kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
here i am thinking first and foremost of the different petitions in the areas of fundamental rights environment internal market and those related to the economic and social crisis rights of persons with disabilities rights of children rights of free movement without discrimination on any grounds rights of minorities access to documents and information implementation of legislation on waste and water as well as assessment of the impact of projects and activities
has taken note with great interest of this report which provides extremely comprehensive and interesting information and statistics.
if you would allow me one sentence on the current european year of citizens this year has provided an opportunity for people throughout europe to learn more about their rights and in particular those linked to eu citizenship like the right to petition.
let us hope that this will encourage our fellow european citizens to use even more than before all available tools whereby they can participate in a more direct manner in the democratic life of the
i think it is one of the most difficult ones to be a member of because you have to be multi functional in terms of the issues you deal with.
i think it is important at this juncture that the petitions committee shouldn't over promise petitioners. i have been concerned in the past for petitioners who were brought to committee meetings and had great expectations that things would be done.
this is very damaging to our credibility. there is a petitioner dan brennan from ireland whose case has been on the books for a long time.
we really have not delivered for him and i think that sometimes we over promised in the beginning. it is a criticism we need to take on the chin.
petitioners are being paid out to as a result of the work of this parliament and the petitions committee and its staff.
but we do some good work and that is really key.
so well done to those that are on the committee and thank you for this report.
we are satisfied that the report refers to a number of petitions which give evidence that union citizens and residents still face widespread and tangible obstacles when exercising their cross border rights.
therefore too formalistic an approach will harm our authority.
this includes imposing travel bans and targeted financial sanctions on military and police commanders that are suspected of being responsible for the crimes committed.
the current situation in rakhine state does not allow safe and sustainable returns according to the unhcr's assessment and there is a huge threat that refugees may be forcibly returned. any returns can only take place when safe and dignified conditions can be guaranteed.
the ethnic cleansing campaign has not stopped and refugees are still arriving in bangladesh.
the perpetrators of the grave human rights violations in myanmar must be held accountable including those who hold high military rank.
the civilian government has the responsibility to fight impunity as best it can.
independent human rights monitoring as well as full humanitarian access on the ground must be a prerequisite for any repatriation.
the council stated in october that it may consider additional measures if the situation does not improve and we urge you high representative to put more pressure on the myanmar authorities.
just last week the un high commissioner for human rights warned that even genocide cannot be ruled out.
can we not do something at the united nations to get some global action on this issue and not come here next year to hear more awful stories about abuse of women?
we have an initiative with united nations women.
today we have to conclude that we have seen absolutely none of this.
this disgraceful situation needs to end and it needs to end now.
i would like therefore to echo the words of pope francis during his visit there let us continue to act so that their rights may be recognised.
we made it very clear to the government of myanmar at that point that we expected respect for the basic human rights of all its people and for it to make significant steps towards an inclusive democracy.
instead what we have seen in two thousand and seventeen is the systematic use of force and violence;
the thing that struck me the most was the number of young children i have to say children of my little daughter's age six or seven years old taking care of younger children who were two or three years old. these were children who were travelling together.
it is hard to imagine what that must feel like because these kids are forced to grow up.
i also met a group of women and heard from them about the violence they had suffered and the violence against their children.
the day after that visit the day after i talked to the prime minister of bangladesh i was in myanmar for the asia europe meeting.
we have to solve the problem.
the country is still somehow in a democratic transition and the path towards an inclusive and pluralistic democracy is never easy particularly after so many years of military rule.
we also supported the resolution at the un general assembly's third committee.
at the same time the people of rakhine must be guaranteed the right to education and basic social services and the difficult issue of citizenship must be addressed all in line with the annan plan.
it could be an entry point to address the crisis from a bilateral point of view between bangladesh and myanmar and together with the agencies starting from the unhcr.
in the coming days and weeks we will continue to work for dignified voluntary returns based on the bilateral agreement between bangladesh and myanmar.
i was here when you adopted your last resolution in september.
just a few days later actually if i am not wrong three days later a deal between myanmar and bangladesh was announced and signed.
we know very well that it is still an extremely difficult situation and that implementation of that agreement will have to be accompanied and monitored extremely carefully by the international community but this is finally a first step in the right direction after months if not years or decades
we know very well that she faces an extremely complex situation in the country.
when you hear these stories action is no longer just a political priority but it becomes a sort of moral imperative. i am telling you this because sometimes we have to link the political dynamics to stories faces and people.
the authorities of myanmar have declared their intention to fully implement the annan plan.
second we supported a special session on myanmar last week and the resolution proposed by bangladesh.
we agreed at that meeting on a shared perspective to start facing the crisis step by step but with commitments and with strong regional and international involvement.
but the humanitarian work alone is not enough.
the democracy of myanmar is a very young one.
that same night i met with the prime minister of bangladesh not only to express the european union's support for the country but also and most importantly to discuss possible solutions to the crisis.
if you look at the european union and member states together we pledged more than the rest of the world combined.
first we supported the extension of the fact finding mission's mandate.
we had discussed that deal during that meeting.
we had encouraged the two parties to discuss together the first steps that could be made.
we will push for humanitarian access in rakhine state based on the first openings made by the government and we will work to address the root causes of the crisis and push for the full implementation of the annan report.
for us this comes after several months of intense engagement.
right before the summit we asked to set up a special meeting with all the ministers who were there including aung san suu kyi to discuss the situation of the rohingyas and to find a way forward together.
it is now up to myanmar to improve the situation in the rakhine state so that everyone can go back to their homes in a safe and dignified way.
i believe that aung san suu kyi needs and wants our support to implement fully the annan plan to translate the political commitment into real action and to do it step by step accompanied by the international community and other countries in the region.
beyond public statements and beyond the political and diplomatic work we have carried out in these months we stepped up our humanitarian assistance and cohosted the un pledging conference in october in geneva.
let me say that this is perhaps the most important political point to me.
they are stripped of their right to childhood and this is going to stay for the rest of their lives.
the older ones were raising the little ones but we are talking about children we normally consider very very very little.
when you see the camps with your own eyes when you talk to the people there when you hear the stories and when you see the reality on the ground it makes quite a difference.
what steps will you take to achieve a unified position vital to ratchet up pressure vis vis china and russia who are blocking action in the security council?
nearly half a million of them are in need of health and food assistance and many of them are children under five. the un human rights chief said last week that the atrocities committed by state forces may amount to genocide.
knowing this i am baffled that the foreign affairs council yesterday once again failed to adopt decisive measures to bring pressure to bear on the authorities and military in myanmar failed even to discuss the situation of the rohingya despite calls from me and many colleagues from this house and from civil society.
will the council adopt targeted sanctions against those murdering and raping men women and children?
the eu must immediately impose targeted economic sanctions and travel restrictions on military personnel involved in these atrocities and refer them to the international criminal court.
our delegation visited some years ago now the camps at cox's bazaar of the rohingya who were currently there.
the eu has been a consistent funder for those camps over the years and indeed has worked with the government of bangladesh to try to find solutions for the situation of the rohingya people.
over the years i think it has been pretty clear that myanmar has been playing games over this.
they say that they will take back people with appropriate id documents but they do not issue appropriate id documents so how is this supposed to happen?
if we get a return this time it has to be with people who can be safe when they get back. so what can we do to change the mind of the government in myanmar?
i fully support those who have been urging sanctions.
i think this latest effort at ethnic cleansing of wiping out a people and their history deserves at least sanctions now.
as people as politicians as human rights defenders it is our obligation to take immediate action.
we have to use every tool available arms embargo punitive sanctions trade agreements and we have to strive for justice for the rohingya people.
they have seen sex trafficking of women and the kidnapping of children who are being sold as sex slaves.
the rohingya people need to be recognised as an ethnic minority in myanmar and should be compensated for all the violence they have been facing.
it is now up to us the international community to give justice to the rohingya people. as human rights are universal so also our solidarity should be universal.
even though an agreement has been signed between bangladesh and myanmar more is needed.
landmines must be removed immediately if needed with the help of the international community.
there needs to be a time frame for the provision of citizenship rights.
monitoring of the situation of the rohingyas in myanmar by human rights bodies and helping them by ngos and relief agencies should be allowed.
humanitarian aid must continue the eu its member states and the international community must increase financial and material support for the refugees and their accommodation.
and we need to increase the pressure on myanmar.
the european union should adopt punitive sanctions against those responsible for human rights abuses in myanmar prolong the existing arms embargo and suspend trade preferences and the negotiations on the eu myanmar investment treaty. one more thought
today we arrive in a situation where even the pope cannot go there and call these people by their true identity. it is clear that whilst there is much that is being done by the european union today unless and until we insist on a regularisation and status for these people they are going to continually find themselves in this position time after time.
madam high representative when you speak about aung san suu kyi and i hear from many that there is a willingness from her to cooperate with us the fact of the matter is this if somebody who holds a prize given by this house the home of human rights the sakharov prize finds herself unable to speak for her own people then this house must review its relationship with her.
silence is no longer an option.
it must stop.
she must speak out now.
this is doable with the full implementation of the annan report to which aung san suu kyi has committed herself.
on the other hand we have to strengthen the democratic process in myanmar knowing very well that there is a political fight in that country and things are complicated to say the least.
so this is the exercise we are doing and with a strong commitment and strong engagement from the european union side we will continue to do so.
men and boys separated and murdered women and girls raped and disfigured as a means of subjugation and control homes and crops burnt whole villages destroyed overnight and left smouldering and stinking of death.
at the last plenary i called for a point of order to have another debate and another resolution but this time should be the last.
last week the un high commissioner for human rights said that an act of genocide cannot be ruled out.
last week alex crawford this extraordinary sky news correspondent who went under cover in myanmar testified at my conference that of all humanitarian crises this is probably the worst she has ever witnessed.
the eu can be powerful in galvanising a global response but to do so it must lead not look for middle ground.
there can be no repatriation of the one million refugees unless they are recognised first as citizens of myanmar and unless the un is present as well as the media and humanitarian ngos.
that is why i hope that our motion can persuade the commission and council to use their good offices in calling for an international summit on the rohingya.
alas such hopes have been proven wasted. abstract discussion over the history of the rohingya has no place in modern discourse and cannot be used to justify the persecution of these poor people.
i proposed further enforcing and developing our relations in a positive way to reflect the new treaty and to reflect our shared sense of purpose to shape europe together.
in the last few weeks i had in depth discussions with the team of negotiators led by mr lehne whom you appointed for the revision of the framework agreement.
let me take this opportunity to thank all of them for very intensive discussions but also for their constructive approach.
i am deeply satisfied that we have now found a common understanding on the principles that will govern our relationship in the coming years. they should reinforce our cooperation in full respect of the institutional balance set up by the treaties.
as president of the european commission i will subscribe to the principles laid down in the resolution you have just adopted.
they will guide me in developing the position of the new college on the revision of the full framework agreement.
with the adoption of this resolution by such an impressive majority of this house i am confident that we have an excellent base for reinforcing our relationship. for those issues that concern not only our two institutions but also the council i sincerely hope the council will join us in this common effort to improve the work of all the institutions for the benefit of europe.
the magnificent protest of millions on the other hand that toppled mubarak and then morsi show what is possible.
before general al sisi's military dictatorship it was morsi who was prepared to use the security forces against striking workers.
this is demonstrated by the fact that four of the leaders of the strike and occupation of the suez steel works have been arrested on the orders of their boss.
this movement needs to build its own independent leadership able and willing to fight for workers and poor to take power into their own hands.
the military mubarak and morsi have nothing to offer except repression and poverty.
i would appreciate it too if you could say a few words about the situation in sinai which is also of great concern.
we must ensure too that there are sufficient safeguards and that there is accountability for the funds we will transfer to egypt when the time is right.
there must be a transition in an inclusive way to parliamentary elections and a constitutional process.
i am very concerned about reports that the six april movement's offices have been raided that activists have continued to be harassed by different governments and that journalists cannot do their work safely.
no emergency laws will guarantee the rights and freedoms of the egyptian people. checks and balances cannot come from the streets but must be embedded in laws.
this is a position that we ought to seek to maintain as we urge the interim government to hold an independent inquiry into the excessive use of force that killed muslim brotherhood demonstrators and also urge the muslim brotherhood leaders in turn not to glorify violence and death for example by calling for martyrdom.
for that stability is essential.
it is essential and it is in our european interest to help egypt recover socially politically and economically.
political prisoners must be released and there should be no military trials for civilians.
you have the support of this parliament baroness ashton and i hope we can move forward constructively.
i met with the tamarod young people the movement who had collected over twenty million signatures and who had been fundamentally part of the growing concern that so many people wanted to express and of course i saw the freedom and justice party on that occasion.
i went then as i have been ever since to urge them to go forward towards the democratic future that those who stood up in tahrir square and sometimes died in tahrir square stood up and said they wanted stood up and said they believed that this was the right future for their country.
but i want to say something too about our funding.
and we continue to stand by the people of egypt who overwhelmingly want a return to democracy to civilian rule and a strong and peaceful future.
at that moment there was a real fear and you could feel it that we would see clashes as the brotherhood were occupying the squares.
it was obvious that the failure to deliver political and economic change to the people of egypt had led to the prospect of huge demonstrations and civil unrest.
but i want to be absolutely clear it is our principles that have guided us in our discussions in egypt.
we remain in touch with the egyptian authorities with politicians on all sides on a regular basis.
that meant that when i went back with my director christian berger we had real access to all of those who were trying to promote a democratic future.
we do support socio economic projects for people especially the most vulnerable in healthcare in our school feeding programmes in looking to help poor neighbourhoods and programmes for women.
we believe in a constitution that will support democracy.
i could see the growing numbers of people who were demanding action.
it seemed to me that there was a president who believed it was enough to be elected but not someone who understood that democracy demanded much much more than that.
i honestly believe we must continue to support the people.
they will support the future of an inclusive egypt as you know i saw again all the leaders that i had seen before but i also met the salafist nour party the six april movement and i went to see mohammed morsi where he was being held. with all them we worked through the different elements in great detail and we told everyone what we thought was required.
we believe in justice and we believe in respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and those are the messages we have given consistently to egypt over the last two years in the eleven visits i have made in the very many more visits that our special representative has made our colleagues in the member states have made that you have made that so many others have made.
we want this country to succeed we want to support it to do so but to do so with the principles and values that we hold.
now honourable members know that we had been working for many months to support a political solution that would have seen real progress progress to be inclusive with the then opposition and to listen to the people.
the elements of a plan a plan that could build confidence between them that could ensure that inclusivity that could strengthen and deepen what i called our value based approach.
these are fundamental principles upon which the country needs to go forward.
so when we saw the dramatic changes i went back to egypt to press these points to those who had then taken power.
my meetings with civil society on that occasion showed how far their alienation was from the government not one organisation said anything remotely positive about the situation that they found.
we believe in the rule of law.
the growing worries of religious groups the christian community with good reason as they saw later so many churches destroyed.
we did what we set out to do.
i have been very fortunate in our special representative bernardino leon who has built strong ties with all sides of egyptian political life and i pay tribute to him for the very many weeks that he has spent in egypt on my behalf.
i have to tell you that the growing level of violence and the polarisation that we saw even then was really alarming. i could feel the antipathy on the streets to the brotherhood.
and i hope that i will have support in this house to continue to do that.
a process that would have helped to ensure a more democratic and more prosperous egypt.
and we gave those elements to all groups all individuals that we met and they remain valid today;
we do not take sides in terms of the choices that people make but we are very clear.
honourable members will have seen that member states decided to suspend their licences for equipment that could be used for internal repression and are reviewing their security cooperation including arms exports.
we do not take sides we work to try and help achieve the best for the people.
to all the key political forces within egypt.
and we talked to countries in the region all of those with an interest. you will have seen that we collaborated closely.
i talked about the need for inclusivity and the danger the real danger of excluding parts of society the need to release political prisoners.
this summer has been a summer of contacts and discussion with many countries but most of all with many people within egypt.
we do not provide budget support for egypt at the present time.
and as i have indicated to egypt i am ready to go back to offer our support and our help not our interference.
but i was asked to go back to egypt both by international stakeholders including the united states and most importantly for me by the egyptians themselves not to mediate but to spend time talking with all to help them to find the elements of an agreement that could help them move forward.
i went on that visit when i left this house to see mohammed morsi then in his presidential palace and i told him that i believed that he and his country were running out of time.
given that the practical effect of this decision means proper european banking regulation a single supervisory mechanism for banks a single resolution framework for failed banks and a european deposit guarantee scheme i was happy to support the resolution and the report.