kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
with christmas around the corner the school holidays and the cold snap sending energy bills up norwich's food bank coordinator told me that she expects a spike in demand with over one zero parcels of food needed this december from the city's food bank.
mr president the christmas rush is coming and in some ways it felt a bit like santa's grotto with people busily packing up parcels when i visited the norwich food bank on friday.
the eu's decision not to include the uk in the programme is a huge blow for our pro european cities and the wider arts community.
but more importantly the capital of culture years fostered a real sense of civic pride with a meaningful legacy for the people living in the city and surrounding areas.
mr president amidst chaotic negotiations theresa may has chased a hard brexit at any cost threatening a complete breakaway from the institutions and programmes that have played a significant role in supporting our growing cultural economy for the past fifty years.
liverpool and glasgow have been past british recipients of the coveted european capital of culture title with liverpool in my region generating a staggering return of gbp seven hundred and fifty million to the local economy from gbp one hundred and seventy million of spending.
however the greatest loss for our creative and cultural industries will be the loss of freedom of movement.
it is a great shame that the disastrous toryled brexit has now ruined the chances of uk cities accessing the opportunity to regenerate through culture and specifically the capital of culture programme especially as some had spent up to gbp five hundred zero to complete their bids.
we must apply maximum pressure on the burmese military with targeted sanctions against all those involved.
we are the hope for our desperate rohingya brothers and sisters.
i fear the lack of border controls will be responsible for the next isis attack and on british soil directly as a result of intervention in libya which is now lawless and is a fertile recruitment ground for exporting more terrorism caused by the west. the king of jordan said in this place yesterday that the middle east problem is a regional one and i agree with
migration on an unprecedented scale leading to the most disgusting type of human trade people trafficking. the eu's porous borders and unchecked travel in the schengen area has led to the calais crisis.
terrorism confronting the threat of daesh uncontrolled migration regional instability these are only some of the challenges we have in front of us in libya and the unity government in libya is vital to addressing all these issues and many more.
we have also started to exchange views with the unhcr and with high commissioner guterres on the most effective measures and policies to face these challenges together. it has to be a joint effort starting from the very helpful and useful experience that the unhcr has developed
i have talked to bernardino len today about the state of play of this political dialogue.
libya. the eu is supporting organisations like the iom which are trying to carry out voluntary repatriation.
people have regulated and safe ways this works better not only for themselves we are talking about people first of all we just finished a debate on human rights let us remember that but we are also talking about the development of their countries of origin and also of our own societies in the european union. now these are things we need to do both in the short and in the long term when
what we need to do is ensure that there is a restart a reset somehow that allows a government to be in place that can work in all the territory and with all the people of libya.
the european union is ready with all its willingness and its support to help this process. we are doing that already.
they concern all of
security and stability challenge we have very close to
future. the impact of this continued situation in libya on not only our sea and our european union but also on neighbouring countries that are struggling themselves with difficult transitions could be really
i forgot to say but that was not out of any political intention that this was also a subject of my meeting with the turkish foreign minister a few days ago in riga. we have to make sure that all relevant international regional and local actors local level national level push in the same direction.
time a discussion to complement the ongoing work of the justice and home affairs council that is taking place at the same
i will have a conversation later today with the egyptian foreign minister.
they are moving along tribal lines seeking safety in rural areas and the tendency is to remain in libya trying to seek refuge in those parts of the country that are not yet touched by the conflict.
in all the past months and years threats not only to the southern countries of our european union but threats and challenges for the whole of the european union itself.
work that has been difficult that is still very difficult made up of creating the network of international and regional support for the efforts to support and to have political dialogue under the auspices of the un in the dialogue that is
the european union has promoted a meeting between the secretary general of the united nations ban ki moon myself for the european union secretary kerry and mr shoukry the foreign minister of egypt to try to build a framework that could keep all relevant actors there are many others
we have to make sure that the dialogue continues and we have to make sure that the dialogue brings the result of a national unity government.
time. together with commissioner avramopoulos i have written to the ministers to share some ideas already now on how we could step up our concrete action in the external dimension of our effort on migration in order to avoid tragedies at sea but also at land borders securing protection for those in need and fighting the criminal networks controlling the trafficking and smuggling.
this is all to say that we need to make sure that all actors are pushing in the same direction.
it will be built on four main objectives an effective asylum policy well managed regular migration the fight against irregular migration and protection of our common external borders. in this framework i have decided as i told you to put migration on the agenda of the next foreign affairs council on monday where foreign ministers will have for the first
ago. libya will be one of the main issues on our agenda on monday at the foreign affairs council to make sure that the european union is ready to support any kind of outcome of the dialogue that is currently taking
it comes to external action on our commitment to better management of migration but we all know and here i go back to libya our starting point we all know that libya is the immediate key element for facing the dramatic situation of people dying at sea and also to face the
there are other tracks of dialogue going on.
our borders. we all know and i can guarantee you that all member states and all commissioners know here i am playing my dual role that libya is the number one issue we need to face in these weeks if we want to be sure that the european union can have a stable and secure future and that our region can have a stable and secure
us. the international community must contribute in all possible ways and as a matter of urgency to solve these problems.
journeys. thirdly to engage with our partners in third countries of origin on the potential of regular well managed migration. we should consider better targeted mobility partnerships as an instrument for economic and social development accompanied by reflection on the role of remittances in development and on the mutual recognition of educational and professional qualifications. because we know very well that when
it will be vital to addressing these challenges it will be vital first of all to giving all libyans the security and the living conditions that the country can offer and that they deserve after so many difficult years.
distress. secondly step up refugee protection both in countries of origin and in neighbouring countries where asylum seekers and refugees have settled using resettlement and humanitarian admission schemes and regional development and protection programmes in order to assist partner countries to become robust providers of effective protection in accordance with international law as well as to provide safe alternatives to dangerous
there is currently a dialogue going on in algeria between political parties.
libya and i think that a national unity government is possible and desperately needed for the country and for the sake of the country.
a few days ago through one of the eu funded programmes the iom facilitated the voluntary return of four hundred senegalese from libya and these are four hundred people that will not try to cross the mediterranean risking their lives feeding terrorist networks probably
libya is a rich country full of financial natural resources which if put together if provided with authorities can perform very well.
ministers. let me send from here a strong message in view of what is happening in these days
a power struggle has torn the country apart as rival groups viciously fight to gain control of libya's vast resources.
this could cause a humanitarian disaster of unprecedented proportions.
nearly four years after the fall of the gadaffi regime the nation lies in ruins.
un brokered discussions surrounding a unity government is good news. nevertheless a lasting outcome will require concessions patience and most significantly libyan solutions to libyan problems.
the energy industry which was supposed to be the cornerstone of libya's recovery and a success story of the arab spring is on the brink of collapse.
there are reports that up to one million migrants are ready to head towards europe.
member states need to look more seriously and closely now at a unmandated restarting of military options and to support our regional allies such as egypt in containing this terrible problem.
allowing libya to fall into chaos will result in it becoming a failed state and a safe haven for jihadi terrorism very close to our own borders.
the west started out by supporting gaddafi's opponents only to find that what replaced him is even more savage and barbaric.
the moral of the story is that britain should not get involved in military adventures unless it is clearly in our national interest has a clearly identified military objective and there is some idea of what the outcome and the unforeseen consequences might be.
instead we allowed ourselves to get sucked into a piece of eu foreign policy vanity that has unleashed a vision of hell in the shape of armed and unrestrained islamic extremists who know no moral or humanitarian restraints.
i think it is important for us to understand that the european union does have a critical role to play on the world stage and it is good to see that under her leadership we are getting better and better at this. a number of my colleagues have touched on the difficulties that we are facing in libya and the dangers that we expose ourselves to in this.
i know that a lot of good points have been covered and i just want to say three things that we need to be looking at.
so we need to help them on that front.
this combined with an emphasis on this thematic concentration and rolling out of the identified examples of best practice such as the single portal in wales should lead to a more robust and coherent future for structural funds.
i particularly support the stress on subsidiarity making it clear that member states are best placed to define their cities not the commission.
instead we see a call for maintaining the budget which is simply not viable in these difficult times.
but there is always a but i am afraid! i am disappointed to see no real proposal for savings and combating inefficiencies which would enable us to make savings and safeguard spending for where it is really needed.
i am also happy to see a call for flexibility in the very welcome proposal for a results led programming system.
it is my hope that a new category of transition regions which would include my own constituency of northern ireland will continue to find support within parliament.
this category would play an incredibly important role alongside the present peace funding that we have at the moment and which was vital to northern ireland over the last number of years.
therefore commissioner i hope you will take that on board as a firm proposal to come out of this own initiative report so we can find ways and mechanisms of actually putting these good ideas into place allowing local authorities and regions to bring these five funds together to fund major projects in the future. i believe that is the best
two thousand and fourteen of course there will be other examples from regions right across the european union.
i believe that is the best way for us to improve and increase economic prosperity in our regions right across the european union.
a third good example is in greater manchester in the uk where they have a proposed model for an iti which will allow integrated funding from a number of eu and other sources so for example they will propose an infrastructure project using erdf money while maybe using esf money to train the people to actually carry out that particular project.
therefore i consulted with a large number of stakeholders from right across the european union.
i believe this will allow improvements to the effectiveness of eu funding improvements to simplification for applicants and also greater or easier access for applicants to a range of eu funds. however it seemed to me at the time the regulations were first proposed that there was a lack of detail on how we could actually create some mechanisms to bring these five funds together. we have got some proposals on a partnership agreement some proposals on multi level governance proposals on a code of conduct community led development joint action plans and integrated territorial investments.
another good example was the netherlands where funds from a number of programmes are to be devolved to local authorities allowing them to create packages of eu funds to fund projects in their particular locality.
i held a round table discussion with stakeholders practitioners people from regions and local authorities who deal with structural fund programmes on a day to day basis because i believe they know what we should be doing in terms of eu funds for the future. this round table was particularly useful. at it we were able to explore some mechanisms for bringing together the funds at a local and regional level.
i therefore particularly welcome the proposals from the commission on the regulations and particularly welcome the proposals for a common strategic framework for five of the major funds.
i believe what we should be doing is collecting these ideas collecting this good practice and finding some ways of exchanging this good practice right across the european union.
i know from the discussions i have had that many regions are already working on these mechanisms to bring funds together in the future but i also know that many regions have not started to do that.
where possible we need to make sure that the process is as flexible as possible for local authorities and regions so they can meet their own individual needs as well.
but also it is important for applicants that we try to simplify the process.
it does seem that there is widespread support for the idea that we should be looking to bring funds together where possible. i do believe however that there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of bringing the rules of the funds together and i think we need to work harder on that in the future.
i really believe that some of the suggestions in my report about mechanisms to bring funds together can help us achieve that.
we of course also need to cooperate with third countries. someone mentioned turkey yes i was there just before christmas and i signed together with the turkish minister the readmission agreement which we hope will enter into force as soon as possible.
to seek asylum is not a crime it is not illegal. it is something that is protected by the geneva convention in all european law.
the political climate today is not very welcoming but if we cannot stand up for the most vulnerable people in our neighbourhood then the european union does not have much to brag about.
it could be done via resettlement or other ways.
yes we need more solidarity in europe but we also need more responsibility.
because they are so desperate and they embark on these boats because there are no legal ways to get to europe.
we are of course aware of the pressure that greece is facing.
this is something that is not worthy of the european union.
that is why as i said in my introduction we are trying to help greece as much as possible providing technical help practical help human resources help and also a considerable amount of financial help to build up a system of migration of asylum and of border control that is in line with international norms and european laws and standards.
all twenty eight countries should take the responsibility to at least open up a little bit for the most vulnerable.
and these are not just numbers of people who have died to be added to the twenty zero who have died trying to enter the eu over the past two decades these are real people.
according to the reports of the survivors they died as a result of what seems to be incredible brutal inhuman treatment by the coastguard implementing a push back.
it comes from a brutal and inhuman system the worst elements of which we see in greece at the moment a system which needs to be overthrown.
this man he lost his wife and three children. this man he lost his wife and four children.
that brutal inhuman behaviour does not come from nowhere it comes from a brutal inhuman policy pursued by the greek government and pursued by the eu authorities to keep refugees out;
for quite some time now we have been involved with the greek authorities in trying to help them to set up a fully functioning migration policy in line with international and european norms. there is a lot of progress being made but still a lot of work to be done.
we are in contact as the minister explained with the authorities all the time regarding these allegations and we are closely monitoring the situation on the ground including through the presence of frontex.
on this particular incident from the information that we have so far it seems that it was a search and rescue operation.
it was not a border control operation.
the weather that night was very difficult and it is of course difficult to know exactly what happened.
of course loss of life is always unacceptable and should not be tolerated.
they said that they would do so. we have also urged them to take all the necessary action to make sure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.
where this balance lies will depend on the outcome of the consultation and the discussions with the stakeholders and member states.
if a member state is in breach of these principles the commission can initiate action against the member state.
it appears that many member states have not taken sufficient action to put this principle of non discrimination into practice.
buying online has aggravated the current problems and a more comprehensive effective and consumer friendly solution is necessary. legislative proposals will be made by the commission as a follow up to the digital single market strategy and the forthcoming internal market strategy.
the single market.
the current legal framework has not created enough certainty for businesses and consumers.
discrimination also takes place on a daily basis for millions of europeans travelling abroad as tourists buying a second home in another country or just crossing the border.
and fourth and most importantly parliamentary questions. as democratically elected representatives you act as a major interface between citizens and eu institutions. i cannot encourage you strongly enough to keep on sending us feedback from your constituents.
it has not enabled national authorities to enforce the non discrimination obligation in daily practice.
the alde group is looking forward to addressing this in a geo blocking regulation complementing the services and e commerce directives.
consumers across europe face two huge barriers when trying to shop across borders either they are denied delivery completely or delivery costs are so high that there can be no justifiable reason for them other than to prevent sales. if goods and content cannot cross borders europeans will not shop across borders.
they will forever be locked within their national markets and subject to higher prices due to a lack of full and honest competition.
commissioner when combined with different prices based on location there can be no doubt that this is a case of discrimination by companies based if not on nationality then on place of residence discrimination if not because i am czech then because i live in prague.
i honestly believe that most businesses want to do right by their customers and thereby attract more customers but this is clearly a case where we must act to stop this illegal price discrimination and segmenting of the market.
over regulation by the commission has made it much more difficult than it need be for smes to sell abroad.
the recent vat mini one stop shop vat moss measure is a case in point smes have to pay this tax on e commerce sales in every single member country that they sell to and the result has been a mass withdrawal of micro businesses from export markets and a consequent narrowing of consumer choice.
far too often the commission as well as the eu in general becomes the problem rather than the solution. i do not doubt that it wishes to do good;
i do ask that it opens its eyes to the harm it is doing in practice to the prosperity of what is fast becoming the world's economically least dynamic continent.
last but not least the commission sees the bologna process and the establishment of the european education area as complementary.
there is a consensus that belarus should join the new peer review process which is foreseen for all forty eight member countries which aims to support the implementation of key bologna commitments.
nobody denies that the bologna process has played a very crucial role in the last twenty years to build trust both between the countries and between the higher education institutions and this is really essential to promote cooperation and to promote learning mobility.
for now what is the most important for us and what will be our focus for the coming years?
according to the assessment of the dedicated working group although some limited progress has been made the country does not meet the agreed requirements.
they will be instrumental to further develop and consolidate the european higher education area and to build synergies with the european research area.
we must use next month's ministerial conference in paris as an opportunity to stress the need for more even implementation of the bologna commitments and to mobilise member countries and organisations to work together more closely in other words the commission wishes to provide support to those bologna countries which lag behind in the implementation of the key commitments.
language knowledge is a pre requisite for learning mobility.
third the new eu student card will facilitate both mobility and the recognition process.
on the current state and the evolution of the bologna process much has been achieved in the last twenty years in its three three major commitments.
a common degree structure is one of the most significant achievement of the process.
they benefit from capacity building projects which the commission wishes to intensify in the next phase of the process.
for refugees some countries have specific recognition procedures in place. activities built on erasmus funded projects for national academic recognition and information centres which will improve the consistency of decision making.
only systemic monitoring can provide evidence on the effectiveness of those measures.