kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
secondly the european year two thousand and twelve left an important legacy in the form of the guiding principles for active ageing and solidarity between the generations and in the form of the active ageing index a tool to measure untapped potential and the successes or failures of our active ageing policies. the commission is committed to promoting active ageing and it does this in various ways.
it should develop a methodology for cross country comparisons of the extent of social protection against long term care needs. fourthly the commission started a new project with the european network of national human rights institutions to promote greater respect for the human rights of people in long term care. specific measures to support active and healthy ageing are being developed with parts of the business community
we should think twice before telling them to stay active. let us start by telling them how they are supposed to survive.
extremely worrying phenomenon.
it's really horrendous that despite all these principles the people who are negotiating and were proposing to this parliament to give its consent in fact they do opposite.
prevent us from adopting the resolution that we are going to adopt today.
we cannot allow it to go on.
it's not just about azerbaijan it's not about supporting those who fight against corruption and for human rights and the rule of law in azerbaijan it's about the eu.
mr president when we talk about human rights and the rule of law being the basis of our action and our action towards third countries namely through the agreements that we have negotiated that we are negotiating with azerbaijan it's not rhetoric.
when politicians are able to act without the scrutiny of such an important part of public life a distance grows between the politicians and the people that they represent.
mehman huseynov's case is a saddening humaniser of what that statistic means in reality for those that attempt to lift the lid on corruption in azerbaijan and open up politics to its people.
in prison for nothing more than picturing luxury houses alleged to have been gained through corruption reporters without borders are warning he could die in prison as he goes on hunger strike on trumped up charges that continue to be brought up against him.
mr president a free and vibrant press is a necessary component of any properly functioning democracy.
the practice of selective criminal prosecution must be ended and the censorship rules prohibiting criticism of the government removed. there is no place for such measures in a country that has committed itself to the rule of law democracy and the protection of human rights and wants to have closer relations with the european union.
i therefore call on the azerbaijani government to fulfil its international obligations and comply with the judgments of the european court of human rights in guaranteeing these rights and releasing those wrongly imprisoned particularly mr huseynov who has been referred to already by other speakers and who has been on dry hunger strike since december
i also denounce the fact that political activists and journalists have repeatedly found themselves faced with new charges as they near the end of their prison sentences in a ploy to detain them for longer.
the eu must therefore escalate its promotion of freedom of expression through its external policies including in sudan and continue its support of human rights advocacy by civil society organisations.
popular unrest in response to austerity measures has evolved into anti government movement.
the violation of the right to freedom of expression association and peaceful assembly through arbitrary restrictions and the use of lethal force against unarmed protesters is deplorable.
in addition to this the eu must continue to work for the protection of girls' and women's human rights in sudan as highlighted by the commissioner in may.
a free independent and impartial press fuelled by open debate is a pillar of democratic society.
it must also remain open to all who wish to join.
we have seen over the years how this dynamic can help address emerging challenges and drive integration.
the commission in its white paper on the future of the eu presented as you know five possible scenarios for discussion.
i hope and trust that the same will be the case for the permanent structured cooperation since europeans now more than ever need to stand strong in the face of a changed international order.
since then two more member states have joined and i am sure that others will eventually follow.
but differentiated integration is only ever the second best. the normal community method and standard legislative procedure are still the best way to guarantee the integrity and wellbeing of the union as a whole.
the euro now in its twentieth year the emu and schengen are examples and over the years we have seen that more and more member states have been inspired and have wanted to join such cooperation.
scenario three was an option for some to go further creating a positive drive towards deeper integration whilst remaining open and inclusive to all who may wish to join.
whereas in some member states it is perceived as a positive step towards more integration other member states consider it divisive.
that is also why the commission started last year and is now pursuing a debate about more efficient and democratic decision making in specific policy areas by making use of the passerelle clauses foreseen by the existing eu treaties to allow the use of qualified majority voting in areas such as eu foreign policy
madam president we were too slow to act on hungary and now the council must urgently follow up on the article seven procedures because our shared european values of liberal democracy matter.
appeasing those whose principles that we despise never has worked and never will.
morally and strategically we must not tolerate the far right populists for if we do not act we become complicit in moving the centre of gravity of politics.
it moved from the extremes to normal public discourse taking opinion and policy with it.
we saw it in the language used about refugees swamping europe which was tolerated.
so let us say it like it is a university has been forced out and academic freedom is no more the independence of the judiciary has been threatened minorities mistreated.
the new euazerbaijan agreement currently being negotiated will have democratic reforms the rule of law good governance and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms at its core.
over the past years the eu has placed considerable emphasis on the human rights situation in azerbaijan.
this came to our attention already in.
we believe that we should work on addressing them through dialogue including through the negotiations on the new agreement.
while pursuing our engagement with the authorities we are continuing to work closely with civil society organisations independent media and human rights defenders to follow up on their concerns.
we remain all too aware of the considerable challenges relating to the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in azerbaijan.
we need to have channels of communication to build mutual trust and engagement to effectively pursue our values and interests in azerbaijan.
two thousand and seventeen we made a statement then and let me use this opportunity to tell you what we have been doing in recent days.
nevertheless we do believe like you that the new charges against him for allegedly assaulting prison staff lack credibility and should be dropped. we are aware as some of you raised of other hunger strikes by activists. we are following up here with contacts with a lawyer and the prison services and i know that they had been visited by the red cross.
the joint partnership priorities as agreed in july last year underscore that the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms are key in our relationship.
we do so in our political dialogue with the country including highlevel meetings at the eu azerbaijan subcommittee on justice affairs and human rights.
we will continue to raise the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all our dialogues and most notably during the upcoming meeting on justice affairs and human rights in baku on five february.
another very important thing to understand about this report and proposal is that it has to be and will be the same budgetary consequences for every member state that would undermine the rule of law.
seven this is about protecting the eu budget from generalised deficiencies as regards the rule of law.
let me emphasise that this regulation has its legal basis in the financial regulation.
undermining the rule of law is always dangerous because it clears a way for weakening other democratic elements of the state.
therefore i suggest that the european commission has a very close look on how our eba agreements are applied.
personally i do.
we in the european parliament here are waiting for the results to have some predictability for our rice industry. the stakes are high.
but don't you see a moral issue in the fact that we start to point the finger at labour standards in asia only after the economic interests of european companies get affected?
azerbaijan has long tried to shield itself from western criticism by using its strategic position as a regional ally in the war against terrorism as well as an important country for europe in its quest to reduce its dependency on russian gas.
the eu should give a clear signal that it takes the rule of law good governance and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in azerbaijan seriously and should place these issues at the heart of the new euazerbaijan agreement. at present it is vital that we ask for mr huseynov to be immediately and unconditionally released and that azerbaijani authorities drop all new charges against him.
but it is also known that it uses lavish gifts and foreign trips for western officials in an attempt to tone down criticism against the regime.
we must also clearly call for the immediate and unconditional release from jail of all political prisoners journalists human rights defenders and other civil society activists.
according to amnesty international there are currently more than one hundred political prisoners in the southern caucasus country where the regime also holds a tight grip over the media. according to the brother of the imprisoned blogger and human rights activist on hunger strike all wellknown human rights defenders and journalists spend at least one or two years in prison'. this practice is compounded by a common trend whereby azeri authorities press new charges against political prisoners whose prison sentences are ending. we know that this is the fifth such case in recent months alone.
it's clearly time for albashir to relinquish power being a man that possesses the dubious title of being the only current head of state anywhere in the world with two outstanding arrest warrants issued against him by the international criminal court.
furthermore as president omar albashir looks to abolish presidential term limits in a bid to extend his already thirty year grip on power we have witnessed an increasingly brutal response from the government in khartoum to the continuing protests.
as the protests continue we must remain vigilant of further escalation particularly given the security challenges that already are present in that region of africa.
that response has already resulted in up to forty civilians losing their lives the government itself has admitted to a figure of twenty four and some two zero to three zero people being arrested and detained.
far from being an isolated case there are claims that only this month there been five similar cases in which new charges are being brought against those whose sentences are about to end. none of this however should come as a great surprise given azerbaijan's terrible track record for press freedom ranking one hundred and sixty three out of one hundred and eighty countries according to the world press freedom index.
as a well known blogger that sought to shed light on the alleged corruption of those in power there there's always been a strong suspicion that the case against him was politically motivated.
it is amongst the worst in the world in fact. i'm pleased that we have been able to raise his case today in this house particularly given his vulnerable health as he continues a partial hunger strike.
with his release date fast approaching and the authorities now seeking to press further charges that could see him remain in prison for another five to seven years those suspicions are fully justified.
but the fact is that bashir is the only sitting head of state wanted by the international criminal court for crimes against humanity and war crimes genocide and ethnic cleansing in darfur. yet he remains free to continue his crimes and he is welcomed by so many states with open arms states like china india qatar saudi arabia and many others
that continue to allow bashir into their countries welcome him and support him instead of arresting him.
this is also why we are witnessing bashir's latest actions whereby at least thirty seven people have lost their lives more than eight hundred have been arrested and there is ongoing violence and oppression by the authorities.
i'm very concerned for his health and wellbeing and i call on the sudanese authorities to immediately release him and ensure he is given appropriate medical care abroad.
i'm particularly concerned by the situation of human rights defender and blogger yasir elsir ali who was shot by a sniper in khartoum at the end of december and spent ten days in intensive care.
meanwhile i want to thank the people of liverpool for standing with the sudanese community in these difficult times.
his case is very worrying and sudanese human rights organisations are gravely concerned as are we.
she tells me that the civil population faces unprecedented levels of violence in the margins of the protests against albashir's oppressive regime including random shooting.
the authorities must also inform his family and lawyer of his place of detention and allow them immediate access to him.
mr president last week marwa elhaj a sudanese journalist living in liverpool in my constituency contacted me because of her concerns about the situation in her country.
high representative please take all the necessary steps to urge sudanese authorities to immediately release him.
we will never surrender to theresa may's hostile environment regarding refugees asylum seekers and migrants.
two days later he was abducted from his home by sudanese security forces and he is now being held incommunicado in inhumane conditions.
but of course i voted in favour.
certainly any partnership agreement with any country cannot become a reason to or an excuse to avoid addressing the human rights violations in the strongest possible terms. in fact and many colleagues have mentioned this azerbaijan is ranked one hundred and sixty three rd among one hundred and eighty countries in two thousand and eight on the world press freedom index.
on press and journalists but also on opposition figures civil society leaders and others.
in fact some of the country's brightest minds have already left because their freedom and safety was jeopardised and their families were intimidated.
this partnership agreement depending on democratic reforms respect for the rule of law good governance and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
they must be at the core of the agreement and we should not brush over them.
so in the meantime we should a look to a renewed partnership agreement and as these human rights defenders are being systematically harassed we expect nothing less than the european commission and the high representative vice president ms mogherini to condemn the human rights violations in azerbaijan in the strongest possible terms and to join us in calling for the release of journalists opposition figures and political prisoners alike.
these are in direct violation of azerbaijan's obligations stemming from its signing of the european convention of human rights and also the rulings of the european court of human rights. so as we look to a new agreement between the eu and azerbaijan it is important that we confirm our commitment to the conditionality of
i think we have to question the issue of conditionality and how we can best use it now.
that is a shockingly low ranking and it is confirmed by the fact that ten journalists are currently imprisoned but there's also a number of websites and blogs that are blocked in the country.
late payment for their goods and services is a major problem for smaller companies in practice.
so i welcome that we're calling today for legislative action where necessary and appropriate to take a firmer approach against those who do not pay in time and to pay particular attention to procurement and other processes so that smaller businesses promptly get the money they are owed from public sector organisations.
this is completely unfair and a serious business risk for those negatively affected.
madam president i voted for this report along with a large majority of the european parliament and was glad to do so.
he should be seen and treated as an international pariah.
on the list of one hundred and eighty countries.
the european parliament strongly condemns excessive use of force against popular protests and asks for the immediate release of salih mahmoud osman and all human rights defenders journalists and protesters.
i would like to thank jo leinen for his good cooperation in the committee.
this means that all institutions have the obligation to be open and transparent.
this underlines our role in this house as a catalyst for change.
it is therefore a logical step that the same should apply to the council and the coreper meetings in particular.
she concluded that the current practice in the council constituted maladministration especially when it comes to the failure of the council to register the positions of member states in the preparatory bodies.
therefore she turned to parliament to ask for support.
while the council still holds on to the idea that their work is pure diplomacy the role of the institutions has changed over time.
there is an imbalance between the colegislators as when the public is unhappy about an outcome member states can easily point their finger at parliament because our decisions are known but the public does not see that often the outcome is the result of a struggle between the parliament and the council.
finally i would like to ask the chamber to support this report and send the message that this house stands for transparent democratic process.
the parliament has become more transparent.
i'm sure people here genuinely think that regional associations are the way forward and that is valid to try and push the world in that direction.
because all of the eu's treaties with the central american region have been based on the principle that there must be regional integration everywhere else that it needs to be bloc to bloc and that they don't want to do trade or aid deals with individual nation states.
and yet the awkward truth remains that the flow is the other way.
it does not mean that we are endorsing the political leadership.
this money is channelled through the eu emergency trust fund for africa and it aims to improve the situation of the most vulnerable groups. we will continue to raise concerns in our engagement with the sudanese authorities at all levels.
we have witnessed these fundamental rights being undermined in recent weeks by the response of the government of sudan to the widespread protests sparked across the country last december because of the rising cost of living and shortages.
widespread conflict and insecurity transcend borders and negatively impact the wider region.
reportedly as you mentioned more than forty people have lost their lives and more than eight hundred people remain detained.
furthermore all sides should exercise restraint and abstain from any further violence in order to deescalate the situation.
that means that sudan is not eligible for programme funds from the european development fund.
social media and the internet have been partially cut to suppress news and prevent coordination among protesters.
we also call on the government to implement much needed political and economic reforms to address the grievances expressed by the population about the challenges the country is facing. i would like to assure you that the eu will continue to stand for human rights and fundamental freedoms in sudan as well as to support civil society work and human right defenders by different means at our disposal.
as emphasised in the most recent eu statements on the ongoing protests we expect the sudanese government to release all journalists members of the opposition human rights defenders and other protesters arbitrarily detained.
we also expect the government to conduct a thorough investigation into these recent deaths and abuses.
our main areas of concern include freedom of expression assembly and association as well as the shrinking space for civil society.
the european union has been alarmed by reports of the use of tear gas against medical personnel and patients in hospital.
the european union calls upon the government of sudan to allow the sudanese people to exercise their constitutional right to express their views without fear of reprisal.
the sudanese security forces have responded by using force at times live ammunition tear gas intimidation and arbitrary arrests.
however as you know the country is in a very dire economic and humanitarian situation.
we will also show our continued support through the use of the european instrument for democracy and human rights and this has already provided funds for instance to several projects on press freedom as well as civic and human rights and education in sudan.
upon the request of eight rice producing member states the commission initiated a safeguard investigation regarding imports of indica rice from cambodia and myanmar.
these measures will therefore be in place for three years and they can only be extended in duly justified circumstances.
import prices were much lower than the eu prices and as a result the eu industry lost a significant volume of production and market share. therefore it is warranted that safeguard measures are imposed and the commission will reinstate the common customs tariff duty. the tariff duty will be eur one hundred and seventy five
nevertheless under the rules of the general scheme of preferences of the regulation the commission may temporarily reinstate the common customs tariffs duties to shield a particular sector if products are imported in volumes or at a price that are causing serious difficulties to eu industries.
the measures will give breathing space for the eu rice sector to allow them to adopt to the new market conditions.
the findings of these investigations confirm that there is indeed a surge of imports of rice that has caused economic damage to the rice sector in the eu.
i also call on the eu and the member states to impose sanctions not only on the president but also on its ministers who until now have not been targeted.
high representative the urgency of the situation calls on you to make a public statement and urge the azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release mehman.
having been subjected to torture several times he is in a serious situation. over the past few months there has been a worrying increase in the number of hunger strikes around the world leyla gven in kurdistan and nazanin zaghari ratcliffe and narges mohammadi in iran for instance.
all are forced to take desperate measures.
ngos are closing down and independent voices are either imprisoned or forced to go into exile. mehman is now on his twenty three rd day of hunger strike and his situation is very worrying.
the eu must name and shame any country that blatantly violates its human rights obligations regardless of the economic ties it might share with the country.
i was expecting to get the floor for point b and point c of our resolution but i can present if you agree both technical amendments now.