kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
once again we have witnessed the destruction by israel of projects funded by the european union and rather than take action on this we are talking about upgrading trade relations when conditions on human rights are currently being breached under the current agreements.
we have to put pressure on the israeli government to end the blockade and open the crossings.
we saw schools factories homes and a hospital deliberately attacked.
any assessment of the damage caused in gaza must draw attention to the deliberate targeting to destroy the infrastructure and the economy.
ninety per cent of people in gaza are dependent on un aid.
you cannot teach children in schools that have no paper because it is banned.
mr solana talked about how pursuing the same policies can bring us back to the same place.
in two thousand and six the european union refused to recognise the palestinian unity government which included members of hamas and yet we are ready to recognise a new israeli government which may include members who reject a two state solution who do not support a palestinian state. what is crucial now is that the eu must be prepared to work with and recognise an interim palestinian national government of consensus that should emerge from the cairo talks in the next few weeks and we must give out clear signals of our intentions to the international community.
soon most probably there will be a new israeli government. there is already a new us administration currently defining its foreign policy priorities.
so changing dynamics can create opportunities for new engagement.
honourable members you can count on the commitment of the commission and also on my personal commitment to do everything in our power to help bring peace as swiftly as possible to one of the most troubled parts of the world.
the consensus for peace is weakening not only in israel and within the occupied palestinian territory but also within the arab league where worrying divisions are appearing.
the european union as a whole has been extremely active in recent weeks both on the political and practical fronts.
we had important meetings as a troika in moscow.
gaza. we have been very vocal both in public and in private about the unacceptable closure of the gaza crossings.
we also need to reinforce the message to the palestinians that a strong palestinian authority with effective leadership over the entire occupied palestinian territory is essential both for the reunification of the west bank and gaza and to get the peace process
we continue our road map monitoring work and we also deploy state building assistance including in sensitive areas such as the rule of law and border management.
when access does improve as i have no doubt it will we may then have to review our financial forecast.
that is why the european union is supporting the efforts of egypt turkey and others to achieve this.
much very delicate work is going on.
in early march the egyptian government is organising an international conference in sharm el sheikh in support of the palestinian economy for the reconstruction of gaza.
you. i hope i will again be able to count on your support.
we therefore exchanged views on the peace process at length.
in both countries we discussed practical ways in which the european union could support the process of reform.
the eu's action strategy for the middle east also foresees eu support for specific final status issues for instance for jerusalem refugees and security arrangements.
at that point i may need to come back to discuss this with
i reiterated the very strong support of the european union for the arab peace initiative and i urged partners to maintain their commitment to it because it offers a serious framework for regional peace talks. i also stressed the milestone decision taken by syria and lebanon to establish diplomatic relations and pushed for completion of all steps in this process.
in lebanon i reiterated our readiness in principle to deploy an eu election observation mission and i have already decided that an exploratory mission should go there immediately.
with the new us administration we need to agree a joint way forward.
this house will wish to join me today in calling once again for the crossings to be fully opened.
back on track.
this document identifies six areas for action including humanitarian response the prevention of smuggling to gaza the re opening of the gaza crossing points reconstruction intra palestinian reconciliation and the resumption of the peace process.
the council conclusions in january indicated that the eu is developing a work plan' for a lasting ceasefire.
and to the two state solution.
the recent conflict has badly damaged negotiations not only on the palestinian but also on the syrian track.
and we may soon face transition in the occupied palestinian territory.
however there is no denying that the recent conflict resulted in enormous human suffering and destruction.
in college i took the opportunity to study several courses of their history and literature under a rabbi.
actually judging by demonstrations that took place in the major cities of israel there are many israeli citizens who publicly oppose their government's action.
rebuilding human infrastructure however cannot wait.
i myself know what it is like to have a healthy child become disabled. we must get intervention medical and educational to all those thousands of people especially children who since the new year have become disabled for life.
i would especially point out that the particularly vicious weaponry used in january has left many people with missing limbs and terrible burns.
the vast majority of the people of gaza must rely on humanitarian aid for their very survival food water shelter clothes and especially medicine.
all crossing points have been closed for eighteen months and now with the terrible recent aggression visited on the people of gaza they are even more desperate.
before making my contribution i would like to stress that i am not speaking on behalf of the ind dem group as it has no position on this topic.
i note in recital e of this resolution that we europeans give ourselves a nice pat on the back for our humanitarian aid efforts.
because the siege has still not been lifted and crossings are still closed it is very difficult to get essentials to the people.
you commissioner talked of the political efforts that you are making but do we deserve this praise?
this is a population that has been under siege for a very long time.
as we help them we must record their stories to begin the process of gathering evidence for targeted attacks and possible war crimes.
we must get supplies in.
if we really wanted action on gaza we would use the power that this trade gives us by imposing economic sanctions. our refusal to do this even at the height of the bombing in january indicated that we prefer the status quo of business as usual with our contribution of humanitarian aid
to return to the urgency of the humanitarian aid rebuilding physical infrastructure is important but it is understandable that agencies may be hesitant to rebuild when it looks as though an even more threatening regime is taking over in israel.
not only are we unwilling to risk upsetting a good business market for the sake of bringing injustice in gaza to an end but we are also unwilling so far to dissolve or even just suspend the eu israel agreement. i have a great love of the jewish people.
however friendship does not mean blindness but the willingness to be honest.
many actors are there in the european union in the international community be it the united states of america the un or russia but there are also many arab friends and colleagues.
now we all know that there is a series of elements that is absolutely necessary so that we can come back to peace agreements.
and afwerki and his patrons should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity.
right now three measures are crucial aid to eritrea has to be strictly conditional; the illegal diaspora tax has to be halted in all eu member states;
sixteen years have passed that is how long dawit isaak and other journalists and democracy activists have been imprisoned in eritrea.
this money cannot go to the eritrean government.
our message to the commission is hear us! this parliament has repeatedly stated that no development cooperation can be pursued with the eritrean government as long as they do not respect human rights and set dawit isaak and others free.
dawit has become a symbol for the struggle for human rights and press freedom.
sixteen years have passed and this is our message to the eritrean government at least let us hear from him!
i want to put on the record that the eu funds that have come through the development budget have made a big difference to the lives of ordinary people ordinary eritreans in terms of solar power electricity connectivity building capacity within the judicial system and in other systems of government.
i would ask other colleagues to do the same because it is only through engagement that we can actually change policy in eritrea.
with four hundred and sixteen zero eritrean refugees worldwide this makes it the ninth largest country of origin for refugees a staggering figure for a country with a population of only six million people. therefore i now call on parliament and the commission to consider consultation under article ninety six of the cotonou agreement. i actually called for this almost eighteen years ago for the first time and i am calling for it again.
two thousand and five jailed for his reporting of the corruption and injustices of the afwerki regime his case is emblematic of the totalitarian dictatorship that we now see in eritrea a regime that sees thousands of young men fleeing conscription and the brutalities of daily life.
weak governance and its impact on state institutions have dramatically diminished the capacity of the countries to effectively deliver basic services promote broad based political participation and protect human rights.
only a comprehensive approach that truly makes full use of all the means at the eu's disposal ranging from crisis management to institution building and development assistance will help build a more stable and prosperous future for this region.
in april this year she organised a high level meeting in brussels to consult with women from the region and ensure that their voices were heard in the run up to key policy events such as the heads of states conference for the development of mali in may.
this strategy is built on the assumption that security is a prerequisite for socioeconomic growth.
that threat extends to the eu itself.
state building coupled with good governance and regional coordination is necessary to achieve this.
people living there have become increasingly vulnerable to radicalisation and violent extremism.
one five billion were dedicated to development projects there with a specific focus on security and the rule of law.
we are within a short distance of terrorist groups based in northern mali and are directly impacted by the situation there.
this would certainly contribute to stability and security in the region.
it is clear that a renewed commitment to and effective implementation of the democratic governance and human rights standards subscribed to by the sahel countries have the potential to strengthen the rule of law and advance human rights protection. such a development would help to address the root causes of the crisis and contribute to ensuring sustainable peace in mali while preventing escalation in the neighbouring countries.
as you are aware vice president ashton is personally committed to promoting these rights.
we take note of your concern that our policies and action could do more to mainstream human rights women's and girls' rights and the rights of minorities.
this report confirms the worrying human rights situation in the region.
these three missions all undertake specific training on human rights and gender issues.
i take no views on what the final status of that territory should be but when i first accepted the report i understood that it was only to address the sahel.
only subsequently did i learn that western sahara was always intended to form a part of the report and indeed was initially the sole subject of the report.
i suggest that in the long run this will prove to be no bad thing.
western sahara is rarely appended to discussions on the sahel but in geopolitical security and indeed human rights terms this may well prove to have been an error.
as the un secretary general said in april the conflict must be addressed as part of a broader strategy for the sahel.
as we often say in this parliament human rights and security are both symbiotic and inextricable.
reports have indicated to me that unrest in western sahara and in the tindouf camps is growing.
leaving western sahara aside for a moment the most pressing part of the report deals naturally with the grave disaster witnessed over the past two years in mali which had previously seen relative peace and stability for a number of years.
although we can be cautiously optimistic now that the worst of the crisis is over it is not yet finished with several hundreds of thousands of refugees and idps still waiting to return home and the fragile peace being jeopardised by sporadic skirmishes and suicide bombings.
the long process of reconciliation must also begin with mali's different communities.
certainly tuareg resentment over many decades must be addressed not simply in mali itself but across the whole sahel region.
the reconciliation will not work without justice where it is due.
mali must be seen as a prototype for the success of judicial institution building and the rule of law.
too often in the sahel region war crimes and crimes against humanity have been met with institutional impunity.
for this reason the recent senegalese indictment of former chadian dictator hissne habr and of course the icc's investigation into malian war crimes are to be greatly welcomed in this house.
besides the immediate concerns in mali and the need to combat impunity i have tried in the report to emphasise the need for a coherent strategy across the whole sahel region which combines an awareness of human rights with the imperative of boosting security tackling jihadi radicalisation clamping down on the trafficking of people arms and drugs particularly with regard to the trafficking superhighway' which bisects the sahel east west and south north and above all improving the governance accountability and legitimacy of state and regional institutions.
this report makes a particular point of advocating the decentralisation of power and boosting the role of civil society.
in short the overriding theme of the report must be for the eu to work with local actors to focus on security stability and human rights in synthesis. the eu already has a trading mission in mali from the csdp and a capability building mission in niger but human rights are markedly absent from the eu overall sahel strategy.
this is an area where we can do more to help and i hope that this report makes some contributions in so doing.
that means that if the debates in britain were to conclude that britain should reconsider there is no obstacle from the european side to that happening.
you are right that there are many ifs' in that process.
but i think the lesson we have learned from the statements made today by president tusk and indeed president juncker is that the door is still open from the european side right up to twenty nine march or whatever date is scheduled in the end for britain to leave the european union.
that needs to be reflected in the legal text currently being drawn up for phase one in order to move on to phase two and there must be no ambiguity.
ireland's taoiseach will be here in this chamber tomorrow.
if the taoiseach is going to make good on his promises to the people of the north of ireland that we will never again be left behind by an irish government a welcome acknowledgement that we certainly have been he must guarantee no diminution of our rights as a result of brexit.
many of those rights are rooted in eu law and in the charter of fundamental rights. the council and this parliament confirmed that they would uphold the good friday agreement in all its parts.
was it not david davis himself who said if a democracy cannot change its mind it ceases to be a democracy'?
however irregular migration will remain a challenge for decades not years and therefore we need a structural solution in the form of a stable and predictable eu funding instrument.
if. we achieve these two objectives we will significantly strengthen the resilience of the emu which is my major goal.
we must maintain the unity of the eu twenty seven in every scenario and personally i have no doubt that we
the internal dimension of the migration debate was as expected less consensual although it confirmed the hierarchy of our aims protecting our territory and keeping our promise never again to allow a return to the crisis of two thousand and fifteen come first.
it shows that the union moves forward when we combine ambition and pragmatism.
we here on the continent have not had a change of
additionally while everyone accepts the need for solidarity there is currently no consensus on what it should mean in practice.
we will discuss it in more detail at our summit in february.
discussions including among the euro area leaders will also continue on those ideas that are less developed and have a longer term perspective.
finally on brexit leaders decided unanimously that sufficient progress had been achieved on the first phase with citizens' rights ireland and the financial settlement as priorities. accordingly the eu twenty seven adopted the first set of guidelines for the next phase of the talks. this would not have been possible without the unity of the eu twenty seven the hard work of michel barnier and the constructive efforts of prime minister may. as regards our future relations what we need today is more clarity on the uk's vision.
in this regard in the next six months the work by finance ministers in the eurogroup and in the ecofin council will concentrate on areas where the discussion is more advanced namely on the completion of the banking union and further developing the european social fund
on the emu the euro summit discussed ways and means to reform our economic and monetary union with a view to taking a first set of decisions in june. leaders agreed with my proposal to focus efforts on what is realistic while continuing discussions on the long term ideas.
all the leaders agreed to work hard to find a compromise by june.
will. if the uk government sticks to its decision to leave brexit will become a reality with all its negative consequences in march next year unless there is a change of heart among our british friends.
i propose to the leaders that we establish a permanent financing mechanism within the next multiannual financial framework to stem the flows of illegal migration.
if financial services are not involved in this deal then there would seem to me to be very little point in actually having a deal because you sell more to us than we buy from you.
it is all about nobbling our ability.
there are ideas leaked here and there some of them unacceptable and some of them in contradiction with the treaties so we hope to have the best and widest possible cooperation with the uk in the future but the internal market must not be torn into pieces to single out the parts that taste good.
so we insist that our british partners make those issues a priority in ongoing negotiations.
this is my first point.
and while there will be those who call for evermore european integration and evermore harmonisation once the uk departs the european conservative and reformist group will continue to be a voice for those who want to see an eu that respects its member states an eu that provides value for money and an eu that is outward looking signing trade agreements not only with the uk but with countries across the world.
could the eu do less but do it better?
but as other speakers have said before me the next stage won't necessarily be any easier than the first.
the ecr group believes that this question is not limited to just brexit but a very fundamental question about the very future of the eu.
but the reason that these negotiations are tough is because first of all negotiation by their very nature ought to be tough and secondly because both sides care about the outcome on opposite sides of the table but united by one simple goal the desire to get the best possible result for citizens.
however the uk needs to understand that whilst eu leaders on the whole want as beneficial a deal as possible they do not want to make it so attractive that other countries are tempted to follow the uk out of the door.
they want to keep making a living keep selling their products keep their jobs keep travelling and keep safe.
the journey we are on is uncharted but the ecr group hopes and believes that we can achieve a deal to the benefit of all sides.
but we all know that while one specific trade deal may act as a template for others no two trade deals are exactly alike.
they don't want more uncertainty more grandstanding or more treading over old ground from either side.
but voters citizens and workers don't care about legal protocols or legal technicalities they don't sit at home hoping that the uk is made an example of.
these are tough negotiations in tough times and there will probably be moments when it feels as though the two sides are far apart incapable of understanding each other.
the uk and the eu will remain friends and allies but we believe that the future is best secured through different approaches.
is the eu serving the needs of its peoples? is the eu offering workable solutions to the core challenges its member states face such as migration and others?
has to be a declaration by the citizens.
union. inside the union membership of the union will always be the best solution for every european country and european state.
system. you cannot say for example in this sector we want this and in another sector we don't want europe' or we need a good deal for financial services but we do not accept the freedom of movement of people'.
at the same time british public opinion has not rallied behind the referendum results as one might have expected.
so in that context many in britain will have noted and appreciated the comments made by the president of the european council just now when he said that if britain had a change of heart the door would still be open.
nigel farage himself admitted last week that this issue is not a settled issue in british politics.
mr president the brexit debate is still overshadowed by a complete lack of clarity as to what the uk government actually wants to achieve.
approaching two years after the referendum they have still not settled on what they want as a final destination in this process.
my second question is do you believe that brexit is also a personal defeat for yourself?
i have heard with great interest and i must say with a positive surprise the remarks of president tusk and your remark that the door to britain is always open.
my third question is do you not believe that it is now the time for the european commission to do everything possible to avoid this catastrophe of historical proportions?
the first question is do you agree with me that brexit is a true lose lose situation not only for britain but also for the european union?
i think that in close cooperation between our three institutions the council the parliament and the commission we can come up with answers and i would just caution against making the issue of relocation the biggest issue there is.
it is the last resort measure in the case of an extreme crisis pertaining to refugees.
now we need to find the measures to be able to sustainably handle a migration over a long period of time.
there are more jobs.
finally let me say this and i think this is important for our future cooperation the three institutions need each other and the basis of our cooperation is rooted in the treaty and in eu law.
that is a huge challenge.
if at some point the united kingdom had second thoughts or were to take another decision obviously the european union would leave the door open.