kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
and of course about all those reforms we encourage the maltese authorities to consult the venice commission on all draft legislation.
the syrian conflict in particular and the movement of a large number of people across the border into jordan has a significant financial impact on the country and its ability to provide the needed services and public infrastructure for its citizens.
jordan is an important ally of the eu in the middle east region and a country that works to protect fundamental rights and freedoms.
the eu's previous macro financial aid programmes to jordan have aided the authorities in putting important structures for the protection of human rights in place.
and in that context i note that once again the council is absent and that is significant they're not taking responsibility for any of this.
we visited malta two weeks ago and what we saw has not reassured us;
it has basically fanned our concerns.
i welcome that this commission is at least taking steps in contrast to the previous commission that was completely silent but we have to realise that we are dealing here with hard nosed criminals who are literally ready to kill.
and what is more worrying are the connections between those criminals and politics all the way up to the office of the prime minister.
that is what we are talking about and this is part of the fabric that is the european union.
now the question is at the end of this will we be able to look ourselves in the eye?
will we be able to look into the eyes of the family of daphne caruana galizia and say that we have done everything in our power everything?
first of all there is the immediate term and that is to safeguard the integrity of the murder investigation.
i note here that although it is not our task to call for the resignation of the prime minister that is the duty of the maltese parliament and it should not be absolved of its responsibility i do think that we should point out here that his continued presence in the office of prime minister is cause for grave concern
because if there is a risk real or perceived of meddling with the investigation basically we are eroding trust in the investigation trust in the authorities and trust in the rule of law. therefore i would like to really urge the european commission to immediately start the dialogue in the framework of the rule of law
the council should be deeply ashamed of itself the government leaders who are sitting at the table with the prime minister of malta refusing to even discuss what is going on.
it is deeply shameful.
they should take responsibility for the integrity of the european union. of course in the longer term there is the rule of law reforms the constitutional reforms banning corruption money laundering ending the sale of passports and all the rest of it but in conclusion we have to recognise that this is not a technocratic issue nor is it just a legal issue this is an issue of taking political responsibility for
the rule of law is vital for the freedom of every person.
a threat to freedom in one place is a threat to freedom in every place.
no country is immune to corruption whether financial violent or interference in criminal investigations.
her murder was barbaric and futile because others will surely take up the challenge of exposing wrongdoing and there should be eu law to protect journalism.
it is clear that the mission from the european parliament has taken the quest for truth forward. this should not be the last time the parliament take such action.
the eu is a set of promises including a promise to the people of europe that the rule of law will be upheld.
it does not matter which member state. it does not matter which political family politicians may come from.
the only things that matter are truth and impartial justice.
i'm not in any sense unsympathetic to the plight of jordan.
it has on the one side the continuing calamity of the syrian war and on the other a disruption of its oil and gas supplies from egypt.
i wish that country well.
but surely this is the sort of decision that could be made by elected national governments each answerable to their own taxpayers.
the difference between those governments and us in this chamber is that there is no proper link here between taxation representation and expenditure.
we are spending money that we are not responsible for and fundamentally that weakens governmental accountability and the democratic process.
we should be pushing power outwards and downwards to restore honour and purpose and meaning to the act of casting a vote.
i welcome this discussion today on this very important topic. it is clear that the current efforts on pollinators' protection are not sufficient.
we need to have a more holistic and coordinated approach on this issue and there is broad support in the council to increase the environmental ambition in the cap the common agricultural policy reform of course taking into account the situation of our farmers.
moreover the relevant eu measures have to be stronger and properly implemented.
i am therefore looking forward to the new commission strategy which will hopefully address the weaknesses of the current eu policies and will be accompanied by appropriate monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to improve their effectiveness. thank you very much for this important discussion.
i think this is something that this house agrees on.
a lot of protests have been going on and i do not find myself comfortable condemning any protests that are peaceful.
i think that goes to show that protests are being carried out and that they are being carried out with all due respect to the process.
that was an extremely important step and let me tell you justice in slovakia hasn't yet been done.
this is why it's so important that everybody in this house exerts pressure for political change in malta because only with that political change can we create space real space for justice to be done.
that's why it is essential and that's why we are here today to be the leader of political change.
we need the member states and we need the commission to support the people of malta who deserve to know the truth. and that is going to take time but the first step is political change.
well he should go now.
he should resign now. this is the key message and this is a message we are sending from this parliament right here and right now.
in addition to that of course we do need major changes in the way we discuss the rule of law in this house and in the european union.
we need a comprehensive mechanism that prevents events such as the murder of daphne caruana galizia and we need to work on it right now.
we need to protect journalists and we need preventive measures. we can't discuss crisis management after the murders happen and that's why we need the answers from the commission but also from the member states right now.
mr president the great einstein mentioned this topic many years ago when he said that if bees died out a human life wouldn't last long subsequently. and how right he was.
i remember discussing this in parliament some years ago when the great astrid lulling whom the meps' lounge is called after was championing the cause of bees and here we are again asking the commission especially now to deal with it and to reverse the trend that is there.
and i think it can be done. obviously harmful pesticides have to be curtailed and replaced but more importantly i think is the next cap offers a tremendous opportunity to create biodiversity in every single farm across europe by incentivising farmers to make their farms a haven for bees and pollinators and i think they would welcome that with open arms.
so the policy has to change; it has to encourage the farmers and then i think we will not have to be discussing this topic in future because the trend would be reversed and we will save the bees and human life.
she believed that no one was above the law not an ordinary citizen not the wealthiest and the powerful not even the prime minister.
those who planned her assassination may have silenced her voice but they inspired thousands of people to speak out and thousands can't be silenced.
the union cannot afford a country in economic ruin.
how can we afford a government in moral ruin?
from here i call on you directly prime minister muscat the eyes of all journalists across europe are on you.
i call on you directly every day that you remain in office is a shame for democracy and an offence to the memory of daphne caruana.
i call on you directly every day you are in power is a slap in the face of thousands of maltese people asking for justice and truth.
prime minister muscat if your office the office of the prime minister has been involved in a murder what else do we still not know?
you must step down prime minister muscat.
this is not about you anymore it's about malta. in this dark moment of the history of malta the european parliament and the epp stand together with the maltese people. you are not alone. truth will be revealed. justice will be done.
the problem is that corruption and conflicts of interest with european funds are deeply compromising the trust of people in the european institutions.
let's take the biggest most important example in today's european politics the green deal and just transition. we've lived through transitions in eastern europe and we know that no transition is fair if there is no strong rule of law no strong justice and no strong prosecution.
it holds politicians governments but also businesses accountable.
it keeps the eyes of our citizens wide open. from where i come from i had never imagined that modernday europe the continent of enlightenment would become the home to corruption to press intimidation and to the assassination of journalists;
that serious concerns about a criminal investigation the independence of a criminal investigation or serious concerns about the independence of government action would weave itself around the roots of our democracies.
if europe is to speak with authority and credibility on governance on freedom and on the fundamental rights then europe must become the best it can be.
and this family of hers cannot mourn because there is no justice yet.
not only must there be justice for daphne and her family but also justice for our press for the sake of our democracy.
we need to look into the mirror and there face what we might become if we do not make that justice happen.
selling data is not acceptable if we talk about health data and we know that some patients are really worried about that.
if we talk about data sharing and you have said that you will do everything possible to make sure that these data are protected;
but whatever system you put in place to have your european health data space please build trust into the systems by design.
i think there is no disagreement on what both of you have said to the house here.
i'm sadly old enough to remember a time when i would go out as a child into the fields and be able to collect bees all sorts of varieties of bees look at them in a jar and release them.
and i think there are many children today who just wouldn't know that that ever happened and would not be aware of the biodiversity that existed.
so we do have a serious problem and i'm happy that this resolution takes hold of this issue and points a way forward.
so rather than repeat all the reasons why we have a problem let me just talk about two issues which have been raised here.
this is a new element and a very important one and maybe you will be surprised when i throw in competition law with biodiversity but there is a link here and we need to understand how competition law is impacting in a negative way on biodiversity and i ask you to do that. the second issue i raise is about trade deals.
we have to ensure that what we practice internally where we restrict the use of risky pesticides and those that are damaging is practiced outside of the european union on food that we import.
we haven't done that in the past and we need to do it now.
i want to thank the groups.
we've worked well and we've worked hard on this resolution because we all have a common aim to not just preserve what we have but to restore nature and to make sure that there is space for nature in all of our places urban and rural and gardeners and farmers all have an important role to play.
the report reveals that cap subsidies underwrite european oligarchs mobsters and far right populists. the report also showed that some national leaders used the money to enrich friends political allies and family members and yet the current cap reform proposals want to give national governments more power and flexibility over how cap money is spent.
only yesterday the irish agriculture minister michael creed put internal convergence on hold for the transition period of cap.
it means that he's going to direct payments away from farmers with the lowest per hectare values in favour of rewarding those with the highest values per hectare.
what is the commission going to do?
are they going to allow member states to behave abysmally like this?
madam president firstly might i congratulate our parliamentary delegation to malta for ensuring that the corruption scheming and impunity in that country is held under a spotlight. these things that undermine our democracies and the legitimacy of our political systems flourish in darkness.
all involved have done well to shine a light on malta.
parliament has done well to force the council and the commission to take note but we must ensure that the council and the commission take firm action to guarantee the integrity of malta and of all our democracies.
as a former journalist myself when i look at the situation for independent journalism across member states i shiver.
daphne caruana galizia is murdered the maltese government has questions to answer and the s d conveniently forget their voices.
the epp ignores and tacitly complies in the silencing of the hungarian press and earlier this year in my own country lyra mckee a young lgbt journalist was murdered in northern ireland.
these are just a few examples of the situation across the continent.
colleagues i urge all of you to apply the utmost passion in holding the maltese government to account but do not stop there.
ensure that no journalist no political or civil society activist dies in vain.
i urge all of you to forget political convenience forget the difficulties of taking action against a member state and deliver strong efficient legislation that delivers for all european citizens.
but at the same time we need to realise that many journalists in europe are threatened and intimidated by people in power.
in bulgaria for example the index of media freedom is the lowest in the eu.
corruption at all levels is spreading.
i think it's time to stop playing political games and start acting.
we cannot pretend that what happened in malta is an isolated national problem.
there are similar symptoms in many member states.
we need to go much further than just condemning the situation in a resolution. we need a european mechanism that will allow us to identify the shortcomings in the system before we witness the next tragedy.
we need comprehensive solutions and concrete proposals and we need them now.
she was killed for exposing gross corruption in malta and i would like to start by paying tribute to the dignified way in which daphne's family have continued their campaign for justice.
we should honour them by rooting out corruption and ensuring that we act as eu member states to uphold european values.
the findings of the parliament's mission to malta raise concerns about the progress of daphne's murder investigation and our meps also found that other investigations into possible money laundering and corruption had either not started or are not being conducted vigorously enough.
there are questions to be answered over the independence of the maltese judiciary and allegations of corruption that extend to the highest levels of government.
we cannot allow an eu member state to operate like a mafia state.
i've worked a lot on latin america and witnessed the way that the corrupting influence of dirty money can undermine the rule of law and lead to impunity from justice.
we've also failed in this parliament to deal with money laundering and tax evasion adequately and that's something we really need to take seriously because it can corrupt a democracy undermine people's confidence in democracy and ultimately undermine european institutions themselves.
to honour her memory we must take all necessary action to uphold the rule of law in malta.
i think it's important that we as a european union show leadership in a global context.
we look at president trump we look at brazil we look at many other countries which simply do not accept that there is a global crisis in our midst at the moment.
so from that context while cop was a failure in terms of actually bringing forward a meaningful policy it does highlight the fact that there are many countries out there which simply will continue to jeopardise the climate for economic gain alone without taking a holistic approach.
i would urge that we would look at it from an economic point of view and an environmental point of view.
the political price for them is being paid. the situation in malta now is one of transition both at the political level and that of the criminal investigation.
true the criminal investigation arrived at sensational findings even more sensational allegations have been made on that basis. we have heard them being repeated during this debate mostly for political jockeying.
this runs contrary to the interests of the maltese people whose commitment to european values is secure. when considering how european values are being respected we must follow objective criteria applied to all by an institution that all can trust.
the resolution on which we shall vote tomorrow combines findings allegations one sided interpretations in a statement that paints black everything maltese.
they will be committed to a new beginning on governance issues to correct the radical failures of the past on meting out justice and punishment to all those responsible for the caruana galizia assassination on ensuring a better separation of powers and governance on combating corruption on promoting transparency in government affairs.
the current transition should be given a chance to develop.
making premature judgments about it is not the right way.
no matter how well intentioned the direction in which this debate has been driven is not the right way.
and then when we are in the european union in our smallest country you don't have the courage to say that this is a shame and this is against the rule of law.
he could do a service to democracy to transparency and to a clean and serious investigation but he doesn't do it. he would serve the european union not only the maltese people if he resigned immediately and that is the claim that i hope that the s d can do now.
i have taken note of all your very valid comments and i can say that we are very much on the same page and i appreciate each and every remark.
i also look forward to links which you may have; we are not reinventing the wheel.
so rest assured that the process will be all inclusive.
this debate also shows once more the relevance and the necessity to promote equality and better inclusion of persons with disabilities in our societies.
eu legislation funds and social policy have increasingly provided important rules tools and means for supporting persons with disabilities and the commission is committed to fulfil its role as a focal point of the un convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.
i assure you that this commitment is a top priority for the commission and for me personally.
we will use all input received today and also input received from stakeholders to further improve our approach to disability and propose an appropriate follow up to our current strategy.
they represent a great contribution to this process.
these reflections will also feed into the commission's reflections on the future action plan for implementation of the european pillar of social rights.
i am sure that i can count on your support to further strengthen european disability policy.
we need to bring it to the degree of ambition and protection that eu citizens expect from the eu in this area of policy.
i very much welcome the agreement reached with the council under the irish presidency to set up a european investment instrument to support this sector and to show that finance can and must play a role in supporting the social economy.
this new regulation will foster the development of social investment diversify funding for the social economy and help to support sustainable inclusive growth and jobs.
it is right and proper that countries sharing a single currency should work together with the commission on their budgets.
i therefore welcome in particular the emphasis on respecting social dialogue and national wage systems the enhanced role for meps the commitment to speeding up the fight against tax fraud and tax evasion the commitment to the implementation of the two thousand and twelve employment package and a commitment to examine ways of better reconciling our productive investment needs with fiscal consolidation.
it has taken the tragic death of savita halappanavar and thousands on the streets for the government to consider even legislating to protect a woman's life.
in two thousand and fourteen they will lose their allowance when their child reaches seven in a country with mass unemployment and next to no public provision of childcare.
we need the provision of safe legal free abortion in the irish healthcare service for all women who request it.
if that is true then women all across the world should be very worried because that standard is one where in two thousand and eleven there were two five hundred and thirty seven occasions when domestic violence refuges could not accommodate women because they were full.
we need the repeal of the eighth amendment of the irish constitution.
madam president last thursday on international women's day the imf's christine lagarde made a speech in dublin in which she defended austerity measures and said that the irish government should be proud of the standard it has set.
this standard bearer is also dragging its feet in providing any basic abortion rights.
that is also very important but we should ensure that we do not put too much bureaucracy in the place of farmers trying to meet these commitments just in case that might happen.
that is something we can be proud of.
sixteen member states should be encouraged to carry out gender impact assessments on fiscal consolidation measures.
so we need to integrate a gender dimension into all our policies aimed at recovery and i am calling on the commission to propose specific gender equality targets in its macroeconomic and employment guidelines.
it should include the gender equality dimension in its efforts to promote social investment and it should table a draft directive which would be needed to reduce the gender pay gap which currently stands at.
they are consequently disproportionately affected by reductions in public service employment levels. also women tend to use public services more and cutbacks in these services are more likely to affect women than men.
the crisis is more likely to have a lasting impact on female employment thus jeopardising in the long term the progress which has been made in the field of gender equality.
madam president the crisis cannot be allowed to undermine the goal of a more equal europe but there has been no serious consideration at european level of the impact of the crisis on women.
but while the tone of the report is much more sensible than this which was somewhat hysterical it still attempts to adopt powers that are reserved to eu member state governments.
we all agree that the gender pay gap needs to be closed that women should not face discrimination in the workplace and that children should definitely not be sexualised.
most of us can even agree that men and women should be encouraged to pursue careers that have not been traditionally assigned to them merely by social conditioning.