kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the ramifications of this terrorist organisation across several countries and its well developed system of acquiring financing ties with other terrorist groups call for a smart decisive and comprehensive response.
i think this requires supporting and coordinating with the kenyan government whose belated response to the recent massacre has been lacklustre.
most critically any strategy we adopt should resolve rather than contribute to the divisions this group is trying to sow.
in the same spirit we have to stay united towards all violations of freedom of religion and belief because it is a fundamental right.
alshabaab has been openly and publicly claiming to wage a war against christians. building on today's christian consensus let us ensure that the issue of the persecution of christians remains the eu priority in this house in the eeas and in our member states.
i also want to draw attention to paragraph thirteen reconciling work and care.
i would love to do a survey on how many people in this parliament have a caring role as well as a political one.
paragraphs seventeen nineteen and twenty five are particularly encouraging in this regard. we need to make sure that there is a rights based approach to the care of older people.
mr president i support this report and in particular want to draw attention to three paragraphs that i think are really important given the rush to put older people into care rather than looking after them in the community or in their own homes.
few and far between.
we need to ensure that older people can live independently in their own homes and that there is support for them to do so. we should not allow profit to be made from older people being moved into the private care sector.
could i suggest to this house and to many parliaments across europe and indeed beyond that we need to look at reconciling political work with care.
my concern at the moment is that the economic crisis is putting a huge number of journalists out of work.
it means that the quality of journalism will suffer because people will not have the time and the resources to research stories and to give quality coverage to issues.
proposals include european training programmes for journalists more money for parliament's information offices and yet more money for eu communication policy.
i believe in freedom of speech. i also believe in independent credible journalism.
forcing and funding journalists and public independent broadcasters to cover eu matters in order to promote the european ideal is blatant propaganda and this is why i voted against this report and resolution.
this sends a very strong signal to everybody both in politics and along the economic chain that the parliament here means business.
we had a vigorous debate last night. not everybody agrees with the entire contents of this report but we are all in agreement that farmers cannot continue to be squeezed. the blood is literally being squeezed out of them at the moment.
they are getting less and less of the final price that we all pay for our food in supermarkets and that situation has got to be stopped.
we have got to look at the role of dominant players.
we need an ombudsman for the food sector and we need to look at what the global market is doing to our food producers.
we need to examine competition law.
it is not easy to diagnose and choose the best medicine but i believe that it would be a grave mistake to see the north korean leadership in a way that is shown in hollywood movies.
the joint motion for a resolution to be voted tomorrow is a clear sign that the overwhelming majority in this parliament shares the same view on the latest tragic event.
the turbulent political developments that brought changes and freedom elsewhere in the former soviet bloc and speeded up the gradual transformation in neighbouring china did not reach the democratic republic of korea. our parliament is discussing today another episode of rising tension between two states who share one nation. this time the reason is a sunken south korean ship an accident caused by the north korean torpedo a fact proved by the joint investigation group.
we highly appreciate and fully support the continuation of the humanitarian aid programmes for the north and the improvement in the trade relations with the south but we expect more.
it is not an easy task but together with other key players in the region we could achieve it. it is the only way to avoid other accidents of that kind.
it. there is however no critical mass of people within it who see those changes more as an opportunity rather than a threat.
isolate and sanction or engage and give incentives?
my advice would be to take as the main orientation the necessity to remove the fear of change in north korea.
now you have in your hands new tools and new ambition and we expect the eu to bring new value and dynamics to the future negotiations. dealing with non democratic countries we always face the dilemma of how to approach them.
it is focusing attention and is giving a chance for renewed efforts by the main players to achieve lasting solutions. that is why the resumption of the six party talks has no alternative particularly if we take into account the continuing lack of clarity around the nuclear programmes of dprk.
for that reason i commend the joint motion to the house.
shortages of food water and electricity media access barred two hundred zero people in concentration camps dying from overwork from starvation and physical abuse.
i heard the account of the sinking directly from our korean hosts and it is abundantly clear that north korea was responsible.
in a real sense the whole of north korea has been turned into a vast concentration camp.
newborn babies of returned refugees strangled in front of their mothers.
while we express our outrage at this act of warfare let us not forget the appalling human rights situation in north korea.
when we consider their acts of internal repression and external piracy and aggression their determined pursuit of a nuclear weapon their prevarication at the six party talks their constant sabre rattling and threats it is clear that the clique around the dear leader' kim jong il is a bunch of irrational and paranoid psychopaths.
we recently completed negotiations on two linked agreements an ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement and an updated framework agreement.
based on these findings i have fully condemned this atrocious and irresponsible action.
it is also an emerging global player hosting the g twenty summit in november.
so far the response has not been what we have hoped for but i still believe that frank dialogue is the best approach. on twenty six march we witnessed the sinking of the cheonan with the loss of forty six lives.
in this context we support the referral of the case to the un security council as done by the republic of korea on four june.
despite recent setbacks it is important for all countries concerned to step up efforts to promote lasting peace and security on the korean peninsula.
i have discussed this matter directly with the foreign minister and i have commended the restraint of the authorities of the republic of korea.
our relations with north korea are of a different character.
on human rights where the situation is dramatic the eu has initiated strong international condemnation including at the un.
i am aware that the parliamentary delegation has just come back from a visit.
the government of the republic of korea has kept us fully informed on its handling of the case and it has underlined that the eu's position matters greatly to them.
the framework agreement which we signed last month provides a basis for closer cooperation on major political issues such as human rights non proliferation counter terrorism climate change and energy security.
in the present circumstances we are not providing normal development aid but we do offer humanitarian type assistance targeting vulnerable areas and groups and we use our bilateral dialogue to press on all issues of concern.
we are continuing to consult closely with them and other interested parties on the appropriate response to the findings of the report.
with respect to the nuclear issue which is very serious the eu fully supports the six party talks.
this shocking event has further increased tensions on the peninsula. the results of the investigation into the sinking have been very disturbing in particular the evidence of north korean involvement.
we have stated that improvements on these issues would lead to improved bilateral relations.
i think it is a twenty first century free trade agreement that will be enormously beneficial to the economies of the european union and to our partner south korea.
my only small plea is that i hope i will soon have an external action service that will actually be able to carry out the priorities which parliament has quite rightly and appropriately set for me within this.
this is one of the themes that we are developing in the service how to use our strategic partnerships in order to try and put leverage and work together to resolve some of these important and very difficult issues.
i am glad that the collaboration has been so good. i too support as mr ehler will know the free trade agreement with south korea not least because i partly negotiated it.
nurturing his son to take over from his brutal regime.
the facts are very clear and british and swedish experts participated in the international investigation into this incident.
the sinking by a north korean submarine of a south korean naval ship with forty six of its crew dead is a murderous act of outrageous proportions.
results. this needs to
are set; and third and most important there needs to be the right incentives to reward good performance and to sanction poor performance.
the commission should prepare appropriate cash flow forecasts to anticipate potential funding shortages for european union programmes.
in this context the court welcomes commission initiatives to move from a culture of spending towards a culture of performance.
two thousand and thirteen this is a sign of the growing pressure on european union cash flows.
two thousand and thirteen the court concludes that those transactions were properly accounted for in two thousand and thirteen which means that we have now signed off a clean audit opinion on the reliability of the accounts every year since.
a new european commission is facing many important challenges.
two thousand and seven but despite the high level of payments which were almost ninety nine of the maximum available for the year outstanding financial obligations rose by a further eur nine billion up to eur three hundred and twenty two billion during.
change. our annual report provides many examples drawn from among the nineteen special reports the court adopted in two thousand and thirteen to show how better focus on results could enhance performance.
by the commission and member states than in other areas mostly directed by the commission.
in the court's view that culture of performance will require first a genuine commitment at european union and national level to getting the best results possible with limited resources;
targets. european union financial management improvement is not choosing between spending the money complying with the rules and getting
available secondly on complying with the rules and only then and to a limited extent did they focus on achieving
and incentives net financial correction is a very strong incentive for proper control systems and this is where we want to be for the next programming period.
we are mindful that we have to intensify efforts with member states; that this is where the biggest bang for the buck will come if we want to achieve better results in future years.
in public procurement in state aid in eligibility.
we have no time to waste!
i intend to work very closely with my colleagues in the commission with member states and all other financial actors in this direction.
in other words this would have reduced the error rate.
this would be at the centre of my attention;
i truly hope that we are seeing the result of efforts that my colleagues in the commission have been putting in over the last few years taking advantage of the recommendations of the court.
the court has presented and for its constructive recommendations.
just to illustrate this difference between the annual error rate and the residual error rate over the last five years the amount of financial corrections was on average.
this would be at the centre of my actions.
and we also want to remind honourable members that we have a particular problem still to address and it is the multiannual nature of our programmes versus the annual nature of the court's reports;
secondly we are very comforted by the fact that we can reassure our citizens and our staff that the accounts are free from material mis statements.
i also would like to assure parliament that we are taking very seriously and taking to heart the recommendation you have made to us to set up an interinstitutional working group on performance.
this presents a risk that the court directs us to address.
cohesion policy and agriculture in particular and as in the past we are reminded in the report that there is a factor that is obviously impacting errors namely very complicated rules
in shared management among national authorities and also we want to promote political ownership at the highest national level;
my second substantive point is to very much embrace the recommendation of the court to focus on performance and to build and nurture a genuine culture of performance.
only seventy nine were implemented in full or even in part.
every failure by a member state is also a failure of the system itself and even in projects administered by the commission there is still a. three seven error rate.
we have got multinationals claiming small business relief farms claiming buildings as grazing land and employees paid five times the going rate for jobs.
if a private business ignored auditors' instructions they would end up in jail just like they would if they submitted error riddled accounts for nineteen years in a row.
my third point is do we take this report seriously?
we find this to be a task that deserves even more attention because if we have people who understand and apply the rules then the error rate goes down and we have plenty of evidence that well implemented training programmes lead to a reduction of error rates then people leave and the error rate jumps up so this human factor is very important.
and the court told us in special report no nineteen two thousand and thirteen that the commission adequately follows up the court's recommendations and that the court's review of a sample of recommendations showed that these being implemented by the commission have improved financial management.
we are also providing strong incentives in the new programming period positive incentives six of the money set aside to reward good performance;
the errors that are genuine clerical errors with mismanagement and even worse fraud.
we too intend to take this report very seriously especially in this shift we need to make from a strictly compliance based culture to combining efforts in compliance with very strong emphasis on performance.
let me make three points one what exactly is an error rate?
and negative incentives more severe clawing back of funds when there is inappropriate management of eu money.
we have to be clear in our minds what we are talking about because if we do not define the problem accurately we will not be able to solve it.
it is still very important in terms of use of funds. in the uk we are below the eu average for a proper absorption of funds and this is important.
and in answer to the colleague over there it is absolutely not true that eu money is a waste.
frankly this chamber should be significantly fuller than it actually is.
it is good value for money.
whilst i agree with my group colleagues on this report that a performance approach on control is important i think we must not forget the key issue of absorption.
in reality in overall terms this means for example that youth guarantee money flood help supporting redundant workers all of these things in reality could be made much better use of as well as the funds that are specifically looked at and addressed by this report.
however of course a lot still needs to be done on payments.
i would welcome any ideas the new commissioner has on this.
i am sure that most colleagues in the room would welcome the fact that the court has once again said that revenue and commitments were legal and regular.
so we do need to do much more work with member states particularly those member states who year on year are problematic.
despite the abovementioned doubts in the situation there is something positive.
additionally the execution of the european union budget and the auditing should focus on results and on whether the set objectives are achieved and in this way the budget can be improved only if member states coordinate their activities with local and regional authorities at the very beginning of the preparation of the programmes and procedures.
for this to happen we need full transparency of the information already available and simplification of the rules.
nine so one of the valuable observations in this report is that in most cases the national authorities in the member states did have sufficient information to begin with.
with these we can concentrate and we need to concentrate on what commissioner georgieva said when the eca annual report was presented to our committee.
to give just one example of the reliability of the information the member states are giving the commission the error rate in structural policy is according to the commission just.
so we must use the opportunity to deliver clear messages. we have to close the learning cycle which some court members are now discussing to get the continuous improvement we all simply need.
madam president i found the negative statement of assurance continues to depress but i took enormous encouragement from the positive approach taken by both the auditors and the commissioner.
quite rightly they both said this is a new beginning and quite rightly they expressed renewed determination to address longstanding problems.
and yet for all the interest we show in the envelope of the budget we have no powers to monitor the outcome of the budget.
we have no powers to scrutinise commission expenditure and we have no mechanism to measure and evaluate value for money.
rules; the rules have been changed so now is the moment for action. the member states and the european commission had to take clear action here by simplifying the rules by stating clear objectives by devising and designing programmes for investment that are results oriented;
i actually believe that a vast majority of the discrepancies are done in good faith but it is still taxpayers' money and if we have a system where people do not really understand what they are doing there is a possibility that fraud could come through and on a grand scale.
while money is tight for all of us around europe and every country is desperate to ensure the cash is used properly i think there needs to be some work done to make sure that whatever money does go through this place is used properly and there are no errors or mistakes in the process.
this must be one of the most pampered industries in the entire world.
and they are i understand exempt from the inconvenience of the greening measures that other farmers must endure. despite this the end product is still more expensive to the consumer.
here tonight we are completing the tidying up exercise of taking a handful of issues that were still being discussed under the old pre lisbon regime.
it is little surprise to me that the commission is pushing things to the limit and it is clear why the eu was so desperate to avoid referendums on this subject.
this fact alone should concentrate the minds of political leaders into removing obstructions for real farmers rather than playing around with implementing acts and organic farming.
there are generous grants to convert into it; organic farmers have exclusive access to generously paying environmental schemes;
however the council and the commission are constantly seeking to circumvent this role something which is evidenced in the phenomenon of delegated acts turning into implementing acts and we really have to fight this encroachment on our role. i like many other meps have held public meetings around my constituency and sought the opinion of stakeholders on the cap post two thousand and thirteen and i have met many people who have lots of worries about it.
at the heart of the problem is the council's view that every decision on secondary legislation should be made through implementing acts rather than delegated acts.
tonight i think it is crystal clear from this debate that this parliament will fight tooth and nail during the cap negotiations to protect our powers under lisbon even if that means holding the final agreement on cap reform to ransom until the council and the commission agree to a sensible compromise on this key issue of recognising this parliament's role in co legislation.
they have no recognition that lisbon has changed the game that power must now be shared and that it is not business as usual.
however the council's position seems to be that parliament should have no say whatever over what the commission does in secondary legislation.
i must remind the council although there is no one representing them here tonight to hear this debate that implementing acts should be used solely for the purpose of the uniform application of non essential elements of policies across the eu.
i commend the work of the rapporteurs who have worked on these dossiers. it is quite clearly extremely complex and a subject with legal difficulties. i think we recognise that. although we have not been able to reach agreement the issue must be dealt with in the cap reform.
in terms of delegated acts i am in favour of parliament being given more control and influence because this takes that control into the hands of parliament and elected representatives.
therefore i can only say together with the other co chairs and also particularly with norway that we have used every opportunity to press the parties in conflict to implement the two thousand and two ceasefire agreement and to solve the conflict using peaceful means but nothing has worked.
since september two thousand and eight the icrc has been the only agency allowed to operate in the ltte controlled areas in vanni.
numerous calls for a return to negotiations have always been totally ignored and unfortunately the military route has prevailed. the scope for intervention by the international community has narrowed more and more over the last three years
the european union has condemned the action of the ltte in preventing civilians from leaving the conflict area.
then much needed humanitarian aid can be delivered people can begin to look forward to better lives and all sri lanka can get back on the path of democratic politics and to building a fair and more prosperous society for all its citizens free from terrorist oppression.
the ltte is now in a desperate end game and typically in such situations is turning to international apologists to get it off the hook.
there is no equivalence between terrorists and the legitimate forces of a democratic government.
let us remember that it was the ltte that perfected suicide bombing as a tactic that it pioneered the use of women in suicide attacks and that it makes undisguised use of child soldiers and of human shields. over the last twenty six years it has systematically carried out thousands of deliberate murders across sri lanka and just two days ago fourteen people were murdered in a suicide attack during an islamic festival in the matara district.
for decades now sri lanka has been afflicted by a terrorist campaign conducted by the internationally proscribed ltte.
the greatest service all in this house can do is call on the ltte to lay down its arms and to release the civil population from its grip.