kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
' i think that is a pretty fair judgment on the structure of the summit and i hope its failure will lead to a re evaluation of the efficacy of these set piece events.
i do however welcome one outcome and that is the setting up of the new high level group.
i would ask the commissioner to take a lead from parliament and consider the cost to taxpayers of mass attendance.
the failure of world leaders to progress to sustainable development calls for civil society around the world to step in.
the deadlock can be broken by raising awareness changing individual consumption patterns encouraging activism and putting further pressure on governments as well as multinational corporations to dedicate their efforts to creating green and equitable economies.
mr president the rio summit reinforced my belief that we need to ensure economic and environmental agendas go hand in hand.
however the commission is putting jobs at risk both in the eu and in the developing world because of rigid preferential access rules.
four and a half thousand skilled jobs are at risk across the eu because of restrictions on sugar cane imports.
if refiners in europe fail the developing countries will not be able to sell raw sugar cane to the eu.
in brazil sugar cane is providing a solution to economic environment and even energy problems.
we both face the challenge of the emerging economies and we also have a number of opportunities such as the development of a comprehensive transatlantic growth and jobs initiative which would include plans for the removal of remaining non tariff barriers to trade and investment by two thousand and twenty and steps towards zero tariff levels for certain types of product.
madam president america and the eu face similarly large challenges when it comes to resolving the economic crisis and cooperation should be our intention in order to sustain this recovery. there is however a serious discrepancy between eu and us measures that is a reason for concern.
trade is necessary for job creation and trade is global.
i would like to learn from the commission what the results of conversations with the americans on this subject have been so far and whether it proposes that flexible rules or measures should be introduced on the eu side should that be necessary. i would also like to ask what this parliament and the transatlantic economic council could do to help the commission sustain openness and global trade between the two sides of the atlantic.
will the commission push for reciprocity in the public procurement rules between the eu and the us at both the federal and local levels?
is buy america' applicable to canada and to eu partners despite the wto general procurement agreement as canada and the us business community argue or is ambassador kirk right in rejecting these concerns?
in global trade the us should not alienate one of its closest partners the eu.
now that the senate has voted against the jobs act in the us this should be the moment for the eu to address some of our problems again.
the protectionist tendencies in the us jobs act seem to block access to public procurement for eu based companies.
these remarkably similar titles could easily confuse people.
this is at the heart of moving closer to a transatlantic marketplace where further integration will work for the creation of jobs and growth. estimates put the number of jobs depending on transatlantic trade at fifteen million and our joint aim is to strengthen this.
we have minimum wages.
and if you cannot hire you cannot fire so you lose flexibility. we have maternity leave paternity leave stress leave and all the rest of the nonsense that is invented by people here who have absolutely no commercial experience at all.
he would learn so much from me since unlike most of the people here i actually have commercial experience. i have actually run companies.
and let me remind you of liberty of contract. in a free society we should have liberty of contract so that an employer and an employee can get together sign a contract and get on with their lives without interference from this place.
we have holiday entitlements.
trying to get rid of lazy and incompetent workers is virtually impossible so sacking people is very difficult.
i actually know what i am talking about.
the buy american' provisions enshrined in the american jobs act which emulates obama's approach in the two thousand and nine american recovery and reinvestment act is understandable in the face of us unemployment figures but protectionism is not the way out of the economic woes afflicting both sides of the atlantic.
we are far more likely to spur growth and job creation if we work together rather than retrenching a sad repetition of post great depression protectionism.
however conservative forces in the us senate blocked their approval for two days in a stance paralleled in europe by the austerity six pack;
madam president president obama's proposal for an american jobs act contains many elements and policy initiatives which sorely lack a european equivalent.
it is vital for jobs at a time when the economy is suffering.
what action does the commission intend to take to develop together with the united states an involving comprehensive transatlantic growth and jobs initiative which would include plans to remove the remaining non tariff barriers to trade and investment in two thousand and twenty
what has happened?
we should be working together to bring both our economics together in difficult circumstances.
this is because of the rise in asia.
furthermore the us should be further integrating its economy into those of the western world especially those with whom it shares values.
daniel touched on some of the problems there.
i call upon the commission to look further.
does the commission consider closer economic integration towards a transatlantic market place a realistic goal?
we are at a crucial stage in the world economic crisis and the us has g twenty commitments to which it must adhere.
my industries and my businesses are directly affected by decisions taken in the jobs act of america and i would like to ask godfrey why he assumes that every speaker has never had a business background.
we nationalists have a saying whatever is physically possible must be financially possible.
if it is not the financial system is at fault'.
the problem with all such reflationary measures is that injections of money precede sometimes by years the resulting increase in gdp and are therefore inflationary.
unfortunately the council did not find agreement on the commission proposals at the beginning of two thousand and nineteen and france and some other member states then proceeded to adopt or prepare national digital service taxes.
so we in the commission will keep on pushing for these discussions.
the only acceptable route to address trade disputes is through the world trade organisation adjudication process and the united states committed itself internationally and domestically to using that route in the past.
so let me conclude by saying that it would be a matter of significant concern to the commission if the united states should decide to introduce tariffs against the european union based on a unilateral determination of section three hundred and one b of the trade agreements act of.
two thousand and nineteen this is the first us investigation into a digital service tax despite france being neither the first nor the only country that has adopted it.
following this president macron and president trump agreed on the margins of a g seven meeting in biarritz that france would continue levying the tax and would reimburse companies if subsequently there was a difference between the french tax and the oecd global solution.
the european union will collectively defend a member state if a trading partner takes unilateral trade measures against it. a fast conclusion of the update of the enforcement regulation by the council and parliament would send a strong signal that the european union is ready to protect itself and the multilateral trading system.
the commission therefore calls upon the us not to break its obligations under international law or under the multilateral trading system.
one thousand nine hundred and seventy four it would be the first time that the united states has used this instrument against the european union since the world trade organisation was founded in one thousand nine hundred and ninety five and the united states statute envisages further discussions as an option instead of trade restrictive measures.
the same rules have previously been used only in response to unfair trading practices in china's non market economy in order to justify us tariffs against china.
it aims to address the increasing pressures that are faced by member states to act given the risk that their corporate tax base is being eroded significantly over time and the perceived unfairness of the situation. the proposal can also accelerate discussions at the oecd level to find a global solution on taxation issues including a global digital service tax.
this was an important meeting being the first one held since the start of the new legislative period both for our european parliament and for the verkhovna rada of ukraine and therefore a good moment to look with ambition and vision at what we strive to achieve together.
colleagues after this very clear statement by the president there is no need for further points of order or the like on the matter.
i would like to welcome the delegation of the ukrainian parliamentarians who participated in the tenth meeting of the eu ukraine parliamentary association committee yesterday and today.
so dear ukrainian friends the multi faceted and very intense cooperation between our parliaments is the symbol of our commitment towards the european path chosen by ukraine and the concretisation of our support for your country.
we still remember a fantastic person like anna politkovskaya and very brave journalists willing to give independent reliable information to russian society.
and to assure you that in january i will be visiting the united states and make every effort to work on a solution to this very important matter.
mr president i want to thank the speakers for their engagement on this issue to assure the speakers as well that we will continue our efforts to engage with the united states in relation to all trade matters including the issues before the house this evening on the digital tax
their conduct of executing suspects without trial only serves to inflame the conflict and drive more people into the hands of the militants.
so my question is what is being done by the european union to add our voice to the un's calls for full investigation of abuses by the g five joint forces and that we continue to address the challenges in human rights compliances by all the armies in that region.
we need to support these countries whose armed forces are under resourced and their counter insurgency strategies are lacking to say the least.
what should really concern us most is that the sahel region has become as we've already heard a new home for isis which is benefiting from the insecurity of one of the poorest least governed parts of the world.
it is an extraordinary thing to see the strides made by romania since then. but it's worth remembering that the revolution not only in romania but in the other soviet satellites was primarily about the end of foreign occupation and the restoration of national sovereignty.
the only things you could buy in bucharest at that time were italian vermouth and plum jam.
i saw most of it through the windows of a pub called hanul lui manuc because it was the only place in that city where you could get beer.
yes of course it was about democracy the rule of law and personal freedom but the peoples of those countries understood that those things are meaningless unless you have mechanisms to hold your rulers to account and that is why as charles de gaulle observed many years ago national sovereignty and democracy are the same thing.
i had the privilege of watching a lot of the romanian revolution in bucharest. i was eighteen years old.
it has again reduced the space for free and independent media as well as independent voices.
the european union will continue to support russian human rights activists and civil society as we do worldwide because this is a fundamental principle of the european union.
we will keep monitoring developments in russia calling the authorities to account when they do not respect fundamental rights enshrined in their constitution.
the eu has repeatedly condemned this legislation most recently in a statement by the external action service the spokesperson on twenty three november the extension of the law to include private individuals is yet
the impact has been to restrict fundamental freedom in russia consume the scarce resources of ngos and inhibit independent civil society in the country.
we will continue to call on the russian authorities to respect their international obligations on freedom of association and freedom of speech.
they have been subject to fines inspections and stigmatisation.
another move to curb freedom of expression.
many of you have expressed your strong concern about that and i think rightly because this has the potential to affect independent journalists and bloggers and is another step towards restricting media freedom and freedom of expression in russia. since two thousand and twelve
foreign agent' legislation goes against russia's human rights obligations and commitments.
in two thousand and seventeen foreign agent legislation expanded so that any media organisation receiving foreign funding either directly or indirectly could be labelled as a foreign agent.
it is essential that russian citizens are able to exercise freedom of association including the right to join and participate in non governmental organisations which promote the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
our support is important be it public statements attending trials supporting meetings with them.
it's a tragedy for independent journalists and citizen reporters in russia. we only need to look at what the us have done with its foreign agent' law to see where this could lead to russian maria butina prosecuted as a scapegoat imprisoned as a russian spy just for being russian.
in actual fact the russians are copying what they've seen others in the west doing.
this isn't about russian values being different than ours;
this is one of the most basic principles of international relations.
the boy's family is so ashamed that they threw him out of their house.
this is not an isolated incident.
mr president imagine a young boy about thirteen years old. he goes to school to get an education that every child deserves. imagine that the teacher whom the boy trusts lures the boy into a dark room and rapes him.
and now imagine that we would not do anything about it.
the boy is very brave and speaks out about his story but when he goes to a police station he is raped again.
but at least they did not kill him.
it is a reality for hundreds of confirmed cases in the afghani province of logar where teachers and local authority officials have been implicated in the sexual abuse ring.
i would like to express my grave concerns regarding the allegation of sexual abuse in several schools in logar province.
this way we can ensure that the budget provided will support the conducive environment for the protection of children and human rights defenders.
in addition i also strongly regret the arbitrary detention of the human rights defenders who reported the alleged exploitation and violation. the afghan authorities should ensure in all circumstances that human rights defenders are able to carry out their human rights work.
the protection of the lives and welfare of children should be central to every society especially during times of armed conflict.
following up on these cases i call upon the attorney general's office to launch an independent and impartial investigation into the allegation of abuse as well as the arbitrary detention of the human rights defenders.
mr president a couple of weeks ago we celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the un convention on the rights of the child and with this debate we can conclude that there is still a lot of work to be done to protect children around the world.
i say no more.
grows more precious the more intensely it is threatened.
yesterday i also noted the unanimous absence of the brexit plc members from the sakharov ceremony. colleagues will also be aware that boris johnson has found new ways to delay releasing the report on russian interference in uk elections.
these neatly illustrate two complementary halves of a commitment to defending those who fight for freedom of thought in countries not fortunate enough to belong to this alliance of free nations. i have been honoured to play a small part in this work at a time when freedom of thought and expression
several boys were killed of which five by their families because of the shame they supposedly brought to their communities. the afghan authorities must therefore immediately suspend all alleged perpetrators of bacha bazi.
this is ' but we should not mince words this is sex slavery and it is absolutely reprehensible. last month's report showed just how bad the situation is.
' they need to conduct an independent investigation into all allegations and hold perpetrators to account.
in logar at least one hundred and thirty six boys and probably thousands more were systematically abused by their teachers and local authorities by the people to whom they look up the most and it did not end there.
they dress them up as women make them dance and then abuse them sexually.
but it's very difficult to change the habits the influence of powerful people.
we have to help to fight trying to improve the rights of children in afghanistan.
between two thousand and fifteen and two thousand and eighteen the united nation's task force verified forty zero grave violations against children throughout the country. forty! zero many of them were of serious concern.
we have a police advisory project which includes a gender segment which is also meant to benefit the young people.
impunity is very widespread and victims face stigma and exclusion from society.
we can talk about all that we know.
eight hundred attacks on schools and hospitals well i will not continue.
it shows how strong the resistance is to change laws and mainly habits in a society which unhappily presents such kind of behaviour that we have to fight and we have to help to fight.
multiple pressures including climate change are contributing to the erosion of livelihoods in burkina faso and indeed eu agricultural policy is part of the problem with subsidised milk powder eroding the foundations of the local dairy industry.
but beyond this human security means guaranteeing people's right to a decent livelihood and basic services.
sadly in burkina faso such targeted violence has been increasing with over seven hundred and fifty people killed this year and hundreds of thousands displaced resulting in an unprecedented humanitarian emergency.
indeed we've seen in burkina faso that the government strategy of executing suspects simply causes further radicalisation.
but burkina faso has a long history of religious tolerance something to be celebrated and supported to the utmost and i'd like to pay tribute to all of those brave people in every community who are drawing on that tradition working to resist any attempt to provoke inter religious conflict because human security is not bought with weapons.
madam president this was a very good week for freedom of expression in the european union and in this parliament on monday the decision was taken to establish the daphne prize to honour investigative journalism.
but the contrast to what is happening in russia could not be more sharp and we have to be aware that the recent decision by the russian regime to extend the law on foreign agents to individuals will seriously damage the work of independent journalists in russia.
i'm particularly wanting to mention the excellent news service of radio free europe radio liberty who have hundreds of correspondents throughout the russian federation and their work will now be very much more difficult.
the situation is weakening the central authorities while the next presidential election is already approaching and considering that the authorities have started to be criticised by the opponents for their crisis management.
this is an example some illustrations of what do we do in this specific purpose.
we are funding the g five sahel force with ten million and peaceful co existence between communities with almost the same amount of money and supporting the civil society in the field of democracy with another seven million.
and acting on the areas where security is under strain.
they attack communities that they consider as enemies but also those muslims that are considered by jihadist groups as too moderate as shown by the attack on a mosque in october. this situation doesn't call for a retreat but for urgent and strong action.
targeted individuals will have to label their work and register with the authorities or face fines or even imprisonment of up to two years.
such a law can be used as a tool to silence critics of the government further undermining a free and independent media and damaging freedom of expression.
i call on the russian government to reverse its decision bring its legislation into line with its obligations to international human rights law and end its continued efforts to restrict civil society groups and independent journalism.
it is regrettable that we see this approach from russia even alongside its readmittance to the council of europe.
mr president burkina faso and sahel are incredibly challenging areas now and if we were wondering what the european community can do in a positive way we've got to take a different approach to this region. we are not tackling the causes of the instability
climate change illicit tax flows through our corrupt financial institutions in the global north exploitation by our corrupt extractive industries and western support for corrupt administrations.
we don't have clean hands.
we're robbing the place blind.
these countries are unstable because they're so poor and we are helping to keep them poor.
we have to stop robbing them.
and all our money and expansion into the military in the area has failed it's got worse since we put troops in there.
we need to help the governments to recover.
to others like vladimir putin the mere existence of some sort of civil society is nothing but a threat to everlasting authoritarian rule.
rigging elections check.
and the foreign agent' law check.
in fact this law is just another poorly disguised attempt to thwart a political opposition that in putin's view should not exist.
and i do understand that it must be hard for former kgb agent putin to grasp that there isn't a potential spy hiding around each new corner.
madam president i voted for the resolution condemning the violent crackdown in iran. i think i join with my mep colleagues in absolutely deploring the deaths that have been created there and also the imprisonment of political prisoners like nazanin zaghari ratcliffe who should be freed immediately.
but i would say this gestures like this resolution will only go so far.
there's nothing better that my mep colleagues really like than virtue signalling about the us and particularly president trump.
but america is the only nation that has the power the resource and the relationships to help us achieve what we want to achieve through this resolution.
so going forwards i would respectfully ask my colleagues to respect what has been europe's greatest protector and ally for many many years and if we want to make a difference in tehran we need to start in washington.
now it is targeting individuals particularly independent journalists political opposition and activists who might have different ideas and vision for russia than those provided by the kremlin.
we imposed sanctions rightly so against russia in reaction to its aggression in eastern ukraine and crimea.
this law affects not only russian citizens but is also a direct attack on us europeans.