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however the uk's departure from the eu allows the conservative government to ignore current eu economic policy which calls for substantial investment in public services including education.
mr president the sustainable development goals are a commitment to transform our world so that future generations can live in harmony and peace in a much more equal world without poverty and with respect for the environment.
all seventeen goals identify urgent matters that must be addressed and i applaud the european parliament's work to stress the legitimacy of the sdgs as a standard for our economies.
in particular with regard to goal four quality education i must condemn the damage that austerity has inflicted on our education services.
there are many political prisoners there is torture in the prisons and we as the european union must react to the worsening of the situation.
there is no doubt that the rule of law human rights and fundamental freedoms and principles of market economy and sustainable development must be at the core of the negotiations.
this is a country which has signed an enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement with the european union and this agreement aims at providing a broad framework for reinforced political dialogue.
has played a vital role in supporting guatemalan legal and judicial institutions that are crucial to upholding the rule of law and to ensuring the legal and physical safety of human rights defenders including sakharov finalist lolita chvez.
we are also convinced that changes proposed to the national reconciliation law pose a significant threat to the rule of law in guatemala and would drastically undermine the important progress achieved by cicig.
our negotiations were conducted in a good cooperative spirit so it's disappointing and somewhat mystifying if i'm honest to hear that the epp will now abstain on this resolution.
it is deeply concerning that the guatemalan government is showing contempt for its own people by colluding in acts of intimidation.
mr president this urgency was called because of our concern about threats posed by the guatemalan government to the protection of human rights and specifically its decision to withdraw support for the international commission against impunity cicig.
but we still expect a wide majority to support it and its strong wording of condemnation for democratic and human rights breaches in guatemala.
we have been asking for more gender equality in top eu financial posts.
being sustainable in everything we do does not jam our economies it will give our economies a chance to thrive and grow.
change requires ambition ambition requires aspiration an aspiration that we want to do better to move to the next level in everything we do to ensure a future for our children and our economies.
the sustainable development goals address precisely this. it is about ensuring a climateproof environmentproof socialproof and economicproof future.
madam president we are on the eve of another march against climate change including in my own home country malta.
this is the challenge that we are facing today and we are at a time where we are speaking about industry.
four zero the fourth industrial revolution.
just ask yourselves what it means for coastal areas for people and islands like mine that live next to the sea for lowlying countries.
youths and students are getting mobilised but this is not only about the younger generation this is not just about the future this is about all of us it is about now.
we are told it is about digitisation and it is about automation.
this positive transformation has to start from our countries but needs to find momentum at an eu level. it is about ensuring health eradicating poverty providing quality jobs and guaranteeing food security.
the discussions have started and the momentum is there.
it has to also be about ecological economies and about sustainable development and this is the moment for an economic paradigm shift.
what will jam our economies is the traditional model of doing things where sustainable development is not a priority.
mr president guatemala was making progress in prosecuting human rights and corruption cases due in significant part to the collaboration of the attorney general's office with the united nations backed international commission against impunity in guatemala however.
in particular she was the lawyer of the many women protesting against the compulsory wearing of the hijab before she herself was arrested again and imprisoned again and handed the preposterous sentence of thirty eight years in prison and one hundred and forty eight lashes.
i put forward a resolution on freedom of the press in ukraine which was signed by forty three meps from all groups in this parliament.
with the presidential elections in ukraine at the end of this month the security and prosperity of the eu relies on eu standards being adhered to in countries that have an association agreement with the eu countries that will potentially join the eu.
reliable reports from human rights watchdogs warn of serious challenges to democracy when the current government before an election is putting undue pressure on independent tv channels like news one and channel. one hundred and twelve if you do not have a free press you cannot have a free and fair election.
however recent measures have escalated this persecution against the journalists and their families.
iran's record on the treatment of women is infamously poor.
mr president the situation of press freedom in iran is very concerning. i am particularly worried about the bbc persian service journalists who have become a target of the iranian authorities.
as the un investigator on human rights in iran javaid rehman said patterns of intimidation arrest prosecution and ill treatment of human rights defenders lawyers and labour rights activists signal an increasingly severe state response.
the persecution against bbc journalists started in two thousand and nine when the service launched satellite television.
the persecution includes a gender dimension as it is directed primarily against women staff and their families.
the recent sentencing of the human rights lawyer nasrin sotoudeh to one hundred and forty eight lashes and thirty eight years in prison is particularly despicable. it comes shortly after the appointment of a new hard line head of judiciary.
i understand that there is a growing concern for the welfare of farmed fish in the european union.
as the production process is intensified it has the potential to generate new issues relating to animal welfare notwithstanding the fact that the public also wants healthy and ethically produced food.
based on the two thousand and twelve eu strategy for the protection and welfare of animals the commission mandated a comprehensive study on the welfare of fish during transport and at the time of slaughter.
secondly i want to assure you that the commission takes the welfare of farmed fish seriously.
thirdly furthermore the sector differs in size and geographical coverage with a variety of practices across member states.
in light of these considerations i think that member states might be more suited to developing good practices in their national context. nevertheless the commission continues to work on the welfare of farmed fish.
in the meantime the commission will continue to monitor the situation and promote dialogue between stakeholders on this issue.
firstly eu aquaculture is relatively new compared to other animal products and systems.
in march two thousand and eighteen based on this study the commission adopted a report on the possibility of introducing certain requirements regarding the protection of fish at the time of killing.
secondly the sector is a very diverse.
technology to improve the welfare of farmed fish is still developing.
each species requires important effort in research and development.
in particular i would like to highlight a number of important points which we should keep in mind when debating the issue.
the study concluded that in the countries analysed the transport of fish was in line with the international standards of the world organisation for animal health and as you know the oie is the international standard setting organisation for animal welfare. the study also acknowledged that there was room for improvement when it comes to the slaughter of certain fish species.
later this year the commission will launch an evaluation of the strategy.
this conclusion is reached on the basis of the consideration that in recent years the industry has introduced improvements in this regard.
the two thousand and eighteen report concludes that at this stage it is not appropriate to propose specific requirements on the welfare of fish at the time of killing.
i can assure you that the issue of farm fish will be part of the evaluation.
in this context having a harmonised approach might be more complex than it appears.
allow me to give you some practical examples of these efforts.
it is true that they are quite different from other farm species but they are also able to suffer and feel pain. that is our starting point for this discussion.
let me outline some of the steps we have taken particularly under the current commission's mandate to promote farmed fish welfare.
the study was published in november two thousand and seventeen and led to today's oral question.
in recent years to meet an increasing consumer demand fish farming has intensified for some species in europe.
it's entirely sensible to encourage developing countries to integrate into world trade.
but and it is a big but the eu uses these schemes to advance its own political agenda.
i myself have stood on a manifesto calling for trade not aid' and certainly the benefits that derive from trade are likely to last much longer than those that derive from aid.
this is not just me saying this. the eu itself the trade commissioner and mep colleagues have been very clear indeed transparent about it.
to give one example sri lanka never a rich country suffered badly from the two thousand and four tsunami.
two thousand and thirty the sdgs also require a new way of policy making which must be cross sectoral and not embedded in silence. all the policies and all the institutions of the eu must be geared towards achieving the sdgs. in the european parliament we also need strong mechanisms which involve all policy sectors from agriculture to industry from transport to employment and everything in between.
the european parliament with this report shows that it wants to achieve this new way of making policy and parliament is going to send a delegation to the high level political forum and it is crucial that the european parliament will be present this year as the eu itself will report on its progress.
we need an overarching eu sustainability strategy and likewise concrete and time bound deliverables for.
in recent months we have seen an intensification of the systematic campaign of house church raids as christians are arrested and often violently interrogated merely for the fact of peacefully exercising their religious beliefs.
executions in the country continue to remain extremely high with a figure standing at two hundred and seventy three for.
mr president the atrocious record of human rights in iran is all too familiar to us in this house.
in two thousand and eighteen thirty nine women were arrested for protesting against the mandatory wearing of the hijab.
journalists and ngos that do not conform to the wishes of the government regime face routine harassment and repression a pattern that extends to all groups and individuals that seek peacefully to oppose or protest against the actions of that brutal government.
two thousand and eighteen it does appear however that the november two thousand and seventeen revision of the antinarcotics law represents a significant improvement with a dramatic reduction in death sentences. this is a fundamentalist regime that has robbed its people of their rights through its domestic policies and has all too often impoverished them via its international isolation.
freedom of religion is also vigorously repressed as is demonstrated by the ongoing persecution of christians baha'is and other minorities.
in this respect the safeguard mechanism was overhauled to make it more accessible to eu industry.
in the implementation of the gsp regulation we make considerable efforts to ensure a transparent and inclusive process.
this will include a wide ranging public consultation.
point. your report and resolution contains several proposals that we will examine carefully.
we increased the attractiveness of gsp and enhanced the gsp monitoring of effective implementation of core international conventions related to human rights labour rights protection of the environment and good governance.
trade policy does not and cannot do this on its own or in isolation.
this was done by substantially reducing the number of beneficiaries and focusing gsp preferences on the most vulnerable economies.
secondly to promote sustainable development and good governance.
first to contribute to poverty eradication by expanding exports from the countries most in need.
we consult civil society in the european union and in beneficiary countries on a very regular basis and we are always open to their input which we greatly value. we do not always share their views on what course of action should be taken at a specific point in time but this should not be taken to mean that we do not listen to civil society. let me be very clear the commission will not hesitate to take its responsibilities when it comes to warranted cases of serious and systematic violation of fundamental rights. our actions in relation to cambodia and myanmar clearly demonstrate
the next immediate step in this process is to launch an impact assessment to help guide our work on a new gsp regulation.
we are now five years into the implementation of the gsp regulation and i am pleased to note that overall the european parliament and the commission share the assessment that the gsp regulation is successful in meeting its objectives. exports from the more vulnerable economies have expanded substantially
i would like to touch on an issue that is very important to us namely transparency in trade policy.
one may add numerous cases when a detained person was officially said to have committed suicide. also last year tens of thousands of people all over iran stood up against the rising costs of living unpaid wages corruption political repressions and minority rights.
a cardinal aspect of this task is working to support the work of human rights defenders and ensure as far as possible that they are not subjected to harassment or detention.
those who are detained should be afforded timely access to a lawyer of their own choosing be allowed to communicate with their family members have access to adequate medical care and not be subject to any form of mistreatment.
our commitment to support human rights defenders is there three hundred and sixty five days throughout the year and not only on ten december.
as clearly reflected in the latest conclusions on iran adopted by the council on four february while we are committed to the full and effective implementation of the joint comprehensive plan of action the european union policy on iran is based on a balanced and comprehensive approach
in line with this approach the european union has repeatedly called on iran to provide human rights defenders with an open stable environment in which to conduct their work.
indeed as part of our diplomacy we closely follow the human rights situation in countries around the world including iran.
critical when there are these divergences and cooperative in case of shared interests.
our deep concern at her conviction was expressed immediately in a statement.
we are encouraged by the attention paid to this issue by members of the european parliament and we will continue our effort to work together with you in order to promote a better environment for human rights defenders across the world including in iran.
this includes providing legal representation to members of vulnerable groups representing juvenile offenders facing the death penalty working to protect women or members of ethnic and religious minorities.
we continue to call for the release of all iranian human rights defenders.
we are continuing to advocate for further improvements in this regard including an immediate moratorium on the execution of juvenile offenders.
with respect to iran this extends to closely following the situation of ms sotoudeh and other individuals including for example the group of eight environmentalists who were detained in january last year and who are facing extremely serious charges. in iran and in other countries human rights defenders including human rights lawyers
no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrests or detention no one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedures as are established by law.
on the occasion high representative federica mogherini published a declaration on behalf of the european union in which she emphasised that support for human rights defenders including women human rights defenders is at the core of the eu external human rights policy and one of its major priorities. a few days later
we strongly believe that these efforts have contributed to certain positive developments that we have noted in recent years including the decision to amend iran's anti narcotics legislation in november two thousand and seventeen which has resulted in a dramatic reduction in drug related executions and which in itself is a positive step
otherwise we will keep the door open and communicate to minorities living under oppression in the middle east that we do not care.
in the past years we have been working hard to provide national authorities with guidance on how to ensure the effective implementation of legislation.
standing in solidarity with persecuted human rights defenders i've become familiar with the bleak human rights situation in the country.
aigul akberdiyeva a mother of four is being persecuted in the same case and i'm very disappointed that the final resolution we will vote on does not include her name as her case is still pending and is just as relevant as the others.
international observers who monitor such cases are expelled by the authorities without justification as happened to lyudmyla voloshyna and valeriy yavtushenko.
similarly others like aset abishev sentenced to four years in prison and almat zhumagulov and kenzhebek abishev sentenced respectively to eight and seven years are punished under the pretext of the fight against extremism.
they must all receive justice.
but commissioner could you please brief us on the situation of political prisoners in france and in spain?
it's a good question.
they shouldn't be subjected to hate speech or hate crime and that should apply in every walk of life.
i've seen in recent times especially in sports where even people of african descent and others are abused simply because of their race.
we have to stop this and i think the european parliament and the european institutions can play a leading role because in this day and age we have to have equality for everybody male and female african and non african alike.
they are arrested simply for campaigning for workers' rights for environmental standards and against the death penalty.
the iranian government is harassing bbc persian journalists and their families.
by inflicting such a harsh sentence the regime is making an example out of nasrin and sending out a clear message that freedom of expression is not accepted.
you cannot repress ideas especially with the whole world watching.
the new criminal code has tightened the criminal laws being used to prosecute journalists activists and opposition politicians.
freedom of expression is being restricted with many receiving longterm prison sentences and being subjected to torture ill treatment and psychological pressure in the detention facilities. the use of social networks is controlled and restricted by the authorities and social network users are being sentenced to imprisonment while religious beliefs are being used by authorities as a pretext for arbitrary detention.
but i have to tell you the first person who has to respect this is the president of the parliament not to start his italian campaign because that is the problem that we are facing for the moment.
and secondly let's start our work as plenary immediately.
madam president our gsp system is a key example of how we use our economic power to leverage our weight and to bring about positive change for people in third countries and the report that we're adopting today illustrates how gsp beneficiaries have over the course of six years substantially increased their exports to the eu.
but this kind of preferential access should not be taken for granted.
it is attached to clear conditions for example when it comes to improving democracy human rights and the rule of law and following the increasingly repressive behaviour of cambodian leader hun sen commissioner malmstrm initiated a procedure to temporarily withdraw cambodia's trade preferences under the everything but arms scheme and this is a very welcome move that should be echoed by all member states' commissioners as well as the high representative in all their dealings with cambodia.
and at the same time we cannot wait another second to initiate a similar procedure for myanmar.
the ongoing killings systematic human rights violations and the imprisonment of journalists do not warrant the trade preferences that myanmar currently does enjoy.
mr president climate change is a global phenomenon that knows no borders. we in europe have a huge responsibility to the rest of the world particularly those living in fragile countries.
we also have a huge responsibility for the world that we bequeath to future generations.
i've been supporting the young people inspired by greta thunberg who are participating in the friday school strikes demanding urgent action to ensure that life on earth in all its diversity will continue.
but are we listening?
as a co founder of the european parliament's child rights intergroup it is disappointing to see conservative forces ignore and belittle these concerned youth denying them opportunities to participate in our policy making.
i particularly want to draw attention to an amazing youth group in my constituency in a school in accrington called the eco group who came to the european parliament to present their ideas about the environment.
they are the leaders of the future.
by helping to expand exports from beneficiary countries it has contributed to bringing millions out of poverty.
it is also contributing to furthering human rights and sustainable development.
we will also start examining what improvements can be brought to a new gsp regulation including many of your clear proposals and requests so that it can continue to be a force for good.
it is clear that the welfare of farm fish presents many challenges and i am thankful we had the opportunity to discuss this issue. so where do we go from here?
firstly we need to develop scientific knowledge to better understand the needs of the different species at various stages of production.
secondly we need to take into account the variety of the production systems in the european union which range from big industrial farms to small or medium sized companies.
thirdly we need to engage with the industry ngos and the scientific community in a constructive dialogue.
the goal here is to find sustainable and coherent solutions to the issues facing eu aquaculture today including those relating to the environment animal health the use of antibiotics and animal welfare.
this will outline the starting point of future initiatives on animal welfare including for farmed fish.
let me finish by assuring you that the commission will maintain a high interest in the welfare of fish and will persist in encouraging stakeholders to work together for further improvements.
i sensed also when i spoke to the ministers in the general affairs council earlier this week that in the member states things are shifting as well in this direction.