kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the eu urged the chinese authorities to take measures on the ground to ensure that the implementation of the family planning policy conforms with chinese laws and china's international human rights obligations.
the eu has thus raised its concern about reports of abuses in the enforcement of the family planning policy in china in the context of the last session of the eu china human rights dialogue which took place in brussels on twenty nine may.
have been reported.
the eu questioned the legal basis for the harassment and intimidation of the blind human rights defender mr chen guangcheng before he left for the united states who had tried to help victims of illegal practices by local authorities in charge of family planning in shandong province.
the eu also raised the case of the chinese human rights defender mao hengfeng whose fight against forced abortions is well known in europe.
this is why we first extend our condolences to the family of the victims strongly condemn the harassment to which they are being subjected and demand public protection for them. we also condemn the decision to force mrs feng to have an abortion and condemn as well the practice of forced abortions and sterilisations globally especially in the context of the one child policy.
in this particular case i would like to remind members that according to the international conference on population and development plan of action the aim of family planning programmes must be to enable couples and individuals to make free responsible and informed decisions about child bearing and to make available to them a full range of safe effective and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice.
infanticide which is the killing of newborn babies as well as the massive sex selective abortions that take place in china are happening in the context of the one child policy.
people should be able to make their own choices about planning whether to have children or not and they should be able to do so in a safe way.
it is time that the un and un women started investigating what is happening in china in a systematic manner.
these sex selective abortions have led to a deviation in expected demography by as much forty million i just want to repeat this forty million missing girls.
any form of coercion is wrong first of all and disproportionately targets women. it is important that all women have access to reproductive health care as a fundamental right including family planning and assisted childcare.
lastly let me highlight the fact that this case which thankfully has sparked so much discussion in china and in europe came to our attention as a result of the internet which allowed this story to spread.
i know that we all wish that and in fact the policy itself should be completely abandoned too.
in the meantime recognition in china of the terrible forced termination of a seven month pregnancy because of a refusal to pay a fine is the very least that can be expected.
the chinese authorities should recognise by now that some social policies just do not and cannot work. entering into the valuable commercial world of trade as china has done demands of course similar social standards by their governments.
china's one child policy has also led to illegal and sex selective abortions which discredits the measures that have been taken to implement the policy.
it's time you became concrete on that.
for example on climate change you are fiddling around with the minus fifty minus fifty five but what is europe going officially to put on the table when paris officially starts in december?
what are you going to do about the current reform of agricultural policies?
this sounds like the tune of the german car industry they would love to see these prices instead of the co two standards. finally on the rule of law there have been some very good words but one concrete action so do you support the european parliament in its article seven procedure against hungary?
there's so much changing and there's so much unclear now.
how are you going to use your position to protect all women regardless of their religion and tradition?
in europe we close our eyes when the islamic state kidnapped and raped women and girls like nobel prize winner nadia murad.
and i am grateful for this freedom to stand here and talk to you.
i'm asking you this question as a fleming and a woman as a little girl who did not escape fgm and as a concerned mother.
i turned thirty nine last sunday and i have only one kid by choice. but also because for millions of female genitally mutilated women giving birth is more complicated i am one of them.
for that they will go down in history although probably not quite in the way that they were hoping for.
juan guaid is their legitimate interim president and this very european parliament and a majority of member states have recognised him as such.
when taking to the streets they are being gunned down by maduro's security forces.
still quite a few members and member states keep supporting maduro's illegitimate regime and by doing so they legitimise maduro's loathsome crimes against the courageous people of venezuela.
to survive some five million people will have fled the country by the end of this year according to the united nations. venezuelans have been brought to their knees but they are not defeated.
radical imams and billions of euros are flowing into the eu promoting segregation.
christians are being wiped out across the middle east.
eu aid and trade policies should be used to pressure countries to stop the promotion of islamic extremism.
for if not us who?
we need to join the usa in supporting vulnerable minorities in their hour of need.
this strategy should aim to secure europe. instead the eu offers deepened partnership with countries that are complacent in the face of islamism and these are countries that often tolerate or encourage the persecution of christians.
a report commissioned by the united kingdom describes how islamic extremism leads to genocidal acts against christians.
more than four million venezuelans have now left the country making this the second largest displacement crisis in the world after syria on our doorstep.
but we europeans are not living up to our own legal rules and our moral obligations in receiving those seeking protection.
more than five million signed a petition the biggest in european history.
imposing liability on online content service providers and mandatory filtering of content were among the controversial issues during the last copyright reform.
over two hundred and fifty zero people in germany alone protested against the devastating article thirteen now number seventeen of the copyright directive and against the introduction of upload filters.
we have the sanctions against iran which is a form of warfare one of the worst forms of warfare today.
there is no argument for their actions and europe has been unfortunately too silent and afraid to condemn them.
and now we have the build up of aggression against iran.
we have been and must be champions of a rules based international order of cooperation of trust of collaboration worldwide and that rules based international order is under threat as never before.
donald trump is endangering peace and by undermining this deal is effectively promoting nuclear proliferation.
yes because of the militaristic posturing of china;
but also increasingly through the dangerously unreliable and inconsistent behaviour of our ally the usa exemplified by donald trump's rejection of the joint comprehensive plan of action on iran signed by the eu of course alongside iran and other global players.
mr president we british liberal democrats and our allies in this parliament believe the european union is the most important peace project in european history but it is not just european peace that we have to promote.
so it has never been more important for the european union to play a robustly positive role in promoting dialogue and reconciliation in place of conflict in general and very specifically robustly defending this deal.
you talk about your interest in international law but this is one hundred against international law.
it aims to hurt the most vulnerable the most and they are the ones who suffer the most.
it would be better if the us military invaded the place and if they shot at the venezuelans.
your decision to support guaid a rightwing thug with no support worth talking about in venezuela was a huge mistake.
you don't have to like maduro but he was elected and we should feel obliged to help the people in order to counteract the brutality of the us sanctions which are bringing the country to its knees.
so we need the eu more than ever and the world needs the eu more than ever before if we are to address existing and new global challenges successfully.
with unprecedented global uncertainty the global strategy has enhanced eu security strengthened our multilateral partnerships and reinforced our engagement in global governance.
we must build on this momentum with renewed efforts on crucial issues for the eu and for this house first a clear eu perspective for enlargement countries;
two thousand and sixteen internally our european values of democracy solidarity and rule of law are challenged at their very foundations and externally the unprecedented disengagement of great powers from multilateral platforms adds to outstanding security challenges and the destabilising consequences of climate change.
our external action needed a pragmatic vision clearly identifying our objectives our interests our instruments and of course our partners.
and third a strong engagement with countries that our borders to an effective european neighbourhood policy.
yes the world today is not better off than it was in.
firstly ms von der leyen i would like to congratulate you for striking the right balance on climate change on energy policy and on protecting the environment.
it would strengthen the european economy and it would also improve unity throughout the european union.
bulgaria and romania have been fulfilling the conditions for joining the schengen area since two thousand and eleven and we the european parliament have demanded this several times.
this is needed but my kind request to you would be to open this instrument also to countries which are not yet in the euro area but which are preparing to join to allow countries that are preparing to join the euro area to contribute to this instrument to benefit from it and to be part of the decision making.
by standing by the side of the people and of the regions that are affected and by strengthening the economy by strengthening the competitiveness of our economy.
but from what i saw today from the president designate in her guidelines and in her speech i think she took all of our positions into account and this is why i say she deserves the support of parliament today.
secondly you are proposing a convergence instrument for the euro area.
we have to reduce co two emissions and we have to do it in a responsible way by measuring the economic the social the environmental impact of the measures that we take;
we have to do more in this area.
madam minister that's why i'm asking are you going to end this ridiculous political action under article?
the trust you placed in me is confidence you placed in europe your confidence in a united and a strong europe from east to west from south to north your confidence in a europe that is ready to fight for the future rather than fighting against each other
i thank president sassoli i thank all the group leaders i thank all the members of parliament who decided to vote for me today but my message to all of you is let us work together constructively because the endeavour is a united and a strong europe.
i thank you for the trust you placed in me.
it's a big responsibility and my work starts now.
your confidence in a europe that will take the big challenges of our times together.
this is why we set up the international contact group at the beginning of this year with the crucial participation of four latin american countries and just last week a fifth country from the region asked to join in.
first that crucial state institutions such as the supreme court of justice and citizen power' offices work for all citizens of venezuela in an impartial
a peaceful and democratic transition has to come from within venezuela.
in light of her report we are also ready to start work towards applying targeted measures for those members of the security forces involved in torture and other serious violations of human rights.
and venezuela also needs an effective separation of powers starting with the recognition and respect of the national assembly's prerogatives and of the immunity of all its members.
we continue to believe that a certain degree of pressure needs to be maintained.
day with a lot of dedication after months of work today the space to build a peaceful and democratic solution to the crisis has opened up.
we continue to support at political and financial level all regional and international initiatives to address the refugee crisis starting with the quito process and this will not change.
we knew that from the very beginning also because mediation especially a mediation as complex us this one cannot be mediated by a group and also because we knew very well that the conditions for starting mediation when we started the international contact group were not there at all.
this is why we all agreed at the contact group meeting in costa rica a few months ago first of all to continue our work but also to intensify our political engagement and our outreach to relevant international actors.
and fourth that international election observers monitor the whole electoral process and not just the election days.
'. in the meantime we will also continue to work through the contact group and in close cooperation with the un to guarantee full access to humanitarian assistance without any restrictions including by local humanitarian
representatives of the contact group met all venezuelan actors during their visits to caracas.
this work has been essential to open the space for a political solution.
in this i am proud of the key role that the european union has played in giving diplomacy a chance when violence seemed to be the only game in town and a very risky one not only for venezuela but also for the region and for the rest of the world.
second that all candidates are allowed to participate in the elections with the same rights and with no arbitrary restrictions.
at the same time we made clear once again i quote again that these measures can be reversed in case substantial progress is made towards the restoration of democracy rule of law and human rights in venezuela.
in the last weeks something has started to move on the diplomatic side. the talks that norway is mediating resumed last week in barbados and new meetings are ongoing as we speak.
it can never be imposed from the outside but we can and must facilitate this process with all means available as we did in these months.
this is probably the most delicate moment in the path that could lead towards a peaceful and democratic solution.
we fully support both the findings of the report and most importantly the recommendations.
we have immediately called for a thorough and truly independent investigation that brings those responsible to justice.
and on the political front the government has arbitrarily arrested many members of the national assembly and lifted their parliamentary immunity.
and future projections point to continued increases.
the regional impact of the crisis is massive including for the stability of the region.
we have all seen the report by the un high commissioner for human rights michelle bachelet that confirms what we already knew very well that human rights violations in venezuela are frequent and are serious.
the humanitarian situation is still dire it is getting worse by the day. seven million venezuelans in the country are in need of assistance and. three seven million people are malnourished according to unhcr and fao respectively. four million venezuelans have already fled the country in the past four years
just today i issued a statement on behalf of all twenty eight member states making clear that we stand ready to assist the un high commissioner for human rights in her efforts to ensure that the fundamental rights of all venezuelans are fully protected.
we insisted that there was no military solution to the crisis and that any outcome had to be both peaceful and democratic.
third that the voter register is updated including young voters and venezuelans abroad.
we all know that the path towards a democratic transition is fraught with obstacles yet for the first time in months or even years this can be a preliminary step in the right direction towards a peaceful and democratic transition both peaceful and democratic with free and credible presidential elections.
and we must be crystal clear there's no doubt about that. the country needs new presidential elections with a free and fair electoral process with a level playing field for all candidates.
this is the moment to do everything we can to strengthen this fragile process and help it deliver on the venezuelan people's aspirations.
the european union and the entire international contact group are ready to help throughout the electoral process if the parties ask for our support and if we get to that stage.
ngos. we welcome the progress that has been made in this direction that we have accompanied and pushed for in these months including with the appointment of a humanitarian coordinator by the
in these months the contact group's role has been recognised by all parties inside the country in the region and in the international arena. i engaged personally with all our international interlocutors from the united states to russia and china from the vatican to cuba from the lima group to caricom.
as we work on the political path we also need to be extremely active on humanitarian support.
my special adviser for venezuela enrique iglesias was in caracas just days ago and he met all relevant actors at the highest level starting with juan guaid nicols maduro the united nations the main political parties but also civil society and the catholic church.
in a moment i stress this when an escalation seemed almost inevitable today after months of good work and i would like to thank my colleagues both the foreign ministers of the latin american countries of the european countries that are part of the contact group but also all our teams that have been working on this literally night and
un. since the beginning of the crisis we the european union have been one of the largest humanitarian donors to the venezuelan people inside the country but also in the neighbouring countries in the region.
so the group was not created for mediating a process we've always been very clear on this including in this chamber the goal of the contact group has always been to try and contribute to create the conditions for a meaningful mediation to be launched in a credible manner in the right framework.
it is not to be taken for granted at all that this space is going to be used to reach a political solution but at least we have stopped the escalation on the military violence side and we have given the political solution a chance.
the contact group was never supposed to mediate talks.
way. in particular a revised and balanced composition of the national electoral council will be needed.
not for the country not for its citizens not for the region and not for the world. today with our statements with all the twenty eight member states we clearly recalled that and i quote in case there are no concrete results from the ongoing negotiations the european union will further expand its targeted measures'.
so the process that has now started is extremely fragile but this is exactly why we must now do everything we can to support and accompany the talks in barbados.
some essential elements for a credible process have emerged very clearly from our talks and our work in these months.
twenty five by intervening you may feel better by showcasing your political virtue but you most assuredly will not be helping the courageous opposition leader juan guaid and his supporters.
in the words of one great austrian economist friedrich hayek it will lead down the road to serfdom. venezuela provides a reminder of how undiluted socialism works out a brutal economic crisis marked by food and medicine shortages along with the world's highest inflation rate of over a million percent.
far from giving more personal and economic freedom the ideas i heard this morning do the complete opposite.
the nation's economy which has already contracted by half in recent years is expected to shrink by another.
what i find so disturbing this morning listening to the meps from the left is how they think a socialist agenda of more regulation more central planning and more bureaucracy leads to an economic utopia.
that's why we ask for a clear commitment that you will not go back from the co two standards that we agreed upon.
we need you to speak and commit to a biodiversity strategy and we also need to understand your position on the non toxic environment strategy.
as an mep hailing from one of the frontline member states malta i urge you to put migration as a priority where solidarity does not remain a buzzword but where legislative proposals such as the dublin regulation are enacted and become law so that not only a few countries shoulder the responsibility alone as is happening today.
you speak about a fresh start on migration.
an industrial policy that takes into account our current workers our future employees our students and our youth.
the eu requires also a revamped industrial policy an industry. four zero that does not focus only on digitisation and automation but includes also the ecological aspect;
we need a european commission that is ambitious progressive and not resistant to change.
most importantly i cannot vote for you because the appointments process that led us here is a step away from closer engagement with citizens and from democracy.
dr von der leyen i was delighted to hear you call yourself a remainer to our group and to say that you would be willing to give us the extra time we may need to resolve this deeply damaging episode in our country's history.
but on a range of issues from tax and trade to climate and protecting life in our countryside there is a gulf between your views and the green agenda for change.
the backroom deal done in the council explicitly reassured the far right in the countries of central europe where the rule of law is under threat and democratic standards are at risk. it's so disappointing that the election of the commission president will depend on the votes of the far right rather than those of a strong pro european majority that could have been achieved by offering the radical change that green voters demand.
our eu project has inspired people across generations continents and peoples but we have to keep working.
we need better border management while remaining fair with those who are in need firm with those who are not and strong with those who seek to exploit the vulnerable.
i want my children's generation to see europe as the answer as much as it was for my parents and that is why we cannot be silent when our fundamental freedoms are under threat.
we must protect the media. we should never let eu citizenship be sold as a commodity.
our social economy our free and open approach to trade has raised people out of poverty but it's still too hard for too many.
without them there can be nothing else and dr von der leyen i welcome your assurances and know that you will find us constructive partners in standing up for our european way.
if ever there was a representation of the enduring success of europe this is it.
we cannot allow the next generation to have more plastic than fish in their seas.
equally we cannot allow issues like migration to become existential questions that are argued only on shortterm lines.
our europe is built on the certainty of our values on the rule of law and of our freedoms.
like other speakers in particular i welcome the increased defence cooperation between the eu member states and the steps taken to increase our military autonomy.