kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
in my opinion the name issue should not come first. macedonian nation building started after the second world war and now a big part of the population identify themselves as macedonians.
the latter has made impressive progress despite manifold difficulties and should be encouraged to continue. i would like to invite both parties to solve the name issue in an open and generous european style as advocated yesterday by president barroso.
turkey too has made significant progress.
i think this could be seen as a condition for proceeding with negotiations.
and expectations. so negotiating the transformation demands a major act of political will.
let me add that the effort is well worthwhile especially for a relatively small state like croatia or for that matter and the same applies for the other states of the western balkans.
eu membership i think we can take this for granted provides a set of advantages in political economic cultural and security terms. the greatest problem of adaptation though lies elsewhere.
it is one thing to change the structures of governance but it is a very different matter to change the attitudes of society to something radically different to the forms and content that have been developed in the european union.
the two are frequently far from each other and there will certainly be elements in society some quite powerful ones at that which will see only disadvantages for themselves in the new dispensation.
the croatian authorities have not only to complete their negotiations with the european union but at the same time they must also do what they can to change social attitudes.
what i take away from it is first of all that the quartet must demonstrate that it is worth the money that it is actually able to be reinvigorated.
they give me a real sense of the direction that we need to move in.
we must be seen to be practically engaged on the ground and practically working to find ways in which we can make the situation better for the people who have to live there every day and who look to us for the help that they need.
we need to consider all of these issues carefully but what we have got to do is demonstrate the practical support that we put on the ground.
what i want to do is draw those two things together to find a way in which we can enhance what we do to support the work that is going on to make the quartet more effective to bring together what has been in a sense the council and commission operating side by side and to meld it into one so that what we do on the ground really makes a difference.
that brings me in a sense to what i call the practical.
i think most significant from today is what is the eu itself going to be able to do?
it is a great delight though to be here with cecilia and i look forward very much to working with her.
but on the way to the end we have a significant role to play and i am determined on your behalf as well as on behalf of the commission and the council that we play our full part in that.
there is an enormous amount of passion from all parliamentarians especially if i may say mr de rossa and those members who have recently come back and who have clearly seen for themselves the dreadful situation that exists on the ground.
the views that you hold on the differences as well as the similarities matter to me as i navigate our future in these discussions and negotiations.
in the end it is the two sides who come together to make the decision and to find the peace.
a number of colleagues have raised particular issues whether it is a question of what the uk is doing on labelling whether it is issues about the association agreement whether this report the heads of mission report and the recommendations that i have not yet considered within it are there.
secondly there are the issues in the region which the presidency has raised about the broader questions of those other countries that we need to engage with.
that is the most significant and practical thing i need to do first of all. i would describe the work that i want to do as this we have the potential to do the political and the economic.
what is also very clear and i pay tribute to the presidency for the work that they have done on this is the frustration in this house that things are not moving frustration borne of views that are sometimes quite different but nonetheless converge on a desire to see a solution.
we are also addressing the situation through practical assistance aimed at supporting the palestinian population in east jerusalem.
east jerusalem is occupied territory together with the rest of the west bank. the eu is opposed to the demolition of palestinian homes the eviction of palestinian families the construction of israeli settlements and the route of the separation barrier'.
i will not dwell on the conclusions or repeat what the presidency has said. suffice to say that in reaffirming our principles i hope we may have helped restore some palestinian confidence and willingness to enter into the peace process.
you have invited me here today to talk about our political work but also about the situation in east jerusalem.
negotiations have taken place on and off for several years starting with the oslo declaration of principles signed in september.
the quartet needs reinvigoration the current stalemate in the peace process demands
negotiations should be based on international law and respect previous agreements.
israel should reopen the crossings without delay which would allow a revival of the private sector and a reduction of gaza's aid dependency.
it is time to turn this into a reality by closely coordinating our positions and strategy.
in the coming months i intend to remain in close contact with parliament on all these issues.
another aspect of concern of course is the situation in gaza. we have consistently called for the flow of aid trade and persons.
our assistance has enabled the palestinian authority to build the institutions of the future state of palestine so that it can deliver services to its people and be a reliable neighbour in the region.
peace in the middle east requires a comprehensive solution.
we now need to think about how we can re engage a political process.
israel has taken a first step with its temporary and partial settlement freeze. we hope this will contribute towards a resumption of meaningful negotiations. the us remains an indispensable and crucial actor in the middle east.
our approach should be regional and inclusive.
to date in east jerusalem the eu is implementing activities costing eur.
credible negotiations require a strong and united palestinian partner.
we look forward to the implementation of the arab peace initiative.
the european union is there to help both parties take that engagement and offer them support on the difficult road of negotiations.
i will be travelling to the region shortly and my main objective will be to meet the main actors and see first hand how the eu can be a force for change.
i believe we all agree with the overall and overriding priority of a resumption of israeli palestinian negotiations not negotiations for negotiations' sake but negotiations to achieve a peace deal and turn the page.
week the delegation to the plc visited the occupied palestinian territories and reported with great concern on the situation on the ground.
they should also take place within an agreed timeframe with effective mediation.
the two sides appear to have strayed further apart in terms of engaging on an end game.
we cannot nor i doubt can the region tolerate another round of fruitless negotiations.
finally i welcome the continuation of parliament's working group on the peace process which will meet again this week.
we need to see a serious commitment and the political will from both israel and palestine to engage in serious and genuine negotiations.
it is now time to move to action and put the council conclusions into practice.
israel stands to gain not lose from a strong palestinian partner.
they should be part of the solution.
in addition we enable palestinian hospitals in east jerusalem to remain viable and we do a lot of work with palestinian young people in the city who suffer from high rates of unemployment and psychological problems.
today however the palestinians are divided both politically and physically.
we are deeply concerned about the daily living conditions of the gazan people since the january conflict donors have not been able to do reconstruction work and serious issues persist like the lack of clean drinking water.
conditions for an effective eu us partnership on the middle east have rarely been as good.
a multilateral framework should complement the israeli palestinian bilateral framework.
the eu has consistently supported both israel and the palestinians by giving them the time and space to negotiate bilaterally.
it. the quartet can provide the careful yet dynamic mediation that is required.
the eu will continue to support and work closely with the us via the quartet.
all issues should be on the table including the status of jerusalem as the future shared capital.
the conclusions of course will also be of great help to me in providing me with a clear steer for the months to come.
this is an area of deep concern.
for example there is a lack of one two hundred classrooms for palestinian children in the city so we are helping to reinforce education facilities.
and limits itself to damage limitation only afterwards.
i do think it would be useful if mrs malmstrm could repeat today in the european parliament what her ambassador said in the united nations that the eu urges israel and the palestinians to launch appropriate credible and independent domestic investigations of human rights violations in relation to the gaza conflict.
finally can i ask the presidency and the high representative if they are aware of the british government guidance adopted last week for food labelling to distinguish between imports originating from the palestinian territories and those from illegal israeli settlements and tell us what plans they have for extending this advice to the european level.
as electors we can choose to pay the costs of peace.
as consumers we do not want to subsidise the price of conflict.
mr president as a member of the parliamentary delegation to israel i listened with interest to the foreign affairs council's comments on the middle east peace process and the commission's statement. however i like my previous colleague are left with an overriding sense of concern in relation to these.
israel is the only functioning democracy in the region.
the favourite tactics of its opponents have been terrorism against the state.
i believe that the council and the commission statements fail to give proper weight to israel's security concerns.
in fact i did not hear the high representative mention those concerns in her statement to this house.
furthermore i believe that the statement places too strong a burden upon israel both in terms of the failure of the process to progress and on the resolution of the outstanding issues in particular jerusalem.
mr president the eu heads of mission report on east jerusalem makes pretty devastating reading.
the council's conclusions are very welcome.
we know they are strong because the israeli government immediately dismissed them.
they are used to dismissing our words because we never back them up with deeds.
we keep the palestinians going when it should be israel footing the bill not our taxpayers.
if our words are to have meaning then we should suspend or threaten to suspend the association agreement but not one of our foreign ministers has ever even raised that possibility we are told.
we have heard the same words over and again that we need to ensure that israel does this or does that but we need the real leverage to make that happen otherwise israel will simply ignore us as it continues to do.
my question is what practically can you do to make sure that we see real movement and progress here?
to my mind that has to involve issues like the suspension of the eu israel association agreement.
focusing on the situation in east jerusalem i welcome very much the swedish presidency's initiative and its clarity over the role of jerusalem as a capital of two states and your firmness about the importance of israel freezing its settlement activity in east jerusalem.
i also pay tribute to the authors of the eu heads of mission report on east jerusalem itself.
that report speaks with a clarity and vision which is all too often absent in these debates.
it sets out how israel's policy of illegal annexation of east jerusalem is deliberately designed to weaken the palestinian community in the city and prevent palestinian development.
but the heads of mission called on the council to adopt a whole range of recommendations as a result of that report and i believe that we need to see urgent action from the council to do exactly that.
if the eu is serious about its commitment to a two state solution it needs to be doing everything possible to preserve and strengthen the palestinian character and identity of east jerusalem.
the heads of mission statement and report show practical ways of doing so.
mr president as a member of the delegation that went to palestine last week it became clear to me that there are a number of sensible people who believe that the two state option is dead in the water largely because of israeli actions not least the proposals to extend the wall even further into and beyond east jerusalem thereby dividing the west bank into the north and the south.
what actions are we going to take to ensure that the cost of this operation is matched by its effectiveness which presently is nil?
you cannot boycott and engage at the same time.
however tempting it is the council can only be an influential player politically as well as with economic support if it resists the temptations motivated sometimes by frustration at one or other of the parties to have some sort of sanctions or punish one or the other. it is too complex a situation and it simply undermines a consistent coherent
and the union's readiness when appropriate to recognise a palestinian state.
last week i led an official european parliament delegation to the occupied palestinian territories where once again i saw with my own eyes the apartheid system being implemented by israel against palestinians along with the dispossession and destruction of their homes their lands their water and their places of worship. within hours of the publication of the council
statement the permission my delegation had for going to gaza was rescinded.
that is not the act of a friendly state.
it is certainly an interference in the democratic right of this parliament to have decent and democratic relations with our opposite numbers elected by the palestinian people.
where there is hopelessness there will be violence.
we can make progress now or we can let the situation slide into more bitter violence which will drive moderate palestinian politicians out of leadership.
that is the choice we have to make. i would appeal to both the council and to baroness ashton whom i wish well to reinvigorate the union's engagement with this process not just looking towards the quartet to reinvigorate its engagement with the process and to put in place a timetable coinciding with the palestinian authority's two year timetable for the implementation of the principles we outlined so bravely in my view last week.
we must vigorously defend human rights.
we must use access to our markets to incentivise israel.
i am not talking about sanctions. i am talking about ensuring that access to our market is used as an incentive to ensure that israel acts in relation to its international responsibilities.
it is in the interests of economic development that women take more responsibility.
the political commitment of the european commission is contained in our new strategy.
the gaps are in poverty we have heard the second report on this too.
i regret that because i always hope that we can eliminate if you like the yearly celebration of the struggle of women but as long as we have not arrived there we cannot do so and we have not arrived there yet.
women and children are the most vulnerable in our societies but also in the societies outside and that is why the commission is working to streamline its various policy initiatives on violence against women and to create synergies between areas with similar objectives.
we are going to see to observe to analyse and to count what is happening between today and eight march next year and if nothing changes then i am prepared to take action at eu level to redress the gender balance in corporate board rooms.
here i have challenged publicly listed companies in europe to sign a women on the board pledge for europe' by march two thousand and twelve to pledge to replace outgoing gentlemen on the board by qualified women and there are so many that it should not be difficult to find these women.
one hundred years of struggle and we still do not see the end of it.
so this is where we are in developing a coherent policy response to tackle this huge problem my link is concrete actions in areas where there are clear legal bases in order to have efficiency and in this regard i am going to present a victims' rights package in may this year in which
the themes which are mentioned in our strategy for gender equality are the same as the ones the rapporteur has mentioned economic independence for women gender pay gap violence against women and promoting gender equality in external actions.
so women mean business;
so we think that this should be tackled mainly because all the economic evidence and the scientific evidence on economic functioning shows very clearly that companies with an balanced decision making structure have
first and foremost we call on the member states to take into account the gender dimension in their plans for recovery from the recession by promoting and boosting the employment of women and adopting specific measures as well as adjusting budgets to ensure equality of access to public sector expenditure
second we call on the commission and the member states to take the appropriate measures to eliminate gender inequalities in employment as part of europe.
with a view to both enhancing productive capacity and meeting women's social and environmental needs.
it has an increasing impact on the risk of marginalisation poverty and social exclusion.
therefore we call on the commission and the council to develop and implement a strategy to halve child poverty by.
speak to any small businessman you like in my country.
i wish i desperately wish you would come into the real world;
they tend to be concentrated in part time and temporary jobs that are less well paid or in inferior positions.
poverty gives rise to trafficking in women to violence and more generally to exploitation of all kinds. we also know that as a result of poverty women victims of domestic violence prefer not to take steps for their own protection because of a lack of financial security.
on the fundamental issue of pensions the european commission should be leading the charge in closing the structural gaps between women and men.
women who have worked all their lives to get to a position of responsibility in business professional women are being patronised on quotas.
the whole thing is completely crazy and it is a tragedy that none of you have done a real job in your lives or you would understand this.
all that is happening with draconian maternity leave let me tell you madam is that fewer and fewer young women in my country are getting jobs because you would have to be stark staring mad to employ a young woman if you have a small business. so you have done them no favours.
and now you are talking about quotas.
what kind of madness is this?
you talk about maternity leave.
helping to lift those children out of poverty means helping to lift their parents out of poverty too in particular the single parents who are mostly women.
it pays special attention to women and young people.
in addition the european progress microfinance facility has recently been established to support job creation and self employment.
there are indeed urgent measures that the member states need to take in these areas. for instance they need to reduce labour market segmentation by readjusting the balance in employment protection legislation between those workers on permanent contracts and those on time limited precarious contracts which is so often the case for women.
over the last ten years eu cooperation under the open method of coordination on social inclusion and social protection has helped to raise awareness and promote the fight against poverty and social exclusion.
in addition almost eur three billion.
this report is very timely because the issue it highlights has been on the agenda for a while but it has become more pressing as a result of the impact of the financial and economic crisis on vulnerable groups in society.
the platform focuses on the continuing importance of active inclusion for people furthest from the labour market.
as i have already pointed out women make up an important component of that category.
as foreseen in the platform the commission intends to put forward a recommendation in two thousand and twelve on child poverty.
the flagship initiative the european platform against poverty and social exclusion includes proposals for practical measures to achieve the numerical poverty reduction target.
in two thousand and twelve the commission will present a communication assessing in depth the implementation of active inclusion strategies at national level.
it will outline common principles and effective monitoring tools to combat and prevent poverty in early life.
a budget of eur one hundred million has been made available over four years but can be increased to more than eur five hundred million in the joint initiative with the international financial institutions.
it is a source of great concern to the commission that over eighty million people are at risk of poverty in today's european union.
the facility provides loans to people who have lost their jobs and want to start up or develop their own small businesses.
they also need to strike a better balance between work and private or family life and to remove other disincentives to participation in the workforce by second earners who again are mostly women. it is important to increase the employment rate in the eu and the key challenge in this area is the participation in the labour market by all workers both male and female.
two seventy seven to be precise from that allocation goes to supporting self employment and business start ups and the beneficiaries are very often women.
let me highlight some of the key elements in my employment and social policies that i believe will improve working opportunities and conditions for women.
what is even more worrying is that over twenty million children are among them and the figure has not improved over time.
this calls for a multidimensional approach covering employment policies to help parents find work the design of tax benefit systems and the provision of key services such as housing quality childcare and education and protection of children's rights.
given the diverse nature of our societies this is clearly something that member states need to address without quotas and targets arbitrarily set at an eu level. however over and above representation there are thousands of women across the eu and indeed the world who endure violence exploitation and exclusion. they are the ones without a voice. it is those women who suffer from discrimination are deliberately discouraged from achievement or are victims of repression who surely deserve our absolute attention.
perhaps most importantly as a society we have come to appreciate the necessity of the role of women and to recognise their contribution winning equality along the way.
however we need to be mindful of how far we push calls for more equality and in what areas.
i do not accept that somebody takes responsibility for his neighbour's children. it is for the parents to take responsibility for their children and that is how it should be. the more self responsibility we had in europe and indeed the world the better it would be in my view.