kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
but with the instigation of these policies people could look around the boardroom and question whether a colleague is the best person for the job or if they simply obtained their position because their gender ticked the right boxes on the eu checklist.
what kind of organisation interferes to this extent in the private lives of people their marriages and their partnerships?
let us regain our freedom and independence from these meddling eu bureaucrats.
it is not the place of any government and it certainly is not the place of eu bureaucrats to decide who does and who does not do the dishes. in one thousand nine hundred and seventy five the uk voted to join a europe of free trade and friendship not a european union of political control and social engineering.
i would recommend to the house lord morrow's human trafficking bill in northern ireland as a good example of national legislation which tackles this evil that is primarily directed against women in our society.
it focuses on tackling domestic violence providing access to essential skills and the need to support a work life balance for young mothers.
mr president this report focuses on many important issues.
i fully support efforts to make two thousand and sixteen the european year for combating violence against women and i regret that in recent correspondence with the commission it has seemed to lack urgency in making this a reality.
we should be very active on combating violence tackling pay gaps and on ensuring that women can reach equal positions in the working world.
about gender equality. i think there is one particular issue which has already been mentioned which is very important that is the whole matter of trafficking in human beings which is one of the most lucrative criminal activities in the world today.
of course the vast majority of victims of trafficking are women. eighty percent of victims of trafficking in the eu are women and most of them as we know are trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation. we really must do everything that we can to
end what is in effect modern slavery.
we all know there is a directive on human trafficking but the problem with this has been its implementation.
we must do everything that we can in our own member states to make sure that this is happening because this is one of the areas where the eu has huge competence.
it is the only organisation that can deal with it because human trafficking is something which has to be done across borders across countries and across nationalities.
we know that our citizens want this and i know it as a representative of london which is one of the destinations for trafficked women.
therefore i think we have a particular responsibility not only in terms of gender equality in itself but particularly in human trafficking.
i would say that human trafficking is important for gender equality because the women involved are poor and vulnerable.
do you agree with me that these matters really should be decided at a national level?
i think discrimination has to work both ways and as a feminist you cannot stand there and make statements like that without then having the contrary backing it up.
in an equal society i would not dream of calling anyone anything but in this society i have been fighting for women's and girls' equal rights for long enough and i have met a lot of resistance.
believe me that resistance is mainly from older men and in this chamber that is even more true.
i can name something for what it is we see a lot of male resistance to gender equality in this room and it has to stop.
often the reluctance to report is linked to a lack of faith in the ability of law enforcement to deal with these issues.
a lack of shelters and financial dependence on offenders is a further problem.
the persistence of stereotypes concerning the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and in society is another challenge.
in some countries obstacles to dealing with cases of domestic violence may be related to the fact that they are cases for private prosecution.
many member states have no specific criminal provisions on domestic violence and marital rape and rape is prosecuted within the framework of a private prosecution.
but do you not think that the representation of women and of girls and boys in the media is also a problem and that we need to address that at the same time as having policies addressing education?
two thousand and fifty furthermore around nine hundred million people worldwide are chronically hungry due to extreme poverty while up to two billion people lack genuine long term food security due to varying degrees of poverty.
the agricultural sector must meet a growing population's need for safe and sufficient food despite the obstacles of limited natural resources high energy prices and climate change.
mr president i had great pleasure in voting for this particular report because the report confirms that food security is a basic human right.
according to the united nations food and agricultural organisation food production must increase by at least seventy to meet the growing demands of a world population which is expected to exceed nine billion by the year.
it also emphasises the important public goods which farmers produce often with little or no recognition.
however i feel that there is going to be a problem.
i have recently heard major speeches which indicate that the common agricultural policy should actually shift to being an environmental policy.
this should not be the case. our farmers should be supported to produce food in a way which is not harmful to the environment and as for importing food world markets are simply too volatile both in terms of price and in terms of consistency of supply.
there are a number of things that we must do.
we must have a strong budget for the common agricultural policy.
we must encourage young farmers into the industry to secure a future for it.
we must have more research and innovation to make production methods more efficient and we must have less red tape and certainly no green tape to tie up our farmers.
the european external action service has followed this issue very closely.
in this regard egypt is a case in point. the utmost should be achieved to support the democratic transition and the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country should continue to be carefully assessed.
the issue has also been addressed in the conclusions of the foreign affairs council of twenty seven february.
honourable members i believe as you do that the european parliament has a special role in supporting the promotion of human rights and democracy around the world.
we also welcome all the statements made by the egyptian authorities and president morsi regarding their will to uphold egypt's international agreements. the peace and stability of the whole region our common neighbourhood is a shared goal by the european union and egypt.
we are also confident that the new egyptian authorities will continue to play a constructive role in addressing the challenges facing the region including the promotion of palestinian reconciliation.
the european union delegation played a very useful role in coordinating the witnessing of the elections by its international presence in cairo.
egypt can count on the european union's strong support in addressing the complex political and socio economic challenges which lie
in order to do so the former dialogues between the european union and egypt should be resumed as soon as possible.
the announced intention of president morsi to appoint an inclusive cabinet representative of all forces in egypt is a very welcome development.
an essential aspect of democratic transition consists in ensuring that everyone can take part in social and political life without fear regardless of political affiliation gender religion or belief.
there is no going back.
therefore we expect that the provisions of the new constitution will firstly protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all citizens;
by its very nature a constitution is a founding agreement which must be consensual and inclusive to become a legitimate and durable reference for all citizens.
the addendum to the constitutional declaration issued on seventeen june by the supreme council of the armed forces and its decision to dissolve the entire lower house of the parliament is worrying.
one of our priorities is the drafting of a new action plan reflecting the objectives of the new neighbourhood policy as defined in the march and may two thousand and eleven communications.
violation which could have changed the outcome of the elections.
despite all the difficulties the presidential elections were organised and held in an acceptable way.
they showed that secular and moderate democratic forces have a majority in egypt. the only problem was that they were divided among several candidates and i think they have learned their lessons.
the new president morsi appears to be a reliable person who understands the enormous responsibility to keep the nation united to protect minorities and to secure the peaceful continuation of the transition process in egypt.
i ask that we give him a chance that we recognise that he is an element of stability in the country and that we do our best to encourage his first promising steps.
now we have to concentrate on the next parliamentary elections to try to support the liberal and secular parties in order to avoid a new crushing victory by the islamists especially their salafist branch.
the other task we have is to increase the pressure on the supreme council of the armed forces so that they prepare their exit from power.
power should be in the hands of the people and that should be the task we have to achieve together the council the commission our new revised neighbourhood policy should be directed in support of this transition for the social and economic development of the country and we should not be distracted by the fact that the president of the country now represents the muslim brotherhood. we have to judge him and any political party in power by its deeds and not by our expectations
mr president the egyptian people have been joined by us and many across the world in celebrating the historic moment of the election of the first president to be elected democratically and most importantly as a non military president.
as the supreme council of the armed forces dissolved the parliament and extended its own powers reaching into the sphere of legislative and executive powers we also stand with the egyptian people in understanding that there is a long way to go before egypt is truly democratic.
the question is what president morsi will be able to change given that the essential elements of a democracy such as a separation of powers and the rule of law are not in place.
it is unacceptable that so many people are still in prison for their political convictions and it is even more unacceptable that today people are still being sentenced without a proper trial.
egypt will only be able to claim to be democratic if these military trials come to an absolute end and if the human rights of all egyptians are respected.
the eu led by vice president high representative ashton should engage with the egyptians and pressure all those in power to respect the rights of all egyptians. elections should be free and should lead to a parliament which truly represents the people and which is equipped with legislative powers. we will give president morsi the benefit of the doubt while confirming that the eu's more for more' principle of granting more market access in return for more respect for human rights democracy and minority rights
specifically those of women will be respected.
we will judge old and new powers in egypt on their actions and will remain ready to help ensure that this difficult but important transitional period brings an actual improvement worthy of the word revolution' a turning point from repression to freedom.
it was before the presidential elections and quite clearly there was a very difficult situation a power struggle taking place with scaf the constitution still in a state of flux.
parliament was still constituted at that time.
we had an opportunity to have a dialogue with the elected members whilst we were there and i have to confess to this house that i was left less than confident that those members would lead to an agenda of openness and liberalisation.
i have real concerns for the rights of religious minorities and women.
but what is the eu agenda to support the egypt that we have in front of us today?
we have to support it but not in such a way that those in power can nullify those with an alternative view.
our support must be for those elected representatives who wish to develop a society built on fundamental freedoms and human rights on shared values.
mr pttering speaks as a christian.
we speak the same language one of basic humanity and we have to weave that into the basic society of the egypt that is developing today.
firstly he must uphold the longstanding peace treaty with israel to prevent regional destabilisation and he should recommit himself strongly to help find a lasting peace deal for the arab israeli conflict with a two state solution.
secondly he must protect the rights of the sizeable christian coptic community another non muslim minority in this country and protect them from the persecution perpetrated against them by salafi extremists.
i therefore welcome president morsi's pledge to include christians and women in his new government.
but we have to do that from this parliament not on the sidelines of consultation but in the centre of the situation with codecision.
our group will take the higher ground with all other colleagues in this chamber and remain firm in the defence of schengen.
the socialists and democrats are clear that we will work and vote with colleagues across this house who believe in the value of schengen.
to the council we say that the flexibility already exists for member states to alter the schengen rules. it already exists so we want a mechanism which provides safeguards and makes the member states think twice if they want to abuse the rules that they themselves have put together.
we say to the commission do your job as guardian of the treaties and provide the clear oversight which will make those member states think twice about inflicting damage on a key freedom that our citizens enjoy.
the reason is that we in wanting to convince the people of the value of schengen the genuine value of schengen the economic value of schengen the social value of schengen have to make that case.
we say clearly that we will oppose any new schengen mechanism that has any other objective than enhancing freedom of movement and reinforcing eu governance of the schengen area.
our group is saying very clearly that manipulation of schengen comes at the greatest social and economic cost.
the commission is looking into the possibilities for further strengthening this new mechanism aiming to bring an adequate response to a situation where a member state fails to fulfil its obligations at the external borders.
it would include inspection visits technical and financial support including the participation of frontex. i think we all agree that we need a complex and comprehensive approach to this problem.
therefore the commission strongly believes that the proposal for the mechanism should be based on article seventy seven of the tfeu.
the reply is now being carefully evaluated by all the commission services concerned in order to decide if all the commission questions have been answered and if all relevant information has been provided.
we are therefore talking about a complete set of measures including an eu based mechanism strengthened schengen governance evaluation and reinforcement of frontex and further guidelines and recommendations to better explain the existing rules.
therefore schengen needs a stronger monitoring and evaluation system.
madam president over the last few months the european union has been confronted with several challenges. as if the economic crisis and the efforts to overcome it were not enough some member states have added another sensitive point to the agenda.
considered that the best way to protect their own borders would be to close them.
instead we are ready and have already started working towards better schengen governance for better protection of the eu external borders while fully respecting the human rights of those trying to reach them and towards full implementation of the principle of solidarity among member states.
they may get some votes in their own countries in the next elections as politicians but they will not be forgiven for not acting as great statesmen in the interest of all european citizens including their own.
an area without internal border controls is central to the success of the single market and europe's continued efforts to boost growth.
attacking free movement jeopardises the internal market solidarity among europeans and ultimately the european project. the european council agreed that there is a need for an eu based mechanism to respond to exceptional circumstances which might put at risk the overall functioning of schengen cooperation.
beyond such a mechanism a series of measures could be envisaged at eu level to assist a member state facing heavy pressure at the external borders.
the commission is looking into how these support measures can be put forward.
finally a word on the topical issue of controls at the danish borders.
given the crucial importance of free movement for the eu and its future the commission strongly believes that the proposal for the mechanism should be based on article seventy seven of the tfeu.
indeed the commission needs to know how the danish authorities will conduct checks at the border so that it can assess whether they are in compliance with the eu rules on free movement of goods services and persons.
we will assess in detail the recent measures introduced by the danish authorities.
the european union works on the basis of mutual trust solidarity and responsibility.
the commission intends to take up the invitation from the european council to submit a proposal for such a mechanism together with the updated proposal on the schengen evaluation in september.
in the framework of this eu based mechanism a safeguard clause could be envisaged as a very last resort allowing the exceptional reintroduction of internal border controls in a truly critical situation for a strictly limited period geographically limited and for a minimal period of time where a member state fails to fulfil its obligations under schengen rules.
it is one of the most tangible and successful achievements of the european project.
these would include inspection visits and technical and financial support including the participation of frontex.
twenty six years has heralded change growth and unfortunately some new and very big problems.
the world is changing europe is changing and the union's response to new challenges needs to change too.
events in north africa increased migration increased trafficking of drugs and people unemployment organised crime and terrorism are all issues that need to be addressed by a new and improved schengen system.
i hope that the response which the european union delivers is one that is thoughtful and measured and not just over speedy or reactionary.
the system should be made better and serve the people of europe better.
member states need clear and strong support from the agencies of the eu like frontex europol and eurojust and there needs to be a strengthened evaluation mechanism for member states who join the schengen area including a much greater focus on the prevention of corruption the combating of organised crime and the establishment of independent judiciaries.
we need to seriously consider the benefits of an evaluation mechanism which includes a support regime as well as a sanctions regime.
member states need more say regarding their own borders not less. member states and the european union should be partners not master and slave.
we must listen to member states and listen to the needs of european citizens.
whilst doing so we must always protect fundamental rights and freedoms.
only then will we be able to build faith and longevity once again into the schengen system.
he replied events dear boy events'. he was one hundred per cent right.
events are what is overwhelming the foundations of the supposed european superstate.
it is said that the schengen agreement is one of the great achievements of the eu commission.
what we are all witnessing is the unravelling of schengen. when nation states believe that their national interests and those of their own citizens are threatened they simply throw out eu solidarity understandably so and rightly so.
that is what denmark and let us not forget france is doing now and there will soon be others.
we are also witnessing the falling apart of the euro zone.
the common threat is the inadequacy of those running the eu.
if the german mep would care to listen he might learn something.
it is the nation states who are the best able to govern themselves.
the eu nomenclatura have demonstrated that they are congenitally unfit to do so.
there is this idea of reintroducing internal schengen borders because of migratory flows.
if you want to control migratory flows you protect the external borders and do not reintroduce internal borders.
if you do so you will be sealing off member states that are dealing with high migratory pressure and leaving them to deal on their own with problems that are in fact common problems.
this is not the answer to common challenges and it will jeopardise one of the best achievements of europe.
those member states that think that closing schengen borders will solve problems must also explain to their own people that once you shut the door you may well keep others out but you will also keep your own people locked in.
such threats must be immediate not merely hypothetical.
certainly having a country like canada in a position to have a free trade agreement with us offers huge opportunities for us.
i think that with our shared history and culture we should be able to get through this difficulty and come to an understanding so all twenty seven member states would have the same rights with regard to travel to canada.
also i think that the trade agreement is of paramount importance and particularly at a time of recession we do need to work at ensuring that we have every opportunity to grow our economy.
they will not get the visitors and migrants they want the decent hard working and law abiding they will also get the down and outs the deadbeats and the criminals.
this is what indiscriminate visa free travel can deliver.
canada takes the quite reasonable view that not all eu countries are the same and that some pose a particular risk when it comes to unwanted visitors and guests.
however this realistic view of the world falls foul of the eu ideological view that the eu is in fact one country and to discriminate against one of its regions is not permissible.
i think we would all agree that it does.
most rational people would think that it does not.
does it desperately need increased trade?
let canada and europe get on with increasing the trade between them that can help us all out of the dire economic situation that we find ourselves in.
let the canadians choose who they want to let into their country and on what terms.
does it desperately need increased economic activity jobs and increased prosperity?
does it desperately need even more uncontrolled and unlimited migration?
the canadians want to pick and choose who they admit and who they do not.
the canadian government already has a very generous system of allowing visa free entry for twenty four eu member states but perhaps it has looked at my constituency london and seen what a completely unrestricted open door immigration policy actually delivers.
canadians do not need visas to visit eu countries whereas canada has imposed visa restrictions on these three eu member states. this is because of a previous influx of people from those countries who outstayed their welcome.