kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
as i have said repeatedly the only way in which an unprotected developed world can compete with the third world and emerging economies is by pushing the wage rates of our workers down to their levels. we need protection for our industries and workers and not competitiveness built on the back of our workers.
the rapporteur goes on to seek to justify immigration by reference to demographic change in europe falling birth rates and ageing population.
however birth rates fall in response to economic demands in the home and can be reversed by imaginative social policies. furthermore if you bring third world immigrants to europe they do not become substitute europeans.
we know that for a fact.
mr president i think it is clear that for all of us the legislation that we are talking about this evening maybe is not the most perfect that we would have hoped for.
however i think many of us see it as a positive step forward and certainly analysis of it that has been done says that it may be positive in terms of integration for the many thousands of people affected by the legislation. it is a simplification in terms of putting together the residence and work permit as a single piece of
that we know was controversial as well in the way in which it was discussed.
but it should be a simplification and as has been pointed out there is a due requirement of time so that these applications should not be left sitting on desks as they so often are in many of our member states.
the most important part of it is that we are looking at equality of treatment with member state nationals in a large number of places not least in terms of pay rights of freedom of association and the right to educational vocational training so that people are actually able to improve their skills base which is for their own benefit and for the benefit of the company with which they work.
the social security dimension is also important and i think that the changes that parliament managed to make on pensions is one which we should be proud of.
i think this is a question to be solved by the house itself.
let me also underline that those migrant workers pay taxes and social security contributions when working legally as well as contributing to the cultural richness of our societies.
secondly one of the objectives of this directive is to establish a level playing field for migrant workers from day one without any minimum employment period. let me also point out that the outcome of the political agreement resulted in provisions which are even more inclusive than the original commission proposal as regards access to social security for unemployed migrants and freedom of association. some restrictions are introduced on access to education and housing but the work related rights in vocational training are kept which in the commission's opinion results in a balanced approach.
at the end of this long but fruitful negotiation process on a highly important proposal in the area of legal migration i sincerely hope that parliament will come to an agreement and adopt a directive that will ensure the equal treatment of legally residing migrant workers so that they can benefit fully from employment related rights.
such a directive should be seen as a first and an important step to be completed later on by other instruments such as the ones dealing with seasonal workers and intra corporate transferees.
i can assure you that in the same way that we took the lead during the negotiation process we will continue with that lead even more importantly during the implementation phase as well.
and third to continue investing in more research and more knowledge.
with regard to international agreements we all know what is happening in the usa.
it was a very sad statement that we all followed today.
just to let you know we have set up the eu china blue year this year and tomorrow we are going to have a chinese delegation another chinese delegation within a period of three months to continue working on our euchina blue year and as i said we will continue pushing
that was the idea behind vicepresident mogherini and myself launching the ocean governance communication last november. this is a very important way of moving forward focusing our ocean governance strategy on three
second to reduce human pressures on the oceans;
again we are pushing other countries for support.
committing to and implementing the existing legal frameworks.
for example the marine strategy framework directive provides a comprehensive and integrated approach to the protection of the marine environment and natural resources.
our birds and habitats legislation provides for protection of the eu sea area through a network of marine protected areas mpas as a part of natura.
the un conference will allow the european union to showcase its leadership in making oceans safer more secure healthier and above all more sustainably managed.
sustainable management and conservation of natural resources such as biodiversity and fisheries is also gaining importance in our trade and investment policy. for example we are including dedicated sustainability provisions in the relevant trade and investment agreements and we are also committed to eliminating harmful fisheries subsidies in line with target six of sdg.
the day after world ocean day i will host an event on the contribution of this fight to ensuring the long term sustainability of fisheries resources.
finally i am pleased to announce that the member states and council two days ago endorsed a list of clear and concrete voluntary commitments that the eu will present at the un ocean conference next week.
our rules against illegal unreported and unregulated fishing ensure that our member states implement their international obligations keep illegally caught fish out of the european market and help us improve fisheries governance in third countries.
these are priorities for the european union and its member states as set out in the joint communication on international ocean governance.
these two conferences are mutually reinforcing each other and will help us all to keep the momentum for action in the interest of our oceans.
in this context policymakers all over the world need to find a way to agree to ensure sustainable long term use of the oceans.
we have had a change of mindset.
i would like to pay tribute to this house to the commission and to the council for the major contribution they have made financially and otherwise to the peace process in ireland.
in the european union we still have a divided capital city.
i asked the president of our parliament in his capacity as president to support the republic of cyprus in its efforts to make the occupying power end its immigration policy withdraw the military forces return famagusta to its lawful owners open the port and finally recognise all un conventions and resolutions and thereby do everything to give cyprus its unity back.
mr president i rise to seek the support of the house for solidarity funding for those hit by dreadful flooding in my constituency.
on the south west peninsula of england many homes and businesses have been under water and travel has been disrupted.
the uk is more susceptible to flooding with the onset of man made climate change but the response of successive governments has been inadequate uncoordinated and costly.
a government report six months ago recognised far too late that flooding and drought will become more frequent and more severe.
little has yet been done to adapt to these dangers and policies are still being pursued which will heighten them.
i am working with my constituents to gain help from the solidarity fund for the cost of the clean up devolution of powers to local government to speed up response to emergencies and urgent investment in water management schemes.
i call on colleagues in the house to support me in these endeavours.
irish republicans have stretched themselves and we are up for the challenge that the haass proposals contain.
unionist leaders are failing our people and ignoring a clear desire for a compromise agreement.
the irish and british governments must now make clear statements in support of the haass o'sullivan proposals and their implementation.
what is needed is that all political forces work together on that goal of joining the european union.
albania is also playing a very constructive role as far as regional cooperation is concerned.
all albanian political forces and authorities to consolidate this process achieved so far and make an additional effort to enable a positive decision on the opening of accession negotiations.
enlargement policy is only credible when both sides live up to their side of the bargain.
i am impressed by the way the new government is prioritising its efforts in the fight against corruption and organised crime and i am equally impressed by the results achieved in the months since it has taken office which confirm the positive trend established earlier.
we want albania to continue delivering and we see the granting of candidate status as a further incentive for the country to continue its reform efforts.
in particular i welcome the clear support of this house for our recommendation to grant candidate status to albania. two thousand and thirteen has been a good year for albania's european union integration. firstly the government and opposition cooperated to adopt a number of important
secondly the parliamentary elections in june were orderly and competitive and were followed by a smooth transfer of power.
legal acts in parliament including the three measures that were required for the granting of candidate country status.
thirdly the two thousand and thirteen progress report underlined a number of important developments confirming progress towards meeting the copenhagen political criteria for european union membership and addressing reforms in the key priorities as identified by the council in its two thousand and twelve conclusions on albania.
we expect continued follow up and delivery of results.
i welcome its findings and recommendations which are very much in line with our two thousand and thirteen progress report.
hence the unconditional recommendation made in the two thousand and thirteen enlargement package.
government and opposition alike have confirmed their commitment to european union related reforms.
granting candidate status is an important step not only for encouraging albania to pursue the far reaching reforms required but also for the credibility of the european union which set clear conditions for obtaining the candidate status at its two thousand and twelve council.
a number of actions have taken place and more are in a preparatory phase.
yet another positive element is the position of the new government as regards cooperation and dialogue with the opposition.
as stated in the council conclusions of last year this was a crucial test for the functioning of the democratic institutions.
among the positive elements were the way in which the general elections were conducted in june.
this will certainly prove a useful tool for continuing dialogue and monitoring developments on the key priorities that were listed in the commissions opinion in.
however the council conclusions of last year were clear that in order to be granted candidate status albania needs to complete key measures in the areas of judicial and public administration reform and revision of the parliamentary procedure. moreover further action on the fight against corruption and organised crime will also be required.
two thousand and ten furthermore on a positive note i believe it is worth underlining the constructive role albania plays in the region being fully engaged in a number of regional initiatives such as the regional cooperation council and the south east european cooperation process.
this huge task has been initiated by the new government.
at the same time sustainability and credibility based on an established track record remain important considerations for member states.
the council is due to decide whether to agree to the granting of candidate status at its meeting on seventeen december subject to confirmation by the european council.
the government of albania certainly seems to be determined towards further progress in key areas.
so far we have seen these good intentions bear fruit on a number of occasions.
the aim is to help the country maintain focus and consensus on eu integration.
for instance we understand that the creation of structures to fight corruption is well advanced and that there is an increase in investigations being opened in the areas of corruption and drug trafficking.
it has demonstrated political will and concrete results in bringing about much needed reform.
this is a significant foundation on which political leaders can build a common platform in the interest of their country.
the coming months will be crucial for the government to demonstrate its determination and live up to its promises.
let me conclude by pointing out once again the progress albania has achieved in the past year and in particular the last couple of months.
it is certainly most helpful for the government that there is a high level of support by albanian citizens for european integration.
i am confident that further efforts will continue to be made during.
however we should not trust that the very recent past of political bickering and paralysis of political process because of the deep divisions between the main parties is completely in the past now.
let us commend albania on what has gone well and let us ask to see an extended track record of constructive political cooperation before we shout halleluiah.
as a final remark i would like to say that it is quite unhelpful for some members of the s d group and some members of the ppe group though absolutely not all to mix their own party politics with those in albania.
there is clearly enough trouble with party politics in albania itself without us taking sides so let us hope that the ministers will give albania a chance to move ahead in its reform process and let us hope that the albanian political parties on all sides will take that chance with both hands.
our list is long and includes the need to address tackling corruption and the need to reform public administration eradicating organised crime improving media freedom and independence safeguarding the rights of various minorities including roma and lgbt overcoming the political polarisation that runs deeply through society
reforming the judiciary and ensuring its independence promoting a genuine dialogue between civil society and government and guaranteeing the well being of those who depend on the state whether in prison or mentally ill. the liberal group supports the commission's position on granting albania candidate status which should not be mistaken for membership of the eu in any way.
in election years especially we must be clear about managing expectations and ensuring that debates about enlargement are fact based.
the same goes for addressing albanian audiences.
this is not a reward for one government or another but rather a signal to all albanians to encourage them to move forward with the many remaining reforms towards meeting the copenhagen criteria.
the general political climate is improving thanks to the work of all major political players and i think it gives good prospects for the future.
yes it needs to be stressed that the progress achieved so far needs further consolidation and implementation.
which clearly underlines the commitment of both sides to inclusiveness.
i very much appreciate these efforts.
i would like to underline that albania still faces many challenges and that we are not recommending the opening of accession negotiations.
our report makes clear that there are a number of outstanding recommendations to be met before such a step could be envisaged.
but we need to firmly anchor albania on its european union integration path. i strongly believe that granting candidate status to albania would send an encouraging signal to all its citizens that albania's future is within europe.
it would help to further consolidate the country's engagement on european integration and to provide a stimulus to pursue necessary reforms and to better face challenges such as the difficult economic situation.
or indeed on creating university chairs in gender studies and feminist research which is a waste of money for people in my constituency who are going to food banks in this recession.
madam president as always with these budgetary considerations it is put to us in rather technical language and it is easy to lose sight of the quantity the sums that we are talking about.
these are for us astronomical figures which evolution was not intended to assist us to picture.
if ever there was a cost free reduction this is it.
that is enough to build thirty six nhs hospitals or if you want to look at it the other way round it is enough to give the entire country a reduction in their council tax of more than.
i would appeal to the people who are marching against austerity and government cuts to ponder this fact we have spent more in these contributions than we have saved across the whole of domestic spending with the entire government cuts programme.
virtually all member states have some restrictions and anyway this is a matter for the member states to decide not the eu.
i fully support the call to member states to combat precarious work and the need to counter the feminisation of poverty which is driven by non standard forms of work such as zero hour contracts in voluntary part time work etc.
madam president i abstained on the final vote on this report. the report contains many good points such as the proposal to address the needs of women with disabilities access to the labour market zero tolerance when it comes to gender based violence and the call for two thousand and sixteen to be named as the year of combating violence against women and girls.
however i could not support recital s stating that access to reproductive rights should never be restricted.
this particular proposal is in exactly the same vein.
it wants to give powers to the commission to negotiate deals on intellectual property rights on behalf of companies in the eu with non eu countries.
who do you think will benefit from such a deal?
the small smart new company in manchester with a bright idea or the huge multinational which works on secret eu working committees will they be the ones who benefit from this particular proposal?
i find this demeaning and insulting to all hard working women up and down the uk. we should live in a meritocratic society where women are encouraged to achieve their goals and we should address the issues that are keeping women from reaching these goals.
it is not about gender and equality;
it is simply an opportunity for people in the commission to control the nation states of europe.
that is why i opposed this particular motion.
i support gender equality and i support rights for women but i believe that they should be controlled from the british parliament.
we will have a referendum next year where the people of britain will have the opportunity to say whether they believe the european union should control their lives or whether the british parliament should control their lives.
this motion brings further shame onto the eu.
when the referendum day comes in the uk i implore the british people not to be fooled by thinking that any of this is about trade.
this is not about trade.
this is social engineering and an assault on traditional values on an enormous scale.
so when referendum day comes vote to leave and vote for freedom.
madam president anyone who still clings to the idea that the european union is an association of nations should just look down the list at the topics covered by this gender equality report pay workplace rules violence against women media portrayals abortion rights.
whatever else this is it is not an association of states collaborating intergovernmentally.
for what it is worth i voted against because i do not think any of these things should have to do with brussels.
but i have to say that i resent the slightly bullying tone implicit in the debate that if you are voting against this report it is because you do not care about violence against women or because you do not care about media portrayals.
can we not take it as common ground that everyone in this chamber is concerned about these issues?
the argument is about the location of decisionmaking.
on sensitive issues of this kind it should be determined by our national democratic mechanisms and procedures.
it is precisely because it is important to us that we want the decisions to be taken not by unaccountable bureaucrats but by elected representatives whom we can hire and fire.
if you mind your own children at home you are not considered at work whereas if you mind someone else's children in a crche you are considered at work.
now i think that if you mind your children you are at work.
why not include that as work and not as being unemployed? because my mother was very employed when she was minding us.
the very funding that goes to many countries and in particular ireland has created an un level playing field whereby the richest farmers get the biggest payments and the smallest farmers get the smallest payments creating a situation where you are driving the small farmers out of business and
i will always jealously guard the liberties of my constituents whilst balancing the wider security benefits of measures such as this.
i was happy to support this measure this time round because i believe that the actions and agreements on the passenger name records data as agreed are now proportionate and reasonable.
mr president this is a contentious area and it goes right to the heart of the public debate on preserving the freedoms of individuals or groups of individuals while maintaining the security of both individuals and wider society.
they are very unhappy to find themselves paying to subsidise renewables without any real public debate no acceptance of the concept or the financial hardship behind it.
this particular report ranges across a number of areas too numerous to talk about here but i would just like to mention one harmonised car purchase tax and harmonised co two emission taxes.
i do however believe that it is time for a fundamental review of taxation on energy products and particularly electricity not a review which says the eu should take more interest but one that would end up with the view that we should take far less interest from here.
not a day goes by when i do not hear from a constituent who is unhappy with the increases in their energy bills.
i am delighted that amendment fifty three was accepted and by a huge majority five hundred and twenty four for and one hundred and forty against.
the eu should not try to interfere with taxation.
the rejection of the harmonisation of taxes on the purchase of cars is totally unacceptable.
it is also worth noting that this sharing of data has already proven to be instrumental in providing vital information on a number of criminal activities including illegal drug trafficking and in assisting in the capture of those responsible for the atrocious seven seven london bombings in my own member state.
however i have decided to support this report since i feel that the recommendations made are necessary and entirely proportionate.
as long as there are adequate safeguards on protecting personal information it is a justified and worthwhile agreement that should be supported by all.
the agreement between the us and the eu on the transfer of passenger name records has undergone significant improvement through negotiations particularly in relation to increasing protection and to the retention period of passenger data which has been one of the main concerns for my constituents back home in wales.
i believe that the agreement is a proportionate measure and is a necessary one for us security.
the agreement is particularly pertinent to me as an mep for london as pnr data were used in the capture of the seven seven london bombers following the attacks on my city in.
for these reasons i would strongly oppose any arguments put forward by other groups claiming that the necessity of this agreement has not yet been proven.