kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
general elections will be held on the twenty fifth of this month of july and they can and should lead to a second consecutive democratic transition of an elected civilian government which would be unprecedented in the country's history and improving women's participation has become one of the major issues in the upcoming elections and various measures have been developed to this goal.
there is still too much violence against religious minorities in pakistan it's true but there are also many daily stories of coexistence.
pressure and dialogue can only go handinhand. so our work with the people of pakistan can lead to a country where no person is killed for their love or their faith.
we have to remember about human rights and human dignity also within our borders.
in the punjab and sindh provinces new actions have been taken to protect places of worship of nonmuslim religious communities.
this is also investing in women and girls' rights and empowering women.
laws can change and even culture can change.
on top of our diplomatic work we are engaged on the ground.
let me give just one example one of the main development programmes we are running in pakistan in the sindh province relies exclusively on women and women groups for its implementation.
as a consequence of our engagement the government of pakistan has committed to strengthening human rights institutions and human rights awareness.
i've mentioned our support for ngos but beyond that we use our support for the pakistani economy to empower women and girls across the country.
and let me add that the decision by pope francis to name the archbishop of karachi as a cardinal points precisely in this direction.
it is a realistic goal and i thank you for your engagement to make it happen together with us.
at the same time pakistan's recent history tells us that change is possible and is happening.
a nationwide debate has started on how to prevent false allegations of blasphemy.
but this debate also coincides with a particularly important moment in pakistan's democratic life.
it takes the courage of women and men who are challenging the status quo people who want pakistan to be a better place not just for women and minorities but for all its people.
the story of asma is only one of too many tragic stories coming from pakistan and let me say not only from pakistan but these stories of abuses on religious minorities happen everywhere in the world including potentially in europe.
we as the european union are trying to accompany and incentivise all progress in the condition of women and minorities in pakistan.
the gsp scheme provides us with an efficient and indispensable tool in this regard as a complement to our diplomatic action and to our development aid.
it is thanks to these people that change is happening slowly and still in a limited manner but is happening today.
we're also engaged in increasing the number of girls who enrol in quality primary education.
these may sound like small steps but they tell us that progress is possible change is possible and that engagement pays off. also on the rights of minorities some important initiatives have been put in place.
so in a moment like this i believe we have a duty to engage even more closely with pakistan.
human rights are also a fundamental part of the monitoring process that we carry out in the context of our generalised scheme of preferences the gsp.
this is empowering women. the main objective of the programme is poverty reduction.
i am proud that the european union has supported is supporting and will continue to support this work.
the honour and dignity of females is endangered and no woman is efficiently protected by the state.
especially vulnerable are women from religious minority communities.
moreover child marriages still remain a serious concern in pakistan with twenty one of girls marrying before the age of eighteen despite the submission of proposals aiming to raise the legal minimum age to eighteen for females and to introduce harsher penalties
moreover there are no proper mechanisms on the ground for proper law enforcement and prosecution of crimes against women.
the report by the movement for solidarity and peace in pakistan found that at least one zero girls belonging to christian and hindu communities are forced to marry muslim men every year.
the government failed to act to stop such forced marriages.
one of the key problems is that there is a very fragmented legal framework for violence against women and girls.
the state is unable to protect them from the inhuman social customs prevalent in this society.
i know the situation.
of. zero seven of gni to build an economic infrastructure in poorer countries around the world. let us not dismiss that sort
traffickers. others can commit the hardware intelligence to take out the traffickers completely and for all of us stabilising the situation will mean investing in resources to detain swiftly process and return those who do not have a legitimate
trust. but if there is one thing that the eu should be useful for whatever our ideological views surely it should be about bringing countries together to cooperate and to find solutions that we can all find together and so let us sit around a table and i do not mean just the countries
realism. we need some euro realism and the migrant and refugee crisis is one
solutions. some countries are unilaterally rewriting
work together. europe does not need a new
response. of the four million refugees from syria ninety are in camps in jordan lebanon and turkey and yet some middle eastern countries take absolutely
realistic ways. the time to point fingers is over and i hope there will not be any more of that today. it might produce headlines but it will not produce solutions so let us sit down together and
all out. but we need to be clear about the distinction people running for their lives seeking sanctuary as refugees. we need to understand what they are running
our voters. the effects of the war in syria and conflicts in libya eritrea ukraine and elsewhere will be long lasting and those who say that there are easy solutions are just plain wrong. but in the eu rather than trying to find common solutions we now find our countries and institutions trying to find someone
around syria. we have an obligation to help the millions of people displaced by conflict not just the thousands who managed to reach
a solution because different countries can help people in different ways let us recognise
life. but we must be clear in that case that the correct rules must be followed. there are currently legal migration systems that we have to adhere to. however we also need to be honest with
in the eu. that is their choice but others will rightly say that they want to help the most vulnerable in the camps
that. yes some countries might wish to take migrants already
claim. in the ecr we want a realistic holistic and practical response. there should be no sacred cows if we are going to solve this problem
from. for those not fully in persecution or famine we have to understand that it is only human nature to want to seek a better
no one. let us work out what each country can do to help those fleeing for their lives but let us be clear telling countries what to do forcing a plan on them only risks more finger pointing. it might make some of you feel better but i fear it could actually make the crisis worse and push us further away from
example. many people on the edges of this chamber deliberately seek to confuse economic migrants with refugees either to let them all in or to keep them
crisis. i know that many of us from across the political spectrum came into politics because we wanted to help people but in this chamber we are paralysed in this debate and this continent by ideology and
of the eu. this is an international crisis that needs an international
the rules; others are clearly flouting them undermining
iron curtain; europe needs iron will to discuss together work together and find a solution
our shores. that is why some countries including my own are focusing their efforts on these camps and on the ground tackling the vulnerable delivering over a billion euros of aid to syrian camps helping hundreds of millions of african refugees and actually keeping our commitment
of assistance. other countries can also make a contribution with more funding and assistance setting up application centres closer to where people are fleeing from so that vulnerable people do not have to fall into the arms of the
uk. i know you intend to spend tens of millions of pounds of british taxpayers' money telling us what we should think.
we must be mad to take this risk with the cohesion of our societies. if we want to help genuine refugees if we want to protect our societies if we want to stop the criminal trafficking gangs from benefiting as they are doing we must stop the boats coming as the australians did and then we can assess who qualifies for refugee status.
i look forward to seeing you in the
that is not the way to deal with such problems!
a refugee crisis is the collective responsibility of the european union that is what is at stake.
europe. we are paying the price for
we will always pay the price
i have to say that the inclusion in our resolution of a reference to the financial transaction tax was entirely inappropriate.
mr president in relation to the conclusions of the council last month i just wish to make the point that we in this chamber delude ourselves if we think that we are the only democratic voice in europe.
we should be talking about making europe more competitive not about adopting more taxes which actually harm growth within the european union.
we talk a great deal about the community method but in fact we have to understand that this intergovernmental treaty is signed by twenty six democratic governments accountable to their peoples.
we do not think it is good for britain nor for the eurozone but we wish the eurozone well as it tries to sort out its problems.
we need to ensure that a competitive market delivers our food in an economic and efficient form.
the network should also seek to further coordinate research and development into improved technologies for the treatment of waste products particularly in energy generation.
the report acknowledges that there is a need for industry to play its part in reducing food wastage especially in terms of packaging though i would also like to see more innovative approaches to the actual use of close to date food.
the report is particularly good in that it also acknowledges that legislation imposed by the eu can and often does decrease the global competitiveness of the farms it is actually trying to help.
one of the key elements of the report is the proposition that greening measures in pillar one should be made optional.
conversely i welcome the proposal that the commission will assist those member states who are struggling to meet the targets with transitional adjustments. while it is important to increase the amount of eee being recycled and to reduce the waste it is equally important that the approach should not be too prescriptive but should give member states the flexibility to choose the most appropriate and achievable target for them.
mr president this report on waste electrical and electronic equipment seems to strike the right balance in terms of what should be decided at eu level and what should be left to member states.
mr president the question of food wastage is a growing european problem that is reflected right along the food supply chain.
the past twenty years or so has seen an increasingly widespread ownership and proliferation of personal household and electrical equipment by our citizens and technology continues to develop at a rapid rate to satisfy increasing demands for cutting edge products.
this report makes out that only a third of such hardware is disposed of in the prescribed manner and recycled. this disposal figure needs to increase and parliament must continue to support the commission's two thousand and twenty target of sixty five with an interim target of.
we owe it to our citizens to have a clean environment throughout the whole of the european union.
mr president lukashenko's dictatorship in belarus is sometimes described as the last surviving piece of soviet apparatus in europe but i think that overlooks the common agricultural policy with its central plans with its state support of prices with its regulation.
we have rehearsed many times the case against the cap the terrible damage it does to developing countries particularly in africa the way in which it falls disproportionately on the poorest the inflationary effect it has on our economies through higher food prices the distortion of incentives in the countryside the way in which it particularly penalises countries such as mine which are net food importers.
one thing which i think deserves more study is the way in which it funnels money to a particular kind of people in all the member states and they are not farmers or at least not necessarily.
the payments have become disconnected from the land.
a lot of public sector institutions ngos and generally wealthy individuals are now receiving subsidy cheques from the european union and that in a sense is the point we have purchased or the eu has purchased the loyalty of a powerful and articulate caste of people in every member state.
i would say this is the best mechanism in europe for redistributing money from the poor to the rich but of course that honour must now go to our policy of bank bail outs.
the crisis in the eurozone is continuing and it seems that most of the solutions that have been put forward so far via complicated regulations and ever more complex financial structures have not calmed the markets.
an intergovernmental agreement could be faster to agree and simpler for the markets to understand if it were necessary but as the most important aspects of this treaty are already included in a six pack on economic governance i do not see any value in parliament wasting its time on this rehashed agreement.
if it takes an intergovernmental treaty for member states to live up to these commitments already in secondary eu legislation then why are we wasting time legislating in this house?
if member states do not trust each other to deliver on agreed legislation how can investors begin to trust them?
mr president i have often felt that this chamber is out of touch with reality but observing its reaction to the recent downgrades i began to feel that lack of touch was toppling into clinical neurosis.
we have seen the downgrading not only of our sovereign countries that make up the eurozone but of the fund that is supposed to pay for all the bail outs and the reaction in this chamber as in the palaces and chanceries of europe is to try to turn off the volume to stick fingers in ears and to pretend that if the ratings agencies do not report what is happening then there is not really a problem.
my friends there is no alternative to tackling the underlying problem.
you cannot improve the weather by turning down the weather forecast.
in the current economic crisis with the global population increasing at its current rate and with widespread famine in africa a major problem the need to reduce food wastage has never been greater.
one of the most important matters highlighted by the report is the fact that the rules concerning below cost selling in our supermarkets are not the same throughout the european union.
i hope that with better coordination between member states this situation will change.
lastly i agree with my colleague dan hannan that a radical reform of the cap is essential for the future.
mr president i have been struck by the tone of a lot of the remarks in this chamber since the recent summit to the effect that britain is now disengaged from europe that we should simply go our own way return to the sea and so on.
they are often delivered in a rather disparaging tone but i take them as a constructive basis for negotiation.
it seems that if we are not going to be part of this new treaty on fiscal union this new fu treaty then it is logical that this should become the main forum for further integration.
it should be for example the forum in which any tax harmonisation happens.
it should indeed be not only the unit of economic governance but of wider political amalgamation. this would leave britain in if you like an outward shell of the eu which would have been drained of its substance as the weasel was said to suck the contents out of an egg while leaving the shell untouched.
it would still be called the european union but it would in practice have subsided into a free trade area bolstered by a little bit of intergovernmental cooperation.
it would certainly please my constituents and i put it to you colleagues that you would lose a bad and grudging tenant but gain a good and friendly neighbour.
mr president i voted in favour of the patriciello report; there are clear merits for the european union to coordinate its efforts for a better eu space strategy. the combined technical expertise of all our scientists and engineers would serve to improve space technology that aids both the eu economy and improves the quality of life of our citizens.
for example the gps satellites that millions of motorists rely on across europe could be enhanced to give further accuracy and innovation for traffic management and secure the passage of merchant shipping which delivers the bulk of imported goods to our european economy.
i would also support the eu's global monitoring for environment and security gmes programme which aims to create a capacity for earth observation and the environmental benefits we would hope that it would eventually bestow.
however i support the report's call for the gmes to be funded through the multiannual financial framework which is preferable to the commission's wish that it be funded outside of the european union budget placing an added financial burden on member states during these times of increased austerity.
mr president i voted in favour of the kla report concerning the placing on the market and the use of biocidal products.
i believe that the package will be a balanced one and it will see the biocidal products directive repealed hopefully and replaced with a better alternative while still keeping at the forefront its two main aims. in addition with the retention of the two step biocidal products directive the procedure particularly of assessing chemical active ingredients and the approval system that differentiates between the so called normal' and problematic' substances will still remain in force.
this is essential for the legislation to be effective. i believe the labelling requirements introduced by the compromise package for those materials treated with biocides and the simplification of data protection rules to be positive steps.
the mandatory data sharing mechanism is also important and has been put forward in the report.
this would mean the avoidance of duplication of vertebrate animal studies and the use of more vivisection which generally speaking i reject.
i feel that the report will make the rules surrounding the products a lot easier to understand and also to enforce throughout the european union.
one thinks of president chirac's description of the galileo project as a way of breaking the technological imperialism of the united states;
even as your feet sink into the mire you my federalist friends are still gazing fixedly at the stars.
we europeans can make a difference.
it was announced on twitter thirty minutes ago.
this remarkable teenager with her weapons of books and pens has put the taliban to shame.
her argument that young girls have a right to education is one that deserves our support.
i am grateful to the conference of presidents for pointing out that it will inspire not only malala but the millions of children denied the right to schooling and the self development it brings.
so normal lending is very important.
it is all a question of priorities very hard very difficult priorities in our budgets.
mr president if i am asked by the press when i leave this assembly what was the focus of the debates there will be one answer youth unemployment.
solving the crisis is a very long and very demanding task for everybody.
another issue is the fact that greening our economy is part of the answer. i know that some people think that we will have to wait but greening our economy is part of the answer being more efficient in the way that we use our resources and in so doing creating more space for the most important resource
many member states experienced a recession this year and the risk of losing a generation.
this employment package will also deliver the quality framework on traineeships which many of you called
the commission is keen to contribute to strengthening the strategy's governance notably through improved monitoring of employment and social targets and to bolster the political ownership that is vital for its success.
i also believe it is very important as many participants in the discussion stressed to improve education and training according to the needs of the labour market in order to create a better match between the supply of and the demand for labour. these aspects will be covered in the country specific recommendations at the end of this semester. however as we needed to update and upgrade the youth on the move flagship initiative in the form of the youth opportunities initiative we are also working on an upgrade and an update of our employment policy in the form of an employment package
this convergence of views is comforting for the commission. i believe that political support from the elected representatives of european citizens for these policy priorities will enhance the credibility of the relevant reforms and thus have a positive impact on confidence.
let me give you the commission's view on what exactly we think needs to be done for growth and particularly for more jobs in this period. in the discussion i think there was sufficient attention and appreciation for the youth opportunities initiatives
union. it is not simply about diversity.
this has already been introduced in about one third of the member states and my services are working with other member states to introduce the progress microfinance facility in a more rapid manner and support smes across member states. let me also say that in my view the greatest challenge at this time in terms of economic governance is to deal with the increasing polarisation within the european
round. the commission has done this because it recognises the importance of open debate and democratic accountability for the success of the european semester.
for many of these member states like ireland portugal and greece there is significant out migration which also means out migration from europe because young people do not see the opportunities and they do not see them returning in the coming
we have shown that it is possible to deliver complementary views from the economic and the social side and i am happy with the broad support expressed in this house for our work.
i hope mrs harkin will be able to support the paragraph in my report that counters this asymmetrical approach.
we need measures to give the employment and social goals the power and standing to rise to the level of the budgetary ones so perhaps we need an excessive unemployment procedure and an excessive poverty increase procedure.
why not expand what was once the six pack and is now going to be the eight pack immediately to a ten pack in order also to include the social and employment goals.
they would have the support of this parliament and that the bloodied name of bahrain should not stand this year alongside the proud european names of the nrburgring monza monaco and silverstone.
two thousand and thirteen such a proposal should minimise any negative impact on eu competitiveness taking into account the potential environmental benefits.
this directive deals with our carbon dioxide emission reduction targets and the timetable for the same. recital three states that ll sectors of the economy should contribute to achieving these emission reductions including international maritime shipping and aviation.