument that we need to be more ambitious for the bigger projects the bigger projects that can transform economies that can make economies more competitive that actually make a difference when it comes to making a difference for the european union.
and if i can be critical of ireland here like other small countries i wonder are we seeing the magnitude of projects coming forward from countries like my own and other small member states?
we should not politically intervene in that because that would be to the detriment of europe's long term growth potential.
the only way that can happen is to have a strong governance arrangement at the bank whereby projects that actually succeed which make the bank stronger and europe stronger are the projects that we should support.
i think the adoption of this report looks back on two thousand and fourteen and sets out what we need to do as a european union because we recognise as is in the report the fall off of investment in public private capital.
obviously the eib plays a crucial role in the success of the efsi juncker investment plan and the great challenge we face is to realise the private sector contribution given the capital from the eu budget and the efsi itself.
now the priorities of this parliament in obtaining more public private models of funding more solutions for long term investment and the emergence of a genuine capital markets union all point to a new era to the future proofing of the eu economy. in all of that the eib plays an increasingly active role. what is particularly encouraging for countries like my own which have gone through terrible adjustment programmes and seen a massive fall off in public and private investment is that when confidence is restored and when a country is turned around the eib's investment
across the eu the private sector has cash rich balance sheets which we need to find a way to unlock for all our investment needs.
finally i want to agree with president hoyer when he said repeatedly that he wants further engagement with the european parliament.
significantly improves new investment opportunities in countries such as ireland.
it must be part of our recovery and it plays an increasing role in long term european investment which as commissioner moscovici pointed out is eur fifteen billion down in public and private terms from the start of the crisis.
while over eur twenty billion was released for strategic investment in two thousand and fourteen we have to be more ambitious now at this especially important time for europe.
i welcome especially on behalf of the epp group the fact that sme lending in two thousand and fourteen was eur twenty five billion which was a significant improvement on previous years.
so it is very important in the future for instance that we invest in projects which have a systemic importance to energy supply that we invest in green technology and that we try to anticipate the problems that are coming down the track.
that can only be done with an eye on the future because we live in a society that is radically changing.
we have got to make sure that the technologies we have in place get this kind of support from the eib.
i think there is a willingness on the part of the bank to do that.
maybe after all these questions i might even apply for president hoyer's job myself.
it needs to take into account the viability and feasibility of investments.
as well as a defined member state perspective as do some other members of this chamber.
i hope i do not know but i hope that everyone in this room can agree that the eib needs to put great emphasis on the effectiveness and efficiency of investments as well as on accountability.
i think that is something we might have a debate on some other day.
i might not agree with the exact package but i think it is a better position for us to be in than to be at the mercy of the credit rating agencies and the markets.
the markets are supposed to be free;
i am one of those who welcome the fact that we got away from the private sector and at least we have the shield of the ecb the eu and the imf in the circumstances we are in.
but in relation to the credit rating agencies one of those agencies was getting usd eight hundred million a year for rating structured finances.
i have to say that one of the points that is very rarely made is that until recently the public sector in ireland was being regulated by the private sector;
the council welcomes your determination to keep roma inclusion on the agenda and to provide continuity.
the council has repeatedly stressed the importance of the gender dimension in this context and the need for gender sensitive approaches. the council also strongly believes that the roma themselves should be allowed to participate in planning and implementing policies that concern them.
in matters where our common values are clearly spelt out in the treaty yet union competences are limited strong political voices are needed to motivate us and to move us forward so i thank you for helping us to keep the momentum. the framework focuses on four main areas education housing
none of this is controversial.
but let us be honest we have not yet managed to end the discrimination the deep poverty and the long term disadvantages that have weighed on roma communities.
to children and families from disadvantaged backgrounds such as roma children.
cooperation and funding at eu level can contribute significantly.
here. a strong and sustained political commitment is needed along with more forceful implementation.
the council has also made the point that racial discrimination is unacceptable because it is also a root cause of the social exclusion of the roma.
these are the matters we must address.
i'm also happy to note that in its mid term report published last year the commission was able to confirm the added value of the framework. it is particularly encouraging to read that the participation of roma children in early childhood education is on the rise and that poverty
we have a common duty to ensure decent life chances for all our citizens and we must pay special heed to those who find themselves in the most vulnerable situations.
back in two thousand and eleven we launched the eu framework for national roma integration strategies.
this is a topic that goes to the heart of our common european values. equal treatment and equal opportunities should be enjoyed by all of us.
the member states duly prepared their national strategies and began putting the framework into practice.
many roma still face deep poverty social exclusion and racial discrimination.
may i also highlight just three other key issues.
no one in europe should be denied the basic prerequisites for a decent life.
there is no room for complacency.
this is why the bulgarian presidency has put an important emphasis on issues at the heart of advancing the agenda in this area.
i believe there is a broad agreement between our institutions on the approach we should
there are definite signs that the implementation of the framework is bearing fruit.
the eu institutions have been playing a leading role in the campaign for roma inclusion for some years
the focus has been put on promoting and protecting children's rights combating child poverty and social exclusion and providing all children with equal opportunities irrespective of their social cultural ethnic or other backgrounds. member states should continue to provide multi disciplinary support
it's making a difference.
finally we need an emphasis on the local level. it is the people on the ground who can make the greatest differences.
health and jobs.
investing in early childhood education and care is of high importance not only for reducing inequalities at a young age but also for preventing the risk of poverty and exclusion in adulthood by laying the foundations for successful lifelong learning social integration and employability.
less but still too many roma have experienced discrimination when looking for work in the past five years.
sadly strong external factors such as the economic crisis competing political priorities and the rise of anti gypsyism and nationalistic populist political movements have contributed to limit the progress.
the most important overarching challenge is the limited impact on improving the present situation of roma.
without prejudging the outcome of this process it is already clear that we have not undone centuries of discrimination in the few years since the launch of the framework in.
two thousand and sixteen another important achievement is the development of necessary coordination and cooperation structures such as national roma contact points in all member states and the annual european platform for roma inclusion.
now we need to up scale the efforts following the clear and strong position of the european parliament.
the ten million roma in europe must be equally entitled to enjoy the rights and opportunities established by our treaties.
i therefore ask the commission and the upcoming presidencies to keep the fight against anti gypsyism on their agenda and support the continuation of the eu framework.
mr president roma across europe face countless problems such as unemployment poor housing poor access to public services multiple forms of discrimination and social cultural and economic exclusion.
too little progress is being made not to mention the anti roma prejudices that are still being promulgated including at the highest political level in some member states.
in almost all the other areas employment healthcare housing and discrimination a large number of respondents declared that they saw little or no improvement.
is that the way to do integration?
there is too much risk.
unfortunately the illegal drug market is hyper responsive flexible and innovative.
the fourth however is a tragic news report of a twenty two year old man from northern ireland who lost his life after taking a legal high.
when substances are banned it is not long before new dangerous substances take their place. while there is no doubt that there are legitimate industrial uses for drug precursors it is essential that we have extremely robust monitoring of such trade.
but these efforts must now be extended to new substances that drug manufacturers are using in order to replace precursors which the existing legislation already controls. this is why i consider the amendment to the regulation on the international trade in drug precursors as a major step forward in our fight against the illicit manufacture of drugs.
secondly the new regulation will provide the union with fast reaction mechanisms to address trafficking trends in new chemicals used as drug precursors.
it enables the relevant eu authorities to seize shipments of those chemicals if they have sufficient evidence that they are intended for the production of illicit drugs.
it is clear that we need to stem the flow of dangerous medicinal products containing substances that can be used for manufacturing drugs as it is becoming increasingly evident that traffickers are using those licit channels as a source and are smuggling large quantities of chemicals for the illicit manufacture of drugs.
the liberals are concerned that despite the efforts made by the commission trafficking in substances used as precursors in the manufacture of narcotic drugs continues to be a problem that the eu must deal with as a matter of priority.
addressing these medicinal products where law enforcement and regulatory capacity is limited requires not only the political will and recognition that precursors control is a shared responsibility but also a long term commitment to eliminating or significantly reducing the diversion of precursors. given
the rapidly changing methods employed by organised criminal groups to divert such substances from licit trade channels the eu should start acting as of today before the drug makers find another way.
the commission should also include these products in the definitions of scheduled substances. by doing so the eu will gain a more vigilant approach towards those that can be used as dangerous drug precursors.
i also would like to emphasise the importance of further strengthening existing european cooperation mechanisms for the control of substances used in illicit drug manufacture.
in this respect a european database for registered operators holding a licence of registration for the legal trade in drug precursors and medicinal products should be regularly updated and the information provided should be used by the commission and by the member states' competent authorities for the purpose of preventing the diversion of those products onto the
illegal market.
but we are talking here about cases where large quantities are diverted for illegal purposes.
this initiative will allow member states to take action and seize products in an effective way.
it will make a major contribution to next year's review of the united nations plan of action on drugs.
once approved it will be for the member states' authorities to implement the regulation's new features.
all of the prisoners should face a fair trial or else be released.
i call for the use of shannon airport by the us military to be ended immediately.
the involvement of a broad range of european states in a practice that flagrantly breaches the most basic democratic rights reveals this to be hollow rhetoric.
last year twenty zero us troops travelled through shannon airport in ireland and there is not much doubt that at the very least the airport facilitated rendition flights.
mr president the eu and its member states often like to talk about democratic values and respect for human rights.
nine eleven we should have cooperated to reinforce international law and practice on putting terrorists on trial.
clearly there are certain challenges but unfortunately the attempt to do so would you not agree was blown away in the immediate reaction after.
both clarify and unify the legal framework of judicial cooperation in criminal matters with the usa and they clearly refer to the need to fully respect fundamental rights. as regards the national and institutional deficiencies underlined by the report let me recall that the current treaties do not empower the european union to establish a general mechanism addressing human rights violations.
as regards the oversight of intelligence and security services you are well aware that this is a very sensitive area which comes under the responsibility of the member states.
this concerns not only the internal aspects of judicial cooperation but also its external aspects.
the commission is ready to cooperate actively with parliament to ensure that what happened within the framework of the so called cia rendition programme will never occur again.
the full respect of human rights is not negotiable.
the report also refers to the necessity of reinforcing the human rights compliance of judicial cooperation in criminal matters.
as regards aviation policy the commission drew the necessary conclusions in the context of its communication on civil and business aviation of january two thousand and eight and new rules on the procedures applicable to flight plans for the single european sky entered into force on one january. two thousand and nine they provide an additional means of monitoring
the actual movement of aircraft and i have heard with great interest that the contacts with the institution on this subject are very positive.
and ill treatment. the fight against terrorism cannot justify such unacceptable practices.
on this subject the commission is determined to ensure that member states actually do so when they apply the eu instruments for judicial cooperation in criminal matters and that member states comply with the charter of fundamental rights when they implement those instruments.
since two thousand and five when the allegations were first raised the commission has been in contact with those member states that were said to have hosted secret detention sites.
the commission has always stressed that it is up to the member states concerned not only to commence but also to continue in depth independent and impartial investigations to establish the truth. this is a positive obligation deriving from the european convention on human rights in order to establish responsibilities and enable the victims to obtain compensation for such damage.
in this regard the commission underlines the importance of the entry into force on one february two thousand and ten of the two eu usa agreements on extradition and mutual legal assistance.
however i can assure you that the commission is vigilant in ensuring that the charter applies within the scope of eu law as i explained on the question of judicial cooperation in criminal matters.
this convention by two thousand and fifteen and of course we will follow this very closely.
there has been one question raised in this house will the same occur again?
concerning the united states the eu holds a regular dialogue with the us on human rights and counter terrorism issues and we have a dialogue with the us state department legal adviser on all aspects of international law.
mr president from the outset the position the commission has taken on this issue has been first that the fight against terrorism must be conducted in full respect of human rights;
i would like to tell this house that on the issue of the ratification of the un convention for the protection of all persons from enforced disappearance the eu member states have submitted a joint pledge to the thirty one st icrc conference to ratify
and third that steps must be taken to prevent any future repetition of the facts in question. the rapporteur knows because she got all these letters that the first letters of the commission were issued in two thousand and six
so of course does george bush the instigator with his advisers of the dismal decade of guantnamo legal black holes and torture.
look at the situation in libya. people allegedly subject to rendition and torture with the collusion of western governments and intelligence services are now senior in the post gaddafi administration.
we have just appointed our first human rights chief in stavros lambrinidis but the eu's credibility in urging respect for fundamental rights throughout the world is badly undermined by the justified suspicion that some of our member states rode roughshod over international law and civil liberties so we must clean house in order to advocate and promote the values that we espouse in our external partnerships.
this is not only principled but necessary.
it is a travesty to claim state secrecy in order to perpetuate impunity. the eu without being obstructed by the niceties must have the guts and self respect to enforce accountability for its own members' involvement in human rights abuses.
mr president given the eu's well publicised commitment to democracy human rights and the rule of law the fact of highly credible allegations of complicity and cia abduction disappearance rendition and torture after nine eleven is already bad enough but the continuing refusal to investigate properly is compounding the original failings.
the democrat presidents have not sufficiently respected the law either.
i firmly believe the truth will eventually out even if it takes decades but justice delayed is justice denied.
mr president we ought to be proud of this flag but i am afraid that in this instance we cannot be.
there are only two institutions that are represented here today the council's seats are still empty showing that there is a complete lack of recognition or commitment from our national governments. had it been a third country that had these allegations levelled against it i wonder what our response would have been.
of course in the united kingdom we have now taken a very different step of having our own internal investigations rejecting what may have been done before but that is not enough. when terrorists carry out actions we are not weak by sticking to our principles.
they cannot destroy us through their actions but they can take away so much more from us through our reactions.
what i say to mr szymaski when he makes the sort of national sentiment comments that he makes and then leaves the chamber is simply this there is one non eu country of which we can be proud and from which we can learn so much more and that is norway.
when it faced the most terrible of criminal offences including bombings and death it did not react by taking away the rights of its citizens;
it delivered every right and it delivered justice.
today we should salute norway for doing that.
it is unfortunately not the first time and probably also not the last time we will be debating this.
what has happened cannot be justified.
the council would be here and we would be very quick to condemn those actions.
but because they have been committed with the support of european countries we do not feel that we have to answer to the world.
we have lost moral authority and credibility and i think there is a bitter irony in the fact that we help to unseat dictators like gaddafi like mubarak like mr assad who is still there who not so long ago were our allies
in shipping people to those same countries to the country of mr assad because he and his friends are so very good at torturing and getting us the information that we want.
we will keep raising this issue until people have been held to account over human rights violations that were committed in our name.
i hope that it should not be necessary to say that torture can never be justified morally. however if people are not persuaded by moral arguments we should point out that torture is ineffective because it produces unreliable information.
furthermore the propaganda value to terrorists of proven cases of ill treatment is immense. political leaders in many european countries have to account for their actions and some seem to have a case to answer.
however they like the detained suspects of terrorism have the right to the presumption of innocence in any judicial process.
i am convinced that full judicial inquiries should be conducted in the relevant european countries. however i would oppose the legislation that the resolution calls for to give the european parliament a general power to place member states' security services under scrutiny.
the allegations of some member states' involvement must be treated with nothing but the fullest seriousness and thoroughness that it warrants.