kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
i am proud because together we realised that the way forward is to ensure the environmental integrity of the industry as a whole. we agreed that real driving emissions are a necessity and that any emission values that the european commission bases itself on have to be measured values and not simply values declared by the car manufacturers.
more ambition will stimulate innovation and investment in the european union.
this is the time to show that for us it is not a question of industry versus the environment but an issue of making sure that we address both the environment and industry together. we have the opportunity to act tomorrow in our vote in this plenary.
if we had to produce batteries within the eu we would be creating ninety two zero jobs.
this is confirmed by the european commission itself.
and we have a choice we have a choice between attracting investment to the european union or letting other continents take the lead with all the disruptive effects that this will have on our industry on our companies and our small producers our environment and our cities.
i did not want to speak about numbers but i want to set the record straight.
as far as i'm concerned the answer is simple there aren't the right incentives for the industry to invest in cleaner cars.
it will create jobs in the years to come particularly if the european union embarks on a long term strategy that seriously attracts battery production investments to the european union.
i am proud to be standing here to defend the committee on the environment's position on legislation that respects our climate targets the environment public health industry and competitiveness.
this is the time to act.
i am for more ambition because we have studies that clearly show that we need to take decisive action.
we agreed that we have to move from measuring emissions at the tail pipe to analysing the whole life cycle of a vehicle.
an ambitious proposal is all about car manufacturers having the right incentive to invest and create quality jobs right here in the european union. i ask two questions why are car manufacturers investing seven times as much outside the european union as they do within the european union when it comes to cleaner cars?
and make of them what you will all throwing shapes every one of them convinced he's in the right.
all of them glad to repeat themselves and their every last mistake no matter what.
member states have also now agreed to extend this new system to services and goods online delivering another boost for vat collection in the european union.
we can only solve this issue in a european way and i believe by now every member state understands that this cannot be done just individually by member states but we can only find a comprehensive and sustainable solution if it comprises all elements linked to migration.
that is why the commission strongly believes that we need to revise the dublin regulation but we need to do it in a way that expresses the new realities which were not known when dublin came into being and expresses the future reality that we will only solve this issue on the basis of european wide solidarity. just imagine what would have happened in two thousand and fifteen
to start with migration it should be obvious to all of us that we can only find a sustainable solution to the challenge of migration if it is a comprehensive solution.
either we understand that or we condemn ourselves to reintroduce internal borders in the european union.
it would not have been possible without the european union.
what would have happened to greece and italy if everybody had taken that attitude as some nations have?
and yes mr farage i was elected six times to a national parliament.
on the issue of brexit the british people have voted and that means that for now we are all under the obligation to do as little harm as possible.
but again the issue of ireland i want to stress what jean claude juncker said is central to our responsibility to do as little harm as possible in these negotiations and just to brush us aside in london is completely irresponsible; the commission will never take the responsibility to do the same thing and that is why michel barnier is doing what he is doing.
was. and any comparison to the eu is not just misleading.
how is it possible that people coming from the united kingdom maintain that there is no link between the european union and the good friday agreement?
but let me be very clear carving out parts of the four liberties is not going to bring a solution.
and i believe this means trying to find solutions for the problem we face.
i want to make add two remarks.
one of my colleagues vytenis andriukaitis was born in siberia.
if somebody says i want to leave your house but i'll take the key and i'll come back in whenever i like and take whatever i like from that house' that doesn't work.
so leaders at that time took their responsibility sometimes at incredible political cost but on the basis of the values i hope we continue to share.
that i knew as a young man and i hope i will never see again.
why? because his parents lithuanians were deported by the soviet regime to the gulag.
in that sense i honestly believe the challenge we are facing to bridge the mediterranean is of the same magnitude as the challenge our grandparents faced to bridge the rhine after the second world war and the challenge we faced when we were younger to bridge the elbe after the fall of the berlin wall.
but i represent a college of commissioners where more than one third of its members have personal experience with dictatorship with oppression and with dictatorial communist rule inspired by the soviet union.
it would have been a tragedy of incredible proportions a human tragedy.
the good friday agreement was one of the most historic achievements of the united kingdom ireland and the european union and we are all responsible for maintaining that legacy and for preventing the island of ireland from going back to a past
let me end on one issue about migration. our sister continent africa is at the core of the problem and will have to be at the core of the solution. no other parts of the world will have to take a greater responsibility for the future of africa than europe. only if we understand that the future of africa is the future of europe will we be able to solve the issue.
finally of course at this stage emotions run high on all sides. i have some understanding for that and you have to sort of forget some of the things that are being said with all these emotions.
first of all on the good friday agreement.
they have all fought to liberate themselves from this.
we have to make sure that we come to terms with the fact that the united kingdom has expressed a wish to leave the european union and that we negotiate in good faith to make this happen in a way that respects the integrity of the european union including its four freedoms and respects the wish of the british people as it stands.
the european union is an integral part of the success of the good friday agreement.
let me also be very clear.
that is in the interest of all europeans whether they are in the united kingdom or on the continent.
and you cannot just brush away that responsibility which is a collective responsibility.
and two thousand and sixteen if all nations in europe had said we just close our borders and we will not let in anyone.
vytenis did not know sunlight what it meant. he did not know what the length of a day
that is the magnitude of the challenge and the sooner we wake up to that challenge the sooner we will find a comprehensive solution to an issue migration that will not go away simply by refusing entry simply by building walls simply by protecting better our external borders.
all these things that he has told me over the years show clearly what the soviet union
because frankly it boils down to a very simple truth either we find a solution internally for that challenge that effectively shows the understanding that we cannot leave countries alone simply because of reasons of geography because they are closest to where the migration flows come from.
not just a stronger protection of our external borders but also agreements with countries of origin for the return of people who do not have the right to asylum as well as forms of internal solidarity in the european union and the revision of the dublin agreement.
my second point to you is to put on the agenda in october the question of our values. we see it everywhere in europe and certainly in a number of countries illiberalism is on the rise and it will not be by being silent that it will go away.
fifty' i think it's a very bad idea.
secondly that we will never accept and i say it also very clearly to the british colleagues here an extension of this whole procedure.
but that said the previous time he was insulting his wife but here he does something far more different.
enough uncertainty has been created by brexit.
let's stop
first on the migration system we will never accept discrimination based on skills and on nationality as javid this morning proposed.
you are obliged to do so based on the treaties and based on the fact that the parliament has activated article.
enough mess has been created by brexit;
i want a clear answer from you.
on the contrary it will continue. i think that the time is here to put it on the agenda because the kaczyski government is continuing they are now already abusing the ses system the schengen information system to stop democracy advocates and activists.
it's fantastic to find always ways and new proposals on migration but you have to have a position. take a position and we can start negotiations because it is this broken dublin system that really is the source of the rise of racism problems with migrants and also of nationalism and populism.
one eight million eu right holders in the north of ireland could be disenfranchised from their democratic right to vote and to stand in the european elections post brexit.
it is against the very principle of democracy that the citizens be left without a voice in any decision making process that affects them but that is actually what the democratic unionist party is saying.
it is the entitlement and birthright of everyone born on the island of ireland to be part of the irish nation and therefore the irish government needs to amend its national law to reflect this.
lbc has reported that the dup wants i quote as hard a border as possible' in ireland and disenfranchised citizens no matter the cost.
sinn fin has legal advice that demonstrates there is no constitutional or legal impediment to facilitate external voting for all irish nationals and create a new european constituency for the north of ireland.
it is staggering gradually zigzagging towards a very damaging brexit a costly brexit a job destroying brexit a rights threatening brexit a brexit that bears no resemblance whatsoever to what was promised by the leave campaign at the time of the referendum.
this is not what we were promised'.
the labour party at its congress last week decided that it will vote against any such damaging withdrawal agreement on a brexit deal.
people have a right to stand up for a proper democratic process.
in those circumstances it is not surprising that more and more british citizens especially those who voted leave are saying wait a minute this is not what we were promised this is not what we were told and it's damn well not what i voted for'.
if that doesn't bring down this government and cause a general election then we will support other options including the possibility of a new referendum a referendum on the actual brexit deal.
people have a right to say this is not what we were told;
this is all to do with making sure that the united kingdom stays with the european regulatory framework.
the previously undiscussed issue of the irish border never a problem at any point during the referendum has very effectively been weaponised by barnier.
under the right leadership we'd say to you let's have a free trade deal or we would simply walk away.
for twenty years here everybody from commissioner kinnock to valry giscard d'estaing has said to me if you want to leave political union and have a free trade deal that's fine by us we just need a prime minister who actually understands it. i know the european commission would not necessarily want this because they're trying to use the brexit vote as a means of saying that leaving this club comes at a price but i do believe it would be possible.
but that is what you get when you design a form of government that gives power without accountability.
there is one little victory though that i'm pleased with. for a decade here i have noticed that that centralising authoritarian tone began to sound very like the old soviet union with the concept of limited sovereignty of individual nation states. i have even talked in the past about the volkerkerker' the old austro hungarian prison of nations and to
but we get to the heart of what this european union is when we see the behaviour of the unelected bureaucrats people like mr tusk whose behaviour at salzburg was arrogant lowgrade and pretty vulgar in every respect.
nobody voted for these guys and nobody can get rid of these guys they can do what the hell they like and increasingly the nature of this club is authoritarian taking away voting rights from hungary poland and who knows next.
your exporters call us treasure island' so many motor cars and so much wine and belgian chocolate do you sell us. we should go for a simple free trade deal.
see the british foreign secretary jeremy hunt now using that language means that we have shifted the centre of gravity we have shifted this debate.
but of course this has got nothing to do with the good friday agreement.
the one thing barnier has been scared of from the start is us leaving and us becoming competitive. sadly the british prime minister has fallen hook line and sinker for this and we find ourselves now going into this next summit in a very weak position.
don't forget what an important marketplace we are.
twelve thirdly while the derogations and the reduced rates will continue to be determined by individual member states they will also be available to exporters from all other member states. together these changes will help achieve a level playing field in the single market eliminate distortions and allow for a consistent application of the country of destination principle.
at the same time they will give more freedom to member states in fixing the national vat rates according to their priorities. the other report by mr kofod aims at harmonising and simplifying certain rules in the vat system.
we will therefore continue to call on the parties to remain engaged in the un led process in view of achieving a comprehensive political settlement to this really unacceptable
public salaries in the northern part of the country controlled by the houthi have not been paid in years.
what do you expect if the eu tries to replace the nationalistic working class with a homogeneous bunch of people from abroad who will support the eu?
what do you expect?
so that wasn't particularly democratic.
they want their homes and their freedoms;
they believe a vote for them.
roughly the same number says that there are challenges in the economic area where europe has a role to play. my question is when are we going to close the gap on a number of those issues?
when are we going to be delivering on those issues?
but i am afraid migration is not the only issue though it looks like that's the only problem.
to be left with all technology that is killing our people because of the effect on climate and air quality?
what workers should be really be afraid of is that we lose out in the automotive sector;
some like mr gieseke argue that increased ambition will lead to a loss of jobs.
what do we want?
why are european car manufacturers making so much effort in china to make electric cars and not do so within europe?
well it's not the case.
that's why we need to have ambition.
stop any further starvation and death.
however national tax authorities on their own have lacked the resources to tackle crossborder vat fraud thoroughly.
however just a note of caution this depends on how quickly the governments of the twenty eight member states approve and implement this agreement. largescale vat fraud means eur fifty billion lost from national budgets each year because of the complexities with differing rules money that could have been better spent on housing
therefore i welcome today the fact that agreement has been reached in the council to move towards a strong harmonised definitive vat system.
particularly where there are disputes a simple euwide vat dispute resolution mechanism is urgently needed.
an important step that this report is proposing is to enable member states to reduce rates up to five and for one item they can reduce it to even lower than.
one big flaw is the system of vat refund for exported goods.
better schools and improved health care facilities.
five this is hugely important.
i'm all in favour of pushing the car industry and indeed every other industry as far as we can in terms of reducing emissions but not to push them over the edge.
that brings me to the point made by my colleague peter.
in other words we do not want job losses we do not want carbon leakage but at the same time we do not want to listen to them either saying they can't do anything.
all types of companies transnational as well as domestic.
and the need for an effective remedy for all victims of human rights violations and abuses.
this muchneeded progress must in the first instance be achieved through clear commitments from all states to implement a duty to protect human rights and to abide by their existing international obligations. thank you again for your fruitful statements and for your attention.
mr president as already mentioned by the commissioner the european union is not opposed to discussing a potentially legally binding international instrument on business and human rights.
two hundred and eighteen to sum up thank you for your fruitful statements.
i think i am also repeating what you have already said when i say that any possible further steps regarding the international legal framework for business and human rights at un level must be inclusive firmly rooted in the un guiding principles and address as you have already mentioned
this has been a very useful debate which demonstrates the high degree of convergence between the views of parliament and of the council on the importance of ensuring an effective level of protection for victims of human rights abuses resulting from companies' actions and of improving their access to effective remedies.
let me also reassure you that the eu will continue to cooperate with all stakeholders globally on initiatives to ensure implementation of the un guiding principles on business and human rights including through national action plans and to promote accountability for human rights violations
with regard to your question on the formal mandate for negotiations the council will take a formal decision on the opening of negotiations if and when it receives a relevant recommendation in accordance with article.
regarding the upcoming elections to the european parliament the council supports the euwide information and awareness raising campaign on eu citizenship rights including electoral rights to support turnout.
in the discussion held last year in the council on the eu citizenship report two thousand and seventeen the council asked the commission to promote best practices implemented in the member states to help citizens vote or stand in eu elections.
the presidency notes the concerns voiced by ms wikstrm reflecting the concern of the authors of the petition regarding the consequences of the disenfranchisement of voting rights in national elections in some member states in relation to the exercise of the freedom of movement.
encouraging the member states inter alia to take the measures necessary to allow citizens residing in third countries to vote in elections to the european parliament.
for the council increasing and improving citizens' participation in the democratic life of the union is a priority and all european institutions and member states should join forces to achieve this objective.
however the treaties do not confer any power to the council to act in this regard as this is a matter of national sovereignty which in many member states is regulated by the constitution. concerning the facilitation of the exercise of the right to vote i want to emphasise that in july the council adopted a revision of the one thousand nine hundred and seventy six electoral law act
in particular last year the council adopted conclusions where it invited member states to enhance citizens' participation in the eu democratic process for example by better informing them of their rights to vote in local and european elections and by removing barriers to their participation.
as for the uk and us we must seriously examine our role in such grave abuses of crimes of war.
internal conflict exacerbated by regional powers has had an unbearably high human cost. only in august forty children were killed by a saudi air strike using a bomb supplied by the united states. the uk government continues to approve munitions knowing that they are being used in such crimes. it is brutality of the highest order that saudi arabia and iran are using the people of yemen as a field for their indirect proxy war.
both sides must stop their operations and use their influence to bring their proxies and allies around the negotiation table.
starting with refugees and migration it seems that most of all we need to protect ourselves from a kind of invasion coming from refugees.
own resources are on the plate and overall this is the short list of issues where the austrian presidency should be able to deliver until the end of the semester.
we need to start discussing a legal corridor for migration in europe and we need to have partnerships with the origin countries which really helped these countries to provide a better life for people to stay.
last but not least we need to have the financial means and that's why taxation fair taxation will be crucial to provide the means for us to sustain our welfare systems our public services but also the means to provide a community budget up to the level for the next years.
i have only one thing to say about this a year ago the vast majority of this parliament had the strength and the audacity to go beyond dublin and to agree on how our union by acting together can fulfil its humanitarian duty in a responsible and effective way.
first they carefully ignored this parliament's call to open an article seven procedure on hungary and then they focused on what they believe is their main topic migration as if this were the existential topic that our union is facing.
let him be reminded that the united kingdom decided freely to join the european union. it also decided freely to hold a referendum on its membership in which the citizens voted freely.
however to those especially in the united kingdom who blame the eu twenty seven for lack of flexibility i will say this we cannot be held responsible for resolving intractable contradictions in the british position.
it is also its choice to refuse any form of special status for northern ireland and it was its free choice to be party to the good friday agreement that brought peace to ireland.
our door will remain open to you.
to both leavers and remainers i will say that it is in noone's best interest to have the united kingdom crash out of the european union.
these three constraints are incompatible with one another and resolving this british contradiction can in no way justify the dilution of the single market one of the union's key pillars.
this would imperil peace in ireland it would jeopardise the prosperity of too many of our fellow citizens and it would poison the relationship between the two sides for the foreseeable future. we should now focus on the only thing that matters namely finding in the next few weeks an agreement on the terms of the withdrawal. this will then provide both sides with the time needed to build our future relationship