kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
as on previous occasions your support in outreach efforts to our partners worldwide is very much appreciated.
the roadmap towards paris will show our obligations and intentions in the international context and the forthcoming proposals on the energy union will be more focused on internal eu processes.
successful international negotiations on climate change will be one of the priorities of the latvian presidency.
when it comes to announcements by the united states and china i would like to stress that the us china announcement was very important in that it is the first time that the two biggest emitters representing forty three of global emissions jointly announced future mitigation commitments
therefore we need to see how these announcements will be translated into intended nationally determined contributions.
they will ask us to go beyond our differences and our doubts and to chart a new course together.
this is the greatest challenge that we must face but we must face it with the greatest ambition and hope.
next november in paris not only european citizens but more than seven billion people will ask us to be brave and for our choices to be bold.
much has to be done in paris but if we are able to make the climate agreement a reality our generation will not be remembered as the one that destroyed the world but as the one that finally came to respect it.
around the world the impact of climate change is accelerating and the most vulnerable countries are already paying the higher price.
this parliament and national governments should concentrate on the practical measures which in a period of austerity are causing events like the greek revolt.
mr president successful political activity or campaigns should focus on that sound military adage never reinforce failure follow up success.
so i particularly want to hear from the commission how they are working and how this will impact on the finance for development because we can be certain that even if we are not linking these issues the g seventy seven are linking them and success in new york will determine success in paris.
we are not linking the two things together.
the need for more flexibility and responsiveness to changing situations and more openness for the identification and support of infrastructure measures resulting for transport service requirements;
the commission appreciates very much that the european parliament is following this revision process from the outset as reflected in this resolution.
it has also proved to be vital as a reference framework for various transport policy actions and legislation in particular interoperability in the railway sector and road safety.
i would also like to recall on this occasion the advantages and disadvantages of the comprehensive network.
the commission also underlines that ten t investment is key to sustainable economic development and thus is an essential way of helping to overcome the current crisis.
to conclude we are very grateful for the motion for a resolution on the future of the trans european transport networks policy.
this is as we see it in contradiction with some other points of the draft resolution.
sufficient financial resources are needed under the ten t budget and coordination of territorial development objectives and ten t policy need to be enforced whereas public private partnerships have to be further promoted.
while being too large to allow for clear priority setting and the focus of community instruments to stimulate its implementation it contributes to ensuring the ten t access function and to facilitating cohesion.
elimination of the comprehensive network would therefore have some perverse effects.
this underlines the determination of both institutions to develop a future oriented ten t policy.
the link between long distance and urban transport systems as well as interoperability must be strengthened so as to improve the basis for efficient safe and high quality services for passengers and for freight transport. the commission also shares the view set out in the report that in particular in the freight sector it is vital to facilitate co modal chains in which waterborne and rail transport play an important role and intelligent transport systems help to optimise infrastructure use.
and the economic and environmental challenge to promote a coordinated improvement of transport corridors through a series of small infrastructures and its projects. we note that after the vote on the draft report by the transport committee an alternative resolution has been proposed which supports option two a single layer network with priority projects or a priority network only and therefore without a comprehensive network.
it now needs to be adjusted to new challenges. the green paper on the ten t policy review addresses these challenges and proposes measures to tackle them at both the network planning and the project implementation stages.
by supporting this option parliament confirms the need to combine traditional transport infrastructure policy with an appropriate consideration of new conditions and circumstances;
since two thousand and seven the european union has provided eur three hundred and twenty five million and the commission is proposing additional support for amisom.
the european union is also supporting the development of somali security capacities.
piracy has to be understood as organised crime that is happening at sea and on land.
it is therefore vital to increase the risk reward' ratio for those who benefit most from piracy and the eu has decided to step up its efforts to break the underlying business model.
this is why the european union has been a strong supporter of the eastern and southern africa indian ocean regional strategy and action plan which was adopted in october two thousand and ten in mauritius to fight piracy and promote maritime security.
the commission directly supports countries in the region which have accepted transfers for prosecution by eunavfor and established a joint programme with the un in support of judicial capacities. this cooperation is an excellent example of how commission programmes and common security and defence policy actions go hand in hand.
law enforcement agencies of eu member states interpol and europol are currently cooperating not only in attempting to trace any flows going into eu member states but also in collecting evidence packages against leaders financiers and instigators.
but we have to differentiate between this case of eu member states' security forces protecting commercial shipment and using private contractors for armed deterrence on board commercial ships and even distant fishing vessels.
it is vital to implement international maritime organisation supported best management practices' on board ships under eu member state flags.
we need to see what lessons we can learn to prevent this type of incident from happening ever again.
maritime safety is an absolutely fundamental issue for the european union and particularly for those nations like the uk greece and spain which have significant shipping interests.
i welcome the progress that has been made with the joint financial board and i also agree that we need a short term plan to protect our ships and protect our maritime transport and trade whether that is through atalanta or through nato or through some form
there are now at least three multinational naval operations as well as deployments from individual countries such as russia india china and japan.
in january two thousand and twelve eighty pirates were captured by counter piracy forces in the gulf of aden and the indian ocean seventy five of these were captured by nato ships yet maintaining the political will and naval assets for nato's operation ocean shield has been a challenge particularly when more or less the same naval assets are being called on for an eu operation. the european union should do something comprehensive on the civil side.
since two thousand and eight nato using naval forces from north american and european allies has been engaged in both counter piracy and maritime counter terrorism operations in the red sea the indian ocean and in the gulf areas.
i am sorry to say that in regard to piracy as in so many other areas the european union has confused its own institutional ambitions with practical reality and i am referring here to naval operations.
there have been some successes but attacks have escalated and the risk of serious consequences for pirates as the commissioner has said is still too low to outweigh the lucrative rewards.
we recognise that maritime piracy is an extremely complicated and problematic issue but we also believe that it is a horizontal one incorporating development security and foreign affairs aspects while the link with transport issues is more secondary.
greens are completely against this shift as solutions to maritime piracy do not lie primarily with changes to transport policy.
we are against further militarisation and strongly in favour of strengthening the criminal justice approach to piracy as advocated by the united nations special advisor on piracy mr jack lang. this ultimately would also need a change
what i am talking about is the way the european union has military ambitions.
it should leave military operations to those that know how to do it.
well no wonder there is a lack of resources because we have got the same navies producing ships for two different international naval operations.
it is ridiculous. the european union brings no additional naval assets to the table.
it does not contribute anything additionally from a naval point of view. so by all means.
there is a lot to be done and even the european union could do something useful if it focused its efforts on some of the civil activities which we have heard described this evening.
on the kurdish issue we are encouraged by the latest positive developments under the imral peace process.
we also expect turkey to make progress towards the necessary normalisation of its relations with the republic of cyprus without further delay.
the positive agenda has played an important role in taking forward the relationship.
we deeply regret that turkey despite our repeated calls continues to refuse to fulfil its obligations with regard to the additional protocol to the association agreement. our position on this is very well known.
at the same time it is essential that the negotiated eu turkey readmission agreement is signed and concluded as well as being effectively implemented.
we are encouraged by the cooperation we have received to date from turkey from the commission and from our eu partners.
these issues must be addressed not only through legislation but also in the way existing legislation is implemented.
however the call by pkk leader abdullah calan to the pkk to lay down arms and withdraw beyond turkey's borders as well as the positive reactions to that call are encouraging and to be welcomed.
constitutional reform is not the only priority area.
your resolution highlights a number of significant issues and comes at an important point in eu turkey relations.
we see large numbers of legal cases being brought against writers journalists academics and human rights defenders for expressing their non violent opinions as well as frequent website bans.
it is therefore encouraging that we now see renewed momentum in the accession negotiations with the possibility of opening the important regional policy chapter in the next few months and hopefully before the conclusion of the irish presidency.
progress has also been made in the area of women's rights and gender equality through the adoption of the third judicial reform package and in civilian oversight of the security forces.
turkey's active foreign policy is clearly having a growing impact in the region and there is intensified political dialogue between the eu and turkey. the eu turkey relationship goes back a long way.
this is one of the basic requirements for measuring progress on turkey's path to the eu.
we call on turkey in particular to continue to improve the observance of fundamental rights and freedoms both in law and in practice.
however the eu turkey relationship has not achieved its full potential.
as underlined in your draft resolution the council strongly encourages turkey's work on a new constitution and welcomes the fact that this has been part of a broad democratic and participatory process.
the presidency is a key part of the institutional set up of the eu and should be respected as such.
there are other important areas where more remains to be done.
it is encouraging that you welcome the council's decision to invite the commission to take steps towards visa liberalisation as a gradual and long term perspective in parallel with the signature of the readmission agreement.
this should help create a framework for further developments not least with regard to the all important kurdish issue.
constitutional reform is key to making progress.
these include freedom of religion property rights trade union rights rights of persons belonging to minorities women's and children's rights anti discrimination and gender equality and the fight against torture and ill treatment. there is one particular unresolved issue which has a direct bearing on both the accession negotiations and eu turkey relations in general.
the council supports the launch of a dialogue on visa mobility and migration between the commission and turkey.
there have been a number of other positive developments such as the establishment of an ombudsman and a national human rights institution.
turkey is both a candidate country and a key partner for the european union. the turkish economy contributes to the prosperity of the european continent.
i would like to conclude by referring to an all important aspect of eu turkey bilateral relations namely visa liberalisation.
however we do recognise that further work is required.
the range of areas in which we cooperate clearly illustrate the extent to which we share common interests.
work on the new constitution must continue to be wide ranging and inclusive.
however implementation in line with european standards is critical to ensuring progress in turkey's efforts towards complying with the accession criteria.
we have serious concerns with regard to freedom of expression.
this can only happen through progress in both the accession negotiations and other dimensions of the relationship.
the process is still in a delicate phase and the obstacles to achieving a breakthrough are formidable.
i should add that the council deeply regretted turkey's freezing of its relations with the council presidency during the second half of last year as well as its statements on this issue and its non alignment with eu positions or statements in international forums.
it is clear however that the positive agenda is a complement to the negotiations.
in the absence of progress on the full non discriminatory implementation of the protocol the eu will maintain its measures from two thousand and six which will continue to affect overall progress in the negotiations.
clearly the presidency will do everything it can to encourage further progress and this will also require significant effort on the turkish side.
the broad application of legislation on terrorism and organised crime also remains a serious concern and it is essential that the independence impartiality and efficiency of the judiciary be ensured.
i see that you were elected as a green.
in talking about turkey i wonder whether you have ever made an assessment of the impact on the environment for your country of conferring on seventy three million turkish citizens the absolute right to work live and settle in france.
i hope that the overall positive environment i referred to at the beginning will be transformed into an opportunity for the benefit of both the greek cypriot community and the turkish cypriot community.
i understand that the outstanding points will be included in the forthcoming human rights action plan which i hope will be finalised very soon.
two weeks ago the turkish parliament adopted the law on foreigners and international protection.
we appreciate and support turkey's continued active and vocal role on syria and its vital humanitarian role and management of the influx of syrian refugees.
it does not exempt the government from passing further reforms.
two thousand and thirteen second we are making progress in our cooperation on visas and migration as we just said.
honourable members let me also underline a number of recent developments inside turkey.
the courageous initiative to bring peace at last in the south east of the country is a promising chance to end terrorism and to pave the way to an overall solution of the kurdish issue.
a settlement will also contribute significantly to the business environment and unleash the full economic potential of the island including in the area of energy.
we are confident that we can soon start a visa dialogue with turkey together with the signature of the readmission agreement between turkey and the european union.
the drafting of a new constitution has arrived at a critical stage. the participatory process followed so far has our full support.
we are confident that we can open negotiation chapters again in.
the fourth judicial reform package adopted by the turkish parliament last week is an important development in respect for fundamental rights in turkey.
once properly implemented this law will also address some important issues of the visa roadmap.
provisions remain in turkish legislation that are a cause for concern notably as regards freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association and that needs to be addressed.
we hope this will lead to increased alignment with the european union's positions.
regarding the cyprus issue the commission looks forward to a re launch of fully fledged negotiations as soon as possible with the aim of reaching a swift conclusion of the talks even though we understand that the immediate priorities of the republic of cyprus lie elsewhere.
the fact of the matter is that we do not need turkey to be in a political union.
in consequence eu members including the uk are already getting all the benefits from trade with turkey that we reasonably can.
turkey is already in the eu's customs union.
as there are profound question marks over turkey's candidacy the logic is that pre accession funding to turkey which will total eur.
turkey is also a member of nato which means that certain members are in a military alliance with turkey.
i wish these chapters were open. we talk about energy another crucial point both for turkey and above all for the eu.
a number of important and positive elements are falling into place.
if that happens i think it would not only put an end to a tragic and violent chapter in turkish history it would also positively influence the turkish accession process and of course the regional security situation especially with regard to syria.
this process will be of crucial importance to turkey's democratic future and also to its place in europe.
of course a lot remains to be done. above all there is a chance to design a new democratic constitution.
firstly the accession negotiations are finally unblocked after more than two years without movement.
secondly i think the commission's positive agenda is delivering.
i think we should do everything to open these chapters.
the british public must beware that the conservative labour and liberal democratic parties are all in favour of turkish entry and of yet more waves of mass immigration.
turkey has over seventy two million people and if she joins the eu we can expect a large number of them to migrate to countries like britain.
i expect she hopes to benefit from eu handouts and subsidies like so many before her.
mr president why does turkey want to join the european union in the first place?
perhaps they will come to work or to go on the benefits or housing system again like so many before them and use our public services.
as a relatively poor country i also expect that she hopes to offload some of her poorest citizens her surplus population by means of mass immigration under the eu's open borders policy.
turkey is not european by its geography ancestry religion or culture.
people will be prosecuted for saying that it was not genocide.
i am not an enthusiast for the european union but for as long as it exists i prefer it to be more european rather than less european.
of the impact of turkish membership on the european union.
the report supports the opening of five new negotiation chapters with turkey and this in itself is a sign that we in parliament truly wish to see progress in relations. the report also clearly identifies the areas where a lot still needs to be done. the urgent need for hate crime legislation and the situation of the freedom of speech are examples in these areas.
the strength of this year's report is that it not only criticises turkey but also recognises that if we really want improvements we should engage in actual negotiations.
i think it shows clearly that the negotiation process is gaining momentum once again and that it continues to encourage both political and economic reforms in turkey.
this is the best way forward and we should continue down this road of encouraging genuine reform in turkey.
i outlined in my introductory remarks the many areas where there is need for further reform and i do not propose to repeat them.
as was also underlined in the resolution all sides have a lot to gain from progress in the negotiations and from further political and economic reforms in turkey that is clear.
from our side the presidency together with the member states and the commission we are doing what we can to move things forward.
i am pleased that under the irish presidency we have seen something of a breakthrough and i hope that we can see concrete progress before the end of our presidency.
i would like to conclude by recalling that ultimately it is turkey's own ability and willingness to move forward which will determine the pace of the negotiations.
turkey's own progress in addressing benchmarks as well as the requirements of the negotiating framework and the accession partnership continues to be the primary determining factor.
from our side we will continue to closely follow and support further developments.
finally i would like to highlight the european parliament's particular importance for the wider political process in which we operate.
nature of the turkish republic and that means the transfer of powers from ankara to local and regional government including the election of provincial
there is an agreed constitutional conciliation process taking place and it would be a great pity if the increasing impatience of the prime minister with signs of increasing
madam president turkey is an economic and political powerhouse straddling both europe and asia and embedded in both those continents throughout its history and by modern geopolitical and social realities.
therefore the ecr group acknowledges turkey's importance and seeks to strengthen our ties of partnership with it.
both sides should be congratulated for their efforts.
there has also been alarm in many quarters at turkey's alleged support recently for salafists in syria though of course i welcome its support for the free syrian army and the secular forces combating the assad regime.
the issue of lgbt rights also needs to be taken more seriously.
but despite all these problems and challenges i reiterate that from the viewpoint of the ecr turkey remains a key friend and nato ally. we must reach out to it in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation and help its people and government attain the european integration that they seek.
i think you are entitled to make this rule of your own accord under the rules of procedure but it is an entirely personal ruling and it suppresses debate.
i do not believe you have the discretion to take him off the list of official speakers for his group if he puts up a point of order. otherwise you destroy the total dynamics of interactive debate.
to pollinate the economy to create innovative employment.