kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
we need to try and lead the debate so that there is an understanding of the bigger picture but this is an important fact. on renewables in ireland at the moment there is a very big debate about wind energy which we support here but people do not like where it is going to be located or indeed the fact that it will be exported to the united kingdom.
so there are sensitive issues for member states to deal with and we need better quality debate on these issues.
it concerns the green paper on the framework for climate and energy policy and the place of agriculture and the demands for mitigation in agriculture.
we are going to have to be very careful here.
i do not think we are realistic.
i think we have to have a look at sustainable agriculture in europe and in the global context and not do damage.
but let us be honest the amounts of taxpayers' money wasted by the eu institutions are also significant.
and almost every month we receive a new court of auditors' report spelling out more errors and more wasted money. if meps are serious about looking after eu financial interests they should look closer to home as well as to the hercule iii programme.
the large sums of money lost which should be going to exchequers across the eu are significant and this means that front line services are not being as well supported as they should be.
only in december did we learn that billions in aid to gaza and egypt cannot be properly accounted for having been spent on out of work politicians.
the annual report to the european parliament and to the council will include an assessment of the achievement of the programme's objectives.
more than eur seventy million will be made available to support member states' administrations in strengthening their operational capacity to fight fraud corruption and other illegal activities.
it allows potential beneficiaries to submit an application even in cases where there can be only little national funding. this is particularly important in a situation where the national budgets of a number of member states are very tight due to the financial and economic crisis. secondly the reporting on the implementation of the programme will be improved.
mr president by their very nature smuggling counterfeiting and fraud are cross border crimes which adversely affect the financial interests of the member states of the european union. it is therefore entirely logical and necessary that the member states should work together to combat such crimes
but it is also logical that the european union should support their efforts wherever possible.
there are however two further points which i would like to make.
the first is that to improve the long term impact of spending under this programme and thereby ultimately to protect taxpayers' money it is important for us to ensure that synergies with other national initiatives are strengthened.
in doing so it is crucial for the member states the commission and the competent authorities to ensure that they reduce overlap and duplication with other eu and member state programmes and anti fraud tools. i welcome the specific references that the rapporteur has put into the final text in that respect.
had that been the case the auditors' comments could have been fully taken into account in the preparation of the report.
there is a need for more independent evaluation reports for greater emphasis on delivering european added value particularly in terms of technical assistance and for focusing on results achieved against planned objectives.
i accept and am sympathetic to the need to consider funding levels on a case by case state by state basis but nevertheless they observe and i agree that raising levels of co finance is unlikely to deliver any additional benefit.
its significance is that in order to export anything on the dual use list we in the uk need to get permission from the european commission first.
given that eu companies sold colonel gaddafi the incredible sum of three hundred million euros' worth of arms in just five years that assertion comes across as being on one level invalid and on another level hypocritical.
the eu justifies this by asserting that the dual use list prevents weapons falling into the hands of dictators.
to be clear the purpose of this proposal is to give yet more power to the commission to designate what items should go on the dual use list.
secondly on what mrs schaake has been saying about software and so on she should acknowledge that the eu has taken swift and robust action to prevent the export of telecommunications interception and internet monitoring equipment in violation of human rights.
it will help level the playing field vis vis our competitors and therefore foster our competitiveness by making sure that our export controls do not hamper legitimate trade in critical sectors of our economy.
it is vital to strike a fair balance between a strong defence of our security and the promotion of our trade concerns.
in order for the eu to achieve these objectives it is proposed to delegate to the commission the competence to update the so called eu control list' the list of controlled items in the regulation governing the european dual use export control system.
updates of this list should be carried out frequently in order to comply with our international commitments leading to quasi automatic transposition of internationally agreed controls into eu law. currently the legislative procedure is too heavy and not suitable for such a frequent and technical task.
let me take a recent example it took the eu more than two years to update the common control list.
this has been widely criticised by eu economic operators who sometimes cannot trade in certain goods while their competitors have the freedom to do so since these products have already been removed from the control lists in other countries.
it is also proposed to empower the commission to update annex ii of our dual use export control system which provides for facilitated controls of certain low risk items to certain low risk destinations.
this is needed to take account of sometimes rapidly changing circumstances here again our security is at stake and the question is how long should it take for the eu to require enhanced controls on exports when the security situation deteriorates in a particular country?
as i have already explained the purpose of the proposal we are debating today is simply to introduce a more efficient procedure to revise the eu control list which covers only dual use items for weapons of mass destruction or military end use.
these dual use items could be used to oppress people and could be used for war and therefore we have or may i say we should have the strongest legislation in the world to control these items.
technologies play an ever more important role in the lives of citizens empowering the individual breaking monopolies on information and power and offering plenty of economic social cultural and other opportunities for development.
people in egypt tunisia iran syria china burma and many other countries through the use of smart phones and internet access are able to claim fundamental human rights such as free expression press freedom free assembly and access to information and they can share documented human rights abuses.
but those who fear losing control are striking back increasingly repressing people with the help of technologies as well.
prisons all over the world are populated by dissidents human rights defenders journalists and citizens whose laptops mobile phones social media and e mail accounts have been compromised.
too often the repressive technologies that are used to repress people have a label made in europe'.
it is also important that we do not export technologies that can be used to attack the eu itself. speed is indeed important and we must stop the digital arms trade with more transparency and accountability a level playing field in europe and more flexibility for updates so that the eu can play a leading role in an ever changing world.
those who want to bring up their child in another language can do it at their own expense and at their own risk.
here in this house we discuss the problems of human rights and linguistic diversity in the world but please let us pay attention to the eu where we still have a number of unresolved minority issues and where in order to justify xenophobia we still speak in terms of owners and the guest in our common house.
we respect newcomers and do not forbid them to follow their customs but they are not allowed to walk in dirty boots on the clean carpet. therefore the discussion about language in kindergartens is ridiculous. there is no option about estonian.
because in a democracy setting out ballot boxes and letting people vote can never be illegal.
the conservative and labour manifestos were committed to implementing the result of the referendum but we cannot trust either party.
their best hope of doing that is by negotiating a deal whereby britain leaves the eu in name but not in substance.
there is only exit.
we must leave the eu under our law and then tell the eu how brexit is going to work not ask for permission on how we might leave.
to avoid that the british parliament must immediately repeal the european communities act one thousand nine hundred and seventy two as the first step not the final step in the process.
soft brexit' is just code for not really leaving the eu at all.
both are dominated by remainers who want to thwart brexit if they can.
can we try it?
it is my hope that through such strategies we can continue to nurture and grow our volunteering sector making it easier for people to contribute their time and views to create the kind of society in which we all want to live.
in my own constituency of northern ireland volunteering underpins much of community life.
however in recent times it has become a matter of concern that many volunteering societies are reporting an increased difficulty in volunteer recruitment.
have given to the nurturing of my son and daughter?
consider the example of a friend of mine who was going to set up an amateur dramatic society in his local village to encourage the local youth to come off the streets.
he was sent paperwork of one hundred and fifty pages.
consider a friend of mine who was asked to take part in a volunteer football team for local disadvantaged youth.
he turned down the opportunity.
they need a certain level of assistance and they have shown that they deliver value for money.
that certainly indicates that not only is it a social good it is an economic good.
the next steps to be taken have to be to increase the focus on international cooperation beyond the borders of the eu.
nowadays with the increasing use of the internet and computer based technologies the security of the internet stands as one of the highest political priorities for the eu and for the rest of the world.
mr president the role of technology has increasingly expanded in our everyday lives in all of its aspects from communication to finance and banking from transportation to energy from culture and entertainment to health.
the eu two thousand and twenty strategy included the eu digital agenda as a flagship policy setting ambitious goals for the technological development of the eu. the increasing use and deployment of innovative ict technologies and internet services all rely on cyber security and resilience.
the report is a reaction to the commission's two thousand and eleven communication on critical information infrastructure protection where parliament recognised that the internet is a critical infrastructure that requires not only protection measures but also the prevention of the internet attacks that have been repeated time and time again.
the eu should work with the region to support development and stability by reducing social inequalities.
as latin america is a growing economic region it is only sensible that the eu should intensify its role to strengthen existing trade and investment relations with the whole of that region but particularly brazil and mexico which are important strategic partners for investment and trade respectively.
we need to look at these issues about oil sands tar sands and shale gas but we need to do so looking at our commitment to cut our carbon emissions.
my group voted against paragraph fifty five because although we feel we should be developing cooperation with other countries to secure our energy future we believe we should do so in the context of our commitment to tackle global climate change.
i just want to draw attention to paragraph fifty five of the resolution which we voted on today.
this is a clean environmentally sustainable energy source an area where iceland is a clear technological leader globally and has much to teach us.
the agreement also explores the possibility of developing electricity interconnection between iceland and the uk.
i do not accept that member states should have a mandatory obligation to involve the european commission in discussions and agreements on energy generation and supply contracts.
the uk is testing this technology and will greatly benefit from this relationship.
mr president i abstained on this report for one very important reason.
this is two competent sovereign nations working together to mutual benefit.
some member states are becoming increasingly interconnected with respect to their energy supply already so a coordinated eu approach may help energy security for the eu as a whole.
it is similarly important for the eu to look to a number of new countries to supply its energy in order to avoid reliance on a small number of suppliers.
member states within the eu need to develop and coordinate their energy policies with all strategic partners particularly given the current challenges we are facing in energy security.
although i strongly support the importance of diversification and infrastructure development to enhance our energy security i am unable to support the demand for the commission to be involved in all member states' energy negotiations with third countries regardless of whether its assistance is required or requested. this is clearly against the principle of subsidiarity. i therefore abstained on this report.
but when we are looking at energy supplies we should be looking at diversification and barriers to new supplies.
it is essential that we continue to support those countries.
mr president this report is an important step towards achieving the millennium development goals and the fulfilment of international commitments to human rights food security and environmental sustainability.
the eu is the principal donor of development aid the principal investor and the second trading partner of this region.
i am however slightly concerned by the commission's current proposals on the development cooperation instrument which seeks to reduce bilateral aid from the european union to eleven middle income countries in latin america and has entirely removed the provision of basic services from its list of priorities for the region. improved political and economic relations with latin america must continue to be a priority for the european union.
continuing to build on these relationships will bring major benefits to all parties concerned.
i welcome the new pacific alliance recently signed between mexico chile peru and colombia which is a step in the right direction for more regional cooperation both political and economic at a time when the pacto andino and mercosur are clearly floundering.
we already have association agreements with central america mexico and chile and hopefully soon with colombia and peru.
they are able to understand each other even the brazilians can understand south american spanish although rather unfairly the reverse is not true and yet they remain independent countries despite the best efforts of the european union which has been pouring money into regional cooperation and integration projects.
in fact whereas the eu takes heterogeneity of nations and creates common political institutions south america is the opposite.
now guess which one is growing;
guess which one has the more successful rates at the moment despite some of the far left governments there at the moment.
there is a lesson there which is that prosperity comes from competition diversity variety and pluralism.
if you compare the range from brazil all the way through to bolivia you can see the range of development and brazil is clearly a power house.
we should be encouraging investment in as many services possible including in education health and water to make sure that people are taken out of poverty and live a better life.
mr president i abstained on this report on recognising and promoting cross border voluntary activities within the european union. i do support the idea generally as i fully believe that volunteering should play an important part in our modern day society.
i am particularly keen to see more volunteering amongst young people in london which is the region i represent and this chimes well with prime minister david cameron's idea of the big society in the united kingdom. however despite backing its premise there were aspects of the report itself with which i could not agree.
while there may be a call for volunteering to be made easier i do not agree with the idea that it would be made easier with the creation of a centralised eu portal as proposed by the rapporteur or with the establishment of a european skills passport which sounds very bureaucratic.
surely this is something as an issue the issue of volunteering even cross border volunteering which is best left to the member states and to local and regional governments to organise amongst themselves rather than being regulated at eu level.
here i would like to stress the importance of the energy charter as one of the few international energy organisations in the world.
in order to achieve this strong support from the eu its institutions and member states is indispensable.
the report which we adopted today is a very important step in the right direction and that is why i supported it with my vote.
mr president i am hugely supportive of volunteering activities many of which help ensure a better quality of life for my welsh constituents.
as well as having enormous societal value they also serve to equip individuals volunteering with important skills which can assist them later in becoming more employable.
whilst i recognise the importance and merits of promoting cross border voluntary activities across the eu and indeed the wider world i was unable to fully support this report in its current format.
i believe that initiatives such as promoting youth volunteering in sport or health and increased cooperation with third countries is of great value.
however i have reservations about the references made in the report concerning its funding.
i do not agree that national regional or local authorities should be mandated to ring fence funding for organisations involved in volunteering activities.
i also cannot support the recommendation for the creation of a new multiannual programme which would effectively guarantee funds to be available for volunteer projects.
in these current economically turbulent times authorities should be free to determine whether they would like to earmark funds for these voluntary groups or to direct them towards other projects nationally.
we have been told up until now by all the euro optimists that spain was different from all the other countries because it did not have the same debt level. well that is no longer true.
as has been said repeatedly today the eu is a major importer of energy.
what the rapporteur wants to do is to coordinate importation of energy in order to enhance our trading power and our influence. european energy policy needs to focus on coordination of energy market rules.
the eu needs to assume its place as a leader in energy regulation and importation. the report emphasises better coordination diversification energy sustainability and strengthened partnerships with supplier countries.
the report suggests regular coordination among member states the commission and the council via the strategic group for international energy cooperation.
this will undoubtedly increase our bargaining position in the energy market and introduce and promote competition among suppliers.
the report suggests a sharing of information using an information sharing tool to collect and make available relevant data on energy programmes and projects in third countries.
mr president i voted in favour of the kalfin report on critical infrastructure protection in terms of cyber security against cyber attacks.
i believe that the commission's approach to this is very serious this is a very serious issue and it is the right one.
this is something which we as the european union or for that matter the member states alone do not have the capacity to face;
so i fully back the commission's conclusion that we must work harder to form a better global understanding of the risk of cyber security on the internet and to share best it practice on how to reduce the risk.
the eradication of poverty through sustainable development is vital for good governance democracy and human rights.
we must continue to support this region which despite making progress in eliminating poverty still has many living below the poverty line.
it is also threatened by violence and insecurity which jeopardise the sustainability of its own development. aid has a positive impact on the region but for long lasting change domestic resources must be developed tax systems made transparent corruption and fraud must be eliminated and civil society strengthened. by increasing the well being of all people democratic institutions can regain the public's trust.
we must continue the political and human rights dialogues with latin america supporting their economic growth and social development.
mr president with the increased prevalence of cyber security threats it is prudent for the eu to develop and review its strategy with regard to key infrastructure projects.
cyber security attacks have been known to cause complete havoc across the eu and globally with their tactics becoming more and more sophisticated.
the effects of an attack can be highly damaging and costly particularly to businesses which are often subject to thefts of their intellectual property.
my government in the uk has recognised this and listed cyber security as one of its top priorities.
however these threats do not recognise national borders and so i support the eu coordinating efforts to counter large scale attacks.
as the eu is not alone in being subjected to these attacks it is sensible to develop a global coordinated strategy and response along with private companies to counter them.
i urge a global perspective as we develop all these strategies to counter future cyber security threats.
rule nineteen in the rules of procedure and change the order of the vote so that we vote on the amendments.
the suggestion is that instead of paragraph fourteen as written we replace the whole paragraph with a paragraph that has already been accepted by the house.
i will read it;
suggests that other member states might benefit from studying their experience;
the rapporteur is ok by this and i hope the house will at least allow the oral amendment to be tabled.
it is important that we try to get the maximum support for this report at the end.
calls on the member states to safeguard the preconditions for social and economic participation for all and in particular to provide for regulations on such matters as minimum wages or other legal and generally binding arrangements or through collective agreements in accordance with national traditions that enable full time workers to make a decent living from their earnings'; as i said this has
it is just a few sentences notes that some member states have introduced the concept of a minimum wage;
madam president the rules are very clear that after the vote every member has the right to make an explanation of vote for up to sixty seconds.
exceptionally colleagues and those who are waiting to give explanations of vote you will appreciate that it is now very late.
you will be able to make your explanations of vote after the vote in the sense that it will be tonight.