kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
we need to return to the european tradition where we take into account companies financial institutions and the board takes into account the interests of all stakeholders.
having been in this debate i also learned that there's a change underway in the european economy.
i'm happy to contribute with others on the first steps.
this also to matt carthy yes we need to work on this further.
we need to break away from the anglo saxonamerican tradition of move fast and break things' in which companies and financial institutions are just actors in an economy driven by monetary incentives.
we need to return to the european tradition where firms companies financial institutions banks and insurers are part of our society and act accordingly.
by the same measure we could confidently say that the euchina human rights dialogue is a successful instrument in promoting human rights and our values.
but fortunately it is not just the tibetans who have it so good. the uyghurs also enjoy all the benefits of the twenty first century's most advanced artificial intelligence and digital surveillance technologies to make their lives easier and more comfortable.
they listen and follow the party.
thousands of police and military patrol the streets to ensure they get all the help they need or perhaps to make sure that they do not accidentally set themselves on fire.
i'm sorry i missed my speaking time due to technical problems.
mr president just a few weeks ago the vicegovernor of tibet said that the human rights situation in tibet is not just good but very good.
arguably they also have access to the world's most extensive lifelong learning system in dedicated education and training centres'.
furthermore we need to look at some issues in a cross cutting way such as the criteria to identify endocrine disruptors and the different regulatory consequences.
honourable members i know that some of you are disappointed by the idea of the fitness check.
we are recognised today as one of the global leaders in dealing with these substances.
i'm thinking for example of the legislation on toys cosmetics and food contact materials.
it also delivers on the commitment undertaken when working on the criteria for pesticides and biocides. the eu approach to endocrine disruptors needs to remain based on science and on the application of the precautionary principle.
just to give two examples the commission is finalising a priority list of potential endocrine disruptors used in cosmetics for swift assessment and possible follow up regulatory action;
these are outlined in our communication and i am pleased to inform you that work has started on all of them.
i am confident that by advancing coherently in all relevant policy areas we will achieve the objective that we all share.
we cannot rest on our laurels and we need to step up our approach.
first minimising overall exposure to endocrine disruptors.
different treatment of the same substance does not mean incoherent treatment per se.
we are all committed to evidence based policy making and evaluations and the fitness check helps us make better policies.
we have already undertaken some useful evaluations but none of these has covered all of the relevant issues.
we can be proud of the progress we have achieved together since then.
today we have different approaches to tackle endocrine disruptors in different sectors. the commission agrees that there should be coherence in the treatment of these substances. however before proposing changes to the legislation we need to see whether and what changes are necessary.
we have three objectives in mind.
we want to finish this quickly so that the new commission will have the information at hand to make an informed decision.
second accelerating the development of science;
evidently the fitness check will not start from scratch but will build on data already collected in the previous evaluation.
these are in many cases particularly important to protect vulnerable consumers.
the commission has identified a comprehensive set of actions with different timelines to achieve these objectives.
and second in the area of food contact materials we are waiting for further scientific advice in bisphenol a and fatalities and we are ready to act as soon as this is finalised.
the fitness check will fill this gap and will pay special attention to those pieces of legislation that regulate products used in the daily life of consumers including the most valuable ones.
i can assure you that we are not simply trying to kick the can down the road.
the cross cutting fitness check on endocrine disruptors should be finalised in the first half of two thousand and twenty with a twelve week public consultation planned for this year. in two thousand and nineteen we also aim to organise the first meeting of our annual stakeholder forum and to launch a new web portal.
secondly on brexit we were told not to listen to experts.
broadly we can support this statement.
it's taught me never to pursue with blinkers on anything that's ideological.
be very careful about creating acts of faith as opposed to action based on evidence.
it's been customary this week for members to use their last speech in this chamber and we've heard an awful lot of this will be my last speech'.
the motion highlights a number of areas where work is required and i guess if this was a school report it would have some phrases such as must work a little bit harder'.
we certainly need the pace of investigation and validation of data to be speeded up and whilst i appreciate the commissioner's points about the fitness check and i wholeheartedly support them we are concerned about speed and we are concerned about making sure that we don't let this
we will not be supporting it in the ppe.
well i think rather a lot because we do hear quite a lot of what i would call ideological hysteria about endocrine disruptors.
this goes too far it goes too quickly and it's not based on scientific evidence.
we are in line with the objective of formulating a comprehensive eu framework on endocrine disruptors.
it can lead to disproportionate and damaging action that later causes regret and difficulties finding a way back.
well i'd like to just go to that theme for a moment because for me as a british mep i want to just mention one thing about brexit and how it relates to this subject because brexit has taught me a lot.
well on endocrine disruptors we must.
we must look carefully at the scientific criteria and evaluate in a calm and systematic way.
be very careful with decisions based on emotion on gut feel on belief.
while religious freedom and religious tolerance are extremely important facets of the world in which we live it is important to move forward and not backwards and ensure that basic human rights are respected.
this is an abominable and savage practice which must be resisted. i'm proud to come from a country like ireland where in two thousand and fifteen we were the first country in the world to legalise same sex marriage by popular vote.
mr president the case of china and the repression of religious and ethnic minorities is a perfect example of the need for the eu to be consistent and strong when defending human rights no matter how big how powerful or how strategic the country where violations of human rights occur is.
human rights are universal and human rights violations are not more or less severe depending on the size of the country or its economic or political power.
regretfully too many minority groups national religious or linguistic minorities are discriminated against and persecuted across the world just because they want to preserve their own identities and cultures.
mr president i think i'm the last brit to speak in the chamber at this session but now i think perhaps not the last ever happily.
the financial sector cannot just be about making profits for the few and ignoring the consequences for everyone else and our planet.
as a labour mep i want the money that banks insurance companies and pension funds invest to help create a more just society.
today's vote is an essential part in our efforts to connect finance with the sustainable development agenda.
it is in everyone's long term interests.
a polluting fossil fuel is not a durable and stable investment neither is ignoring health and safety nor is using child labour.
today we introduce new rules on how big banks and insurance companies need to not only consider the financial returns on investments but also their effects on the environment and issues such as the gender pay gap and stamping out corruption.
working together we are building a fairer europe for the many not the few.
hundreds of people have died hundreds of thousands are displaced and activists have been rounded up and jailed.
oftentimes anti terror laws and heavy security measures are abused to justify these crackdowns.
there have been cases of torture forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
freedom of expression is not respected whether online or offline.
so this is a very very serious escalation.
we urge the security forces in cameroon to stop the use of this disproportionate violence and to respect the human rights of all its citizens.
there need to be investigations into the allegations of excessive use of force and human rights violations and it is very important that under the leadership of the african union there will be peace talks that we as the european union and all of our leaders need to support.
bit by bit the chinese government is building up an extensive mass surveillance system over the uyghurs living in the xinjiang province and such measures including the use of spyware are heavy violations of the rights of privacy for these people.
the new eu china strategy which i think is urgent and welcome should have as its first action to address issues of shared concern' and i believe human rights should really top the list.
numerous reports from human rights monitors have documented the excessive use of force by security forces and continued human rights violations against citizens.
these actions are fundamentally against the values and standards that we promote on the international scene.
looking at our own possibilities the european union can also make a difference.
we should take advantage of the political leverage provided by the development aid programme to enhance the defence of human rights in cameroon.
she was electrifying.
but she also condemned the hypocrisy of politicians who express concern about the climate while voting against action.
although it has been a political battle to make the progress we have i hope she would be pleased by the eu's agenda on sustainable finance one of the most important tools to ensure the promise of systemic change to halt climate breakdown.
i'm proud that once again the eu leads the world on environmental standards; this time by agreeing the world's first mandatory disclosure regime for a major financial market.
citizens should expect the same transparency when buying financial products as when we buy food.
when people found horsemeat in their lasagne it was a scandal but we have not had the right to know whether our pension fund was invested in a windfarm or cutting down a rainforest to plant a palm oil plantation.
i deeply regret that the council did not match parliament's level of ambition and continued to insist that some of the sustainability risks and impacts of investments can be concealed from citizens.
the inclusion of a regrettable comply and explain exemption means that companies can continue to choose to hide dirty and destructive investments thus undermining the power of the sustainable finance agenda.
with thousands of climate demonstrators out on our streets we call on our parliamentary colleagues and member states to listen to the will of the citizens calling for a truly sustainable transition and to use our financial system to facilitate this.
mr president on behalf of the commission and in particular on behalf of vicepresident dombrovskis whom i represent here i would like to thank the rapporteur mr tang all of you for your comments and contributions today and i am confident that the resolution will be adopted today and i also share personally the fact that this would be a major step forward and a good way of
this will pave the way for a swift entry into force of the legislative package which represents a political priority for us. it is critical to mainstream disclosure on the impact that an investment can have on the environment and society.
by adopting higher sustainability standards we will increase the transparency reliability and attractiveness of sustainable financial products.
it will also help to raise market awareness on sustainability issues and foster innovation in investment strategies and the design of this financial product.
so our belief is that this has the potential to bring a behavioural change in financial markets and in investors promoting investments into a more sustainable economy and i think this will be a very important step forward in our sustainability agenda.
again when this measure first came we were talking about putting all sorts of restrictions on companies so that they would have to prove that they weren't doing all sorts of things before they could go ahead.
it is absolutely crucial that companies that wish to trade across borders and wish to do so on the internet or wish to do so electronically are free to do so without restriction and without people trying to stop international competition.
in the publishing industry where i come from we publish a lot of e books.
the payments are then processed and things can carry on. so this measure which makes it easier for companies to set up remotely and to do trade on the internet is important particularly i think removing the necessity that some have to actually physically go to another country.
as is so often typical of this place it was talking about more centralisation more control more rigid enforcement of rules from the centre.
and in particular in this case it was placing massive emphasis on electrical vehicles as a way to reduce emissions.
so i'm very pleased that after a lot of hard work with the rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs we've managed to get this to be a much more flexible arrangement we are placing less emphasis on just electrical vehicles and we are going to allow technology to develop quite right too.
mr president discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities is not a new phenomenon in china yet recent reports are so alarming that human rights defenders are comparing the strike hard campaign in xinjiang with the hardline policies common during the cultural revolution.
but such a visit would only be meaningful if unfettered access to reeducation camps and their inmates were granted.
in the next mandate the eu must continue to robustly act to promote full respect for the rule of law and human rights in the people's republic of china which under president xi sadly seems to have taken a step backwards.
mr president postponing concrete action to regulate endocrine disruption is not a luxury we can afford. these chemicals are present in many products and materials around us including plastic bottles children's toys cosmetics and food packaging.
europe must do everything possible to phase out dangerous substances particularly those with endocrine disrupting properties. but in order to do so we need the political will and we need concrete action.
we feel that the european commission did too little too late because we have the strategic framework.
however there is still a lack of concrete action to provide full protection for human health and the environment. we are saying this because even with the strategy we are still excluding for example toys and cosmetics and this only leads to a fragmented patchwork of different national standards which makes it difficult for everyone both for consumers who do not know what level of protection they can expect
and also for producers who suffer from diverging standards.
we need a european course of action and it needs to put people's health and the environment first.
we expect the european commission to expand the scope to address endocrine disrupting chemicals also in materials and products such as toys cosmetics and food packaging.
as socialists and democrats we are pushing for a legal framework that can help protect our citizens.
we are also asking for a horizontal definition of e disease that is aligned with the who's definition.
we believe that people have the right to know that their everyday environment and the products they use are not harmful to their health and on behalf of the socialists and democrats i call on the european commission to acknowledge the european parliament's resolution and our legitimate concerns as it is time to phase out endocrine disruptors once and for all.
mr president as this actually now is my last speech i'm going to dispense with the formality and say i think probably combining politics with finance is not a good idea.
i want to say that it's been a great honour for the last five years to represent the west midlands an area that i love in this place.
there's been some good debates there's been people on all sides that i've grown to respect and i hope that everybody goes forward from here and thrives and does well all of your independent nation individual nations all of you as people i wish you all greater freedom and i wish you all happiness.
it's been wonderful all the best to all of you no matter what political shade you are.
mr president i appreciate the importance of this report in ensuring that reporting issues are streamlined.
i am certainly pleased to see that the burden of red tape is finally being cut in the eu.
the uniform transmission of data is not something that i could see as being beneficial to the uk ports where the majority of uk ports are actually privately owned.
on a personal note this may well be my last speech here in the chamber.
i'd like to take this opportunity to thank the entire parliament staff including the ever patient drivers who have been polite and extremely helpful throughout my time here.
thank you so much. i will always defend the right of those of you who wish to support the eu vision if that is the desire of your country.
i know many of you have struggled to understand why the uk wants to leave the european project.
i will only say this you should listen and find a way to communicate and be good neighbours as the brexit party is already leading in the polls.
we have to step up to the big challenge of our time and come into action.
we have to do it step by step stone by stone and this report this regulation is an important building block to make the financial sector work not just for profits but for people and planet to make finance part of the solution of sustainability challenges and not part of the problem. from the start the idea has been radically
simple make sustainability part of the dna of the financial sector. let considerations of sustainability apply as broadly as possible to all financial products to all financial institutions for all sorts of impacts and as always with radical ideas
indeed sustainable finance should not be stuck in the green corner as a manifestation of goodwill while at the same time as an excuse for the bulk of non sustainable investment.
in fact not in a green corner but sustainability should be discussed in the boardrooms of banks insurers pension funds and asset managers.
this means that sustainability considerations should be integrated in every step of the decision making in every step.
this means everyone in the financial sector has to move.
so yes this is what we need.
we need a broad scope an unlevel playing field so that consumers who want to know what their product is can learn to know that and even more important we need a broad scope so as not to punish the front runners and to benefit the slackers.
we need a broad definition of sustainability. this is a broad concept encompassing a wide array of considerations ranging from biodiversity to human rights from emissions to working conditions and we need a broad framework to manage risks and impact not only the identification of impacts
not just disclosure but also due diligence.
i think this report makes progress on all three fronts and that is a big win.
this resonates already with the mind shift we see in part of the financial sector.
a broad range of fsas is already applying due diligence and just this week many of them subscribed to a call for mandatory due diligence.
this enables them to show their social value but also to achieve a higher risk adjusted return.
i would like to call on the european commission and the supervisor to use the openings in this regulation to work on standards for disclosures to better define the social impacts of investments to work on standards for due diligence these are what we need to truly make the transition towards sustainable finance.
the message from the regulation on disclosure and on the critical benchmarks should be clear to the financial sector finance will become sustainable.
don't wait for it but start working on it.
we started listening to arguments about more homogenisation and bringing things together and in almost my last speech here we are hearing more of the same.
whilst things here for five years haven't really changed and there's been a consistency outside of these walls a wind of change is blowing all across europe.
i think it's important to be mindful that while it doesn't change in here this wind is blowing in these coming elections.
whilst i may not be back it may well bring some very different people here and different arguments.
in terms of energy dependency we are not in the position to miss any opportunity.
we look to ourselves and if we have alternatives which we have here through shale gas we must exploit those to the full.
that in itself is vital for europe's potential for economic growth in the future.
he has added real value to the original commission proposal and the council's position.
i believe the resulting text is not only technically workable but is a good balance between investor protection and easing the access to capital markets for enterprises in europe.
we have tried to help investors with the contents of the summary and the concept of key information.
i think that this will help not only larger companies but smaller ones too.
at a time when markets are volatile it can be the cost of a prospectus that would put someone off even trying to raise additional capital.
i look forward to further analysis of the sector when we look at the mifid directive later on this year.
as i said this is an example of a concrete measure we are taking to improve europe's environment for entrepreneurs and for investing in our future.
mr president i would like to thank the rapporteur and all the shadows for their cooperation. i believe that the compromises reached are accepted by the s d group as they are fair and we believe will lead to greater investor protection in particular for small retail investors.
i think as the commissioner said it is in the spirit of the original directive.
in addition we have clarified the period when publication of a prospectus or supplementary information to it is required;
we have also clarified the requirement for and liabilities of the prospectus when securities are sold via intermediaries and not directly by the issuer.
on threshold i would say it was more a tweaking exercise than dramatic change but the compromises reached were fair and balanced and the s d group supports these.
i think it is a welcome step to be clear about the definition of a qualified investor as is the effect of supervision of third country trading.
in line with better regulation the decision that no prospectus will be required for employee share schemes would appear to be sensible.
after all if employees are not willing to invest in their own firm maybe the management should take heed.
the three months compromise is vitally important and is a move in parliament's direction.
so we must ensure that investors especially retail investors receive adequate protection within the european union. investors should be able to gain the information necessary to make informed decisions.