kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
with your permission i will set out the main developments in romania.
we have examined the texts passed by the romanian parliament to fully assess their impact.
you can see what our cvm progress report stated in january two thousand and seventeen and what it did in the last report in november.
the final opinion is expected to be adopted later this month.
we have seen substantial progress in the past but things are now moving backwards in a way that would be damaging for the place that romania has built as an eu member state in recent years.
rest assured that all developments will be thoroughly assessed and reflected in our upcoming report.
they were passed in the months of june and july.
concretely this means following up our recommendations from the january two thousand and seventeen cvm report and the recommendations expressed by the venice commission and greco.
secondly as concerns the overhaul of the criminal codes and the code of criminal procedures in may the romanian parliament launched a procedure to amend the criminal code and the code of criminal procedures.
i call on the romanian authorities to conduct full and impartial investigations into this issue.
the laws are not yet promulgated and therefore it is not yet too late for the romanian institutions to act to turn the situation around.
the latest developments are a source of growing concern for the commission.
so while we will continue pursuing our objective of a sustainably positive situation in a dialogue with the romanian authorities i wish also to be clear today that the commission will draw the appropriate conclusions if the amendments to the justice law criminal codes and laws on conflict of interest and corruption are promulgated without taking account of the concerns.
the amendments have been challenged before the constitutional court and judgments are expected in mid october. the venice commission is preparing another opinion on these amended codes which is also expected to be adopted later in october.
this means going forwards not backwards and abstaining from any steps which reverse the progress accomplished over the past years.
these laws have attracted criticism from institutions inside romania and from outside.
two thousand and seventeen moreover robust and independent procedures for the dismissal and appointment of top prosecutors have always been a key element in our recommendations. the commission has also recommended that the romanian authorities seek the help of the venice commission in this matter.
this means backtracking from the situation that led the commission to make a positive assessment in our report of january two thousand and seventeen.
the venice commission's preliminary opinion issued in july was equally critical raising serious concerns about the independence of the judiciary its efficiency and its quality.
i would stress once again that the commission is always ready to cooperate with and support the romanian authorities in this process.
we stated clearly at that point that the irreversibility of the progress achieved so far under the cvm is an essential precondition to phase out the mechanism.
these amendments have been challenged several times before the constitutional court.
thirdly as concerns a procedure to dismiss the chief anti corruption prosecutor and the evaluation of the general prosecutor i would like to recall that the track record of the anti corruption prosecution the so called dna was a central reason for the more positive assessment of romania that the commission made back in our cooperation and verification mechanism report in january.
if adopted without changes the combined effect of the amended justice laws and the criminal codes would affect the capacity of the justice system including the prosecution service to effectively fight against corruption and other crimes.
the commission has repeatedly called on the romanian authorities to rethink their course of action and to build a broad consensus on the way forward and i want to reiterate that call today.
president juncker and i issued a joint statement in january this year setting out our concerns on the direction of travel.
romanians deserve a law enforcement order with all authorities properly supervised and full judicial independence.
as always we stand ready to help but the responsibility and the power to deliver change lie firmly with the romanian institutions. i call again on them to take the right steps now.
i trust this dialogue will continue and we will be meticulous and precise in all the elements of the proposals that we would like to discuss with the romanian authorities.
without that we cannot phase out the mechanism.
these laws are crucial for the capacity of prosecutors to investigate and judges to sentence high level corruption as well as for the ability of the judicial system to pursue crime effectively. the climate needed for reform has deteriorated due to the secret protocols between the prosecution and the intelligence services.
i honestly think there is still an opportunity to turn things around.
that is why the commission has discussed this issue regularly with the romanian government at the highest level and has made its concerns public.
the romanian law enforcement authorities as well as other member states expressed their concerns.
as the guardian of the treaties we will not hesitate to take action where necessary to ensure compatibility with the treaties. indeed the commission will use all the means at its disposal be it under cvm or otherwise. the commission urges romania to put the reform process back on track immediately.
i know this house will pay as close attention to that opinion as we will at the commission but unfortunately the fact is that the romanian parliament has so far not shown signs of responding to the opinions and recommendations.
we are seeking further clarification on how specific elements of these laws should be interpreted.
first regarding the justice laws the three justice laws dating back to two thousand and four define the status of magistrates and organise the judicial system and the superior council of magistracy.
this remains one of the outstanding recommendations under the cooperation and verification mechanism.
we will report on the situation in our next cvm report next month.
it made a series of recommendations.
the independence of romania's judicial system and its capacity to fight corruption effectively are essential cornerstones of a strong romania in the european union.
it focuses on concrete national measures and engages in a dialogue with the authorities.
we are all aware that the initiatives taken by the romanian authorities since two thousand and seventeen concerning the reform of the justice laws the criminal procedure and criminal codes and the processes regarding the judiciary have led to concerns from a wide range of stakeholders both inside and outside romania and the eu.
her majesty's government wants to opt into this regulation and mrs may no doubt intends to incorporate it into her proposed security treaty with the eu after brexit.
that liberty was swept away under the eu directive that allows our assets to be frozen or confiscated on the sayso of a foreign court.
we can now be imprisoned in a foreign jail on the basis of unsubstantiated accusations on a piece of paper.
our governments tell us that we have to surrender our liberties so that they can protect us from crossborder crime and terrorism.
for centuries the english could not be imprisoned or have their property taken away without a criminal conviction under their own laws in their own courts.
madam president the uk's adoption of the european union system of criminal law is destroying our freedoms and liberties under english law. magna carta said that the english could not be arrested or imprisoned without evidence laid against them in an english court.
now a court in any corrupt eu member state can judicially kidnap our citizens and freeze or confiscate their property.
the european union has swept away that ancient liberty.
the same governments open their borders to any organised criminal from around the world that wants to launder their money in our banking systems.
now the eu wants to turn this directive into a regulation so that member states will have no leeway in its application and it even allows for nonconvictionbased confiscation orders.
they open our borders to any thief or fraudster that can come purely because they are eu citizens and we cannot deny them entry.
ukip meps will vote against this.
to repeal the laws the anti money laundering laws and the laws on the freedom of assembly that are going to severely and unduly restrict the freedom of ngos.
don't be on the defensive but see this as an attempt to create a culture of the rule of law and fundamental rights throughout the territory of the european union. i'm not going to repeat what has been said about following the recommendations of the venice commission or investigate the claims of interference by the intelligence services but i would urge you
i would also call on all political parties i know i cannot call on the government but all political parties to campaign against the anti lgbti referendum.
mrs prime minister i'm very pleased that you're here today to debate with us but i have to say that i am disappointed at your speech.
i represent the beautiful city of salisbury where russian agents poisoned three of my constituents and a fourth woman who died.
what i'm asking myself is why are we allowing the money of putin's cronies to flow through our banks bringing with it crime and undermining the rule of law?
mr president the sheer volume of dirty money flowing into europe is turning our continent into a playground for kleptocrats and crime bosses while pricing ordinary citizens out of their homes.
the council must now show that it also is serious about fighting transfers of illegal money and treat these new proposals with the utmost urgency.
while people from outside the eu need to have passports to move around our continent their money can flow freely and often too rapidly to be monitored and controlled.
we also know that putin's regime is deliberately undermining european democracy including involvement in the brexit referendum and i'm just back from a tax three mission to latvia where we heard first hand of the vast scale of russian money flowing into the eu through that country.
we agree with the commission that there need to be far more resources and powers at the european level to detect and deter money laundering so we welcome their proposals.
the uk government announced last week that it expects to have respect in the eu.
at a time when the uk is suggesting that after brexit we should collect customs due for the whole of the eu this sets a worrying precedent.
it clearly undermines trust in the strength of the uk customs system and suggests that rather than maximum facilitation and trusted traders we need to get the basics of customs control right. i'm sure that british tax customs officials at her majesty's revenue and customs are as professional as ever but i fear that in spite of what the commissioner said there may be a brexit connection here in that there is a suggestion that the political masters of the tax policy in the uk may be using negotiation over this fraud as a bargaining chip in the it negotiations.
perhaps that government should respect our neighbours by supporting the process of reclaiming money through lost customs fraud and make the necessary changes to stop organised criminals from cheating the system.
i know many other regions will be spoken about by other members too because this is about the immediate problems.
approximately four zero people are living in tents or shelters made from plastic sheeting.
mr president i would like to thank the commissioner for the introduction. like the previous speaker i want to concentrate on behalf of my group immediately on the point raised by the oral question which is the heart of the matter the matter of how local and regional authorities are dealing with the crisis.
we know the risks that refugees and migrants vulnerable to ruthless exploitation and to economic and social subjugation by criminal organisations will submit to.
we have the ability to solve that crisis.
you spoke about more money better practice and better access.
in the negotiations for the next multiannual financial framework will we keep the long term perspective of integration and the key issue of direct funding in mind and push for effective and sustainable solutions?
what do you think of that?
the role of local authorities in the management of these integration policies must be strengthened.
we have a crisis.
how are we to deal with the issue?
we know what the problems are so here we must concentrate very much on what you were saying in your introduction commissioner and i have some questions about this.
we know colleagues what this means not only for those people but for the european union.
there are significant gaps in the provision of basic needs and urgent health care.
for example many of us have been to those regions moria for example is now dangerously overcrowded.
however with determination and hard work and by taking difficult decisions we have managed to restore our economies.
less than a year ago we reaffirmed the basic principles the european pillar of social rights principle fourteen states that everyone lacking sufficient resources has the right to adequate minimum income benefits ensuring a life with dignity at all stages of life.
however minimum income schemes do not exist in a vacuum.
the real challenge is to establish inclusive labour markets to make sure that people don't fall through the social net and at the same time to ensure that national social security systems remain sustainable.
while the picture looks positive from certain angles there is no place for complacency.
furthermore member states are making good use of the open method of coordination to cooperate and to exchange best practices.
ladies and gentlemen we are all increasingly aware that economic growth must be to the benefit of all and must be socially sustainable.
again i am grateful for your invitation to contribute to this debate.
the total number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion remains very high in two thousand and sixteen one hundred.
it is clear we still have a long way to go before we reach the europe two thousand and twenty target of lifting at least twenty million people out of poverty.
today thanks to our combined efforts the europe two thousand and twenty strategy target of seventy five employment rate for men and women seems again to be within reach.
the european semester equally has provided an excellent platform for cooperation in this area.
balancing these elements is not an easy task especially if we look at the wider context of an ageing population and increased digitalisation and robotisation.
i fully support the aim of the proposal to help member states to reach the eu climate commitments under the paris agreement for the transport sector by incentivising the best use in production of new technologies such as electric vehicles.
the nation had been under the direction of a morally deeply corrupt dictator and his system.
i saw that the romanian people had inherited a thoroughly thoroughly corrupt system.
someone who comes from a country like mine cannot even begin to imagine how difficult this must have been for the romanian people.
because of time i could not be precise on every question and critique we have on the proposed and already promulgated laws but i will be very meticulous and precise in putting my questions to the romanian government and in inviting them to answer those questions and to continue the dialogue so that we can resolve these issues.
we are not putting member states all in one batch we are looking at every member state on the basis of the specific issues in that member state and i really want us to be successful here. i urge the romanian government once again keep the dialogue open and listen to our recommendations they have been put down on paper
i have made clear today that we have made a clinical assessment of the situation that we have analysed precisely the proposed changes in the legislation that we are doing this on behalf of the romanian people not against the romanian people and that we look at each and every member state in exactly the same way.
this is just the commission setting out what our role is and pointing out that we are the guardian of the treaty and we need to take this role very seriously indeed. if i may make a political remark sometimes i have the impression to put it in the words of the
so if the commission needs to be brutal in our assessment we will be brutal. if we need to use other instruments at our disposal we will use them.
so if we now speak out and speak up it is because we are doing it for the romanian people who want to fulfil their european destiny by being sure that the system they live in the country they live in is a democracy based on the rule of law with full respect for human rights and where corruption is combated effectively and rooted out of society.
this is not a threat.
i want to remind the members of this house who have not made reference to the cooperation and verification mechanism report that yes indeed the recommendations of the venice commission are important and we will work on them but please also look at the recommendations made in the commission's cvm report of last year and the recommendations we will be making in the cvm report next month.
we look at the facts while also recognising that every situation is different.
let me be very clear what is at stake is of huge importance for the future of our european union but what is at stake is of even greater importance for the future of the romanian people.
it was not just corrupt because of the corruption it was morally corrupt.
in china they have huge data sets they have.
they have access to this data and they can teach their computers.
in the united states they have global service providers.
there will be no more constraints on cross border scaling of innovative technologies that require data storage.
this is about the salaries of our people.
it's a very practical issue.
one three billion images and of course it's much easier for them to create face recognition systems based on artificial intelligence.
and more competitive eu cloud markets.
i believe the proposal will have three important effects legal certainty on the free flow of data in europe;
however we still need to update the rules on public sector information and encourage businesses to share private sector data. all these elements are necessary to build a strong european data economy.
china and global service providers were also mentioned many times today.
it will bring benefits and immediate business efficiencies particularly for smes start ups and scaleups. it means that there will be no more need to duplicate it resources across different member states a heavy burden for smaller companies. it will be easier for them to enter new markets and scale up.
even when thinking about our hospitals or local municipalities too often global service providers are able to provide services with higher quality at lower prices.
today we are closer than ever thanks to the european union open markets freedom of movement freedom of expression.
i met with dissidents and heroes under the dictatorship.
if ever there were three words which articulate what the eu must stand for those are they justice not corruption'.
the scenes of protesters being beaten are deeply disturbing.
after all modern europe is built on the shoulders of the people who shaped history by speaking out with their lungs bursting with tear gas.
these were not terrorists they were not provocateurs they weren't even there illegally.
that is all they want. they stood up for the romania they were promised and for the rights guaranteed by the eu treaties.
these are the mothers fathers sons and daughters of romania europeans whose only crime is to demand an end to corruption and abuse.
this should not be too much to ask.
forwardlooking legislation and regulation is what will drive change in europe and this legislation is one of them a regulation that will bring innovation to europe and show that europe is open for business for cloud computing and for big data analytics.
my congratulations goes also to the rapporteur and the estonian and bulgarian presidency for their excellent work.
two years ago what was being discussed was non legislative;
a cornerstone of the dsm was put into question.
this is why i would like to congratulate vicepresident ansip for standing firm behind some of us members of this house as well as stakeholders in delivering a very good proposal.
to be honest it took us quite some time.
this morning during the future of europe debate i said something that i want to repeat now we cannot address people's concerns and challenges by looking back in time but only by looking forward.
what i also remember of my time in romania was how proud they were of you becoming an independent country how they can once again vote for their own prime minister such as yourself.
be in no doubt today you are here to be once more one of those prime ministers who are to be attacked bullied and abused by those people on the front bench for having one simple thing the audacity to actually stand up to them and their anti democratic ways.
i worked with intelligent smart and caring lawyers alongside me.
you are a prime minister that has received the backing of its people.
now you can go away from here understanding that they don't really want to support you.
they're attacking you the hungarians the romanians but you have a responsibility to your people first not to this lot here.
you are standing up to those people in this room who have one vision and that is their own vision.
you are a prime minister who has a vote.
we worked on the international rules that finally became your own legislation.
when you and your government stood and received over forty five of your nation states' votes only a few years ago you became a leader of a country that was also proud.
both pieces of legislation are dramatically increasing transparency; they are covering other sectors than the banking sector.
maybe it's not exact but you asked about the activities and actions of the commission the current ones and what are the plans.
well because if one member state fails it is a problem for the whole of europe.
coming back to the enforcement of the implementation of the fourth aml we have launched infringements in the case of sixteen member states we have referred two member states for the lack of notification to the court.
i believe that we are proposing something which will be very practical for these emergency situations.
crime. we will increase the capacities.
level be it financial intelligence unit and of course the banking sector and other sectors which are concerned.
so we are pushing very intensively and i must say that the member states take it seriously and we are in constant dialogue.
of us. thank you very much for your attention sorry to be a little bit longer but i wanted to explain the context and to express my personal strong determination to solve the problems we are facing now.
we are of course monitoring the situation in all the member states but the enhanced monitoring of course is in the states where we see problems.
many of you mentioned here that we have to stop the reputational risk to the european banking and financial sector.
this is the core principle which we introduce in the new legislation that the european banking authority should be equipped with the competences to collect the data to coordinate and to act in case of first alert that there is something wrong happening.
i'm sure that the capacities will be deployed on the necessary level and the same applies for the commission.
on enforcement you know that we do a lot to enforce and to guarantee the proper implementation of the fourth antimoney laundering directive and also that we are helping the member states to prepare for the fifth antimoney laundering directive.