kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
so i do hope you will look into the bbc.
what is going on there is something worth looking at a lot of hypocrisy.
madam president i congratulate my colleagues and particularly anna hedh on this report on women's economic empowerment. it is a great example of the progressive consensus based policy making that happens in this house which makes it such an important institution in the world today. the report highlights many important actions that are required in order to empower women significantly
education overcoming discrimination in the workplace and fighting against violence against women.
i would specifically like to highlight the enormous potential of social enterprises and cooperatives to provide opportunities to those women who are most vulnerable and marginalised in our society and those who suffer intersectional discrimination and social exclusion such as refugees asylum seekers disabled women lgbti women roma women and women in rural areas.
that's why it's important to discuss this issue.
this sentence is also true for the heads of states and governments around europe.
people and states are deciding that is europe.
he can read our lips when we say very clearly that the epp group will not accept a candidate for commission president who was not presented during the campaign as lead candidate of a democratic party and cannot bring together a qualified majority in the newlyelected european parliament.
there is no need for an innovative approach on this.
yesterday morning president juncker spoke clearly about the lead candidate system as well as the question of transnational lists.
the commission will contribute constructively to that debate in the form of a contribution to the leaders' meeting on the twenty three rd of this month and in that context i will listen carefully to your contributions to this debate today.
in line with paragraph four of this article parliament will be informed of the measures taken to ensure respect for the principles of independence integrity and discretion. present juncker has tasked the commission secretariat general with preparing guidance on this matter in time for the next european election. parliament's reply to the consultation on the new code of conduct came in time to allow most of its provisions to enter into force
and for revising the framework agreements between the european parliament and the commission accordingly.
to paraphrase alexander hamilton if people were angels we would not need rules.
we are doing this in order to close loopholes that are clearly prone to abuse.
it is in this vein that on thirteen september last year we proposed to improve transparency strengthen democratic legitimacy and enforce our collective high standards through a renewed statute for the funding of political parties and movements.
the commission would welcome support for allowing commissioners to stand in and campaign for european elections without having to take leave;
madam president let me start by saying that the code of conduct is here to hold members of the commission to the highest levels of integrity. i believe that we have a strong code of conduct strengthened over the years as we have learned from our mistakes.
at the same time it is clear that the provisions governing participation in european elections will enter into force only once the amendments to the framework agreement have been formally adopted by parliament.
he noted that both issues in their own way generate political debate between eu institutions.
we are very much looking forward to the vote on this and we hope that we can amend the framework agreement in such a way that commissioners could be allowed to stand in european elections without having to take leave. i have also listened carefully to the discussion on the process of lead candidates
mr president in your announcements you made no mention of any member leaving a political group. i ask this because in the uk the united kingdom independence party has made a big song and dance about ms janice atkinson having been expelled from their party yet here in the european parliament they seem to be keeping her as a member of their group quietly discreetly keeping her presumably in order to take advantage of the facilities and finance that such membership provides to them.
we support the request to include it on the agenda but i would suggest that we modify the title.
is it possible to have a ten minute break for the technical arrangements?
we have the system we've used it before it works perfectly well.
mr president yes i think it would save everybody a lot of time to use this system.
i believe that we also need that kind of balance.
it's already been sent to you via email so i hope that at least some of you have had the chance to read it.
five presidents of the european parliament already.
one third of eu member states are not part of the euro area and i am as far as i know the only candidate applying for a top eu job who comes from a non euro area country and i believe that we also need that kind of balance.
we should have an opportunity to know who the vice president candidates are.
we are looking forward to working with you.
right now our position on that is being challenged as we all know so we have to make sure that were not giving up on that that we're working on further improving and increasing european democracy.
you remember the resolutions that we had in the last legislature about how to prevent and what to do about sexual harassment which is also a problem inside the european parliament unfortunately. i ask you and urge you to take those resolutions seriously because people might be patient but people who are victims certainly should not be.
and then there's one more issue.
through no fault of his own he cannot be here today so i would like to ask you to look into the case and help us to restore the parliamentary rights of mr oriol junqueras.
that is why it is so important when it comes to our seas be it in the area of industrial fishing plastics the whole question of pollution that the european union has to lead on this issue.
where those markets are not there in the future or diminish in the future that should not in any way reduce our resolve to make sure that recycling rates continue to grow here within the european union.
if we cannot do it no other part of the world will and it does require from our side a very clear leadership role.
we know huge progress has been made in recycling in recent years but much of that progress has been made on the development of markets in other parts of the world.
i think it is very important that europe should lead in this area in terms of governance of our oceans not least because of our responsibilities in delivering on sustainable development goals.
if we cannot lead on this issue as i said no one else will follow us.
promoting maritime spatial planning and our marine environmental legislation at regional and global level is key in this regard and i am very pleased to see your support on this issue.
pressures and causes such as marine litter the consequences of climate change such as a rise in sea level warming and acidification as well as ensuring the sustainable use of the oceans and their biodiversity merge into this priority.
we will further develop marine research and science partnerships with key international partners.
modern technologies are opening up new possibilities and we should make the most of them.
yet the success of eu action depends not only on us but also on our international partners.
oceans are also very important for many developing countries as a potential source of food of jobs and revenue.
the success of the our ocean conference' which was hosted by the european union three months ago in malta confirms our engagement to be at the frontline to tackle global ocean challenges.
i would like to thank all the speakers for your valuable comments as well.
as a matter of fact the european union is deploying the necessary efforts through our cooperation on multilateral regional and bilateral level as well as concrete projects and programmes.
fourteen it sets out fifty concrete and tangible actions in three priority areas for safe secure clean and sustainably managed oceans.
our first priority is to improve the international ocean governance framework. a globalised world needs a more cooperative global governance. we believe in the power of diplomacy rules and international institutions but there is no real global governance without a cooperative oceans governance.
in the same direction promoting maritime multilateralism is a strategic priority for the eu. in line with the eu global strategy secured and protected seas and oceans can only be achieved through collaborative efforts.
the joint communication on international ocean governance is an integral part of the eu response to the united nations two thousand and thirty agenda for sustainable development goals in particular sdg.
this joint communication is a major step forward as this is the first time that the commission and the high representative have issued such a policy statement on the oceans. with this communication the european union is taking the lead as a global actor in strengthening international ocean governance.
in this respect your support on establishing ocean partnerships with key ocean players is highly appreciated.
our second priority is to further engage in international action to reduce the pressures and their causes on the oceans.
finally we are working to further advance our knowledge of the oceans.
the pressures that the oceans are facing are not only global but also interconnected as are the solutions.
another aim is to step up ocean observations and to create a worldwide marine data network which is open to all.
in addition the upcoming plastic strategy will further complement our fight against marine litter.
this also depends on the appropriate planning and management of human uses.
it is about lack of transparency and rigour in recruitment.
but even more important from the budgetary control perspective is that these agencies which now number over thirty function properly and efficiently.
and it is that which makes me so happy tonight to conclude this debate on my behalf by noting that this particular agency berec now deserves our discharge.
it is about procurement and contract management;
to sum it up this is about looking after the eu taxpayers' money seeing too that our common resources are used wisely.
it is about potential conflicts of interest;
they perform technical scientific and supervisory tasks helping the union institutions.
in order for this to happen the agencies should seek and deploy best practices.
it is also about excessively high carry overs and troubles in verifying grant transactions.
the problem with berec last spring was not one major thing but several smaller issues that when taken together showed significant shortcomings in the office's administrative culture.
the key arguments for postponing the granting of the discharge until now were the following the committed appropriations carried over did not correspond to legal commitments;
but since april the berec office got a new administrative manager and during the summer the agency took action to solve the remaining problems.
recruitment procedures examined showed significant shortcomings and a number of outstanding issues as regards the internal controls were also found.
and difficulties in the planning and or implementation of the body's activities as the carryovers for two thousand and twelve were mostly related to delayed recruitment and the absence of an effective policy to ensure the timely presentation and reimbursement of mission costs.
all in all i can say that postponing the discharge last spring was indeed called for it was necessary it was justified because the number of problems was so high but berec has now acted and has acted
normally the court reports would only be available in september but since berec specifically requested early publication the report was published in july.
it. it is time also to overcome the deadlock in the security council.
the situation has become more difficult and more confused and because we cannot get the opposition groups to come together with a coherent and comprehensive view of what the transition would be in support of all the people it is even more difficult to establish a way in which we can do this but we have to keep trying and we do.
but it was you who asked us and i did it and that is why it matters that we continue to insist that member states ensure that what is going through their ports is checked whenever they have reason to believe it is necessary.
so before we leap to the conclusion that unless you have military activity you are inactive let us really consider what we mean by that. let us really consider the implications of the big words translated into action on the ground and start thinking properly and comprehensively about what we do including in the days after. because if we do not start preparing for that now and the state department are right to prepare for it we will not be ready for what could be a situation which crumbles very quickly and where we will have to be ready with assets to move in to support people in all the places we have been unable to
every day we work with our delegation on the ground with the international ngos and with the red cross and others.
a security council resolution led the way in libya.
that is why we did it.
it is amazingly difficult.
i share it.
it is something you do using military assets.
we talked about what we felt we could do and we came to the conclusions that you have seen in the council conclusions.
there are people in brussels and across the european union military experts and others who look at every possible way in which we could engage with syria.
i work hard in the core group of the friends of syria.
i understand the passion.
i believe a political solution is what we have to work towards.
yes there are people from different groups on the ground.
so i encourage you to support the us and us and everybody else in doing
in terms of what i think you want to see happen i understand your frustrations.
i think sometimes some honourable members have the mistaken idea that if you have a military activity that is action and that somehow diplomatic activity is not.
i paid tribute to our head of delegation for syria at the heads of delegation conference because i know how much he does and the challenges and risks he has to take.
we are not doing nothing.
on behalf of the tireless work that our delegation does every day in damascus in syria and in the united nations and elsewhere i must ask them to remember the efforts they make.
the situation on the ground is very difficult.
do not accuse us of inactivity please.
let me just add by the way the reason for the council conclusion on getting member states to check what is going through their countries is precisely because this parliament asked us to.
they also look at the way in which we have engaged historically and they look at the political needs that we have in so doing.
we talked about all the possibilities.
we attend and discuss many meetings all the time to try and find a way through this. we are not inactive. the european union is respected for what we try to do in supporting the people of syria and trying to find a way through this incredibly difficult challenge.
i really do.
people across the world are trying to engage and find that solution.
they are completely different in every possible way and we have to recognise that.
it is a horrendous situation but we have to be careful and clear about what we can do to engage with it.
we have worked really hard with the security council members. i spent eleven hours in geneva talking with members of the security council and others to try and get the geneva discussion to bring in everyone.
it is also why we continue to look for more sanctions that we can place on the regime not least to send the strongest and clearest message to everyone else that we want to see assad go and we want to see a solution inclusive of the people of syria and born of the people of syria that will help them get the kind of society that we think most people want because the truth is most people in syria want assad to go and want a solution. that is what we have to build on and that is what we have to support and
reach. to get the infrastructure working and to get people into a future is going to need an enormous amount of effort.
every single day we work on these issues every single day we work with the neighbouring countries. every single day we work with the security council members.
the six point plan has not been implemented the un security council has not been able to agree on a common response that could open the way for a political solution. and the opposition in spite of some real progress which we felt was being made in cairo at the beginning of july under the supervision of the arab league remains fragmented.
be done. as honourable members will be aware accountability for the crimes that have taken place requires our full attention.
we also are aware of the threat of chemical weapons and that is being monitored extremely closely.
well. we have had seventeen rounds of sanctions. we discussed at the weekend the need to see what more we can do and as we do in all our sanctions to make sure that they are being as effective as possible.
i have made that offer very clear to him and he and i will meet for a long discussion when we meet the general assembly in new york where we have a meeting arranged and where we will also be meeting the secretary general of the arab league together in order to look at what we can do regionally. we have to carry on urging a political solution and we have to devote our efforts to find a way to make contact with those who are striving for a peaceful process and that means continuing
i have said that we need to find ways of bringing them together and to help and support them to be able to find a transitional government that is ready to move forward.
i begin by saying to you that the humanitarian track is an absolute priority.
refugees particularly those in jordan and lebanon are being hosted outside camps in families in schools and it is having a greater impact too on the services that they need to offer and there is a real need for increased support.
we have to do everything we possibly can to find ways to promote this political transition and we have to be ready for the post conflict moment for the period of transition towards what we want to see which is democracy.
we have to bring the efforts together because without the support for mr brahimi it will be impossible for him to be able to coordinate and find the tangible results.
and we have all recognised the appalling human rights violations and the destruction of the infrastructure of the country and of its cultural heritage.
he is working with the security council with the neighbouring countries with the arab league and with
it is absolutely essential that he gets that full support and is able to work in syria and develop the mission.
forward. all i can say to end is that we have to begin with the principles that we hold dear that the future of syria belongs to the syrian people and we have to help them in every possible way that
i think turkey is doing a very impressive job in hosting the refugees but they are flowing in greater numbers and that is becoming a big difficulty.
we need to continue our diplomatic efforts involving all the key partners.
that means ensuring that we have the capacity to increase our presence inside syria as soon as the situation
the priority we have to have beyond continuing to provide humanitarian aid and support increasing it working with member states working with the international red cross and red crescent and working with those who are providing support to the un is to find a way to reduce and stop the violence and the killing.
crisis. we have started the planning for the transition preparing the set of actions at eu level in which we can add value from day one and to coordinate that with our member states and international organisations.
we have over two hundred and thirty zero refugees who have escaped into neighbouring countries and.
as i have said we have children that we are supporting in jordan and in lebanon through the un high commission for refugees to help the capacity of the institutions and local communities that are working with about three hundred schools to support children who are now coming in and who need school.
we agree that whilst the humanitarian track is an absolute priority and we must consistently urge the regime and the opposition groups to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law we have to continue to work on a number of different tracks political diplomatic and support for the opposition groups to come together and plan for the future. on the political and diplomatic track the eu ministers reaffirmed their support for mr brahimi as the un arab league joint special representative.
way and in doing so to be able to put the resources behind the words and actually try and help find a solution for the people of syria.
it is obvious that the regime is so clearly responsible for the conflict and that the parties have to do everything possible to find a solution but we have a collective responsibility and we cannot wait.
in syria. through the current human rights council session we will push this
of course we have suspended all our work with the syrian government but have stepped up assistance through the human rights organisations in the fields of activists;
but as you will be the first to say to me that is not going to end the crisis and we face a very dangerous stalemate with each side seeming to be convinced that the war may turn to their advantage.
we have the support from mr brahimi in the efforts that he is making to try and find a political solution with the support of everyone so that the united nations works together to find the common ground to push forward on this and that we work with the opposition groups both inside and outside to find the common ground that can bring together the transitional government in waiting and push forward in support of the people. we have facilitated a dialogue with the opposition groups and we ask them again to set aside their differences and agree on this shared platform of principles
we do not yet have a real alternative to the regime in power and an alternative that is truly inclusive something that i know that honourable members feel very strongly about.
these atrocities cannot go unpunished and we have been prominent in calling for a strong response to the systematic and widespread violations of human rights to combat impunity and hold accountable those responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes
the networking and advocacy and a number of our contracts in syria are still in place.
so we have the humanitarian aid support which needs to increase needs to be tangible needs to reach people and communities.
it was clear of course that we are absolutely united that assad has to go and that we need to see this political transition move forward.
i remain in regular touch with russia with china with all the neighbours of syria with all the regional organisations i have already described and of course with ban ki moon with whom i talked about this a few days
allows. it means leading on and working towards effective donor coordination and starting to prepare for a very rapid post conflict needs assessment.
forward. we have proposed to provide support to enhance that accountability the efforts of the independent commission of inquiry which we want to see extended and other un bodies and mechanisms. it is of course incredibly difficult to predict the end of this
the situation in terms of humanitarian needs has got worse.
as i have said many times before we should never underestimate the importance of school and education for children who are traumatised by these terrible circumstances and of helping them to have some sense of normality in their lives.
i have offered him our expertise and our operational assistance in what is an extremely challenging task.