kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
it is a requirement that we are decisive stable and strong in the message of supporting democratic forces wherever we can find them and we shall make them as strong as possible.
secondly regarding energy we need energy efficiency. we have a lot of programmes in order to achieve that.
phasing out nuclear power is hindering us.
looking at ways we can use european structural funds more effectively to help those affected by the global economic crisis is one of the many actions member states need to take to help those who lose their jobs get back into employment as quickly as possible.
twenty the g twenty has the potential to start the process of creating global rules on finance which we require to prevent such an economic calamity happening again. we need to make jobs and the social agenda key issues for the european elections.
the twenty five million people across the eu who will find themselves out of work by the end of the year should be the focus of our work in this house to get the economy moving again and help people back into work.
fifteen despite considerable progress the uk housing minister has admitted that only one of the current housing stock is energy efficient enough to prevent fuel poverty.
madam president time and time again discussion on energy efficiency has focused on the fact that much more could be achieved and quickly if only up front funding was available.
when we are talking energy efficiency and investment in energy efficiency in private housing for example will that mean what it means under the energy performance of buildings directive which is currently under discussion at the moment and where there is a debate around a need for harmonised or a single basis of calculation
i would also like to welcome the amendment made to the original commission proposal eliminating the restriction of eligibility to low income households instead restricting eligibility to interventions that support social cohesion leaving it to the discretion of the member state to determine the exact categories of eligible housing.
but we need simple administration.
running the numbers in fact on energy efficiency to be sure that the investment is being spent on real energy efficiency or increasing energy efficiency or reducing co two emissions issues?
be a harmonised method of calculating energy efficiency across the eu twenty seven or will there be different calculations and different considerations in the different member states?
finally i was very proud that commissioner hbner came personally to lowestoft in my constituency to launch our gbp one hundred million european regional development programme and its emphasis on helping business in our communities adapt to low carbon growth.
indeed investment in environmental technologies in management should lead recovery efforts.
it is right that tonight we agree emergency action to speed up european funds to people in need at a time of need.
the economic crisis must not deflect any of us from meeting the long term challenge of climate change.
the east of england intends to stand firm to this objective.
with respect to the changes we are agreeing tonight the east of england development agency is welcoming the fact that more business led bite sized and bespoke training provision is to be allowed and says it will help us more quickly to meet our region's commitment to help one hundred and twenty four zero people through european social funding alone.
it is now up to the national and regional authorities to make use of this opportunity to redirect the percentage of their erdf funds for funding towards these projects.
by targeting this funding we can retool our economies to drive out of recession.
it behoves us all as meps and as citizens to bring this to the attention of the public who are so fearful right now. it behoves us all to drive this message home to our national governments that this funding be matched and deployed as quickly and efficiently as possible. i also welcome the reduction in the paperwork. it is a step in the right direction.
however faced with this bleak vista we must seek to find creative solutions to give those unemployed the skills the prospects and the hope for a better future.
mr president i too welcome this proposal because it is a direct and tangible response from the eu to the current economic crisis.
we are responding using the instruments at our disposal but i strongly agree with my colleague mr beaupuy when he says that we need to get our act together and do something quickly for families and communities.
thirdly i am particularly pleased that the in kind contributions are now recognised as eligible expenditure.
in my report on the contribution of volunteering to economic and social cohesion which was endorsed by this parliament i called for this very measure to be put in place.
this means that the contributions of volunteers and others will now be taken as contributing to the various projects and while it has taken the current economic crisis to move us fully in this direction nonetheless it is most welcome.
this measure will recognise in a practical way the contribution of volunteers and voluntary time and how it too can be part of our response to the current crisis.
in this way we are working together with our citizens as partners.
we are now recognising and valuing this and saying to our citizens your efforts your time your commitment are important and we are working with you.
mr president the conflict in the north indian state of jammu and kashmir goes back seventy years.
a settlement now in kashmir is essential to peace and to progress in a complex region.
the infringement of human rights by the indian military has been widespread and systematic. several generations of kashmiris now have no civil experience other than conflict with the indian state but the iron fist has failed and it has cost india dear.
there have been times of hope there have been signs of progress but in recent years and months the situation has deteriorated.
in elections in kashmir virtually no one votes so in developing relations with india the european union cannot ignore human rights abuses and the world cannot afford to ignore this flashpoint between nuclear armed powers.
the departing british left kashmir's destiny in the gift of a king rather than in the hands of its people and wars between india and pakistan followed.
lidl cannot be allowed to continue to expand at the expense of its workers.
so my message to lidl is end your opposition to unions and meet with usdaw. talk about recognising it as the trade union for lidl staff.
they need a voice through an independent trade union.
mr president i was recently with the trade union usdaw outside a lidl distribution centre outside because the management won't let uk unions in.
until you do that we will keep campaigning outside your warehouses and stores.
this isn't new and there is a similar story to tell across europe. back in two thousand and four verdi published its black book on lidl' exposing a lowpay highfear culture.
the truth is that a privatisation and centralisation agenda on the part of successive irish governments has led to huge regional imbalances massive disparities in economic growth and job creation and an inexistent public transport system across many parts of my constituency. the questions that the european institutions now need to ask themselves are these do they want to be complicit in denying citizens to access to public transport and are they going to allow irish governments to continue to treat the trans european transport network objectives with contempt? there is massive demand for rail transport across parts of ireland that have been ignored by irish governments.
but will the commission now step up on their behalf or will they ignore them also?
that this outrageous action hardly surprised anyone living in those parts of ireland is itself telling.
he stated that in three days' time facebook will be fully compliant with the new regulation but as was rightfully said how do we know that you are telling us a truth? is facebook being honest with us?
the question answered itself on friday.
it is alleged that these companies never gave the users the real choice regarding the use of their data. if you don't agree you simply cannot use your facebook account anymore.
apologies and handshakes are not sufficient anymore to get facebook off the hook.
it is great to see europeans defending their own rights but we are the ones who should be protecting them.
and better than bailouts to companies like stagecoach and virgin.
when companies fail on one rail franchise they should be banned from competing for others.
passengers want fares that are fair trains that run on time and the promised investment in the network like full electrification of the midland main line.
this is why we need stronger rail passenger rights in the european union and in the uk.
instead of cancelled trains it's time to cancel the failed privatisation of our railways.
it's time to publish a new timetable a new timetable for renationalising our railways as a labour government would to give passengers the services they deserve.
mr president the eu is currently struggling with multiple crises one of them being the new trends of protectionism that we see around the world particularly from the trump administration.
today the european parliament has been able to send a united strong signal to the world a signal that we want to uphold the post war consensus of openness and free trade.
from the other side the european union developed free movement of people inside the eu and the result of this imbalance is that many citizens move to other eu states with higher salaries and higher social protection. in the last twenty five years my country latvia has lost more than thirty five of its population partly because of low birth rates but mainly because of migration to other eu countries.
but the canada deal is not the best template for the future relationship between the uk and europe as our own trade is much more sophisticated and intertwined especially in key twenty first economic sectors.
mr president removing barriers to trade boosts growth encourages innovation raises wages and gives consumers greater choices and in the case of the eu canada deal it even gives us cheaper chocolate.
by abolishing ninety eight of tariffs and other trade barriers it would provide excellent opportunities for smes.
beyond the merits of the agreement itself its adoption would also signify two essential things.
it would also liberalise cross border investment and trade in services. it would open competition for large government contracts it would support enforcement of intellectual property rights and would facilitate mutual recognition in the extremely important services market.
it would reinforce that the eu still believes in the benefits of free trade and open markets that ensured its post war prosperity and that it is able to regain some of the trade negotiation credibility that it lost when it decided to give up its exclusive competence over the deal.
ceta has not been designed to benefit my constituents.
we do not fully know what was discussed behind closed doors as is always the case with the commission but we do know that the documents were signed despite elected representatives saying no' and the people saying no'.
instead it benefits big business and global cooperation.
welcome to democracy eu style.
however two weeks later the canadian prime minister was in belgium signing the deal with the commission.
here today we have a policy that says we want to try and reduce emissions and bring low carbon investments to europe but the law of unintended consequences is very clear in a very small rule that you heard about in this chamber today from members from poland to ireland to greece and now the united kingdom
all of them are under threat from the fact that this regulation will increase their costs and as the commission says potentially close down twenty factories across europe.
and from an irish perspective the amount of beef with tarifffree access to the eu market will be very significant and would pose significant challenges to our suckler herd.
what about negative listing where we in ireland have one of the shortest lists when it comes to extra sectors to be excluded from liberalisation.
and i don't believe european citizens support the inclusion of these outdated unnecessary and in my view undemocratic regimes in any trade deal.
i wonder how many of our politicians were involved in drawing up our short miserable list of just three extra exceptions.
add to that the impact of a hard brexit with sixty three million fewer consumers for tarifffree beef and this has the potential to undermine the entire sector.
it's also worth saying that these courts are not answerable to any national court not even to the european court of justice.
this is a good review it focuses on those industries which produce the most emissions and it has simplified the rules for smaller companies.
it will give industry the incentive to modernise and innovate and will help european countries to live up to their international commitments.
however it is important that europe remains a place in which it is attractive for industry to be located and we must not simply export our energy intensive sectors to other parts of the world.
i am pleased that this work has been led by a british negotiator.
i wish him and the rest of the team the best of the luck at the next negotiating stage and i hope that in a post brexit world the uk and eu will continue to work together on areas of mutual interest like this.
i listened to the debate this morning and i heard people say what about the geopolitical situation?
the eu of which i am a full supporter is under attack from both inside and outside and if we cannot do a deal with those decent canadians who can we do a deal with?
well all of those arguments are valid but you cannot vote on a very detailed trade deal on your gut feelings only. you must vote on the essential elements that are in the deal.
there are many elements i could comment on but in my limited time i will mention just one and that is the inclusion of investor courts in this deal.
in one of his first addresses to this parliament president juncker said my commission will not accept that the jurisdiction of courts in the eu member states be limited by special regimes for investor to state disputes'.
yet that is precisely what we have in this agreement.
it is not about succumbing to lobbyists and to bigger principles from the big corporates.
is that really the future for trade policy across europe?
it is not one that can be fair when the corporates were the only ones invited to make agreements in secret with the commissioners when investors will be able to sue freely through the new investor court system and when corporations will actually be invited to make the rules.
there were no protections for the national health service which is vital to the united kingdom.
one of the single biggest issues and questions facing family businesses is that of succession and passing on the business four hundred and fifty zero companies each year employing two million people find themselves in this position and because of many difficulties it is estimated that one hundred and fifty zero businesses are forced to close because of the difficulty in passing on
many of whom are the most vulnerable that we can imagine. our government is also correct when it stresses that the wider solution to this influx of refugees can come only from aiding peace and stability and upholding the basic rights in societies where the current threat is real. i want to see christians and other religious minorities in these communities
empowered by the assurance that they do not have to leave their ancestral homes and that the international community will support their right to life and freedom of conscience and expression.
upon even the sternest of minds and it is right that governments across the eu take action to alleviate what is a humanitarian crisis. in this situation the right to life must form the core of our response and i am pleased that the uk prime minister has committed to resettling twenty zero syrian refugees by two thousand and twenty
in this world of competing rights we need to see that a family running a small business is not deprived of the fundamental right of freedom of conscience.
in order to grow the economy support jobs and invest in public services we need to support small business not to saddle it with further regulation and burdens from europe.
in addition to these burdens in northern ireland we now have a case where a family owned business ashers has had a legal ruling against it for refusing to inscribe a cake because of a deeply held religious belief.
it shows that when we pull in the same direction the eu can take swift action to uphold the values that matter to our citizens and encourage our national governments and commission to demonstrate this the same positivity and decisive action in many other fields of importance especially in animal welfare.
in order to give them the confidence to do that we need to provide support both financial and logistical to ensure that is in place and encourage our young people to take up the challenge.
use their energy to get out there in the marketplace and develop and innovate.
mr president entrepreneurship the ability to start your own business or to identify an opportunity in the marketplace is something that can be taught.
mr president i have just voted against a proposal on human rights put forward in this place. the whole reason for it was simply that the uk does not need to be told about human rights by the eu.
over many years the uk has saved people in europe and the wider world from abuses of human rights.
we do not need to be dictated to on this subject.
this is the kind of proposal that comes from the eu.
this is why the uk does not need the eu and this is why hopefully very very soon in our referendum the uk will leave the eu to these crazy fantasies and crazy ideas and get back to being a beacon of true democracy and true human rights.
mr president despite the lack of clear and uniform criteria to define family business' across europe and their vast heterogeneity in terms of incorporation form and size there are various common traits which set them apart such as a flexible decision making process a high degree of creativity and innovation a longer term view on investment and high involvement and responsibility towards their business customers employees
however various studies conducted recently show that they also face similar difficulties in terms of access to finance taxation a stifling regulatory framework and the challenge of attracting the right people with the right skills.
that is why i urge the commission to go much further than its initial proposal and completely ban the use of animal cloning in farms.
mr president as one of the instigators and a strong supporter of the citizens' initiative in the european parliament over the last two terms i am really pleased today to see that this parliament has supported this european citizens' initiative and has asked the commission to come forward with a legislative proposal that would recognize universal access to and the human right to water.
furthermore this resolution stresses that by no means should the commission promote the privatisation of water and the important words here are by no means'.
however as a strong supporter of subsidiarity i do not want to open the door and give the commission the right to decide what is included and what is excluded from trade agreements in terms of public services.
that right of decision is for member states only and in our efforts to achieve certain outcomes namely to exclude water from trade agreements we need to be careful.
as i said if we give the commission the right to include we also give them the right to exclude and i do not want that.
it pains me to see that one third of the petitions from citizens received by parliament relate to breaches of fundamental rights. it angers me to learn that many of these revolve around unemployment precarious work practices and inequality in many of the member states.
that is why i supported the ferreira report and i would urge the commission to adopt an internal strategy and action plan on fundamental rights put in place an eu mechanism to monitor democracy the rule of law and fundamental rights in member states and vitally carry out an urgent assessment of the impact of austerity measures on fundamental rights. it is crucial that member states pull together and allow the eu to carry out the role it was created for namely
mr president i am delighted that my proposals to make an already good procedure still better and more incisive managed to obtain such a wide level of support and a large majority in this parliament just now.
those who still claim that the european union is undemocratic should take heed of this.
this is yet another little step in improving democratic accountability in the eu.
already we now have a situation where no or virtually no legislation can be adopted at european level without the approval of the european parliament.
no budget no financial framework no international agreement of any significance can come into force without this parliament approving it.
but what this report was about was that very last point the vote of confidence.
before that vote of confidence we have a public hearing with rigorous questioning of every candidate commissioner.
i would love to see that applied at national level to ministers when they take office. imagine if national parliaments required every candidate minister before they took office to be subject to a public grilling for three hours.
i think it would be revealing.
we do that here with regard to european commissioners and on this front at least we are at the cutting edge of improving democratic accountability.
mr president i abstained in this vote on the basis that the commission proposal and the proposed amendments do not reflect an adequate response to the issues around the cloning of animals.
there are a wide range of concerns relating to animal welfare scientific evidence public perception and the purpose of animal cloning all of which need real and meaningful solutions.
these must be based on science labelling and public awareness while ensuring that all imports reach eu standards and respect a level playing field for our farmers.
europe has yet to strike a balance between public concern and science on a wide range of issues not just animal cloning.
that is why i voted in favour of the schaake report on human rights and technology in third countries.
we need to adopt binding measures that require our companies not to sell technology to repressive regimes and we need to counter the criminalisation of encryption a valuable tool for bypassing censorship and protecting our privacy.
digital surveillance will be effective in countering terrorism and keeping us safe only if it does not tread on human rights while doing so.
however the problems that we now face are surely compounded not only by the financial crash but also by the economic direction of europe's leaders which has consigned many young people from the member states represented in this house to unemployment registers
for considerable periods of time.
in northern ireland this was compounded by the effects of years of terrorism and division. i am glad to say that organisations such as east belfast enterprise using money from the european social fund are supporting people not only by helping them enter employment and education but also by training them to nurture their own business ideas.
surely this is the future.
i am disappointed that in the new round of esf funding the minister responsible in northern ireland has limited the input of the voluntary and community sector to level one qualifications only.
this is a situation that europe must take note of and change.
we believe that it will not be too difficult in the future to find a very good common ground acceptable for both the european parliament and the commission.