kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
your message is also clear on the need to strengthen the urban rural relationship. faced with the present fragmentation of funds it also means that we need to understand better how to streamline the rules and procedures for all the funds with respect to eligible expenditure management monitoring reporting and financial management obligations. there is a need for greater flexibility when delineating the territories in which cohesion policy programmes are designed and implemented.
in other words we need to target the policy at functional areas.
we need for example to look sometimes inside cities at neighbourhood level and sometimes beyond the boundaries of the cities at metropolitan level.
this functional or flexible geography does not stop at national borders and cooperation across national borders is of clear european added value and importance for citizens.
there are still barriers in the european internal market and significant untapped potential in cross border labour markets and transnational clusters. the baltic sea strategy which we are preparing now is a good example of what we mean by a functional area.
i see this as a test case for territorial cohesion which could then be extended to other macro regions.
we are working on this.
all the reports underline the need for cohesion policy to respond to new challenges such as demography energy climate and globalisation. all european regions will be affected by those new challenges but their impact will vary significantly across europe often resulting in losses of competitiveness employment and social cohesion.
this might consolidate existing disparities and create new ones but these challenges can also be turned into opportunities.
to achieve this we need to continue emphasising cohesion policy investment in research and development and innovation in developing a knowledge based economy and in promoting entrepreneurship and business support services.
these are key factors for boosting the sustainable competitiveness of the european economy and for generating sustainable jobs and growth.
to render the management of cohesion policy programmes more efficient and this is our common concern there is a need to reinforce inter regional exchanges of experience and of good practice. good governance practice must be disseminated rapidly across europe.
this may help also to overcome difficulties in implementing cohesion programmes.
i share your view that we must continue to reform policy delivery. you call for fostering the effort devoted to so called financial engineering' as a means of tapping the potential of the private sector.
tools. your support for our micro credit initiative is good news and i thank you very much for
this. i am convinced that developing micro credit schemes is crucial for the sustainable development and competitiveness of european regions and cities.
it requires action to be taken at all levels.
the committee on legal affairs recognises that establishing a firm can be a daunting process. the eu needs to do more by providing proper legal advice on setting up a business.
one way to do this would be to establish a european network of lawyers prepared to give advice on micro business start ups initially on a pro bono basis.
urgent efforts are needed to tackle the regulatory burden on micro businesses and to make micro finance institutions as accessible as possible.
we need this type of legislation more than ever but legislation on its own is not enough.
the commission has to make sure this is transformed into real action that can be felt at the ground level immediately because this report is not just about entrepreneurship microcredit also delivers social cohesion and it encourages people to take ownership of their lives and their potential. my congratulations to all the rapporteurs.
i welcome the fact that we are having this debate now.
rural development is a very important issue and we must ensure that all available eu funding for rural development is being exploited and used in the most effective and efficient manner.
in my opinion rural development is about supporting active farming communities especially young farmers and farmers who wish to diversify their businesses.
what is clear from this report is that better coordination between regional development policy and the erdf is needed.
also the new banking and insurance authorities are absolutely vital if we are to make our mark within europe learn from the lessons of the recession and bring some control to a place where there was absolute mayhem.
there is one thing i would appeal for though and that is that when we are making our financial packages for these institutions we resist any temptation to factor in bonuses for these situations.
what is left is a residual interinstitutional agreement and the revision of the financial regulation.
two thousand and ten two thousand and thirteen this week our minister for agriculture brendan smith announced that the irish government had requested an advance of the single farm payment so as to maximise the cash flow to farmers between now and the end of the year.
this was a conscious decision by the council.
under this directive citizens will have a right to have a lawyer present when they are questioned by the police.
the directive thus makes a decisive contribution to strengthening the mutual trust that is needed to implement the european arrest warrant or other eu mutual recognition instruments.
in due time it will present a report evaluating the directive's implementation on the ground. i am very proud of what we are doing here and what we have achieved in the area of procedural rights.
that they have procedural rights to be informed supported and protected and that they have access to justice and can actively participate in criminal proceedings.
building on the work of previous presidencies it negotiated very hard to get the job done and to reach a good agreement.
every year and the right of defence for anyone suspected of a crime is recognised as a basic element of a fair trial.
mr president honourable members tomorrow you will vote on the text of the directive on the right of access to a lawyer and to communicate upon arrest.
this dual representation is a major novelty being introduced by the directive.
step by step we are strengthening the european area of justice and the rule of law that binds the european union.
remember that we have a directive on interpretation and translation a directive on the right to information and now a directive on access to a lawyer and in parallel we have been working on the victims directive which was adopted last year and which ensures that victims are treated with respect
after its final adoption we will have to work on the transposition of this piece of legislation.
however in my view there is no need for eu legislation and indeed such legislation would not satisfy the need completely.
the eu is not not yet at least the whole world and people travelling internationally do not restrict their visits to other member states.
what is needed is not eu legislation but an international treaty encompassing as many countries as possible throughout the world to the effect that the rights listed should apply with reciprocity to all countries that are signatories.
i cannot help feeling that this proposal is not so much about the rights of the suspect with eu legislation being the means.
but this directive is probably even more important than the previous two.
the whole road map needs to be completed to significantly raise the standards of criminal justice eu wide to go alongside the european arrest warrant and other policing and mutual recognition measures.
this makes sure that the rights in the directive are practical and effective.
also as vice president reding mentioned it gives the right of dual representation to people subject to european arrest warrant proceedings at both ends of the process.
being a british mep i make no secret of my desire for the uk to opt in to this directive. we have a strong domestic regime in britain ensuring legal advice.
we have achieved a lot but there is more to be done.
many of you have also called for the next step. the next step as i told you will come in the autumn.
it will be a package of initiatives special safeguards for children legal aid and a presumption of innocence.
is it not something that we should address because if we don't start at home how can we defend universal human rights in the world?
and i would like to ask you how to deal with the autocrats that are surrounding the european union who don't care about this declaration;
mr president this clean energy package with its thirty three renewables target by two thousand and thirty is too little too late. however it does at least encourage the necessary transition away from fossil fuels. i particularly welcome the new right uk citizens will gain to store and sell electricity they have generated at a fair price. this is a great boon for the community renewables project i have championed across southwest england.
using food crops for fuel causes environmental damage and threatens food security though agreement to end the scandal of wiping out rainforests to grow palm oil to put in our cars is at least a step in the right direction.
this is why extinction rebellion a civic movement demanding urgent action on climate breakdown is so vital and we must ensure that the uk continues to match eu sustainable energy targets in the future uk trade deal.
in the uk brexit threatens even this unambitious progress since it was driven by a coalition of elite interests including those who oppose action on climate change.
on biofuels the news is less good.
therefore improving the efficiency of our buildings will not only bring cost savings to energy users but will also make emissions reductions and increase our energy security for reducing import dependency.
the aa has a very positive effect on eugeorgia relations.
the report welcomes georgia's efforts to maintain constructive dialogue with russia and supports its committed participation in the geneva international discussions.
they need our expertise in energy in the environment in safety standards and other fields.
let's say that our current association agenda has to take account of the legacy of the previous government georgia had since its independence
many say that georgia has gone much further than other association countries in its ambitions and performance and has made a series of ministerial reforms to achieve the objectives of the aa.
in. one thousand nine hundred and ninety one therefore this report does not only contain an assessment of achievements but also provides concrete recommendations for further work. on a separate note i would like also to underline that this report gives support to georgia in its pursuit of peaceful conflict resolution and reconciliation.
that is why georgia needs more highlyqualified personnel from the eu.
in the last five years the number of tv channels with nationwide coverage rose from three to. thirteen this is important considering that tv is still the major source of information for the people.
if you want our engagement in georgia to be sustainable we need to boost it with knowledge not only with money.
among them one can mention accessibility for the media the removal of politicians from the high council of justice the reform of the high school of justice and so
to help those who you wish to see on your labour market.
on those who you are going to send back to africa please make sure that they get the same educational projects that we get in europe.
we welcome that the report by ms lsing pays tribute to the work of the working party on arms exports in connection with cooperation coordination and convergence.
as the report by ms lsing recalls the common position demands that all member states publicly report on their arms exports.
in addition to these tangible actions on the ground all diplomatic opportunities are used to encourage more countries to join the treaty including by offering eu assistance where needed and requested.
our work for the effective implementation and universalisation of the arms trade treaty includes both financial support and diplomacy.
we will continue to bring together dozens of other countries to share experiences on a regional level.
channels for dialogue on arms export issues with this parliament have developed considerably over the years with the crucial engagement of ngos the academic world and the defence industry.
their daily application by national licensing officers is supported by the socalled user's guide which was revised in two thousand and fifteen in order to align it with the arms trade treaty.
one hundred and thirty states have signed the treaty and ninety six countries are state parties including all twenty eight eu member states.
let me now briefly widen the picture of the eu's cooperation and assistance on export control capacity development in third countries. a number of countries in our close neighbourhood mainly in the eastern neighbourhood have aligned with the criteria of the eu common position. to assist them in the daily operational implementation of the common position the european union has put in place a programme to fund technical cooperation.
the risk assessment criteria laid down by the eu common position are comprehensive and far reaching in terms of respect for human rights and international humanitarian law the risk of diversion and the impact on internal and regional stability.
this programme receives over eur seven million in funding from the european union and it benefits from the technical expertise of export control officials from eu member states.
the eu common position aims to promote responsible arms export policies and the convergence of national arms export policies.
the arms trade is becoming more and more globalised so it's every day more important to work for the globalisation of the arms trade treaty.
in two thousand and fourteen two thousand and sixteen a dedicated eu assistance programme with a budget of around eur six million was active with fifteen countries in latin america the caribbean africa and
as the report also notes at the beginning of two thousand and eighteen this working party on arms exports began work to reassess the implementation of the eu common position and the fulfilment of its objectives in accordance with the mandate given in the council conclusions of july two thousand and fifteen and this work is continuing to date.
this is an important achievement and it shows that transparency and dialogue can take place without prejudice to the respective responsibilities of national stakeholders. at a time when we advocate further transparency worldwide notably via the arms trade treaty it's important to show there is no contradiction between transparency and national security. the eu framework governing arms exports mainly revolves around the eu common position on arms exports adopted in. two thousand and eight this framework is based on the national responsibility of eu member states on arms exports licensing decisions together with well developed information sharing between export control authorities of member states.
however some of the largest arms exporters and importers such as russia china india and pakistan have not signed or ratified it
this has led to increased convergence increased transparency through obligatory public reporting and it has facilitated the exchange of information between the member states' export control agencies.
that poses a problem because it makes it obvious that in some member state there is a risk of one way of doing things in another member state the risk of another way of doing things or illegal behaviour not being detected and consumers therefore suffering
companies will benefit from the ability to compete fairly within the single market and consumers will benefit from more efficient and even competition enforcement.
that i think is the important thing because this is all about the citizen.
you will soon vote and we will then have implemented the agreement that we reached in may this
this is a milestone.
it is a milestone in the history of european competition law enforcement and following its transposition into national law following its implementation the national authorities will have the most necessary tools to stop and to sanction illegal behaviour that harms consumers.
the thing is that enforcement is only as good as the tools at hand and here unfortunately it has turned out that well currently there are too many gaps and too many discrepancies in the tools of national competition authorities.
harm. this is why this proposal is a good proposal and this is why i'm so grateful for the very constructive cooperation that we have had to enable this proposal.
we have enabled a political agreement on this directive.
let me mention that we just had the seventh parliamentary association committee meeting recently and we raised a new topic environment.
we have seen lately that georgia is working on the association agenda for instance on labour law inspections protection of the labour force which is very important in order to be at such a high place in the international rankings as ninth best business environment but it definitely needs labour protection.
as i have said before georgia still needs to solve many problems and it needs to keep in mind the social dimension of policy change.
also thank you very much for the very specific example of what the risk of a monopoly is because sometimes people think well this is out of a textbook what is this nonsense it's theory'.
i would also like to thank the bulgarian presidency because they did a very important job to make sure that things were clear that there was a clear mandate from the council so that the negotiations could proceed.
there is a very obvious risk when you have a monopoly that prices go up and you see it and people feel it.
for us the commission it was very important with this involvement from the side of parliament.
we will do this with the help of our partners again with the help of our national authority and the result of that endeavour will of course be available not only for your information but also for your discussion as well as with the council.
this of course we will do because the rest of the work should not stop because we have this ahead of us.
of course this has been difficult but we have a lot of things ahead of us still because now comes the important point of transposing this directive into national legislation so that it becomes real life and of course the commission is fully dedicated to enabling the national legislative authorities to transpose this in a correct way.
the migration compact is the result of two years of intensive consultations and negotiations at the un level involving governments and other actors.
the commitment to work together to improve cooperation on international migration in order to make it safe orderly and regular.
it will not create any legal obligations for
work. our delegation in new york has been working closely with our member states in order to ensure that the european union's priorities were reflected in the final
states. it is a menu of policy actions and best practices from which states may draw to implement their national migration policies.
it is their national decision which does not affect the position of the commission.
text. we have done so together with the twenty seven member states that have been actively negotiating and speaking with one voice. this has allowed us to bring forward a global migration compact that largely reflects european objectives and respects our key concerns.
rights. migration has been part of the human experience throughout history.
i think we need to address them. first the compact is not legally binding.
we all know that the text is not perfect.
and this is exactly what the un global compact for migration is about as the un compact on refugees.
in this regard the global level of the next mff should be. one three of the eu member states' gni. in this way the union will be able to meet emerging needs challenges and new international commitments as well as to achieve the political objectives.
we support also the european social fund plus and the integrated youth employment initiative. for the next mff we need to increase accountability simplification transparency performance based budgeting and maintaining the necessary degree of flexibility.
we must control the weapons in the world but most of all we must act for a complete and global disarmament. we have to change the global agenda on security. the first priority must be to make every individual secure in their daily life.
these proposals are a step in the right direction but they represent only a minimum investment.
my second point is about climate. although i would like to see the life programme taking a higher share of the budget i'm proud of the parliament proposal to double funding in real terms.
if europe is serious about competing much more will need to be done.
but if we're serious about meeting our paris targets we have to make fine words a reality and that means we're going to need a clear roadmap to get to that thirty spending target on climate action well before.
it is investment in research that will enable that to happen.
eur one hundred and twenty billion for horizon europe over seven years sounds like an awful lot of money but remember that china invested twice as much as that in research last year alone.
representatives of this key partner body were invited to various council meetings to ensure that member states had the most up to date and complete information when debating the global compact the final draft of which was the document put on the table in july. as you are aware the council does not have a common position on this text
two thousand and sixteen from then on the eu actively engaged in providing input at the various stages of preparation of the first draft of the compact.
one of the crucial elements of our success in the field of migration is our good cooperation with third countries.
member states also actively engaged in a discussion in new york where six rounds of intergovernmental negotiations were held on this document. of course the preparation of the global compact had started well before that with the adoption of the new declaration for refugees and migrants in september.
they get a wider perspective on european life but we need a bigger budget so that more students can take part in it.
david cameron we saw where he finished up. i would appeal to all member states to increase the budget because it's quite obvious that there is added value at european level in terms of climate change in terms of research.
so from that point of view it's absolutely vital that we have the budget to do what we can do better for citizens than we can at member state level.
we have the same situation in relation to defence not a huge problem for my country but for other countries it is.
therefore our report calls for a majority of funds sixty one to go to less developed regions for all regions to continue receiving structural funds in the future a reversal of cuts to interreg a reversal of the cuts to the cofinancing rates and of course
finally president commissioner and the council member i would urge you and the committee would urge you to get an agreement on the mff as soon as possible to avoid delays in the implementation of further programmes.
strengthening economic governance and public financial management and further improving the business environment and financial infrastructure.
additional support for parliamentary oversight of the security sector is planned as part of an overarching programme on security and the rule of law.
i agree with the report's finding that moldova has made some progress in economic reforms fiscal consolidation and bank restructuring following the banking fraud exposed in. two thousand and fourteen the eu together with other international institutions provided substantial assistance to the signing and implementing of these reforms for the benefit of moldovan