kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the launch of the common steps towards visa free travel opens the prospect of visas being abolished and there was consensus at the summit that we should reinvigorate negotiations on a new agreement.
we have seen that the russian leadership at least in theory has acknowledged the need for change.
as i said at the beginning of my contribution we know it is the least risky option if i can put it like that.
there is a lot of work and many reforms ahead.
the different concerns that have been expressed in the house are enormously significant.
i want to comment on some of the specific issues that have been raised.
we understand that the president of the central election committee is going to have to explain himself in the duma and there are questions there which we need to come back to and which we will continue to raise with russia.
helga schmidt whom i mentioned earlier was in moscow until today and has been meeting with them on my behalf over the last couple of days.
it depends greatly on the eu market and that is extremely important in our relationship with russia. i agree that opinion is shifting and that the new president will need to think about how he governs differently.
a number of you described your visits to russia and talks with individuals about how things are beginning to change. the policy that we are trying to develop is a good one but it requires us to look at russia from a bilateral set of relationships as international partners on many things and at the responsibilities that we
have together in the international community.
russian civil society is very important but i would say to those who have raised this issue that the relationship between this parliament and civil society is also extremely valuable.
many times in the course of our deliberations about what has happened in north africa in what is now called the arab spring or the arab uprising i have raised the fact that members of parliament are critically important in explaining and discussing with people the value and importance of democracy what it can bring
and how to engage with it.
mr batten the important point you make for me is that golos and memorial should be allowed to work freely and i agree with you on that.
i agree too on the importance of the bigger picture and also of the smaller details and that we need to have the tough discussions with russia that mr svensson talked about. we also know that there is a great deal of interest in the european union.
the eurasian union which is much talked about now and which i discussed with deputy prime minister shuvalov when i was there in november is in a sense inspired by the way that the european union works. ms vaidere i know very well the concerns in latvia about the language issue and i know that it is very sensitive but i am quite sure that the latvian authorities will handle this well.
in conclusion this has been an important debate as we continue to try to develop the relationship with russia. on the one hand we see the advantages now within the world trade organization and the capacity we have to develop those trade relationships; we see a more active civil society with which we can engage we can
we see the need to continue to press on some of the basic issues that have been quite rightly raised here about the way that the internal situation in russia is developing. then there is russia as an international player with whom we work on issues such as iran. we are increasingly trying to work with it on syria and on other areas where working together in the security council and the importance of collaboration
i think it is for that reason i take a special interest in russia.
at this stage we must also reflect on what the european union will do to support the implementation of the financing for development outcome and the post two thousand and fifteen agenda.
i agree that the european union must keep up its level of ambition and commitments on oda including through the implementation of the development effectiveness principles. i also welcome your comments on issues that go beyond oda.
indeed the two thousand and fifteen edition of the report was published last month.
this includes a comprehensive approach to supporting domestic resource mobilisation in developing countries and tackling tax avoidance and tax evasion.
on the question of monitoring and follow up we must remain ambitious.
we are carefully considering how the european union's policies might need to be reviewed to help promote the new agenda.
but we should also reflect on how we can strengthen that process within the context of a wider post two thousand and fifteen monitoring and accountability framework.
so tax is crucial and that is why we need concrete measures to tackle tax problems.
that is money that would pay for decent healthcare and it would pay to tackle childhood malnutrition. i think those who are dodging those taxes need to know that they are literally taking money out of the mouths of babes.
if we do not get a deal there it will be harder in those subsequent conferences.
to tackle these problems we need concrete proposals and we have heard some tonight.
we need companies and individuals to pay their fair share of tax and some of these concrete measures are in the schlein report.
the oecd has estimated that if we could increase tax revenue by one in developing countries it would be like doubling oda.
the addis conference is a priority for the european union.
we need a true global partnership to achieve such a broad agenda.
there are still difficulties around the un committee on tax and its upgrading to an intergovernmental
the commission concurs with the general analysis of this very comprehensive report.
path. as part of a global partnership initiative we will be organising a side event on the margins of the addis conference and are developing a document as a first basis for discussion under the title collect more spend better'.
this makes the european union collectively the world's largest donor. we have recommitted to achieving the official development assistance target of.
body. we should focus on the substance not on taking decisions on the format at this stage of the process.
regrettably this commitment has not been followed by other developed and emerging donors.
will be dedicated to addressing environment and climate change objectives.
we need an ambitious and coherent engagement and agreement covering all means of implementation aid investment and domestic resources as well as an enabling policy environment.
improved domestic resource mobilisation can indeed significantly contribute to a more sustainable and reliable sourcing of revenue.
in addis and new york we have a unique opportunity to redefine global development cooperation for the years to
we need an integrated transparent and reliable framework to keep track not only of our financial commitments but also of overall progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals. we all have been working hard for an ambitious addis outcome document one that reflects eu aspirations and objectives
the european union negotiations have been challenging.
the european union has been well prepared and ready to play its constructive and leading role throughout the negotiations and beyond including through some concrete figures for instance eur fifty eight billion for official development assistance.
the commission is committed to ensuring that the developing countries which have the ambition for reform are supported in this difficult
all countries need to act and contribute their fair share and so does the private sector and civil society. the european union stands ready to play its full part in implementing the sustainable development goals at home and through our external actions.
body. we clearly support giving developing countries a stronger voice and participation in the definition of the global tax governance agenda without necessarily creating yet another intergovernmental
the old days of north and south donors and beneficiaries are over.
and i am delighted that six of you will be joining the european union delegation attending the conference.
together with the representatives from national governments we will make sure that the european union and its member states continue to speak with one voice in these last crucial stages.
madam president this report seems to me to be barking up the wrong tree attempting to solve a peripheral symptom of the real problem in developing nations that of corruption.
nigeria is a prime example of how governmental corruption has nurtured an environment of low investor confidence which has allowed corporations to abuse the free market by investing in the countries with the most disjointed tax evasion laws and ethos.
this report states that transparency is the key in holding tax evaders accountable.
these countries are not blessed with the scale of technological advancements we enjoy.
before the issue of tax avoidance can be addressed properly corruption must be dealt with in developing nations.
the eib will promote eu policies whilst managing its operations in accordance with the principles of sound banking practices.
this is similar in size to the current mandate of eur twenty nine.
moreover the proposed decision reinforces the cooperation between the bank the commission and the european external action service and further enhances transparency and promotes broad stakeholder consultation on european investment bank operations.
mr president i would like to highlight that this is a cost effective way of promoting eu external policies. owing to the leverage effect of the guarantee mechanism the total cost to the eu budget for providing the eur twenty seven billion guarantee for eib external operations is eur one three. billion
the eu guarantee will complement the eib's own risk operations and will add value by supporting local private sector development in particular by providing support to smes through the development of social and economic infrastructure including transport energy and environmental infrastructure
it will allow the european investment bank to continue investing in north africa following the arab spring including investment to promote growth and create jobs.
but we have had free elections for the first time in decades in these three countries.
first of all i take pride in the fact that there is a long waiting list of countries who want to join.
the bank already has a priority project pipeline in ukraine of up to eur one five.
eight billion ceiling for the eastern neighbourhood in the proposed decision is sufficient to cover this increase of eib operations in ukraine in the short term and there is scope to increase this further under the flexibility to reallocate across regions.
first of all we are not an inward looking european union. it is true that there is that english proverb which says charity begins at home' which is the most abused proverb in the english language.
right now we have this country ukraine which has a strong european perspective.
following the mid term review as i said in my opening speech there is also the option to activate the optional mandate of eur three billion.
first of all ukraine is one of the eligible countries under the proposed decision so if we vote in favour of this decision today we are indirectly also helping ukraine.
billion for the next three years and could significantly scale this up if adequate guarantee provisions are granted and if the political and operational conditions allow it.
we have invested so much politically in north africa that we cannot abandon them to their fate and the projects financed by the european investment bank in north africa are a way of doing politics of doing foreign policy in our neighbourhood.
in the period from two thousand and fourteen to two thousand and twenty the eib is encouraged to continue pursuing its greener path by strengthening its emissions performance standards and launching a public review of the climate impact of its lending portfolio.
we should make an evaluation of the social impact of its operation and human rights considerations will have a more central role in the bank's lending.
we expect that the board of the eib will strengthen the administrative capacity of the bank in order to be able to accomplish all the new tasks.
we emphasise dialogue with stakeholders and better alignment with the political goals of the european union in the respective regions and the rapporteur hopes that the eib will continue to work successfully outside the eu as a top rated bank and as an eu institution.
that is a very efficient use of scarce eu resources. the rapporteur also thanks the council in particular the lithuanian presidency with which he has negotiated for accepting to use external assigned revenues from the fiduciary account established for the facility for euro mediterranean investment and partnership to finance the
two billion might not sound very much but if we consider what these funds can mobilise overall it is very significant.
we had worries that it might take longer but it is now in place. this will give the european investment bank the possibility to continue its operations without disruption which is of course extremely important.
the rapporteur is also very satisfied with the open and constructive work he has had with civil society during the work on of this report. ngos were particularly helpful regarding transparency and on social and environmental aspects etc.
from the agreement reached it is however clear that the decision to use reflows in this way is a one off deal and cannot be used as a precedent in other contexts.
the use of eu funds through the eib allows for a leverage effect of more funding sometimes up to twenty five times the amount we invest.
the rapporteur also very much welcomes the agreement to keep the lending ceilings at current levels.
we also emphasise increased transparency monitoring of the bank's activities democratic scrutiny and zero tolerance of tax evasion and fraud as being crucial.
in accordance with the treaty the eib should endeavour to support the objectives of the union's development cooperation policy such as by reducing poverty through inclusive growth and sustainable economy and environmental and social development.
financial agreements with individual promoters relating to eib operations should also include appropriate environmental social human rights and labour provisions.
the eib should also support investment projects in sustainable energy security and energy infrastructure including transmission infrastructure in particular interconnections that facilitate the integration of electricity from renewable sources.
first of all thanks to the commissioner because what he said on the external mandate makes it possible for me to be much shorter. i completely agree with his arguments when it comes to investments outside europe.
just think is it good or bad for europe to have a more stable environment in ukraine in north africa etc.
course it is good for europe.
if we do not do it for humanitarian reasons or solidarity reasons we should do it anyway for economic reasons because they would be stable partners for us in trade and investments etc.
that would also be important for the future to enhance credibility in those instruments.
finally my third point.
it has been said now when the financial framework and the eu budget has been cut let us put more emphasis on these instruments'. yes but they cannot really replace the budget instruments.
they are always a complement.
north african countries of course are not eligible to be members at least under present rules but their receipt of investment is a sign that the eu is not so much a european union as a global union in waiting.
there will undoubtedly be people in the still crisis ridden states of the south who wonder why all such available money is not being invested there.
the answer might be that investment will be less effective in those countries when expansion is constrained by a currency that is overvalued for their economies.
it is clear at the moment that all twenty eight are not committed to the same level of implementation of the existing regulation. i hope that will change with the new regulation.
yet as we have heard in this debate our member states and companies continue to provide the very tools that facilitate such harassment to the very governments that undertake such repression.
it is unacceptable to hide behind the shield of privacy in this area.
mr president the eu rightly and regularly condemns state intimidation and violence against journalists dissidents and human rights defenders.
as is ensuring uniform implementation of the regulation throughout all of our member states.
firstly the parameters of human security controls must be carefully calibrated so that they do not hinder the development of the eu cybersecurity industry nor the trade in cybersurveillance technologies that are essential to protect us against criminals and terrorists.
it is illustrating that the process is moving forward thanks to members' determination.
indeed a defining feature of export control is it is based on case by case assessments and that is why we believe that controls must be targeted and take into account the precise circumstances of a particular export.
autonomous weapon systems artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing will shape our world in years to come not only in the civilian area but also in the military sphere.
i would also like to welcome this interim report because it shows the strong convergence of views between the european parliament and the commission. in particular the introduction of a human security dimension that explicitly incorporate human rights into export controls reflects our commitment to a true value based trade policy.
last but not least it is our joint responsibility to wield trade tools to effectively protect security and human rights and the starting point for this is to make the correct analysis of the threat landscape.
it is no coincidence that the wannacry cyberattacks of two thousand and seven were attributed to north korea the same malicious actor that puts international peace and stability and security at risk by developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in contradiction of united nations security resolutions and commits terrorist attacks in foreign countries using chemical nerve agents.
this illustrates the convergence of security threats from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to cyberproliferation and terrorism.
the proposed general export authorisation is an important step in that direction but i agree that we should identify efforts to find the right balance between security and trade in encryption products.
technology is global economy and trade are global security is global and proliferators do not care about borders or our regulations so we must take into account that reality while maintaining control firmly within eu jurisdiction where we can act to strengthen them.
one year after the proposal from the commission the adoption of this report by an overwhelming majority sends a very strong political signal.
cyberthreats increasingly threaten countries businesses and citizens in the eu and across the world and we must take action and when and where necessary autonomous eu action to ensure that this trade does not fuel conflict and human right violations. we have heard your message on encryption and we share the concerns that trade in advanced it products that contain encryption should not be unduly restricted at a time when we are racing towards the internet of things.
the inta report cautions against socalled extraterritorial controls and in this respect we must not forget that the overarching objective of the proposal is to adjust eu policy to rapidly changing technology economic and security conditions.
so that is why we need to have a proposal that is capable of continuously adjusting to a constantly changing security technological and economic environment and we need as you so rightly say in your report to make the system future proof.
i would also like to point out that there are obvious links between different facets of the threat environment.
so we must respond to the risk of sensitive items falling into the hands of non state actors and in particular terrorists and ensure that controls contribute to preventing terrorism.
that is why we consider that eu control should not be limited in principle to cybersurveillance technology but should be ready to address other emerging technologies of concern.
the broadening of the threat landscape today does not only concern cybersecurity.
the subject we are discussing today is a true example of valuebased trade.
a few issues that require further attention.
i understand that the council is also actively proceeding with its examination and i hope that the mandate for trilogues will be ready by the end of the bulgarian presidency.
we take our responsibility to scrutinise policy proposals carefully but it also shows that we are serious that our rhetoric about valuesbased trade becomes our practice.
this is what our citizens expect from us namely that we take human rights very seriously in this kind of trade.
we are introducing a new eu general export authorisation simplifying controls on intra eu transfer on sensitive products and technologies we are developing an electronic licensing system in member states and we are facilitating technology transfers.
it is indeed high time that we adapt to changing technologies and emerging security threats and this is what we are trying to do with this.
i am happy to see that there is such a great consensus in this house maybe the christmas spirit is still looming but i think it is mostly thanks to the rapporteur and his work that we have such strong support for this report.
it will definitely facilitate discussions with the next institution and hopefully we will have flexible legislation that is able to adjust to technologies and security.
mr president the billion euro commercial market in ready made surveillance systems remains largely unregulated and that is astonishing in light of the capabilities that companies in surveillance hacking and exfiltration technologies are further and further developing.
while many politicians claim to be concerned with cyber security anyone who can afford it can buy systems that collect massive amounts of data can break into people's devices without the consent of the user and information can be removed unnoticed.
the digital surveillance market should worry us in europe but the consequences of exports to dictatorships where the rule of law is absent is even more grave and unacceptable.
the arab uprisings seven years ago were often associated with the use of technology to advance human rights but it has become crystal clear how repressive regimes have mastered technologies for their own goals and control and this is not limited to the middle east.
human rights defenders journalists critical citizens dissidents and representatives of civil society are targets worldwide.
it has taken a long time for there to be eu action but i'm very glad that we found broad consensus to update the dual use regulation that will tackle this toxic trade with targeted measures on the basis of human security.
surveillance systems will require a licence before export human rights will become a clear criterion to assess before a licence is granted and definitions will be clear so the private sector will not suffer or be hindered unnecessarily and we in turn count on their cooperation.
we need to end the notion of so called licence shopping' where a company maybe rejected a licence in for example the netherlands but can be granted one in for example italy.
at the same time and i am glad the commissioner mentioned it security researchers should be able to do their job which sometimes requires coordinated attacks on systems precisely to make them more resilient and robust.
an encryption which actually helps people to protect data doesn't belong on a controls list.
we call for the lifting of export controls on that.
i look forward to a swift trilogue that can start under the bulgarian presidency without delay.
it is good to see such a coming together of minds between our three institutions which can have a real impact in the real world.