kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
young people including young women must also own this strategy.
we have already paved the way for change with the africaeurope alliance for sustainable investment and jobs supported by the external investment plan for sustainable investments and have achieved in such a short amount of time tangible progress.
both events will provide key opportunities for dialogue with our african partners.
as i committed during my hearing to do my utmost to strengthen and deepen the cooperation between the commission and the european parliament i am glad to exchange with you here today.
in the meantime we continue listening and trying to ensure broad ownership of the strategy both by yourselves and our member states as well as by our african partners and civil society including young people.
it is time for a new chapter that brings a step change in our relationship.
the strategy's comprehensive character will be ensured by its inbuilt links with the two thousand and thirty agenda for sustainable development the paris agreement on climate change the eu global strategy the european consensus on development and agenda two thousand and sixty three of the
now we can capitalise on those achievements and go further.
our approach is not to change direction but to step up a gear for better results.
we met a partner that deserves a more positive engagement from us.
work on the new ambitious framework is already ongoing both at political and technical level.
i intend to travel to africa in february and march to consult as broadly as possible.
how more appropriate for my first address to this chamber than discussing our relationship with the african continent?
a key priority through my mandate i will ensure that the implementation of this strategy supports the power that youth represents.
thematically apart from addressing the climate and environmental challenges we will focus on digitalisation and gender equality which are major enablers for development.
the investment protection agreement similar to agreements with singapore and canada includes the modern and reformed investment protection framework with an investment court system for the resolution of investment disputes.
the agreements will further reinforce our already strong trade and investment ties and they will also provide an additional opportunity to strengthen the cooperation established under other eu instruments for example on illegal logging or iuu fishing.
the benefits of the agreements are many preferential access to a vibrant economy of almost one hundred million people;
vietnam has now ratified six out of the eight ilo conventions and it has a clear plan to ratify the outstanding conventions by two thousand.
however our agreements will be on trade and investment and i'm aware that the european parliament has put a strong emphasis on the trade and sustainable development chapter of the vietnam agreement.
the human rights situation is certainly an area of concern in our relationship with vietnam but i remain convinced that constructive channels of communication including the annual human rights dialogue is the way to voice our concerns and address these shortcomings.
on labour issues vietnam adopted a new labour code last november which recognises the principle of freedom of association at enterprise level.
it is encouraging to see the level of engagement by vietnam in order to prepare for the implementation of their commitments with important progress made even before the agreements are in force at all.
the revised code also includes new provisions on collective bargaining in line with the ilo fundamental convention which was recently ratified by vietnam.
so madam president i firmly believe that these agreements will create the best platform for further engagement and constructive dialogue with vietnam in all fields. on the other hand our failure to ratify the deal would leave the european union with fewer options to pursue a reform agenda in vietnam and would undermine the credibility of the european union as a reliable partner.
but nevertheless the commission will scrutinise implementation to ensure that vietnam effectively pursues this ambitious labour reform agenda.
vietnam has also started preparing the ground for the institutional structure that is foreseen under the free trade agreement including the involvement of independent civil society organisations such as domestic advisory groups.
and i fully agree with this approach.
removal of non tariff barriers for our exporters which they currently face for example on cars on wines and spirits;
the agreements will strengthen our presence in asia following the new generation agreements' in force such as those with korea japan and singapore. they will constitute an additional stepping stone towards our engagement with the asean region.
and removing access barriers for eu products.
madam president honourable members of the european parliament the free trade agreement and the investment protection agreement with vietnam are the most ambitious ever concluded with a developing country.
we will also have improved access to the vietnamese market in services such as finance distribution logistics or environmental services.
only together only together we can create sustainable safe and peaceful communities in which our planet can recover and all of us can learn work grow and build fulfilling lives.
madam president honourable members let me thank you for this constructive exchange. i have to say that i'm confident in our ability to build a new strategic and fruitful partnership with africa which is focused on sustainable development.
the strategy will work towards fighting global challenges that both our continents simply cannot and must not ignore.
we agreed with the acp chief negotiator the minister of foreign affairs of togo professor robert dussey that we will aim at closing the post cotonou negotiations by the end of march and we will hold in the run up to the african union european union summit
the commission together with the european external action service are still drafting the strategy in order to make it as comprehensive as possible.
i am especially happy that so many of you mentioned youth and young people.
the strategy will constitute a significant change in strengthening our partnership with africa.
a number of side events with the main stakeholders all providing opportunities to design our partnership together.
your contribution to the strategy is key in the process of shaping its basis.
now today we still witness attacks on jews and synagogues in europe we still see the scapegoating going on and we are still seeing states move slowly away from the values this union was founded upon.
that is why we fight anti semitism racism and any hatred everywhere today because in europe we know only too well the depths of horror that man has sunk to and can sink to.
may it become our guiding principle.
when we say never again' we must mean it and that means taking action.
so we cannot be silent when europeans live with a packed suitcase by their door just in case.
we see our fundamental rights under threat in too many places.
mr president i have listened to many speeches but one that will stay with me for a long time to come was given by marian turski last month seventy five years after he weighing all of thirty two kilos walked out of auschwitz.
we cannot be silent in the face of injustice anywhere. let no one fighting for justice ever look to europe and be met as they have been met with shrugs of shoulders or excuses that favour political expediency. our european history has too often been built on the backs of the broken.
and in conclusion roman kent coined the eleventh commandment thou shalt not be indifferent'.
if we teach people not only about what happened but about how it happened slowly through gradually increasing measures then maybe we can truly learn the lessons of history even when the voices of the survivors can be heard no more.
auschwitz did not fall from the sky ' he said. it happened slowly because too many people turned a blind eye to justice too many people found comfort in scapegoats and too many people accepted prejudiced laws.
the socalled peace plan is neither about peace because it doesn't overcome it prolongs the conflict nor is it a plan as a point of departure for negotiations.
such a peace plan must of course include painful concessions but concessions from both sides.
when they talk about a peace plan they are effectively pushing for annexation and a two state solution is different from one state plus one canton.
it must include security for israel but it must also include a viable sovereign contiguous state for the palestinians living side by side with the israelis.
i will simply reply that the remedy to such a situation is that rulings rendered by independent courts must be fully respected by all authorities.
i also note that the disciplinary chamber continues to operate despite the rulings of the supreme court.
as an example on thirty one january it selected six candidates to the disciplinary chamber two of which being current members of the national judicial council.
i would like to stress that preliminary rulings of the court of justice are biding and need to be fully respected.
this new mechanism will cover all member states in the same way.
it will be based on a variety of sources of information in order to reflect the reality on the ground.
national courts must apply national law in line with the interpretation of the court of justice. notably on four february two thousand and twenty the disciplinary chamber decided to suspend in office the first judge seeking to apply the ruling of the court of justice of nineteen november.
this will allow us to identify and prevent early on rule of law related issues.
in those rulings following the court of justice judgment of nineteen november the supreme court concluded that the disciplinary chamber is not a court within the meaning of eu and national law.
however the council continues to operate.
let me reiterate that the european court of justice ruled that until the organisation of justice in the member states falls within their competence the fact remains that when exercising that competence the member states are required to comply with their obligations
however let me be clear that this preventive mechanism does not replace response mechanisms like infringement procedures and the article seven procedure where they prove necessary.
this is why i'm seriously concerned by the new law and i can assure you as commissioner for justice that the commission will take its responsibility as the guardian of the treaty and take all necessary measures to ensure the respect of eu law.
eu law requires respect for the rule of law in particular judicial independence.
can no longer be effectively guaranteed.
we have established a network of contact persons of member states which will help with its preparation.
it will be a preventive tool covering all member states and will provide a synthesis of significant developments related to the different components of the rule of law.
leads to legal chaos.
assets. i would like to thank the ecb for their crucial work on payment infrastructure. this is essential to make instant payments in europe a reality. i also welcome that the ecb and other central banks are looking at the potential of central bank digital currency and are engaging with european payment actors to bring about faster more efficient and cheaper
let me make specific reference to a couple of points in the report that are relevant to the commission's political agenda.
the commission has started technical work on crisis management and insolvency
union. third i would like to underline the importance of our work on payments and crypto
i think if we are to rebuild trust with citizens i think your consultation project in the member states is very important.
it goes back to a very important remark that you made yourself before you were appointed president of the ecb.
i think that we really need to look at this.
mr president i would like to welcome madame lagarde. last week in the committee on economic and monetary affairs you said that more attention should be given to the cost of housing and home ownership when it comes to the european central bank inflation measure. i want to welcome those comments. we just had an election in ireland where the cost of housing was one of the main issues that dominated voters' intentions. serious advances have been made to address the problems but in dublin for example rental prices have doubled since two thousand and ten and property prices have gone up eighty five since.
it's an emerging serious social and economic issue across many many member states and i think it's one where you and the ecb could have a very crucial role to play in terms of leadership and understanding and looking at alternative solutions.
two thousand and thirteen i think one should be putting more focus on the fact that house prices and rent rises are increasing rapidly across europe and i think that we need to have more diverse financial instruments to deal with this.
i see that as really democracy building very important but i think the housing issue is crucial because if we want to keep in touch with our citizens we need to understand properly and account for the serious issues that they face in society.
you said the ecb needs to understand and explain to people not only the markets.
in fact last month palestinian ngos refused eu funding rules prohibiting our aid to be channelled to terrorist groups.
say a thousand times no no no to eu funding palestinian rejectionist and terrorist policies.
mr president high representative mr borrell you called on both sides to reengage and refrain from any unilateral actions that would exacerbate tensions.
this is a peace plan widely accepted in israel but fully rejected on the palestinian side.
many in the palestinian population prefer violence.
in their refusal these ngos seventy funded by the eu are calling what they believe to be your bluff.
it needs to support it needs to protect its jews and it needs to effectively combat anti semitic perpetrators and there is no question that hezbollah iran's most deadly proxy is an indoctrinated violent anti semitic group which poses serious threats to jews in europe and not just in europe.
the eu must place hezbollah in its entirety on the eu terrorist list if it is going to be credible and more importantly effective in combating anti semitism and the atrocious acts it leads to.
mr president in the last decade anti semitism has raised its ugly head again in europe.
sadly though this is factually substantiated according to a two thousand and nineteen eurobarometer survey there's a striking discrepancy in the perception of anti semitism.
yet the european union refuses to follow in the footsteps of some of its most adored allies like the united states like the united kingdom like canada and to end this false distinction between the political wing and the military wing of hezbollah a distinction which by the way hezbollah calls a joke and dismisses. this hypocrisy must end now.
europe cannot allow the poison of anti semitism to spread.
what i just described this is the ambition we have for our free trade agreement with the united kingdom.
and when we agreed the political declaration with the united kingdom we ambitioned zero tariffs and a zero quota trade relation for all goods something we have never ever before offered to anybody else.
free trade agreements must replace uncertainty with a sound set of rules.
for example if we take the canada model and this is a model prime minister johnson referred to of course our deal with canada eliminates tariffs on a wide set of goods but not on all.
a moment to celebrate the good old times and i thank you very much for the grace and the kindness of this gesture.
they are glad that we have joined forces to put fairness into our globalised economic system.
but in fact we are just in the moment where we are agreeing with australia that we must end this situation and we work on a trade deal with them.
and this is what we europeans have always fought for over the years a trade system that is open on one side and that is fair on the other side.
we are currently trading on wto terms.
since then we've set our sights on the future of our relations with the united kingdom and we will enter these negotiations with the highest ambition.
they also raise standards on a broad range of issues from labour rights to environmental.
to our british friends i say it's in our mutual interest.
prime minister johnson said in greenwich earlier this month that the united kingdom will i quote be a global champion of free trade'.
they are not just increasing our bilateral exchanges of goods services people and ideas.
i have heard ambition in boris johnson's speech ambition on the minimum wage ambition on parental payments and he has an ally in me where that is concerned.
but of course this would require corresponding guarantees on fair competition and the protection of social environmental and consumer standards.
these are not only values for the good old times.
we are ready to discuss all different models of trade agreement.
in short this is plain and simply the level playing field.
he recalled everything the united kingdom has achieved in terms of social protection climate action competition rules and i commend the uk for all of that.
and most importantly it would be consistent with the values we share values of openness values of fairness values of social justice and free enterprise.
but all these models whatever you choose have one thing in common they all come not only with rights but also with obligations for both sides.
of course the uk can decide to settle for less but i personally believe that we should be way more ambitious.
we can trigger an upward dynamic competition that would benefit both the united kingdom and the european union.
and this is just the rationale that is behind our trade agreements for instance with canada and japan.
it is not the time to decrease in terms of competition rules.
and if this is the british choice well we are fine with that without any question.
frankly this is music to our ears because at a moment when the rules based trade system is so challenged we need our partners to join us in making the system fairer and stronger.
but the european union does not have a trade agreement with australia.
and of course we still have our standards that have to be respected.
they are glad that they could join forces with the european union because frankly in today's world size does matter and we have a single market of four hundred and forty million people.
and of course our deal with canada eliminates most quotas but certainly not all.
trade. but again it is crucial that these rules are properly applied and enforced and for this we have taken several actions in member states.
and the second is the voluntary initiative launched in the framework of the eu animal welfare platform the sub group on health and welfare of pets and this involves all relevant stakeholders and provides guidelines to ensure better animal health and welfare for companion animals.
trade. the new animal health law which comes into force in april two thousand and twenty one has made important changes.
secondly it obliges member states to improve all shelters and assembly centres from which dogs and cats are moved to other member states.
firstly it requires compulsory registration of all establishments breeding dogs and cats and all transporters who take dogs and cats between member states.
these new measures will help to control trade of companion animals in a better way and we consider that they are sufficient for tackling illegal
thirdly and finally training provided for national authorities via the better training for safer food initiative which encourages best practices to control imports and trade of dogs and
states tackle illegal
the first of these is the eu coordinated control plan on the online sale of dogs and cats this in order to give member states insight into fraudulent practices and encourage them to control the online market more effectively.
indeed the universal nature of these challenges underscores the need for our continued dialogue.
number one the role of monetary policy in the current economic environment and number two the structural challenges facing the euro area economy.
the ecb's annual report is a central element of this relationship and parliament's resolution and the subsequent feedback we publish are evidence of the good dialogue between our two institutions. having only joined the ecb almost to the day one hundred days ago
moderating growth has also weakened pressure on prices and inflation remains some distance below our medium term aim. against this background the ecb's governing council has acted in a determined fashion to achieve price stability
change were not made in europe.
citizens. this is why the ecb has been advocating and will continue to make the case for a more complete emu economic and monetary
we are closely monitoring possible negative side effects to ensure that they do not outweigh the positive impact of our measures on credit conditions job creation and wage income.
building on common safeguards and competitive incentives the single market offers enormous potential for economic modernisation.
they will not wait for us to gear up and get
by that. it is a full banking union underpinned by a common deposit insurance
which is the mandate that we have under the ecb treaty.
can. in this spirit the ecb is assessing the potential and implications of technological developments for payment services and financial stability and it is also making an active contribution to such innovations.
risks. finally the ecb has taken steps to align its own investment decisions with the objectives of the paris agreement.
scheme; it's a true capital markets union that channels investment to innovative and productive
two thousand and eight wages as you have mentioned as well increased at an average rate of.
in particular we want to assess whether a central bank digital currency could serve a clear purpose for the public and support the ecb's objectives.
the strategy review launched by the ecb's governing council last month will also take stock of how rapid digitalisation and the threat to environmental sustainability together with globalisation and evolving financial structures have further transformed the environment in which monetary policy operates. the strategy
citizens. this includes the ecb which within its mandate is ready to play
these measures have helped to preserve favourable lending conditions support the resilience of the domestic economy and most importantly in the recent period shield the euro area economy from global headwinds.
ready; they will affect us whether we are ready or
methods. second through its financial stability tasks the ecb is monitoring systemic risks stemming from climate change and the transition to a carbon neutral
shocks. a more resilient economic and monetary union with these elements would not just help to protect our living standards from adverse domestic and global developments.
as you just mentioned mr mavrides euro area unemployment at.
we also have to gear up on climate change and not only because we care as citizens of this
we need to reflect on how we can best deliver on the ecb price stability mandate for the benefit of all european
let me close by highlighting the joint nature of the challenges.
the european green deal and national initiatives to finance the ecological transition could add to these dynamics by contributing to stronger and more sustainable growth.
over recent years the euro area's architecture has evolved substantially.
so we increasingly need to take these effects into account in central banks' policies and operations. the ecb has already moved in this direction. first we are working to extend our knowledge about the economic impact of climate change and ensure that its effects are better reflected in our economic analyses in our models and in our forecasting
mind. we will indeed also work very closely with those in your parliament who are directly interested and concerned about those particular matters and we have begun that