kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
on the measures we can actually use all the tools that we have available at the moment.
it is already possible for farmers to do this.
those that have raised the gmo issue i presume you know that i think completely along the same lines and i think that it is important to find a solution on a technical figure on the presence of non approved gms.
madam president if you want to know how tough it is for farmers just take a look at the uk government's modified low income threshold.
but helping farmers is not just about agricultural policy.
the european parliament must listen to consumers' demands for clear country of origin food labelling so that they can be sure where their food comes from.
we already have country of origin labelling on many foods and there is no reason why mandatory country of origin labelling should not be extended to the remaining sectors including the main ingredients of processed food.
we have that opportunity coming up in this parliament early next year. let us make sure we take it.
madam president i would like to thank the commissioner for coming to listen to us once again and i want to highlight just a number of issues which have been very prevalent in northern ireland within the agricultural industry over the last number of months.
you may have read commissioner that in county fermanagh we have suffered extreme flooding over the last number of weeks.
i would encourage the commission to look into this issue and indicate whether there can be direct help for farmers in this sector.
i would also encourage the commission to look at the potato industry in northern ireland.
a number of potato farmers have written to me recently because they have been very badly affected by the very high levels of rainfall in recent weeks as well.
they are expressing extreme concern about their ability to get potatoes out of the ground and with frost fast approaching with the onset of the winter months they fear that they will lose their crops.
so again this is an industry and part of the agricultural industry in northern ireland which is going thorough a very difficult time.
just recently i also met with a number of egg producers farmers who are currently in the process of changing to the enhanced cages.
they would like from the commission a guarantee that they will not be required to change those cages again for a considerable period of time and again i would encourage the commission to look into this.
sometimes i think it would be interesting to compare for instance the travel schedule of meps coming here to parliament today with the travel schedule of animals being exported overseas and i think sometimes the stress levels on meps might be greater.
to prevent secondary movements and preserve the integrity of the freeborders schengen area.
most importantly member states should increase their monthly pledges in proportion to their relocations and increase their capacity to process application requests.
in addition the commission urges italy to speed up the procedures to identify and register for relocation all eligible applicants and to find mutually acceptable solutions on security interviews with relocating member states.
i want to be clear that this is in breach of their obligations.
if all member states step up the number of relocations it is entirely possible to achieve this goal by september. it is time as i said before to show political will and determination. member states should also fully implement the recommendations that we put forward in our regular reports.
it will say whether the eu is to be a collective of freely cooperating peoples based on friendship and enlightened self interest or a centralised coercive structure feared and hated in equal parts by its constituents and bound one day to explode in a welter of vituperation and vindictiveness.
i urge you to look to the self interest of your project your peoples and your nations.
however my experience of the direction of your mentality leads me to the sad conclusion that you will continue along the path of self destruction both in terms of encouraging destructive economic migration from those poor benighted countries
this kind of immigration is extremely costly to their societies both economically and socially.
we should abandon the concept of relocation and we should also abandon the idea that mass immigration to europe is a solution to the problems of the third world.
what we need is a strict australian style push back' policy at our external borders to stem the chaotic illegal flow to europe.
it shows how united parliament is in calling for solidarity both among member states and also with refugees. i would also like to thank the commission and the commissioner especially for again and again emphasising the fact that this solidarity needs to be shown that this relocation needs to be made to happen.
therefore it is very disappointing that the council is not present here today because the problem obviously is not with the people speaking here today the problem lies with the member states and as colleagues have pointed out the problem is not one of capacity the problem is not one of how we shall do this it is purely a problem of political will.
we are talking here about people who are fleeing from war and persecution and we are talking about unaccompanied minors those are the people who are mainly stuck in italy and greece.
yes relocation does not solve all the problems in the world.
yes we still need a good dublin system that puts solidarity in place.
all necessary steps must be taken to ensure that civilians are protected from the effects of such munitions including unexploded remnants of cluster munitions.
it is our firm conviction that regarding the ongoing negotiations on a ccw protocol on cluster munitions such negotiations should lead to substantial improvements on the ground taking into account both humanitarian and military aspects which should be compatible with and complementary to the convention on cluster munitions.
as long as this overall goal is clearly pursued the eu should actively join these efforts and contribute to the greatest extent possible to this important work to seek to enhance the relevance of ccw to international humanitarian law
this would allow the international community to make a decisive step in the right direction and to get closer to achieving our humanitarian objectives.
on cluster munitions there is a firm understanding that the eu should play a role in implementing the humanitarian goals of the convention on cluster munitions through efficient and effective delivery of aid.
the very nature of cluster munitions stands against all basic humanitarian principles.
any new instruments that may be created under the ccw must meet the objective of strengthening international humanitarian law.
while not jeopardising or circumventing this convention by adopting endorsing or ratifying a ccw protocol vi allowing for the use of cluster munitions which would not be compatible with the prohibition of such munitions under articles one and two of the convention
this is tremendous progress in a very short period of time.
to finally ban these terrible weapons on a universal scale. in july two thousand and ten the european parliament welcomed the forthcoming entry into force of the convention on cluster munitions on one august.
sadly this year has shown that this is more important than ever.
today sixty six states are party to the convention on cluster munitions.
this was a commendable first step to support the full implementation of the convention on cluster munitions.
both at the meeting in vientiane last year and at the second meeting of states parties in beirut in september this year the eu has been a committed supporter of the international efforts to address the overwhelming humanitarian concerns posed by cluster munitions.
two thousand and ten subsequently in november two thousand and ten the first meeting of states parties took place in laos and the vientiane action plan was adopted.
nonetheless much remains to be done to include the world's largest possessors and manufacturers of cluster munitions in the overall divestment effort and to improve the situation on the ground.
one hundred and eight states have signed it.
mr president on behalf of the high representative catherine ashton i thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to discuss the issue of cluster munitions with you at such a timely moment when negotiations are ongoing in the framework of the united nations
this and next week negotiations are ongoing on a protocol on cluster munitions in geneva in the framework of the review conference of states parties to the convention on certain conventional weapons the ccw. the eu firmly believes that
the high representative and i have taken due note of the fact that the european parliament in resolutions in two thousand and eight and two thousand and ten and again this year has urged eu member states to sign and ratify the convention on cluster munitions
during operations on the ground as regards assistance to cluster bomb victims or victims of mines the eu makes no distinction. full compliance with the obligations of the convention on cluster munitions will be a huge challenge for many state parties worldwide. the
this is the reason why the european union as a whole is fully committed to tackling the impact of cluster munitions on civilian populations through all possible means. although not all eu member states are currently parties to the convention
it stands ready to provide assistance to states in their efforts to implement their national plans effectively to comply with the convention and to ensure synergies with other equally pertinent international instruments.
and to reinforce its fundamental rule that the right of parties to an armed conflict to choose their methods or means of warfare is not unlimited.
we expect such an instrument to include provisions on cooperation and assistance and to make a significant humanitarian contribution containing an immediate prohibition on the use production or transfer of cluster munitions.
the high representative for instance was deeply concerned about the use of cluster munitions against the civilian population in libya and called upon the armed forces of muammar al gaddafi to refrain from using force against the civilian population whether through cluster munitions or any other means.
on cluster munitions.
i will not dispute the importance of security but there are more sophisticated and less damaging ways to ensure it.
on the contrary instead of undermining the convention on cluster munitions we want more member states to subscribe.
this protocol is not compatible with commitments made by member states.
the eu should press member states and candidate member states and be a force for a global ban on cluster munitions.
most recently we heard reports of the use of cluster munitions in libya and apparently some member states were involved in providing them.
the convention on cluster munitions entered into force in two thousand and ten and most member states were included.
there will shortly be a discussion on protocol vi during the review conference of certain conventional weapons.
if we want to be a credible actor in pushing for this important goal we must lead by example with the inclusion of all member states.
regrettably some member states believe that cluster munitions are important for their security and their economy.
it is important to ban the use of cluster munitions because they cause excessive and indiscriminate damage to civilians.
i would like to thank the commissioner and also the high representative our foreign minister for the very clear words she has said today.
i would also like to thank all my colleagues in the five groups who have agreed on a very good resolution.
we cannot and will not let that happen.
mr president i would like to thank all members for their contribution and for giving us the opportunity to discuss these crucial aspects of our work in addressing the overwhelming humanitarian concerns of cluster munitions.
i wish to underline that the european union will maintain its engagement to attain a ban on cluster munitions through active political outreach in the framework both of the convention on cluster munitions and of the convention on certain conventional weapons and i express our strong commitment to continuing future efforts to increase the number of signatures and ratifications
and to turn our ambitions into practical realities.
the eu will also continue to provide international cooperation and assistance by streamlining activities against cluster munitions in our development and cooperation policies.
the eu is aware of the complexity of the tasks involved.
both the implementation of the ccm and delivering on the vientiane action plan require financial resources and political commitment.
two hundred zero it was only when they started to consider selling the milk from these animals as they became old enough to produce that they discovered there was a problem.
they did not understand that there was any issue with it because it was an offspring of a cloned animal rather than a cloned animal itself.
i hope that at some stage over the coming months we can see some compromise and introduce certainty that reassures both consumers and farmers on what is a very sensitive and emotional issue.
if there are herds of animals which are all from the same cloning family the report states that this could create huge problems of interbreeding and increased vulnerability of the food supply chain.
the conclusion of that ethical committee which is the commission's own ethical committee is that we need more public debate before we allow food from cloned animals onto the market.
in the interim before there is any new law and any new clarity i would strongly recommend that we have a moratorium on food products from cloned animals.
we need you to stop now not to put farmers in this impossible position and to make the law clear.
for colleagues who do not know what this is it is the group set up by president barroso to look at the ethical aspects of eu policy.
commissioner we need that debate.
as i said in my opening statement the commission plans to adopt later this year a comprehensive report setting out the key issues which contribute to the cloning debate.
i emphasise that an improvement in the current situation can only be achieved through consensus amongst all eu institutions.
this debate has been going on since january two thousand and eight and i look forward to us making progress together on this issue with the ultimate aim of agreeing on a practical way forward which will serve us well in the years to come.
the various points which have been raised show the need for a deep understanding of these issues so that we can take informed and proportionate decisions.
i hope that this will serve to add clarity to this complex issue and will prove useful as a basis for the institutional debates and discussions that will follow.
as george lyon indicated several issues have emerged in the united kingdom recently surrounding the marketing of cloned offspring. the lack of a consistent message between the commission guidance and that of the uk food standards agency has caused a great deal of confusion.
this i must say is through no fault of the commission's but it has brought hardship to producers and has certainly had an impact on confidence in the safety of food.
with a unified approach on this issue across europe and indeed beyond in terms of third country imports the contradictory advice in the uk which has been offered thus far must cease.
as we all know confidence in both the source and the safety of food is essential.
i welcome the commission's attempt to keep that confidence in food safety in place.
our aim should be to eliminate cloning not to facilitate it.
mr president honourable members i am glad to have been offered this opportunity to set out where the commission stands on the sensitive issue of animal cloning for food production.
other considerations in the general debate on this issue are consumers' rights to know about production processes and the likely trade implications of taking measures in this area.
the most important issue for the commission is to assess the need feasibility and proportionality of possible measures to regulate the use of the cloning technique and of cloned animals and products.
the commission position is that foods from cloned animals should not be put on the market without prior authorisation as they are considered novel foods and indeed are currently covered by the novel food regulation.
it is worth adding that given the value of cloned animals it is highly unlikely that they would be used directly for food purposes.
this aspect also has to be taken into consideration in any line of action the commission may propose. turning to the current position the commission acknowledges that the novel food regulation is not the appropriate legal framework for addressing all aspects of the cloning issue.
in particular the production and marketing of products other than food such as ova sperm or embryos cannot be covered by the novel food regulation which deals exclusively with the pre market authorisation of food products.
as honourable members will know we are currently putting together a report which will cover all aspects of the use of cloning for food production.
mr president you will be pleased to hear that i am only going to speak for a minute. we face a very similar situation here to the controversy over gm crops. in each case the objective scientific safety tests have been successfully passed but in each case there has been a subjective and emotional backlash that no qualitative test can legislate for. in the case of gm crops the commission has now allowed decisions to be taken by member states' elected governments which of course is where all decisions should be taken.
this development has only occurred after years and years of stalemate and buck passing between different eu institutions.
it is unsurprising that present eu law is confused over the commercial use of the offspring of cloned animals and it is certainly not the job of this chamber to increase this confusion with yet more eu regulation.
the correct procedure here is to allow member states with their very different cultures to decide for themselves whether or not to allow commercial production of these products.
those countries which choose not to must have complete freedom over the method of labelling imports without eu interference.
the use of assurance schemes in such countries will create opportunities for their farmers.
this is happening across europe with farmers trying to get matching funding and we can support these endeavours because this funding means a lot to low income farmers.
it tends to be the way we do business but i agree that we should try and work during daylight hours.
but there are conflicting and difficult demands in all member states on this issue and that is why it is so important that we have negotiated at least the figures and that there is certainty not just for two thousand and fourteen but also beyond.
two so our budget cuts are very much a reality for individuals and indeed member states are now looking at how they can best use those resources. today in ireland farmers will be protesting looking for support for rural development.
despite the fact that we have succeeded in increasing by eur five hundred million the initial council position we all know that the payments are not going to be enough next year.
as the presidency mentioned we are going to stick very much to the declaration which has been adopted by the two institutions.
the big problem though in next year's budget is in the level of payments.
the european union has to pay all the bills that are put on the table.
two thousand and fourteen two thousand and fifteen this is the first time we have had a dedicated line for youth employment and i cannot understand how it is possible not to detect it in the budget.
to that end creating jobs particularly among the young as well as research and development erasmus and connecting europe will all help long term sustainable growth in the economy.
this has been an important report. it is year one of the multiannual financial framework and i appreciate that our two rapporteurs have worked in very difficult circumstances and have produced what i would term a very sensible report. in particular i warmly welcome their proposals for increased funding under heading one a.
despite this we all worked together in a constructive manner which allowed us to succeed in establishing a realistic and balanced budget for.
the general budget for two thousand and fourteen will thus be adopted within the deadlines foreseen by the treaty.
and also asylum migration and the protection of the external borders of the union.
i would also like to take this opportunity to thank my team for all the support that they kindly provided to me.
the package agreed by the conciliation committee includes a number of joint statements.
i am glad that the agreed compromise focuses on the financing of key policies which are of particular importance for both the council and the european parliament such as innovation growth and jobs the fight against youth unemployment
their financial contributions to the union budget will be fully and i believe efficiently used to finance programmes and actions creating added value at european level for the benefit of europe's citizens.
on behalf of the council i would like to express our full satisfaction with the agreement reached by the conciliation committee in the very early hours of twelve november after long and difficult discussions between the representatives of the european parliament the council and the commission and
two thousand and fourteen two thousand and twenty the fully fledged start of these programmes in the first year of the new multiannual financial framework will therefore be ensured.
here i would like to stress that the council strongly supports these declarations and is fully committed to honouring them.
i also would like to thank all the other colleagues from the european parliament who showed patience and a strong spirit of compromise during those long and stressful hours in the council premises.
the annual budget ensures the beginning of the new programmes.
at the same time it leaves sufficient margins to cope with unforeseen situations in the course of the next year to which an appropriate reaction by the european union might be expected.
the commitments agreed back in the boom times in two thousand and seven and the mff are now making it extremely difficult for member states laden with debts to honour the bills as they come in today.
maybe this is the time to act react and impact.
both the eu crisis induced weakness and the us strategic reorientation away from europe have probably encouraged some to try a roll back thus questioning the reunification of the continent.
what is needed is a serious commitment by both sides to finding a negotiated solution to the current political crisis.
unfortunately with the controversial amnesty law adopted on twenty nine january and the continued impunity for killings kidnappings the torture of peaceful protesters and targeted action against journalists there remains serious
looking ahead the focus will be on ensuring lasting stability in the country.
we are ready to support the process with expertise and advice.
the authorities are responsible for respecting and protecting freedom of speech and assembly and media freedom.
the work of the investigation advisory panel as proposed by the council of europe has to start immediately as a step towards addressing the current atmosphere of impunity.
we need to maintain close coordination of our messages and our actions to help in easing the situation on the ground.
with the european union. honourable members to conclude baroness ashton and i are working as a team in ukraine. she is there today trying to stop the crisis escalating and i will be returning there next week. let me also say clearly on her