kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
hospitals electricity communications water supply seaports and airports have been badly damaged.
i also pay tribute as honourable members have done to the ngos and to the people on the ground. the devastation that happened on the ground had enormous impact on the united nations which has lost many members of their senior staff and on ngos which have been unable to respond as quickly as they would simply because people of theirs have died.
let me finish on the reality of the situation.
i hear the frustration.
it is very important as honourable members have said that the children the orphan children especially are cared for properly and the devastation will require support in the years ahead.
i understand it.
as i start my first weeks in this job i say to you very clearly i hear what you say.
as honourable members have said this is a country where over seventy of people were already living below the poverty line.
i am not a doctor.
my place was to bring together the coordination to be talking to the friends of haiti group to be coordinating with the united states to make sure that we put in the maximum effort on the ground.
that is why i am going not only to the united states to see secretary of state clinton but also to the united nations to talk with the secretary general and the key people about what we can now do to pull together for the future because that as you say will be of enormous importance.
i put the question very early to the united nations on the ground and to secretary general ban ki moon where best my efforts could be.
we need to be there physically we need to be there in terms of the support we can give.
the main official buildings the presidential palace the parliament ministries of treasury justice planning health and interior are completely destroyed.
what i have to do is take what happened and learn the lessons of it now in order to make sure that we do more in the future to pull together but i take nothing away from the tremendous work that was done and is being done hour by hour and day by day.
that has made it very difficult as you have watched and we have watched people desperate for help wondering where the help is.
i agree that what is done must be done in partnership with the haitian people with due respect for them.
it is as you said already one of the poorest countries in the world and because we need to rebuild that infrastructure i share your commitment to make sure that we do.
now things are getting easier the help is getting out but do not underestimate for one moment how difficult the circumstances have been on the ground.
am i satisfied?
the fact that we worked so closely and collaboratively with the united states is also an important part of what we do now and in the future.
so thank you once again for your efforts and i hope the whole house will work hard to find a good coordinated effort.
so i hope you will put that on the agenda of the imf meeting.
we learned at the time of the tsunami that in fact good coordination is as important as the actual funds we put on the ground. it is not about which flag goes on the aid it is about getting the aid out there working with the united nations to get it delivered.
the public has responded magnificently to the challenge of helping haiti.
looking to the longer term i am pleased that there will be an international conference on haiti.
in the uk alone gbp thirty million has been raised in just a few days from the public during the financial crisis so we know that the public is behind us in our efforts to raise funds for haiti. high representative i want to thank you for the work you have done in pulling together a quick eu response on this matter.
there is no point impoverishing this country for another one hundred years.
it is true that these problems exist and we need to solve them as soon as possible. however we should applaud the engagement of various international actors ranging from governments to civil society organisations and to individuals worldwide.
therefore angry on behalf of those people who want rescuing let us coordinate with the americans.
let us make sure that we coordinate.
i therefore want to congratulate the council the commission and the high representative on the action that they have taken.
forget the political rhetoric.
it does absolutely nothing.
give the coordination over to the americans if it saves lives it saves lives.
congratulations on committing this amount of money.
its recovery must be measured over the years and not just in the weeks and the months after this crisis.
as has been said time and time again it will disappear from the television sets.
mr president one of the poorest countries in the world ravaged in just fifteen seconds the victim of bad government the victim of dictatorship and corruption.
the united states' response has been commendable the united nations' slightly less so but i have to agree with everything that has been said.
we have been left in the slipstream of the united states.
everyone agreed on the need for a rapid response and close coordination with the united nations.
we had a productive council meeting yesterday.
assistance will be targeted too to the dominican republic. finding enough money is going to be less of a problem at the moment than getting it out to the people who need it.
for the first time since the lisbon treaty entered into effect we are now pulling together the efforts of the commission and the council secretariat and the member states in a comprehensive approach under my overall coordination.
following the un secretary general's request for help with transport of humanitarian aid and for additional police units the council invited me to identify eu member state contributions and make proposals for this mobilisation.
in the meantime we continue to work flat out on all tracks humanitarian political and security. over the past days i have been in constant contact with secretary of state clinton with the united nations leadership with eu foreign ministers and with canada which is leading the friends of haiti' group
yesterday the united nations secretary general asked for police and military reinforcements of the un peacekeeping mission as well.
this is what we believe we are delivering.
i will travel to the united states this week to follow up on this and other issues with the united states administration and with the un secretary general and others in new york.
early indications of member state contributions are already now available including possible contributions through the european gendarmerie force.
it welcomed the commission's preliminary commitment for immediate humanitarian assistance of eur thirty million in addition to eur ninety two million in preliminary commitments by member states.
it called for in due course and after post emergency needs have been fully assessed an international conference on haiti.
our commitment to rebuilding haiti is long term.
this is a massive humanitarian and political disaster.
that would only have diverted attention and scarce resources away from the relief effort.
the eu has responded quickly not seeking headlines but with a total focus on getting help to the people in need.
on advice from the united nations we resisted the urge to travel to haiti immediately.
honourable members i asked for this debate to be able to update this house on the situation in haiti following the terrible earthquake of twelve january. the losses are devastating and the damage is enormous. up to three million people have been affected by the tragedy and the death toll continues to mount.
we will of course travel to haiti as soon as it is appropriate and i have agreed with commissioner de gucht that he will travel to haiti this week to extend the eu's condolences and underline our commitment to the people.
many european citizens have also lost their lives and around one zero are still unaccounted for.
our immediate focus is on working with the united nations and the haitian leadership to ease the suffering of the haitian people.
i look forward to working with parliament on this and am pleased to be here today to give you this information and to hear your views.
it welcomed the commission's preliminary commitment of eur one hundred million for early non humanitarian assistance for instance in rehabilitation and reconstruction and it took note of the commission's preliminary indication that eur two hundred million would be available for longer term responses.
in total this is a big response in a short time.
the un has asked for urgent financial aid usd five hundred and seventy five million as well as logistical assistance to transport humanitarian aid.
the people of haiti and our own people expect a swift effective and coordinated response.
all this with a view to ensuring an effective and coordinated international response.
we convened a political and security committee meeting immediately after the council meeting to follow up.
to help mobilise and coordinate our response i asked the spanish eu presidency to call an extraordinary foreign affairs council yesterday.
we will follow up on haiti and consider further actions.
he will also take the opportunity to review our aid efforts so far and discuss with the united nations and our people on the ground the most pressing needs for the weeks and months to come.
work will continue in the council preparatory groups during the coming days with a view to a rapid targeted response.
in terms of financial assistance the council reached the following conclusions.
this is ground breaking.
we must ensure that it is properly targeted towards sustainable political and physical reconstruction.
it is clear that the country needs massive international support immediately. the response from european citizens and their record generosity and solidarity have been immense.
increasing security logistical and bureaucracy problems have been identified by the ngos on the ground as hampering aid and making a disastrous situation worse. these are the problems that are swaying the balance between life and death for haitians. in all the frayed work to alleviate the suffering and chaos clear leadership and coordinated assistance are needed.
the long term development of the poorest nation in the western hemisphere must become a priority.
ngos government bodies international organisations and local authorities must work together to deliver multisector emergency assistance to those in need.
yesterday's announcement of over eur four hundred and twenty million in european union humanitarian aid for haiti shows leadership and commitment but its delivery must be coordinated and effective.
mr president i think all our thoughts have been expressed and they have to go out to those who have lost their lives the people of the united nations the people of haiti itself and the people who are suffering although they are still alive.
what we need is a good strong coordinated effort and nothing but nothing should get in the way of that.
what are these people going to do then? yes there is a clear need to rebuild haiti both in the short and long term but most important now is to get the aid distributed to the suffering people on the ground the people who are hurting.
this is too important to score cheap political points.
every time one of these things happens we are caught short not with water purification tablets or tents or clean water but with infrastructure.
we say oh the infrastructure is destroyed. of course it is destroyed. we need to be able to supply very rapidly an emergency infrastructure.
how can this happen? what about an aircraft carrier?
could we set up a global rescue operation ready to go at a moment's notice that can provide makeshift harbours temporary shelters and all the infrastructure that gets destroyed?
i think the question is do you not agree with me madam?
' i think also your prime minister has a certain decency in himself not going about saying that we should lock up every migrant that comes here a decency that leads to not putting more fear in people fear that is illustrated by you that will lead to more poverty and more terror in europe.
i would like to stress and to focus on this.
this means respect of all aspects of the asylum legislation.
this is very important.
as you also know we make efforts to ensure the proper registration of migrants irrespective of their status.
this means the respect of all aspects of the asylum legislation.
at the same time when there is a significant risk of absconding a member state should place a migrant in detention where that is necessary and proportionate.
the rights to liberty and security of person are fundamental human rights.
clear rules on detention of asylum seekers that strike a balance between those rights. it is therefore essential that persons are only detained in full compliance with these rules. detention can only be applied as a measure of last resort and only after all alternatives to detention have been duly considered. we all agree that a person should never be detained for the sole reason that
the aim is to ensure better management of migration flows via a better implementation of the eurodac regulation while fully respecting the fundamental rights of the migrants.
july. two thousand and fifteen the commission has sent letters of formal notice to those member states that did not communicate the transposition measures.
in this context as long as there was a prior non refoulement and proportionality check countries could refuse entry to individuals who did not express a wish to apply for international protection.
moreover the directive on reception conditions provides that the detention conditions of asylum seekers must fully respect human dignity and meet their needs. having a solid legal framework is only going halfway though.
refugees are people like you and me who along with their children are fleeing desperate conflicts in the middle east and north africa conflicts made worse by the bombs of member states. offering simple safe and legal routes and de escalating conflict will help alleviate the conflicts and the crisis.
hungary and bulgaria are no better.
the eu is complicit in serious human rights abuse.
yesterday amnesty international published a report condemning how turkey has unlawfully apprehended detained and pressurised refugees and asylum seekers to return to war zones.
maybe get in line prepare for internment and deportation or return to war zones'. fortress europe wants authorities to forcibly register and detain asylum seekers to protect the failed dublin regulation identify hotspots and deploy rapid response units.
from one thousand eight hundred and ninety two ellis island without computers neither internet nor modern day sophistication offered safe and legal access to millions.
europe is not faced with a deadly invasion.
lots of new ideas and new proposals are coming but let us try to get things sorted out with those currently at our disposal before we move on any further.
mr president i know i have already said it more than once this week but properly implementing the rules we already have in place is the key to dealing with the challenges we face.
this forms part of a wider discussion which we need to start having if we are to tackle the migrant crisis effectively.
on dozens of occasions i have stood in this chamber and pointed out that some member states have been getting away with flouting those rules and that includes long before the extent of the current crisis hit us.
we understand that funding and the ability of member states to allocate the necessary resources is of course proving very difficult.
we all know who those member states are and we all know the commission should have done far more before now in addressing these problems.
but that should never be allowed to stand in the way of basic human dignity and upholding the laws to which we are all subject.
the more these challenges grow the more we need those rules to be properly enforced.
border control fingerprinting processing upon arrival and improving detention conditions there are rules on all those issues and it is high time the commission started reminding certain member states in the strongest terms that they have to play by them too.
overwhelmed by resettled migrants with stories of arson street violence and increasing crime levels. in my own south east region of the united kingdom the proposed forced settlement of two hundred migrants near chichester is viewed with fear apprehension and mistrust and that is totally understandable from a community of reportedly only one hundred and ninety seven people.
where detention or force has happened it is because the level of pressure has become more than a member state can bear or tolerate.
dictated quotas unreasonable deadlines and relaxed processing systems to resolve the resettlement logjam have only exacerbated the problems caused by mrs merkel's ill judged siren call and the united kingdom media and press have covered the instances of german and swedish communities
the importance of national and citizen consent should be paramount not overridden or ignored by european union forced numbers imposition a dictatorial policy and an ill considered ultimate control over asylum and refugee resettlement.
mr president an aspect of the logic and coherency of the european union's migration policy and resettlement programme is in the spotlight in that we now have to deal with the direct consequences of mrs merkel's siren call to anyone which has delivered unforeseen numbers seeking a home and a future within the european union.
the european union needs to learn from its mistakes and also change direction completely.
this is a recognised human right in all of the eu's member states.
the most flagrant example is the proposal made by the president of the european council mr tusk who put forward the idea that all asylum seekers should be detained for eighteen months to screen if they are potential terrorists.
this is a narrative that is not only dangerous it is incorrect.
let me say it again the president of the european council is proposing that all persons seeking refuge in europe fleeing war and persecution from the smallest baby to the oldest man or woman should be put in prison like camps for a year and a half.
i think that it is shocking to the point that i personally think that mr tusk should be asked to publicly apologise for this.
now if we were to work together we would be able to offer shelter to those in need but instead of that rampant nationalism has taken over the public debate.
the most bizarre thing is that he does not seem to even realise that this would be completely against existing eu legislation.
mr president the debate today is a very good opportunity to start putting facts back in a debate that is getting more and more surrealistic by the day.
it is not in any way illegal to enter a country in order to ask for asylum.
talk of detaining refugees further deepens the gaps and divisions between member states and is thus very harmful at times when common eu asylum and migration policies are needed.
he should also stand up for common european values and he should not give way to using his position as a tool for advancing national politics.
his proposal to detain refugees arriving in the eu for eighteen months goes not only against eu law but also against international law.
maybe he should because the interview that he has been giving to the guardian and other newspapers was surely not very helpful in this regard.
president tusk unfortunately also does not seem to be very firm on eu legislation or else he would not have made proposals that go against european law and also against any sort of humanitarian sense. but then again it is not he who is guardian of the treaty.
this is not his task it is the task of the commission so i am very sure that mr juncker had a good talk with mr tusk and that we will in future be hearing more let us say consensual and more forward bringing issues and descriptions from our president of the council.
madam do you not think that mr renzi mr tusk and even mr cameron are actually listening to the people that they represent?
mr president one important defect in our migration policy is that europe is unable to return those people whose asylum applications have been rejected.
it is clear that this fact encourages the use of the asylum system as a channel of economic migration.
in most cases applicants wait for the decision in open reception facilities.
when they learn that their application has been rejected they very often disappear and remain in the schengen area as illegal immigrants.
sometimes they vanish from reception centres before they are even registered and fingerprinted.
it would be a good idea to always detain asylum seekers for as long as their case is being processed.
nobody has a clue what these migrants are doing in the calais jungle.
if the front national had won the calais region last weekend a better solution would have been found for the lawlessness in the calais jungle.
those migrants that commit criminal acts need to be arrested detained and deported straightaway before it is too late.
i have not had time to be able to talk more broadly on migration issues. i have absolute confidence in the leader of my party and the leader of the uk in negotiating matters which are to the benefit not only of the uk but also in terms of the order which is necessary in the migrant situation in the european union for the future.
my proposal is very simple and it goes for a large majority of the libe committee of which i am coordinator.
it is a common responsibility sharing a distribution key to member states that is based on quantitative data such as population gdp employment rate etc.
he said in his bloomberg speech he was going to renegotiate free movement. all of a sudden when it is crunch time he shied away from this.
why has he done this?
why has he given up the opportunity to settle this issue once and for all and cowed to the european union?
therefore i welcome all measures taken to tackle this problem for example the partnership agreement with tobacco companies the eu's signing of the un protocol on illicit trade in tobacco and the eu feasibility study on tracking and the tracing system for cigarettes. i hope that all these measures help us tackle this particular problem.
quite often we focus on expenditure but i also think we should not forget the revenue collected either.
when times are economically and financially difficult i think it is absolutely vital that we get every euro we can so as to invest that money in jobs and growth.
or perhaps as i believe the problem is actually that it is the nature of taking decisions so far away from the citizen that causes such issues and causes them to be so difficult to highlight.
and for that we have to be credible in our own activities.
this is a conversation we will continue.
unfortunately in the mff we managed to start from simpler rules and actually make them more complicated in the end but within the parameters of the mff let us try to have the foundation for transparency that can help us to use money better and to be more accountable. i completely agree with those who have spoken about the significance of also addressing
if it is complicated then we cannot do that.
this is why olaf has asked the supervisory committee to look into the credibility of data.
so i just want to stress that this is the reason we look to parliament as a partner to help us in simplification.
our accounts are signed.
we now have rules.
it is to protect our taxpayers;
many of you spoke about this. simplifying the rules is necessary not only because then we will have fewer errors but also because then we can have true transparency and people can find out and trace the money.
i am glad to see some recognition in the report of the need for administrative capacity in detecting fraudulent activity in order to detect and prevent financial irregularities and for the member states and the eu to adequately train and resource people.
the rationale for the development of an eu criminal law is to combat transnational organised crime. the intention is of course to be welcomed but not at the expense of subjugating and undermining the existing judicial systems of individual member states to the interests of the eu.