kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
it would also mean that we would prioritise expression and access to information including on the internet.
so there is room for cooperation and i will bring it up during the transatlantic legislators' dialogue in florida next month.
as a member of the eu us delegation i am pleased to be involved partially at least in that whole area and looking forward to a visit to jacksonville in a couple of weeks.
before this summit i would like to encourage the high representative to work more intensively on strengthening the eu us partnership in foreign policy especially in the development of democratisation.
the united states our strategic partner in this field is together with the eu the largest provider of development and democracy assistance globally.
the outcome of the current wave of democratic uprisings in the arab world showed that we need to bring democracy development back to the international agenda.
we have seen that the international response to these events is decisive in shaping perception of democracy support in the future.
the eu and us should shift towards an approach to democracy which is based on viewing other regions and countries as real partners on an equal basis.
madam president the current financial crisis is by far the gravest challenge we face in common. we are being challenged both separately europe in its very integration the us in its world leading role but most importantly together as the west.
however given the complexity of our relations we need a more strategic dialogue educating the new elites on both sides of the atlantic on our common stakes regarding primarily the current financial crisis the middle east the revolutions in the arab world afghanistan and pakistan iran as well as the bric countries.
the eu purports to be a player in world affairs and this statement wants greater cooperation with the united states on many different levels.
before you talk about promoting democracy in the european neighbourhood you should allow it to be reinstated in member states.
already and those are aviation and shipping including fisheries.
so the de minimis has already been increased tenfold in;
i would think that if the eu were to introduce an increased de minimis at this point in time it is likely to undermine the eu leadership in the ongoing negotiation process sending a signal round the world that other countries too could increase their fishery subsidies on fuel which would lead to a vicious circle
increasing the pressure on the world's fish stocks.
two thousand and eight this is also a large subsidiary to the sector.
british fishermen are facing further losses in the number of days at sea and are slowly being driven out of business.
british fishermen as representatives of the host country must have an increase in the number of days at sea.
with reference to fuel prices in order to address this situation the commission encourages the member states to use fully the possibilities offered by the european fisheries fund.
however such an approach needs to respect the principle that financial assistance may not under any circumstances increase fishing effort.
more fish mean more fishing opportunities and that means higher revenues for the sector in general.
therefore there would only be limited political support from member states for a proposal that could lead to an increase in public expenditure.
that is why we urge the member states to use our funds.
this issue cannot be tackled appropriately by eu legislation alone but needs to be discussed at a global level.
it would also harm eu ports as many vessels would simply buy fuel outside the european union.
many member states are now forced to implement austerity measures.
if only some member states paid higher de minimis aid this would distort competition and result in an uneven playing field for the fleets of different member states. this is the most important reason of all.
the best way to increase the resilience of the fisheries sector to fuel prices is to ensure that fishing levels are in line with maximum sustainable yield.
therefore the commission is reflecting in the framework of the reform of the common fisheries policy and the financial regulation on how to further incentivise less fuel intensive fishing. the objective will be to encourage the adjustment of the sector and to increase its resilience to fuel prices.
the high fuel prices could be best addressed by the use of those eff measures that help to restructure the fishing fleet and add more value to fisheries products thus improving prices.
the member states can give their own state aid.
made. to answer the questions in a very direct way yes the funding is there;
what is this ceiling? this is the ceiling of the aid that member states can give to their sector.
but we have flexibility;
so this is the way to go and this is what we are trying to do.
we have discussed it and this is the main problem we have to solve through our cfp reform.
yes the member states can use
mr president today the call is for subsidies for fishermen because of the increase in fuel prices tomorrow it will be farmers and after that lorry drivers and then airline operators and then what about the owners of petrol stations?
it is american pork barrel politics special pleading for sectoral interests brought into the european parliament.
but what this debate does reveal is that while everyone says we should have sustainable fishing policies in practice when it comes down to it some people do not understand the word sustainability'.
the commission has made it quite clear that they understand that the fishing industry is not economically viable in some respects but that is not the result of extra fuel prices. it is because of the unsustainable fishing practices of decades.
if the market is constrained if fishermen are not able to directly pass on the costs of fish to their consumers then that is something that we should investigate.
we should ensure that there is a direct link between the price of fish and the cost to consumers but simply subsidising unsustainable practices is not the way to reduce the over fishing which has caused the economic problems in the first place.
the commissioner told parliament's committee one month ago when mr cadec put this question to her that she was not mindful to support subsidies to compensate for the extra cost of fuel.
she has repeated that today and i for one am delighted to hear her words.
the political dialogue helps to generate a real consensus around key political priorities.
that is why we need to keep up the work to deliver a real single market for energy.
further work on labour mobility and networking between public employment services is also underway.
the work programme underlines the commission's determination to keep up the pace of work to deliver the reforms we have all agreed to over the past five years.
the commission will also follow up on the green paper on the financing of the economy with a new initiative in. two thousand and fourteen with economic recovery still fragile we need to exploit the full potential of the single market and our trade agenda and force competitiveness across all sectors.
we see positive signs today but we cannot afford any complacency. we can and must go further together.
to grow and create jobs we must continue to safeguard and expand the freedoms of our citizens.
this is reason why the commission will move ahead to start putting in place a clear framework for climate and energy policies beyond.
we must keep the pressure on member states to implement the youth guarantee and to use european funding intelligently and efficiently to help young people.
concrete action in the coming months to finalise the data protection framework will have to ensure that citizens and companies can exercise their freedoms and rights in security.
two thousand and twenty honourable members we are a community of values and at a time when our attention is directed at the economy we must not lose sight of this.
thank you very much for your attention and am looking forward to our discussions.
we now need to get the mff programmes off the ground as soon as possible to produce concrete results for citizens and businesses hit by the crisis.
in two thousand and fourteen the commission will continue to defend european values and interests around the world and to show that it is a positive force worldwide through effective development and humanitarian aid directed to those most in need and through an active enlargement and neighbourhood policy that will continue to make the eu an anchor of peaceful development in our region and beyond.
this parliament has given much attention to the proposals in the two single market acts.
from the beginning this commission has worked very closely with this parliament its shared objectives and its common sense of the european good.
we count on parliament's strong support for this and we also call on the member states to implement what has been agreed without delay. nowhere is that more important than on the multiannual financial framework.
adopting legislation in areas like electronic signatures payments and switching bank accounts will not only have a direct economic knock on for the digital single market;
europe's economy needs a modern industrial base and streamlined regulation.
let us maintain this spirit over the final months of the legislature and ensure that we do the maximum to show citizens what our union can achieve a europe that is stronger more united and open to the world.
but this year is of course the first time that the commission has delivered its assessment of the draft national budget which it published last friday and work continues on the deepening of emu while ensuring full democratic control. that option of the single supervisory mechanism is transforming the banking landscape
our freedoms sustain our prosperity.
honourable members we have worked hard under difficult circumstances to support the economic recovery and to restore the confidence of citizens and markets.
support for the young and unemployed is a particular priority.
mr president honourable members this is the time to direct our energies towards making the most of the rest of this legislature bringing all key proposals to conclusion and ensuring the smooth and timely start of mmf programmes.
we also need to look to the long term with a long lead time for investment in energy generation.
six member states have already shared their draft youth guarantee implementation plans with us and we are working with the remaining member states to ensure that the plans are in place by the end of the year so as to ensure that the eur six billion of the youth initiative can be spent accordingly.
the commission will also be taking forward the reflection on the rule of law as well as feeding into the debate on the future of europe. and let us not forget our common objective to conclude discussions on the statute and funding of european political parties in good time before the next elections.
this will mean that as we enter a year of institutional transition and elections citizens will see that there is a real sense of direction in the european union a sense of purpose centred on the goals of completing the banking union and delivering on growth and jobs.
in addition to a limited number of new initiatives the commission has put the focus firmly on concluding legislative work on key proposals that are already on the table.
we have agreed changes to the cohesion rules that will pave the way for the new sme financial instruments.
therefore we would like to bring forward both of these communications at the same time so we can adopt appropriate measures.
the time has come if we are we are to improve the legislative performance of the union for the european council to take a grip on the direction and management of the affairs of the ordinary
we must at all times recognise the need to protect the indigenous arctic communities and to ensure that their concerns and their issues are clearly understood by the european union.
the eu must promote sustainable use of resources in a way that does not compromise the arctic environment and will benefit local communities. in my capacity as the european parliament's representative on the standing committee of the parliamentarians of the arctic region i have been attending regular meetings with my colleagues from canada denmark finland iceland norway russia sweden and the united states.
the high level cooperation will continue at our next meeting which will take place in june in svalbard in norway.
the standing committee has been at the forefront of international discussions in this area.
let me conclude by saying that whatever we do there is one thing we must do for the arctic and that is work with our international partners to address climate change and to limit global temperature increases to less than two c. i look forward now to hearing your views.
and finally on engagement we are stepping up our dialogue with all arctic states and stakeholders.
we trust that the arctic council members will come to a fair decision recognising in particular the significant contribution the european union can bring to the work of the council.
we will organise an arctic indigenous dialogue meeting in the coming months. an important decision on the european union's application for observer status is to be made next month by the eight arctic states that form the arctic council
from greenland to russia.
starting with knowledge the european union's new horizon two thousand and twenty programme will establish closer links with researchers from third countries.
our policy focuses on three key components knowledge responsibility and engagement.
add member states' bilateral contributions to that and the figure rises to almost eur two billion.
in our view the key international forum on arctic questions.
the commission will continue to engage with arctic indigenous groups to find ways to work together in a number of practical areas.
i am therefore thankful for this parliament's cross party support for the application.
turning to responsibility we want to work with our arctic partners and with the private sector to develop environmentally friendly low risk technologies that could be used by the extractive industries and the shipping industry.
the implications in terms of a rise in sea levels but also the dramatic feedback effects in terms of the increase in the speed of global warming should be truly shocking.
yet what is clearly a potential nightmare for hundreds of millions of people around the world and our planet makes oil and gas companies salivate at the prospect of getting access to yet more fossil fuels.
with the environment facing greater crisis world leaders respond with a new unseemly race for the arctic.
in a worst case scenario with the melting of the greenland ice sheet sea levels could rise up to seven metres which means not just bangladesh not just the maldives but london dublin and los angeles all being under water.
others including catherine ashton are welcoming the opening up of the northern sea route.
madam president i think there is no greater but more disgusting illustration of the madness of the capitalist system we live under than the reaction of the establishments around the world to the melting of the arctic ice. it could be ice free in summer within thirty to forty years.
environmental organisations are calling for a global day of action next saturday to send a clear message hands off the arctic.
we are already intensifying the discussion with the united states and canada on arctic research cooperation.
we also have a successful cooperation framework with iceland russia and norway through the northern dimension.
you made clear that the arctic itself will need support in facing the tremendous environmental and economic challenges that have relevance not only for today's but also for future generations.
the european union has no direct coastline with the arctic ocean. a majority of today's known resources are within the boundaries of the two hundred mile zone and or continental shelves of the arctic coastal states.
the arctic states and the european union have a shared interest in ensuring that the arctic's natural resources both on land at sea and on or below the seabed are utilised in a sustainable manner that does not compromise the arctic environment
this parliament has been an important driver behind the development of the european union's arctic policy and tonight we have underlined once more that the arctic is a region which affects all of us here.
with this aim the commission and the external action service will step up their efforts to continue regular dialogue with the indigenous peoples.
let me state very clearly that the european union will look at appropriate ways of ensuring that the representatives of the arctic indigenous peoples are informed and consulted on european policies that affect them
no it is not really a misunderstanding. i am very well aware of the fact that there is an exemption. but in actual fact it is not my view it is the view of those in the arctic and particularly those in greenland who have a stock of three hundred and eighty zero
sealskins at the moment that is ineffective.
first of all would you accept that the population that lives there also has a right to development?
i think we disagree on how to define countries as capitalist or communist.
just because you have a dictatorship that calls itself a communist party does not make it a post capitalist society.
what we see is different groups of imperialists chinese yes russian yes us yes canadian yes and now the eu trying to get in on the act all engaged in this new race for the arctic.
the losers will be the people who live there people around the world and our planet.
we all know apart from the special case of greenland of course that the eu does not have any arctic waters.
however commissioner in the new draft legislation on offshore oil and gas operations that is scheduled for approval here in this house next month we have introduced a clear obligation for drilling companies to demonstrate that they can effectively respond to oil spills and that they also have to limit their operations when they cannot respond. that is a real
just last week commissioner you confirmed that other major programmes would not be immune to cuts.
so dire were the consequences we were told that sticking with the eu was really the only show in town.
it will inevitably mean the raising of further direct taxes from citizens in order to finance these grand ambitions.
we are entering a crucial phase of negotiation on the uk's departure from the eu.
inevitably this will mean that countries like germany france and the republic of ireland will pay in more and will receive less in return.
this reflection paper on the eu's future finances makes grim reading for taxpayers across the remaining member states.
now as before the commission goes down a predictable path of creating new spending priorities spending on the european common defence policy the challenges of migration and other ambitious plans could well add another eur twelve to thirteen billion to the deficit making it in the region of eur twenty five billion per year. commissioner hogan has confirmed a three billion black hole in the common agricultural policy budget.
reading this report should remind this house just how important it is that we construct an agreement that is to the mutual benefit of all of our citizens and not just the federalist ambitions of some.
i have studied this paper and i am happy that you have set out scenarios that are not all pessimistic because i was concerned certainly as a member of the committee on agriculture and rural development i was concerned that the narrative in this debate was about taking money from the common agricultural policy and giving it to new areas or to other policy areas.
so i think we are making progress and thank you commissioner.
it is very unhelpful to say to the rural parts of europe that they must lose funds to other policy areas. there are some interesting ideas in this paper and some challenging ideas too around possible reforms of the common agricultural policy including the distribution of payments and some food for thought around how we will design a policy that meets the challenges of climate change and biodiversity and delivery.
it is frankly enormous so this paper is really important.
but let us not forget the income challenge in agriculture and in rural areas.
we also need to hear from the commission and i think commissioner hogan will be delivering on the commitment on sustainable food supply chains and on action to tackle unfair trading practices.
most of us here would agree that europe will have to face big challenges in the coming years whether the need for a more inclusive and sustainable growth the fight against inequalities and climate change or security issues.
better chances for our youth or increasing research and development for the good of all of society and a budget aligned with crucial commitments such as those reflected in the paris agreement.
since we in the greens efa group would like to see a stronger fairer more efficient and greener europe we would also like to see a strong fair efficient flexible and green financial framework a budget able to deliver results where we are most in need of them a budget that invests in the future for instance by building
if i understand the question i suppose my answer would be that i agree with you.
i think that in a world where we have more demands and more policy areas that need support and we are concerned about existing areas including rural communities then we do need more resources.
the commissioner makes the point very strongly in this paper that we have to demonstrate added value so it is incumbent on us here in the house to show that our policies which we defend do add value.
social security pension systems defence schools education universities that is where the bulk of public spending is and must be.
and what we can do at european level is in addition to those things and addressing the special challenges we have.
we cannot have the same priorities today as we had yesterday nor the same priorities in the future as we have today.
since armenia and azerbaijan are target countries of the european neighbourhood policy the european union should play an integral part in the resolution of the conflict.
the european union should work out a mandate for france and its representative in the minsk group and start playing a much more active role together with the us and russia in exerting pressure on both sides for bilateral concessions based on the basic madrid principles.
i also recognise the other partners who will play a significant role in this region and once again it will be important to work closely with our regional partner turkey.
the parties need to redouble their efforts to find an agreement before the end of the year.
the south caucasus could become what they should be already a gateway between europe and asia.
stefan fle recently visited armenia to discuss how to take our relationship forward and to build this agenda.
i also believe we need to take significant responsibilities in the implementation of a settlement once we reach this stage in close cooperation with our international partners.
the negotiations have been going on since one thousand nine hundred and ninety four in the current format and an agreement on the basic principles is within reach. the nature of the additional support that we can provide is of course a matter that we need to consult with the minsk group co chairs and the parties.
so we are ready and committed to stepping up our efforts in support of the work of the minsk group co chairs.
we are already supporting confidence building and outreach activities to people on both sides through civil society organisations who promote people to people contacts including in the framework of the council of europe.
we want to see progress by the time of the planned eastern partnership summit in september in warsaw.