kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
we are never going to fully explain to citizens what the competences of the union are or are not so i think what is more important is that if a petition is inadmissible then that is clearly and simply explained to the petitioner and crucially suggestions as to where they might turn next are also included in the response.
i support paragraph seventeen which calls on the commission to deal with misleading directory companies.
the first thing that always concerns me is that in general citizens have a very different perspective on the eu institutions than we do as meps or you do as commissioner.
i think if we want a really effective citizen friendly process we need to set up some kind of panel composed of petitioners and then listen to what they have to say and use that as a catalyst for positive change. for many citizens petitioning the european parliament is the last lap of a very long journey and they are often already very frustrated.
it is very clear that we have to recognise the growing importance of petitions.
northern ireland needs to stay within the eu regulatory regime if that is to continue and that means within the customs union or within the single market.
we cannot allow ryanair to fly out of the news agenda so quickly.
i recently met ryanair pilots at stansted airport and they told me of a climate of fear scared that if they speak out ryanair will move them to a far flung base ryanair pilots who are self employed and do not get sick pay so they turn up to work ill.
their profits are up the negative publicity has subsided the news agenda has moved on and yet the misery for pilots continues.
they need a turbulent ride until they end these employment practices which are unfair and wrong.
i heard of a pilot who was at work for fourteen hours but paid for under one hour.
mr president two months ago the headlines screamed of the crisis of cancellations at ryanair.
even worse it might be perceived as a new eu anti muslim policy.
the balkans is a fragile region with a history of war genocide and nationalistic narratives.
the decision to put forward two countries will be perceived in the rest of the region as a reward despite the war and genocide which these countries' societies have now left behind.
the european parliament has some power over this institution so we should push for changing the exhibition appropriately.
that is why we need to make sure that the legacy of this criminal regime is presented in a relevant context. against the background of these november anniversaries i would like to touch on the issue of the house of european history and its exhibition notably the part
i ask the uk government to re open the dubs amendment to fill the places made available for some of those kids in desperate and dangerous circumstances and in order to give those kids some hope for their future to do so now before the long harsh winter sets in.
imagine your children sleeping under a bit of plastic in those temperatures through a long harsh winter if indeed they can sleep at all. we are forty two days from christmas a time of compassion goodwill and celebration but for those kids it will be none of those things. we know this is a challenge that is shared across europe but tonight
commercial fusion now has a realistic future but that is a future at risk because of brexit.
this project is far too big for any one nation state alone.
the uk atomic energy authority operates the world's largest magnetic fusion experiment the joint european torus with scientists coming from all over europe.
it is the classic example of the economies of scale we achieve through our european union.
mr president nuclear fusion is the holy grail of energy research with the potential to deliver the energy equivalent of ten zero tons of coal from the atoms in this small bottle of water and with no co two emissions.
jet needs europe europe needs jet and the uk's place is in euratom.
mr president the conservative mp chris heaton harris a former member of this house and a eurosceptic recently wrote to uk university vice chancellors asking for the names of professors who teach european affairs with particular reference to brexit.
ignoring the long tradition of academic freedom that universities consider crucial to their success his letter asks for a copy of each university syllabus and any online lectures on brexit.
labour members of the european parliament wish to express our concern at what appears to be a deliberate attempt to intimidate academic institutions. while the government may have disowned mr heaton harris's actions its failure to speak out more firmly about the behaviour of one of its own parliamentary whips displays a lack of commitment to ensuring space for free open and informed debate in respect of politically contentious issues.
beyond reaffirming strongly that academic freedom is non negotiable we want to support universities teaching about all levels of our democracy and reiterate that education is key in the functioning of a healthy society in particular citizenship education.
this earthquake is a tragic reminder that natural disasters are a continual threat for all member states.
however on ten april italy made a request for technical experts who could support the country in analysing the stability of buildings damaged by the earthquake.
member states started offering their help through the community civil protection mechanism at a very early stage of the disaster.
the member states and the community need to combine their strength to prevent disasters and their impacts and to ensure a rapid and effective european response to major disasters. experience has shown that an integrated and multi hazard approach should be taken to develop effective measures in both in prevention and in direct response to disasters as outlined in the commission communication
of march two thousand and eight on reinforcing the union's disaster response capacity.
over the last decade earthquakes heat waves forest fires floods and storms have killed many people in europe and destroyed costly infrastructure and precious natural spaces.
the world will be watching whether the crown prince will hold fast to his reform agenda and prove that his desire for greater freedom for his people is a genuine one.
however if saudi arabia wishes to cement its position as an influential key actor in the middle east and north africa region the process of judicial reform must be in line with accepted international standards. that's why it is deeply worrying that this month has seen a wave of arrests of women's rights activists whose names have not been publicised and whose rights to communication with their lawyers whilst in prison have not been upheld.
this sends a chilling signal to all human rights defenders in the kingdom and beyond.
it will be unsustainable to repress the population and women in such a systematic way as happens in saudi arabia every day.
it is also a wake up call for those who still needed it.
the promise of reforms under the two thousand and thirty strategy has been tarnished and we should hold saudi arabia to its acts not just its beautiful promises made alongside celebrities in foreign countries.
then state linked media labelled these women as traitors and they have since been charged with serious crimes.
since fifteen may only already twelve women's rights activists including those promoting women's right to drive have been arrested defamed and labelled as traitors.
we see a well funded media campaign aimed at demonstrating as if reforms in the country were being implemented one after another. however the reality is different.
here today we call on the saudi authorities to put an end to the treatment of saudi women as second class citizens and immediately and unconditionally release all of them.
the aim is to silence all of those who openly speak out.
in fact we see a crackdown on women's rights and human rights activists taking place.
i know the country is on a journey to modernisation but that journey will get more difficult if it takes the regressive steps of arresting and imprisoning women while fighting discrimination.
mr president commissioner colleagues if prince mohammed bin salman is true to his promise of modernising the country and advancing women's rights then a major first step would be releasing all women's rights defenders and activists who have been arrested and imprisoned in the recent crackdown.
following my visit to the kingdom last year i praised the saudis on the project vision two thousand and thirty and its efforts in reforming as well as taking positive steps with the lifting of the ban on women driving.
i believe saudi arabia as a country will be a stronger one through its inclusivity empowerment and participation of women.
that we stay strong free and open and that we expose people to our values to our trade to the free market.
trade sanctions and embargoes as with other parts of the world is merely cutting our nose off to spite our face.
no repressive state or religious superstition can ever defeat it in the long run.
i consider the best way to counter this is to export our values of freedom through trade.
free market capitalism has always been the gateway to free peoples as we saw with the collapse of the soviet union.
what we must do is increase our trade and expose the saudi people to the values of freedom through free markets.
its promotion is our greatest weapon against the forces of darkness and repression many of these forces so well highlighted by the regime in saudi and the ideals that they export through their funding of mosques in other parts of the world. it is crucial
their treatment of women and abuse of their rights is backward and uncivilised. what is worse they seek to export their medieval values worldwide.
freedom is an unstoppable uncontrollable ideal.
through that civilisation and free peoples will undoubtedly follow.
it is time for saudi to understand that without women you are nothing so please release these women from prison so they can enjoy their basic human rights.
but without a fully functioning democracy even these freedoms cannot be enjoyed.
eleven women's rights activists are right now detained in prison the very same who have been tirelessly campaigning against a ban on driving and the repressive and inhuman guardian system.
why should women wait to enjoy their basic human rights?
it is good news that women can now start to enjoy some of their most basic human rights which they have long been denied such as launching their own business and driving.
mr president united nations un human rights officials have warned this week that allegations against six women and three men known to have been taken into custody by the saudi authorities appear to be very serious and could lead to draconian sentences.
the detainees are being held by saudi authorities at unknown locations with one woman detained completely incommunicado.
if as it appears their detention is related solely to their work as human rights defenders and activists on women's issues they should be released immediately.
these women have been subjected to a smear campaign in the saudi media being branded as traitors which is a very worrying development for women human rights defenders and activists.
these arrests also come amid a pr push by the saudi state particularly targeting western media that attempts to sell de facto ruler crown prince mohammed bin salman as a great reformer.
the ball is very much now in the court of the americans to clear up the situation that has developed and which has caused outrage across europe.
in my own london constituency the main statutory agencies local councils the police and nhs organisations work hard together in helping vulnerable groups within our society.
however i am hesitant to support some of the measures suggested by this report which is far too intrusive.
with pathways to care threatened by this necessary fiscal contraction it is hardly surprising that vulnerable groups sadly have also been affected.
so local enforcement needs to be ensured and efforts need to be directed at a national rather than a european level.
mr president access to health care social services and welfare benefits are all areas which have been affected by the economic crisis in europe.
the proposal for instance calling for member states to carry out social impact assessments of austerity measures is inappropriate for a problem which requires a national solution and national policies.
i am deeply supportive of initiatives designed to protect the long term unemployed elderly and disabled.
our job is to keep an eye on what happens primarily in the european union.
mr president i think all of us left and right in this chamber have been alarmed to discover the extent to which data is harvested and processed in secret and with minimal scrutiny.
all intelligence agencies gather data and all of them can then use it for purposes other than the immediate foiling of terrorist threats.
one of the interesting wikileaks revelations was that a german satellite company was protesting about the extent to which the french government habitually practised industrial espionage through its intelligence services in germany.
i would just caution against displacement.
let us try to be consistent. there should only be a proportionate reaction on the basis of an identified threat to security.
it is legislation passed for the sake of showing that we are doing something; it is legislation passed in proportion to public outrage rather than the need to solve a specific identified threat.
in the aftermath of some terrorist event the cry goes up from all the newspapers and all the politicians that something must be done we need to intercept the data and we must not allow these people to get away on account of our namby pamby concerns over civil liberties.
then of course the same newspapers and the same politicians complain furiously a few weeks later about privacy.
much of what has been done in the name of national security particularly in the twelve years since the nine eleven attacks would not have had any impact either on that occasion or on subsequent ones.
mr president if you look around the world at the areas where the european union is striking out a distinctive foreign policy position separate from the rest of the western world the most outstanding is the decision to lift the arms embargo on beijing.
those weapons are wanted by red china for a purpose;
the idea that we have taken the decision in principle even if we have not yet shipped any arms to arm that regime against our allies against those countries which have done the right thing and reformed their democratic and economic system i think is a shame upon this chamber.
now there are serious practical difficulties in ireland with regard to the european elections due to the fact that constituency boundaries need to be redrawn.
this report contains all of the attributes and trappings of a pan european federal democracy.
they want an elected president of europe they want pan european political parties funded by the taxpayers contesting elections on common and binding cross border manifestos and even and this is my particular favourite party election broadcasts on behalf of gue the s d and so on.
it is just so wonderful there is almost nothing i can say to improve it except this.
when you try to herd the voters into your pre arranged destination when you decide that they must be european and that the problem is with them for not seeing it you put yourself not just on the wrong side of public opinion but on the wrong side of history.
mr president i have long considered myself a strong friend of georgia which has made great strides in its democratic transition since the rose revolution overthrew the dictatorship about ten years ago.
while many of us continue to look with unease at the difficult relations between president saakashvili at the end of his mandate and prime minister ivanishvili there does appear to be some cause for concern with regard to the overall situation for human rights in that country.
nevertheless we must be vigilant.
my group still supports a system of macro financial assistance which will assist the georgian authorities in developing their infrastructure and we do hope they are moving closer also towards eu integration with the enp.
it is in all our interests to see a strong prosperous and democratic georgia ahead of the fresh presidential election scheduled for october.
mr president as the revelations continue this week in the south of ireland regarding the frankly disgusting actions and words of certain bankers facilitated by a compliant fianna fil government it has become even more pertinent that we are aware of the terrible impact the crisis they created has had on society and on the most vulnerable in particular. children and young people the elderly carers the unemployed and people with disabilities are all at serious risk of social exclusion as a result of the so called austerity policies.
the continuation of cuts for persons with disabilities is shameful.
all people should have the right to enjoy their full human rights and live in dignity.
cuts to vital services and in basic standards of living have an increased impact on those with disabilities who need to be protected and not persecuted by governments.
completing the digital single market is a sine qua non for the development of the economy in europe and getting the jobs and growth which are so necessary post the recession which we hope will happen very soon.
that is obviously a very important aspect of this whole question guaranteeing citizens' data protection while also striking a proper balance so that businesses can flourish particularly encouraging the development of e commerce and creating the trust and vehicles by which that can be developed.
similarly i have little sympathy for so called whistle blowers like edward snowden who has betrayed the trust of his employers and more importantly his own country the usa which is perfectly entitled to prosecute him under criminal law. this is not to say that i do not support reasonable data protection measures and the right to privacy for private citizens.
the constitutional court declared the procedure for suspending the president to be constitutional.
we know the epp has no such sense of shame since they gave prime minister orbn a five minute standing ovation.
part of the problem is that the european people's party keen to boost its majority position has welcomed into its fold people such as berlusconi borisov and bsescu europe's b team playing fast and loose with the rule of law but all part of the epp and all protected by the epp.
transparency international freedom house and others have warned against the gradual reversal of the rule of law.
in romania appointments to public positions are too often partisan.
so why did the commission insist on it for romania?
when he had the referendum law changed against the advice of the venice commission his friend the ombudsman rejected a petition to challenge the move at the constitutional court.
and the european union commissioner reding might also reflect on the advantage of parliaments over presidential systems.
what happened then is almost the stuff of fairy tales.
mr president romania provides a case study of the trials of transition from communism a president alleged to have been a member of the securitate a political class so fearful of the files that they fail to publish the past a culture which twenty years on has still not shaken off all of the corruption of communism.
the best thing for romania would be new elections both for parliament and the president following the advice of the venice commission and then a convention between all parties to set some ground rules about how to behave in a democracy.
it leads many of us to agree with emil constantinescu in his letter to president schulz that the current mandate of the president of romania is unlawful.
in any other country if over eighty five vote for a president to go that president is toast.
in no other eu country is a vote invalid if fewer than half the people participate.
europe's socialists have decided to move their congress this year from bucharest to brussels.
not for the first time president bsescu faced impeachment.
the president himself accepted the procedure when he went to parliament to answer questions.
they are on the same slippery slope with saakashvili.
a majority of members of a democratically elected assembly voted to impeach a president with a long history of abusing his office for trying to turn a parliamentary democracy into a presidential fiefdom.
please allow me to begin this debate by stating that the presidency is well aware of the concerns that have been expressed by many members of this parliament at recent political developments in romania over the last few weeks and months.
firstly and importantly i would like to stress one point which is well known to all of us that the european union is founded on a number of basic values and principles which are set out in the treaties.
if there are any concerns or doubts that this is not the case this is firstly a matter for the commission.
given the implications of some of the actions and decisions taken at the highest political level in romania it is very understandable that this parliament has not only followed developments closely but has also wished to express its profound unease.
you will appreciate that since as a presidency i speak on behalf of the council as a whole it follows that my contribution to this afternoon's debate will necessarily be limited.
i hope that the coming weeks and months will show that all political actors in romania are determined to fully respect the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary in a sustainable and irreversible way.
in this context the commission urges all political forces to seize this opportunity.
the referendum unfortunately did not bring an end to the political strife.
all political actors will have to contribute to this.
the commission therefore set out in detail its concerns in its report on romania which was adopted by the commission on eighteen july.
as a result of our exchanges the romanian government made a number of important commitments in response to the eleven specific points that we had raised.
before the end of the year the commission will prepare a report on romania within the cooperation and verification mechanism as announced in july.
let me also recall that the venice commission echoed the commission's concern.
i am confident that this parliament shares the commission's conviction that the rule of law and judicial independence are at the heart of the european union and must be respected with impartiality in all twenty seven eu member states.
since romania's accession to the eu in two thousand and seven the commission has a particular responsibility as the minister has just said to monitor progress on the rule of law and the judicial independence in romania under the cooperation and verification mechanism.
to all state authorities and political parties of romania to fully respect the independence of the constitutional court and to refrain from exercising pressures'.
let me be very clear on the following pressure on the judiciary is unacceptable regardless of which side of the political spectrum it comes from.
we have built our europe on judicial independence and on the respect for the rule of law. those are fundamental values for our union and the commission as guardian of the treaty has a duty to see that they are respected
on six july in a press release the commission expressed concerns about the developments in romania.
they concerned the rule of law because in romania laws and emergency decrees were passed against constitutional practice with the aim of reducing democratic checks and balances notably by imposing sudden limits to the powers of the constitutional court.
let me be clear about the nature of the concerns the commission expressed during the summer.
by all.
that is why the commission reacted swiftly and decisively.
at the same time judges and prosecutors were subject to intimidation and pressure by political forces.