kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
this report was an ideal opportunity to address this serious health problem but the focus on other issues means it has sadly fallen short in this respect.
mr president while acknowledging the efforts of the rapporteur to take a balanced line the alde group felt obliged to abstain in the final vote today due to conservative and religious views dominating the final report to the detriment of patients who face shortages of tissues and cells in many member states.
currently in many member states there are too few donors and too many people waiting for tissues and cells particularly spinal marrow gametes cornea and skin.
another point was calling on member states to promote only public cord blood banks thus ignoring the existence of well regulated private cord blood banks in some member states awareness of which should also be promoted in the interests of promoting the donation of cord blood for the benefit of patients.
a number of provisions were adopted today that threaten the already insufficient supply of tissues and cells in many member states including calling on member sates to require that donors be anonymous except in the case of a donation from a living person to a relative thus potentially preventing for example an eu citizen from choosing to donate to a friend in need.
whilst various measures have already been taken internationally to reduce the sulphur content for marine fuels for instance those done through the imo the new directive goes further by ensuring that the commission is able to assess the impact of enforcing the.
two thousand and twenty furthermore the new directive now imposes fines on those who surpass the limits.
governments themselves and local communities have to consider the impact of new people coming into the country on existing community cohesion including the impact on existing immigrant communities.
so when the uk government or any other elected government says that it has a policy and that it has decided on what is a sustainable number of people to allow in considering the impact on local communities it should be allowed to continue that policy and should certainly not be told by the eu or any other body that it should allow more room. we should depend on the wise decisions of the national elected governments.
mr president the eu likes to claim that it is a fort for progress in relation to women's rights. however it is eu led austerity programmes and neoliberal policies that are disproportionately increasing hardship for women workers.
these programmes are resulting in mass job losses together with attacks on wages and conditions in the service sector particularly in retail.
a majority of the unemployed workers in the eu are now women.
women are also disproportionately hit by savage budget cuts targeting vital public services and social welfare.
we have seen this in ireland with the scandalous cuts to single parent allowances to home helps and the threatened cuts to child benefit.
women workers in the service sector have been one of the most active sections of workers taking action against redundancies and attacks on their conditions. in ireland we have seen this with the recent strikes and occupations in la senza thomas cook ebs and laura ashley.
but as my colleague said previously do we need to do this through taxpayer subsidy?
mr president no business needs to be told to look for energy efficiency nor does any householder need to be told to keep his bills down.
there is a wonderful mechanism for driving energy efficiency already and it is called the market.
what we are doing in this house when we talk about energy efficiency is precisely the opposite.
we are intervening through subsidies and other market distortions thereby creating not only a financial crisis but an energy crisis because we are intervening in the natural flow of supply and demand.
the difficulty as so often is that meps cannot resist meddling cannot resist scratching at something in order to show how very concerned they are. i have observed before that shakespeare has something to say about every subject including meps who cannot help legislating in energy policy what's the matter you dissentious rogues that rubbing the poor itch of your opinion make yourselves scabs?
there is also emphasis on the requirement for greater traceability and transparency in the donation process across the eu.
the report equally encourages member states to build on existing examples of best practice in those countries for example the renowned cord blood collection scheme in the uk run by nhs blood and transplant and the famous anthony nolan trust.
i am also pleased to say that the final report crucially resisted calls for a ban on private storage clinics anywhere in the european union.
although the report is based on a notion that only countries on the external border are subject to extreme pressure and that they are the ones receiving the largest number of asylum seekers this is not the reality.
asylum seekers enter europe not only by sea and second line countries where their final destination is should also be taken into account.
i would just like to take an example.
they deal in drama so they love the idea that the crisis has to be presented as a choice between some cataclysmic fall and a solution. but i suggest that there is a third option.
what if people simply carry on becoming gradually poorer?
we could be in for years and years of progressive dilapidation.
when you go to the southern countries in the euro zone the signs are that much clearer.
it need not be a catastrophe.
it need not be the end of atlantis.
it could simply be the end of atlas shrugged a shabby miserable demoralising slide into darkness.
this is the way the west ends.
this report looks down its nose at the service industry and insults all the women and men who work in this sector.
this report also suggests that women are treated differently by employers because they are more likely to interrupt their careers in order to have children.
twenty weeks' fully paid compulsory leave will reduce young women's chances of getting a job.
this is the most effective way to promote growth in europe at a time of economic crisis so we should not underestimate the importance of this legislation.
we also need to have effective tools to drive innovation and boost the competitiveness of european companies in global markets.
we have been pressing hard for better more flexible regulation and we are removing unnecessary administrative burdens and increasing transparency.
i think it is important that this will really facilitate the participation of smes and ensure access to user friendly standards for all.
it is actually a book i had already read and the thesis in it is not especially new.
the idea that europe flourished because it was a diverse competing plurality of states rather than a single empire on the oriental model has been well rehearsed by historians by alan macfarlane by paul kennedy by eric jones indeed by adam smith.
our generation is living through a tragic reversal whereby just as china and india learned the virtues of the dispersal of power europe is going down this ming mogul and ottoman road towards uniformity taxation and decline.
it is perhaps appropriate that i pause at this stage and thank the interpreters who have been very patient with my flights into jacobean english over many years.
what a tragedy that now the descendant of that honest man giveth his mind to fill in forms and is diligent to meet the latest directives coming out of the common agricultural policy.
as the rural year comes to revolve around bureaucracy rather than the natural seasons we have seen not just a rise in prices for consumers and a rise in taxes to sustain the system but also bizarrely a depreciation of output in the countryside.
a system designed to help stimulate food production has ended up damaging both the farmer and the consumer. here you have a microcosm.
what is wrong with state control?
the sooner we get out of the common agricultural policy and design a policy tailored to meet the needs of our countryside the better for all concerned.
these new criteria relating to incompatibilities with established policies of the union or general principles of the union set out in article twenty one of the treaty could be regarded as opening the door to all sorts of additional requirements that existing investment agreements should meet.
these amendments go even further than the commission's initial proposal for the regulation as they considerably expand the scope of the review and withdrawal mechanisms which are already a source of major concern for member states and many members of parliament.
the existence of the bilateral investment agreements needs to be safeguarded but at the same time we cannot unconditionally bless agreements if they create significant problems.
replacing those will be a very gradual exercise taking years. that is why it is important to create an effective mechanism empowering the member states under certain conditions to continue negotiating and concluding bilateral investment agreements. such a mechanism should respect the procedures and prerogatives of the institutions involved.
however i need to make clear that the commission will not be able to negotiate with all countries targeted for investment protection by member states.
at the same time these agreements serve as a valuable source of legal protection for european investors operating abroad.
while it is important to authorise existing investment agreements it is also important to foresee the possibility of taking action in a cooperative manner to address important issues that could arise with regard to the content of the agreements and their interaction with eu investment policy.
because the lisbon treaty does not contain arrangements clarifying the status of bilateral agreements we need to establish legal certainty for investors benefiting from these agreements by authorising their continued existence.
our member states have investment treaties with more than one hundred countries.
we note with satisfaction here that articles five and six would still leave the commission the power to review investment agreements and withdraw authorisation should such agreements create major problems. given the positions of the main protagonists in this process we will all have to show some level of flexibility.
it is important because the longer the adoption of the regulation takes the longer the limbo period lasts with the potential to create legal uncertainty for investors.
finally it needs to be emphasised that we are approaching a decisive stage of the legislative process and time is becoming a major factor.
we will be vigilant on the basic principles of our proposal.
i am appalled that the eu is seeking to implement a device to proffer national packages at union level by majority voting undermining the ability of individual member states to gain or maintain advantages that may substantially support domestic economies.
i doubt whether many external markets trust trade packages with the eu in the light of the failing euro and the commission's botched attempts to save three of its member states' economies.
the uk has a trade deficit with the eu and relies on negotiations with third countries many of which have been in place for years and relate to our commonwealth of nations.
madam president the lisbon treaty is normally regarded as having been constitutional in its scope; but what we have here is an example of how the lisbon treaty will impact and impact adversely on the commerce of member states.
i know we are discussing transitional arrangements but what matters is that the lisbon treaty has removed from member states the right to negotiate bilateral investment treaties.
some time in the future and it is still not clear when bilateral investment treaties will fall under the commission.
because of lisbon investment treaties can become an instrument for the commission's political objectives and not just the commission's we can be absolutely sure that the greens will try to advance their political programme and we have seen that in the trade treaties time after time.
attempts will be made to tack on to every investment treaty the full green agenda. now the greens are talented politicians and i say this in admiration.
they will often succeed and in consequence investment and hence commerce in all member states will be hamstrung and hobbled.
we are confident that a mutually convenient agreement will soon be found hopefully under the chairmanship of the polish parliament during the second half of this year. i thank you once again for this debate.
this important responsibility of parliaments is explicitly recognised in the report on the implementation of the european security strategy which was endorsed by heads of state and government in.
the setting up of such a body even more urgent.
two thousand and eight it says that maintaining public support for our global engagement is fundamental.
the commission and the high representative will continue to follow developments in this area very closely.
this is why this is so important.
lastly concerning your fourth question the commission did not propose social impact bonds.
the commission plans to support these innovative approaches by facilitating the exchange of experience and by further analysing the effectiveness of such an approach together with ways eu funds can help to mainstream and upscale current projects.
in line with the social investment approach we need to ensure that employment and social problems are tackled early on.
currently progress in relation to benefit coverage and adequacy access to services and activation is monitored in the framework of the european semester.
the commission has already worked to reflect the social investment approach in the country specific recommendations issued on twenty nine may.
the commission will explore ways to strengthen guidance to member states for example by incorporating in the employment guidelines a set of policy benchmarks building on the policy packages developed and recommendations adopted in recent years for example on the youth guarantee or on child poverty.
turning to your second question your report last year calling for a social investment pact was very welcome and prefigured the very same approach to social policy as the social investment package.
over the past three years the commission has published white papers on pensions the employment package the youth employment package and the social investment package. these four initiatives together constitute comprehensive policy guidance to member states on the policies and national reforms needed to address the major challenges europe's social and employment systems are facing
and the social partners at national and european level the latter notably through the flagship initiative on the platform against poverty and social exclusion. on the third question the commission is working with the indicators sub group of the social protection committee and other concerned parties to identify the relevant indicators to assess implementation of active inclusion strategies at member state level for each pillar as well as for the overall strategy.
in particular you highlighted the importance of recognising that social investment is indeed investment that needs to be taken into account in all areas of policy including fiscal policy.
it is clear from your question that the commission and parliament are on the same page regarding the importance of social investment.
such policy benchmarks would help step up coordination and surveillance of employment and social policies which is an important element of efforts to strengthen the social dimension of the emu.
they are mentioned in the social investment package as an innovative approach to financing.
member states are invited to pay more attention to mobilising extra private sector resources in favour of social programmes and to improve their efficiency especially in areas where traditional instruments have proved to be less successful for example long term homelessness or reoffending.
to strengthen coordination and surveillance in the employment and social areas we can build on recently developed instruments such as the employment protection monitor the social protection performance monitor and the instruments of the european semester. a scoreboard of key indicators enabling the detection of major employment and social challenges relevant to the smooth functioning of the monetary union will henceforth be incorporated in the draft joint employment report.
two thousand and eight members of this commission were starting their jobs here in.
two thousand and nine have members of this commission ever been on field trips or in any other way confronted the realities of poverty in europe?
therefore let me ask you whether you are ever exposed to the real experiences of real people in europe. the crisis has been going on at least since.
but still the complete lack of emotion and the complete lack of sympathy towards and empathy with the poor of europe and the oppressed and those who suffer enormously as a result of the decisions of the european union and the troika
we are seeing more people in poverty now than ever and we also seem to be losing track of any idea of actually trying to create greater equality in our societies by reducing the gap between rich and poor not simply looking at how we raise those at the bottom.
but i also want to say something about the recommendation on children. many people are very worried about demographics in the european union and here we have a recommendation which is a very strong one in terms of the focus on early intervention.
but the issue of adequacy i think is still one that many of us are really concerned about.
we know what happens to children's life chances if they are in poor housing.
mr president my question is how do you know if the policy you are pursuing is having the desired outcomes?
you can even make an educated guess but you need to put in indicators and benchmarks.
we already have economic and fiscal benchmarks but social indicators remain the poor relation.
to me that is at the core of the question because if we do not measure the performance of member states' social systems then we will continue to pursue a one sided policy that is not delivering the outcomes of poverty reduction increased employment or social inclusion.
therefore the issue of making sure that you have a level of social security which means that people are not left in poverty becomes absolutely crucial.
he uses these arms to kill his own people.
he has found the perfect excuse now for a bloodbath and he is attacking the civilian population in fallujah and ramadi telling the world that he is engaged in a war against terrorists.
he said that he would take them on.
the syrian crisis continues to have a major impact.
throughout this time iraq has been confronted with the difficult legacy of its past while also trying to respond to new threats to its stability. in recent years iraq was able to record progress in several important areas but the security situation remains very challenging.
iraq continues to face obstacles in building a culture of human rights as it emerges from decades of abusive dictatorship.
a joint eu member states assessment mission to iraq took place last december and our experts are currently evaluating possible forms of support.
she specifically raised some of the most difficult questions for iraq including allegations of torture by security forces confession based convictions the often indiscriminate use of so called terrorism charges' proxy arrests including those of women
the european union rejects the notion that rights violations are an inevitable or necessary price to pay for security.
iraq has already ratified this agreement and the member states who have not yet completed this procedure are hopefully going to do so quickly. ultimately progress in our cooperation will depend on each side fulfilling the mutual obligation under the agreement.
in addition the iraqi government has a particular responsibility to promote inclusive and transparent political processes to enable the voices of all of iraq's component groups to be heard.
in two thousand and fourteen echo the humanitarian office will continue to support syrian refugees in iraq whose numbers have now surpassed two hundred and thirty thousand people.
the upcoming general elections on thirty april and the formation of a new government could be an opportunity to advance in this direction.
the european union will be present with an election expert mission and a support to domestic observation.
our formal human rights dialogue within the framework of the partnership and cooperation agreement took place for the first time in november.
no compromise on human rights.
at the same time we have to recognise that iraq's stability does not depend exclusively on internal factors.
the eu will continue to support pca implementation by offering targeted assistance in alignment with iraq's national development plan.
the european union is alarmed by the deterioration in the security situation which appears to be driven by internal as well as external factors.
the european union's support will be delivered in close coordination with iraq's other partners and in particular with the united nations assistance mission for iraq and the special representative of the un secretary general mr nicolay mladenov. we commend the efforts
the danger is that the country will fall back into sectarian divisions and complete political paralysis of the state.
we want to point out that although the violence occurs along sectarian lines its causes are political rather than religious.
we also call on the eu to develop a common eu position in favour of the prohibition of the use of depleted uranium munitions and offer support for the treatment of their victims as well as for the victims of chemical weapons and possible efforts to decontaminate the areas affected.
iraq can only survive if the different populations attempt a meaningful much needed reconciliation.
mr president iraq is a country which has seen more than its fair share of tragedy in recent years the fall of the brutal saddam hussein's ba'athist regime has been followed by more or less constant bloodshed with an unstable government and deep sectarian divisions threatening a still more catastrophic potential civil war.
the kurds have every right to use their oil money to build a stable future for themselves either within a democratic federal or confederal iraq or possibly even in my mind speaking personally.
furthermore i deplore his government's failure to protect the people's mujahideen.
only yesterday a car bomb in baghdad killed fifteen people and according to un figures seven hundred and thirty three people were killed in january this year alone.
it represents an enduring tragedy in particular that some ancient christian assyrian communities are threatened with virtual extinction or expulsion from the country. prime minister nouri al maliki has regrettably revealed himself to be a man prepared to wage war on his own people and is far too close to the iranian regime.
so far today they have killed two hundred men women and children.
in camp liberty members of the iranian resistance whose asylum seeker status has now been officially recognised by the united states in addition to the european union live at the mercy of prime minister al maliki and those who control him from tehran.
we know it.
it is time for the high representative and the member states to do something effective for once.
our colleagues in iraq continue to render an invaluable service and have been doing so under extremely difficult conditions.
before closing i would like to commend the excellent work done by our delegation in baghdad.
member states are regularly encouraged to consider accepting camp residents and we would ask for your support in this regard.
the european union closely follows the situation of minorities in iraq including christians and regularly informs the authorities about our concerns.