kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the truth is that in this issue of farm to fork we do need farmers to be front and centre of it not to be dragged kicking and screaming. commissioner i hope you'll deliver that message to your colleagues around the table.
i would just say that some of the language used indeed by yourself and others in the chamber can be very emotive organic is wonderful factory intensive is evil.
what we should be trying to do is make sure that farmers have access to the best research the best innovation and the best technologies to allow them to deliver on the things we need them to do.
they've been up before we have.
they're out in their farms and in their fields doing things for nature. we need to help them do that not restrict them in their efforts.
and let's not forget that farmers are already doing it.
i hope you'll include in this farm to fork strategy competition law unfair trading practices and how trade policy can impact negatively on european agriculture.
i'd like you to be a little bit more careful about the language because many of our family farms can be mediumsized or they can be large but it doesn't suggest whether small medium or large that one is better than the other.
my greatest fear of cap reform and this strategy is that we will bind them with more rules and give them less flexibility.
unfortunately children as young as five make up more than half the number of miners in madagascar.
while every country has the right to amend or modernise its constitution changing the fundamental law should build on an inclusive consultation leading to a large consensus which is absent to date.
the eu has consistently together with local partners the un the african union the economic community of west african states the us and france called for calm and has facilitated dialogue among the parties.
in particular the west african region has gained its democratic credentials upon these principles.
the recent announcement that legislative elections will be coupled to a referendum on a new draft constitution presented in december giving ground to president cond's intentions has further divided the country.
only a climate where political and civic space is respected and human rights violations come to an end can create conditions conducive for such a dialogue.
in order to reach this all actors should put the unity and the peace of guinea first.
the prospect of a new constitution raising the possibility for president cond to remain in power beyond the end of his second and last mandate united opposition forces and the national front for the defence of the constitution
the country's stability and prosperity is important for the region as it is for the european union.
since mid october two thousand and nineteen around thirty demonstrators have lost their lives allegedly killed by firearms by the security forces. the eu has repeatedly called for appropriate investigations to clarify the circumstances of these incidents and to hold
opponents have been detained and fundamental freedoms in particular freedom of expression were not respected.
and led to frequent demonstrations against a third mandate.
it is in this context that the spokesperson of high representative borrell last friday called for an inclusive dialogue to avoid further escalation of violence and to ensure conditions for transparent elections in which all parties can participate.
we remain ready to contribute to such a process working with our partners the un the african union and ecowas. the european union remains strongly engaged in guinea also working with civil society and human rights defenders and with support for the resilience of the population.
holding a referendum months before presidential elections is not in line with the good practices recommended by the african union and ecowas.
accurately reflect the electorate such a review was only very partially conducted.
the confidence of all in a credible and transparent electoral process is the best way to achieve participation and acceptance of the result.
there is now a clear risk of widespread instability and polarisation including dangerously along ethnic lines.
you were mentioning for example the targets.
but i do believe that having a target is an important instrument an important tool to design policies and enter into dialogue with the stakeholders in order to have a concrete vision for the future from various areas.
so this shows that speed is a very important factor.
so we have to work very early on devising a policy to accommodate all these categories which would meet in the same space.
so we have also the pedestrians as were mentioned but the cyclists the motorcyclists are most at risk especially in urban areas and we are also looking into the urban mobility package to see ways in which we can improve the safety inside the city.
that technology and digitalisation can help us to improve road safety.
of you mentioned the numbers and i mentioned the numbers at the beginning and i said and i want to repeat that actually any number is not acceptable.
personalised analysis for member states is done and i encourage you to follow and i'm sure you're not already but maybe we will have another chance to discuss the subject after the annual report and statistics which is going to be published in april. and also i would like to commit with you that after
madam president honourable members of the house i appreciate very much your comments and your interest for this subject. as i said from the beginning only working together and putting enough pressure on all the stakeholders on which depends the safety on the roads
risk for the safety on the roads. so this is another angle we are looking at.
many mentioned the fact that we are looking at autonomous vehicles in the future artificial intelligence but this comes also with lots of challenges because we have to admit that at the beginning all these vehicles well slowly with the introduction of the infrastructure will need to co habit with the traditional ones. and this is also something we have to imagine from the very beginning as being a new
so that's why clear action is absolutely needed and we need to be committed to that.
the problem is and we all know that where all the categories are meeting together and now the evolution of the technology we see and the introduction of new ways of mobility in cities i think these kind of risks are higher.
so when we talk about the safety of course the citizens have to be at the core of our action and we have several categories of vulnerable road users.
in europe and why not to the leadership for other continents because we know and we have instruments and programmes for asia and for africa and would like to lead there so that globally we can contribute to the reduction of deaths and serious injuries on the roads.
of course speed is one of the most important elements and we have also let me give you another figure an estimation from the edfc that only one kilometre per year reduction in average speed in the eu would already reduce the deaths by two thousand a year.
the next step will be a resolution at the un general assembly.
it. drivers and other road users will continue to make mistakes on the road as they do elsewhere because to err is human and distractions alcohol and drugs increase the risk of error but no road user deserves to die because of a mistake.
as society shifts so will the focus of road safety.
last year thanks to strong support from the european parliament we strengthened the eu rules on both safe infrastructure management and vehicle safety.
the first concrete actions have already been taken.
looking ahead it is clear that mobility is going through profound change.
but in the meantime let us work in partnership which is indeed the essence of the safe system approach to road safety.
ultimately what counts is results.
we are the safest region in the world and we have a lot of experience and good practice to share.
twenty five zero people who lose their lives on european roads and one hundred and thirty five zero suffering severe injuries are numbers which are unacceptable for us and of course we need to do more in terms of action and support. road safety will therefore be a priority in my mandate and with your help we can make it a priority for the whole union.
the global target to reduce road fatalities by fifty part of the sustainable development goals is expiring this year and this target was not and will not be reached. this must not mean that we are ready to reduce our ambition.
one thirty five million people are dying on the roads every year. in fact road crashes are the biggest killer of young people worldwide.
europe needs to be at the forefront of supporting a new ambitious global fatality reduction target and i intend to say this very clearly in stockholm. the swedish minister for infrastructure intends to present in stockholm a so called stockholm declaration' which calls for renewed efforts and a new global target.
this is an opportunity for true european leadership.
let's not forget though that europe has made enormous progress in road safety over the last decade.
the commission will also very much support the process leading up to such a resolution including through our offices in geneva and in new york.
in europe we are implementing the safe system approach which is a holistic system building cooperation good governance and shared responsibility.
climate change demands that we reduce emissions while digitalisation is opening up new opportunities for easier cleaner and safer mobility.
as legislators you are well equipped to push us all the commission the member states industry ngos to deliver on more ambitious targets and of course to promote ambition in action in our constituencies.
we need to look at new transport trends in towns and cities and what they mean for vulnerable road users and we need to consider the implications of autonomous vehicles. we need to drive the change and make sure change does not hamper our zero victims vision.
we'll continue to promote ambitious legislation in this mandate and i look forward to discuss with you details in the future.
as you know the eu transport ministers have unanimously supported our new eu wide targets to halve the number of fatalities and for the first time serious injuries by two thousand and thirty and the commission has followed up with an ambitious action plan.
i very much support this declaration and i hope that it will be adopted as it is planned.
the safe system accepts that human error will happen and compensates for
mr president the farm to fork strategy is a massive opportunity to take a genuinely holistic approach to dealing with the crises of biodiversity climate change health inequality farming and animal welfare. the strategy leaked last month does contain a welcome reference to supporting primary producers in the transition.
today they are over thirty two as the big gobble up the small.
the strategy is an opportunity to reverse the intensive industrialised approach to food production.
smallscale family farms are the main providers of diverse and nutritious food for seventy of the world's population.
in ireland there has been a sixfold increase in the number of feedlots in the country over the last ten years.
however these producers are increasingly threatened by the globalised industrial food system which includes greedy processors and corporate supermarkets.
however there is zero reference to a sustainable price for the primary producer.
during the same period ireland has lost one hundred and forty zero family farms due to government policy and eu policy.
prompt action is needed but we also need to address root causes.
the principal question to address is therefore one of due diligence in the supply chain.
we cannot tolerate a situation where children are forced.
not only governments but also private actors have a role to play.
commission president von der leyen made it clear that the eu has zero tolerance for child labour.
we will continue to work spanning trade agreements development projects and other international cooperation in madagascar and elsewhere to tackle root causes such as the social and economic vulnerability of individuals workers and their families that put children to work.
the eu is of course also fully behind a multi stakeholder initiative to address supply chains risk and in particular child labour.
there is an urgent need for international companies sourcing mica and mica based products as well as the malagasy government to take responsibility for addressing the problematic conditions and for contributing to improving the fulfilment of children's rights.
the commission will shortly publish a study on due diligence requirements through the supply chain. it examines existing regulation and proposals as well as options for regulating due diligence in companies own operations and through the supply chain for adverse human rights and environmental impacts including relating to climate change.
while child labour an oxymoron as robert biedro rightly put it child labour in the extractive industries continues.
the eu led the tabling of a resolution on the rights of the child adopted in the united nations general assembly three rd committee last year where two thousand and twenty one was declared the international year for the elimination of child labour.
in a single market it is not practical to have different national treatments and the benefits of an eu wide framework are obvious in terms of levelling the playing field and creating legal certainty for companies as well as reaping opportunities stemming from the sustainability transition.
the european union has a long standing and clear position on due diligence.
the european parliament hosted an important event in november two thousand and nineteen in which the urgency of addressing child labour in mica mining was prominently raised.
we remind the malagasy authorities of their responsibility to uphold the rights of children and guarantee their safety and integrity.
the eu has been actively committed to the fight against child labour through its development and trade policies and this approach would be fully in line with the european commission president's pledge to have zero tolerance for child labour in eu trade policy.
however so far the authorities have failed to apply sanctions due to a lack of resources for effective monitoring and poor law enforcement capacity.
with this resolution the parliament calls on the eu to step up its support for projects and initiatives aimed at combating child labour in madagascar.
working conditions in the mines are usually deplorable and threaten the life health and safety of children. they are constantly exposed to chronic respiratory infections severe injuries and dehydration and face psychological and physical abuse.
madagascar has made some progress by adopting a new decree reinforcing legislation against child labour and raising the legal age for employment from fifteen to sixteen years.
a significant number of children are active in mica mines. the rise in exports of this resource combined with a significant decrease in the price per tonne has aggravated the risk of labour exploitation.
elimination of poverty is the only way to create the conditions necessary for the eradication of child labour. this requires a comprehensive approach and targeted measures in the areas of education employment and social protection.
we as the european union can also do our part.
nobody and certainly no child deserves to work in inhumane and life threatening environments.
in addition madagascar is revising its mining code and we call on the government to prioritise the compliance with its international commitments including in terms of social and environmental standards decent work and respect of human and children's rights.
that's why we are looking at the farm to fork strategy as a tool that can help consumers choose healthy food that is not harmful to our environment whilst at the same time reducing food waste.
we want a farm to fork strategy that guarantees consumers traceability so that they can trace healthy food that helps reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases and that reduces the risk of chemicals such as endocrine disruptors.
we believe that if we plan out our policies properly the european green deal can also be a source of opportunities for food producers including farmers and fishermen.
we know that the total global food systems are responsible for almost one third of total greenhouse gas emissions and we need to make sure that this sector contributes to our quest in europe for ensuring carbon neutrality by.
yes commissioner it is our aim to achieve the vision zero goal and we should prepare a detailed roadmap of how to achieve this as soon as possible.
so last year the european union adopted the world's most advanced mandatory vehicle safety requirements the general safety regulation.
but many say that even the best technical solutions will not improve the situation on the roads if the road users behave in an irresponsible way.
you will remember that it will become applicable in july two thousand and twenty two and will reduce the number of deaths on the roads significantly.
we must implement fair trade policies that encourage the trade of ethical products striving to fulfil the united nations sustainable development goals.
i condemn the breach of human rights everywhere but this parliament loves condemning human rights abuses halfway around the world but chooses to bury its head in the sand in relation to the same human rights abuses in the eu's own member states.
the resolution urges the guinea government to recognise the fundamental rights to freedom.
why don't we ask the french government to do the same?
i will inform the services about that.
just an additional point for information on that you can still set up your own filtering rules if you wish.
so it's not much of a surprise then that russia's former ambassador to guinea openly backed mr cond's unconstitutional attempts to stay in office. since two thousand and two eleven african leaders have taken doubtful measures to prolong their time in office.
madam president those who need to change the constitution to stay in power should probably consider a change of career path.
one needs to know when it's time to let go and to step down because the people of guinea deserve their democracy embedded in their constitution that they have fought so long and hard for.
as the holder of the world's largest reserves of bauxite from which aluminium is created guinea has something that russia wants.
and that my friends is not the only thing that those two presidents have in common.
russian firm rusal the largest producer of aluminium outside of china gets twenty seven of its bauxite from guinea and that makes guinea the single most important source of the company's total bauxite production.
on top of their shared flair for gunning down citizens voicing their concerns imprisoning journalists reporting their stories and persecuting opposition leaders exercising their democratic rights cond and putin are in the mining business together.
alpha cond is about to become number twelve on that not so very flattering list.
that are managing this transition deserve quality jobs in vibrant modern rural areas.
the time has come to align the cap with the union's ambitions.
we must have a smart fair sustainable cap with a proper budget that would strongly support our farmers to achieve the environmental climate biodiversity and human wellbeing objectives of the union.
that they don't want them to go to school?
of course they do but they have no alternative because their children are the victims of capitalism of industrial agriculture of climate change and drought.
and we have multinationals from european countries doing business there.
now i'm sorry but i have to say these motions are pathetic. appealing to their better nature is like asking a wolf not to eat a goat. it lets us down badly.
where's the penalties?
where's the criminal charges?
where's the binding legislation?
mr president i'd like to follow up on the topic of empowering consumers to take informed decisions because i believe that consumer protection has always been one of the top priorities of the european parliament.
luckily we have a chance now to fix some of these issues within the farm to fork strategy.
a recent study done by the joint research centre showed that information about product quality is very important to european citizens.
we need to strengthen the right for information to ease consumer's decisions.
the key is the labelling on the front of packs informing for example about the origin of the product.
my second point is about health aspects.
tests prove that similar products are sold with different sweeteners or different amount of fat in some member states.
without any knowledge by the consumers of where these products actually originate.
if the parliament really takes itself seriously by today calling for any part of their production from these mines to be directly or indirectly brought into the eu market we can only think of the mandatory human rights due diligence which that the chairwoman of the
so let's not be hypocritical if we want to eradicate child labour we can do it but we need to put the instruments in place and there's nothing better than mandatory human rights due diligence legislation at the eu level.
thank you for that question.
the s d has always been very clear when it comes to dual quality of foods because we believe that all eu citizens have the right to have the same quality of food wherever they are in the european union.
in the best possible environmental ways and they are the people who will take care of the environment for us.
i think that the feedlots are trading on the back of this.
protests were met with mass detentions.
if not the eu must sanction the responsible officials.
the authorities must immediately release all peaceful protesters and journalists.
the law also applies to stay at home mothers with children in preschool.
this changed with the new so called social parasite tax'. anyone who works less than one hundred and eighty three days a year is sentenced to forced labour or fined eur.
relations and to enhancing political relations and sectoral cooperation in the appropriate context.
this is exactly what we mean by critical engagement.
we further noted that such limitations to the freedom of expression and assembly are in contradiction with belarus' stated policy of democratisation as well as its international commitments.
and the signature of a cooperation agreement on an early warning mechanism in the energy sector.
in addition separate meetings took place with belarussian human rights defenders civil society representatives and members of political opposition movements.
a specific session of the meeting was dedicated to human rights and political freedoms.
a range of subjects are of particularly importance to civil society were discussed at the meeting including mobility people to people contacts trade education and social security.
belarus has also played an increasingly constructive role in the region notably with regard to the conflict in eastern ukraine. after careful consideration and with the support of member states including the local heads of mission in minsk and following the discussion in the political and security committee it was decided to proceed with an eu belarus coordination group meeting on three and four april understanding that this was an opportunity to pass strong and unambiguous messages to belarussian interlocutors at an appropriate level.
the european union also raised issues related to the registration of political parties as well as the reinstatement of the civil and political rights of former political prisoners.
we called for the immediate release of all recently detained peaceful citizens.
formats such as the coordination group and the annual human rights dialogue allow us to reiterate our commitment to a stable democratic and prosperous future for belarus for the benefit of its people.
the nuclear power plant in ostrovets keeps growing in violation of safety standards nearly fifty kilometres away from an eu capital vilnius.
as we speak around twenty people remain in custody and may become new political prisoners.