kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
madam joly everyone wants to continue this committee. i wondered if you would agree with me that perhaps a good name for it should be the robespierre committee' because it just seems to be an excuse for a bunch of lefties to give big business and little businesses who are trying to protect themselves a good kicking.
when it comes to the report itself i want it to be based primarily on the findings of our investigations.
therefore my group does not support the paragraphs which either go against the compromises we have reached those that are entirely out of the scope of our investigation or those which would give some unworkable recommendations.
the vote on those amendments was not fully representative of the balance of the committee.
finally i would like to call on the commission and especially on the member states to take our recommendations seriously and to follow up on our proposals.
across dangerous waters and which are deliberately abandoned with men women and children on board close to eu coastal waters. the very recent rescues of the vessels blue sky m and ezadeen clearly show that action needs to be taken on this new modus operandi. effective measures should be
have managed to save the lives of thousands of migrants aboard these abandoned ghost ships. however recent events clearly show that we need to step up and further reinforce our common action and to increase its effectiveness.
several specific measures identified by the task force and in the october council conclusions are currently being implemented.
on two january two thousand and fifteen in a statement issued in relation to the smuggling of migrants in cargo ships commissioner avramopoulos again stressed the need to combat the criminal organisations which exploit desperate people trying to escape conflict and war. the council fully shares this assessment. commissioner avramopoulos noted that the fight against the smuggling of migrants would be a priority and referred to the development of a plan to be presented by the commission in due course. the council looks forward to the proposals that the commission will submit in
this context and will consider them as a matter of
taken against smugglers and traffickers in order to combat and dismantle criminal networks which exploit migrants and expose them to the risk of hazardous journeys across the mediterranean as well as to prosecute those involved in such activities. it is important to recall that in the context of the work carried out by the task force mediterranean and in the council conclusions of last october reinforced border surveillance and the fight against smuggling and organised crime are considered priority areas of action.
the successful deployment of the triton operation is a clear sign of solidarity between member states on this issue. in this context the council would like to highlight the very efficient way in which joint operation triton is conducted by frontex the participants of which with the support of the italian coastguard
the council is deeply concerned by the continuing large scale arrival of migrants in particular in italian waters. in this context the ministers are of course aware of the new phenomenon of ghost ships large disposable cargo vessels bearing hundreds of migrants
i have made it abundantly clear for nearly the last ninety minutes that i wanted to speak.
i have indicated to your colleagues twice to catch the eye'. i have also expressly indicated to you that i wished to do so and yet you appear to be applying some form of discrimination to an efdd group member.
maybe you would like to explain why you are personally preventing me from speaking this evening.
i have tried to blue card you have stopped that.
we are speaking of a true human tragedy.
honourable members the very important and fruitful debate that we had today clearly proved that it is our joint challenge and joint priority to step up efforts to prevent the smuggling of immigrants to fight it and to prosecute
we look forward with great interest to the commission's assessment of the existing instruments as announced by commissioner avramopoulos just now.
and to disrupt organised crime groups involved in intra eu human trafficking and human trafficking from the most prevalent external source countries for the purpose of labour exploitation and sexual exploitation including those groups using legal business structures to facilitate their criminal activities.
mr president honourable members i would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to intervene on the recent events of people smuggling in the mediterranean region.
along with the council and the commission the european parliament has a fundamental role to play in this respect.
the council adopted in two thousand and ten the eu policy cycle for organised and serious international crime which established a multiannual policy cycle and a clear methodology for setting implementing and elevating priorities in the fight against organised and serious international crime.
involved in facilitation of illegal immigration operating in the source countries at the main entry points to the eu on the main route and where evidence based on alternative channels;
to reduce organised crime groups and the abuse of legal channels for migration including the use of fraudulent documents as a means for facilitating illegal immigration;
i could not agree more with the view that abusing the hopes of desperate people is a crime.
in the framework of this policy cycle the council set priorities for the fight against serious and organised crime for the cycle two thousand and fourteen two thousand and seventeen including the fight against facilitation of illegal immigration and trafficking of human beings in the following terms to disrupt organised crime groups
those involved in such activities.
to achieve the objectives of fighting against these criminal situations it is crucial that all stakeholders make an active contribution.
the word criminal' is inadequate to describe the abandoning of men women and children in a leaky ship on the open sea.
the commissioner said earlier that turkey was now an alternative route into europe and mr kirkhope of the conservative party spoke about the need for strengthening borders.
there will be no need for the people smugglers to put people into leaky ships because all they will have to do is to give them forged turkish passports and they can come freely.
such criminals are not fit even to be described as human beings and the severest penalties should be imposed on convicted people smugglers.
but i wonder if he is aware that the conservative party's policy recently stated by david cameron is to further open up borders and to allow turkey to join the eu and allow another seventy two million people the right to come to britain?
in malta the european asylum support office has launched a project to gather information from asylum applicants about the routes taken during their journeys.
given that turkey has become one of the alternative routes for smugglers to reach the european union we are in close contact with the turkish authorities to quickly adapt our strategy.
moreover the european union and the member states must work together to establish a truly european programme for the resettlement of refugees.
we have no time to spare.
let me first elaborate on the fight against smuggling and the rescue of migrants at sea.
in order to respond to the constantly evolving strategies of smugglers the european union its agencies and the member states have to step up their cooperation and common action in a spirit of solidarity and responsibility.
in this critical hour where europe is facing a growing number of challenges the european union and the member states together have to take credible and effective action on migration.
we need to intervene and inform prospective migrants about the risks of entering europe illegally.
we have to increase the number of refugees resettled in european union countries.
in this respect the commission is currently assessing the existing eu criminal framework in an effort to improve its practical implementation.
so there is no doubt that europe needs to do more.
cooperation with countries of origin and transit is also a cornerstone of the commission's strategy to fight smuggling.
better coordination and a more comprehensive approach will help to address the roots of the current flows of irregular migrants and of smuggling.
the recent events also show that smugglers are finding new routes to europe and are employing and engineering new methods in order to exploit desperate people who are trying to escape conflict and war.
this will not go away.
it also is vital that eu member states fully implement the common european asylum system as soon as possible.
europe has to take charge.
one clear example of our integrated approach is the cooperation with many african countries.
in addition other european agencies have undertaken many important initiatives to tackle smuggling.
people in need of protection should not be risking their lives to obtain this protection.
the commission will support its agencies in order to intensify their efforts but we also count on the financial and operational support of the member states.
of course the cooperation with third countries cannot be limited to the fight against smuggling.
an important tool in this context.
as i said at the beginning smugglers have discovered new methods and new routes but we are determined to address this issue with determination. there is no doubt that smuggling is a criminal offence but we need to make our legal
this pilot phase will give us the opportunity to adjust the practical modalities of the implementation of the distribution key.
our objective at this stage is to avoid extensive negotiations on a comprehensive list of criteria and instead to agree on a minimum set of criteria.
coming back to what was said before fighting smuggling will be a top priority in the comprehensive approach to migration.
as announced in the commission work programme for two thousand and fifteen the commission intends to present this comprehensive approach in a european agenda on migration.
we keep trying and we continue the political dialogue.
citizens have legitimate concerns too many are coming too fast but populism is never the answer.
our response to the ruthless criminals who abandon children women and men in ghost boats should be clear increase security cooperation increase cooperation with third countries like turkey strengthen frontex triton and the eurosur coordination system with more resources.
more member states should take more responsibility for more refugees including with resettlement.
we do not say go home'; we say go to work'.
mediterranean countries need to step up their humanitarian responsibilities to treat those arriving with dignity. the commission needs to make sure that all member states are living up to their obligations particularly with regard to detention conditions.
we need more solidarity and more joined up thinking. member states must process efficiently and quickly the applications of asylum seekers who arrive even if it means more administrative work and resources. we especially need to ensure that unaccompanied minors are protected and safe and that their best interests are at the forefront of our actions. we need the toughest penalties for human traffickers across
the eu and third countries must take action against them
it is difficult and dangerous to come here but once you do it is very likely that you will obtain a residence permit be entitled to family reunification and so on whether you are fleeing from persecution or just from poverty. as long as this continues to be the case there will be more and more people trying to get to europe.
as long as there is demand for sea transport there will be criminal organisations satisfying that demand.
so we will have more and more of these tragedies.
the problems that create migration cannot be solved by migration or new legal rules;
neither can europe indefinitely afford this kind of immigration.
i count on parliament's full support for this important file so that we can continue delivering our ambitious agenda for a competitive and growth driven tax environment;
that is why we are fully committed to ensuring the right balance between the criteria of independence and integrity towards competence of the independent person given the increased complexity and sophistication of the cases involved.
second it will encourage growth friendly business activities and will boost the competitiveness of the eu as a whole.
first because the ccctb will create a simpler more stable and more attractive environment for businesses and investors inside europe.
if the affected taxpayer cannot prove that there is double taxation member states can decide to deny access to the procedure.
but equally importantly people should not be paying more tax than they are due to pay.
that means closing loopholes exploited by large companies to avoid paying their fair share but also ensuring that we address anomalies like double taxation which disproportionately affect small and mediumsized companies who often end up footing the bill twice when they are doing business cross border.
for many smes this uncertainty keeps them from taking the leap towards supplying their goods and services across borders.
this is where the european union has tremendous added value.
we have managed to halve the timescale to align the process with the annual business and investment cycle.
the next step of course is to ensure we fully implement a common consolidated corporate tax base that will prevent double taxation being charged in the first place.
let this be a strong message to those who doubt the eu's key role in cutting red tape and making crossborder business a possibility for all.
it is time we took a stand and forced the commission to get its house in order.
this is a gloss a flagrant attempt to disguise the fact that in the audit that matters year after year the eu's general budget accounts fail to meet minimum accounting standards.
to quote mr zeller's statement we deeply regret that for the twenty second year in a row payments are materially affected by error because of the fact that the supervisory and control systems are only partially effective.
the only one of those two opinions that matters is the second.
three eight error rate with thousands of millions of euros not properly accounted for not just this year but year after year. i propose that we vote against granting this discharge.
in its recommendation the council outlined a number of elements which from our point of view should be followed up and implemented by all actors and without delay.
hence preventive measures by the commission such as interruption and suspension of payments should be strictly applied.
on twenty eight february two thousand and seventeen my colleague minister scicluna had the honour of presenting the council's recommendation to grant discharge to the commission to the committee on budgetary control and i believe tomorrow you will confirm the vote of the committee on budgetary control and grant discharge to the commission.
moreover the council also called on the commission to provide on a regular basis clear exhaustive and timely information about the needs for the payment appropriations and the availability of the funds in the annual budget.
we also welcome the court's analysis of the errors and of the classification and distribution of corrective measures implemented in the very same year.
in this discharge procedure the council did not only look at the past but it also looked to the future.
we therefore encourage the court to continue increasing the focus on performance in its future annual reports.
the council urged the commission and the member states as well to strengthen their mutual cooperation and stressed also the importance of avoiding errors in the first place.
therefore a balance has to be found between the risk of error and the cost of control and audit thereby focusing on better controls rather than on more controls.
use of eu funds in full respect of the principle of sound financial management is of utmost importance and the delivery of good results is particularly important also given that it is on this basis that the public forms its perception of actions financed from the eu budget.
nevertheless we must also recognise the efforts made and actions already taken by the commission and also by the member states.
on the one hand prevention is always better than correction.
it also called on member states to continue cooperating with the commission and to give priority to increasing the quality of first level checks in order to prevent or detect errors and correct them prior to declaring expenditure to the commission.
achieving results and focusing on performance is of paramount importance especially in a context of budget discipline and scarce resources. the council invited the commission to continue its efforts in providing consistent and coherent measurements of performance at all the levels of management of the programmes
it called on the commission to prepare and publish on an annual basis a long term and transparent forecast covering budgetary ceilings estimated payment obligations and needs until the end of the current mff as well as capacity constraints and potential decommitments.
i am glad that the european parliament and the council are able to agree on this important issue.
on the other hand there is also a need to continue applying financial corrections and recoveries rigorously to protect the eu budget.
it should also be clear that the level of error estimated by the court and this was also highlighted by previous speakers is not a result of fraud inefficiency or waste of funds per se and the pressure on the european union and the national finances is still a reality in the current economic scenario.
having one minute on the discharge is like reading out loud a random page of the bible so i will only choose two things tonight in my short speech.
a very valuable observation not maybe a finding because we all know this but it is a fact that the budgetary cycle needs to be changed. this is number one.
number two perhaps is the ever growing importance of emphasising performance.
those are the two things that i choose to say tonight in one minute.
process. the latter will nevertheless depend on the credible willingness of the transitional authorities of guinea to re engage in a peaceful and constructive dialogue with a clear commitment to refraining from further violence and to respecting the human rights and political freedoms of its citizens.
we will have to insist on the liberation of the arrested prisoners and a thorough investigation of the events.
we have not been alone.
the final death toll is still unknown as the soldiers also collected the bodies rather than allow them to be counted at public morgues. at this stage we do not know the real dimension of these tragic events. the number of injured people is said to be at least one two hundred and eye witnesses have reported that soldiers raped women on the streets of conakry.
a national transitional council was to guide the transition process and prepare the necessary modification of the constitution in order to help elections.
us. the african union and ecowas decided to suspend guinea until it established a democratically elected parliament or government. an international contact group on guinea co chaired by the african union and ecowas and with participation by the european union was put into place.
the houses of opposition leaders were ransacked and shops looted by uniformed men.
guinea. secondly the option of targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for violence could be further explored.
he proclaimed two days of national mourning and pledged to investigate the violence.
the un security council was briefed last wednesday on the situation in the country.
we will spare no efforts to help the people of guinea in this critical moment and we are determined to support a return to civilian constitutional and democratic government through free and transparent elections.
he distanced himself from the killings by saying that he was not in control of the elements of the military responsible for the atrocities. the european union immediately and forcefully condemned these brutal and shocking events. a presidency declaration a statement by high representative solana and a statement by eu commissioner de gucht were issued the following day.
the african union condemned the events and decided to prepare a report on possible measures to be taken. the economic community of west african states called for a full international inquiry into the matter.
the eu decided to open consultations under article ninety six of the cotonou agreement and eu development aid apart from humanitarian aid and support for democratic transition was frozen.
in a tv statement the following day captain camara expressed his condolences with the families of those killed and visited some of the injured.
what can we do then to prevent further violence and how can we help the people of guinea in their legitimate desire for democracy the rule of law peace and development? well there are three main areas of action.
we will need to coordinate this approach with the african union and other international and bilateral partners.
during the violent repression several opposition leaders were wounded and temporarily arrested. the number of protestors still under detention is also unknown;
captain camara gave his assurances that none of the coup leaders would stand for political office.
respect. thirdly we should continue to provide humanitarian aid to the civilian population and support the democratic transition
our international partners have acted in line with
two thousand and six ever since then there has been a human rights crisis in hungary and this european union does not do anything about it.
but it is extremely important to do it in a credible way and in order to do so we have to defend human rights within our borders as well within the european union system.
i can only encourage you to continue the discussions with the commission.
we think it will have more effect if we do it together with the international community.
we have also as i said opened consultations under article ninety six of the cotonou agreement and we have frozen all eu development aid apart from the humanitarian aid and the assistance to the democratic transition.
we are also acting in very close cooperation with other actors in this so that the international community can condemn and act in a very coherent way.
we have the international contact group.
it is a very serious subject and as i hope you understood from my introduction we share your concerns about the horrible breach of human rights that has happened in conakry. there are concerns and worries about people still being detained and we have asked for a complete investigation of what has happened and the release of the prisoners.
that is the only way we can really exercise pressure.
there has been the appointment of the mediator the president of burkina faso which is very good and he is a member of the contact group.
it is very good that the european union is unanimous concrete and concise in its condemnation of these horrible events.
i think we can say that the european union has been extremely clear.
there are different options on how you can target individuals and so on in this and we need in the coming days to further discuss with international actors how we can coordinate those sanctions in order for them to have the maximum effect with the african union with the contact group with the us etc.
we are also open to answering other questions and to discuss sanctions.
this is an agreement which puts some hundreds of thousands of euros into the hands of this regime in order that we can take tuna from the coast. like many of these agreements it is a shabby deal at the best of times and in the present circumstances it is utterly unacceptable.
the minister mentioned possible sanctions to be taken against guinea.
will she now add this to her list and give us an undertaking that she will fight to try and ensure that this partnership agreement is suspended?
we need to act as an honest broker in these institutions;