kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
love is like a human right every one of us is happy when we have it and when we have it in our lives.
let us work together towards solid and inclusive respect for human rights in the eu so that along with our more effective and ambitious policies we are a credible global player.
we must use the toolkit that is available.
in our union and unfortunately also in this house there are too many who discriminate exclude and even attack sons daughters fathers and mothers neighbours and colleagues simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and it is much worse elsewhere.
the exact same goes for lgbti rights.
iran and uganda were highlighted.
my party the dutch liberal d sixty six party was the initiator of same sex marriage which we established ten years ago. unfortunately the challenges both within the eu and in the rest of the world are often much more elementary.
our group the alliance of liberals and democrats for europe wants to highlight the need to include asylum for those who were prosecuted for their sexual orientation or gender identity so that they can find a safe space in the eu.
in the eu north africa the middle east or elsewhere in the world lgbt rights are human rights.
we touched on the urgent need for the eu to be a partner in ensuring that reforms on human rights are inclusive deep and meaningful.
around the world the issues of gender identity and sexual orientation continue to be used as a pretext for serious human rights violations lesbian gay bi sexual transgender and intersex people are still subject to persecution discrimination and ill treatment and that ill treatment often involves extreme forms of violence.
the eu is an organisation of values and it brings those values into the heart of its relationship with its partners beyond its borders.
we also welcomed the resolution on human rights sexual orientation and gender identity tabled by south africa and adopted at the council three months ago.
over the last year we have raised the same principles in uganda and malawi in uganda against a proposed parliamentary bill further criminalising homosexuality and raising serious human rights issues and in malawi against the long prison sentences imposed on a gay couple.
we spoke out and made public statements together with members of this house and ngos and we worked behind the scenes with our delegations to argue the case for justice and human rights with these two governments.
in june we adopted a guide called a toolkit to promote the enjoyment of all human rights by lesbian gay bi sexual and trans gender people'. i much appreciated the support of this house and joint working in order to produce this toolkit.
the eu also uses our regular human rights dialogues with individual countries to promote tolerance and non discrimination for lgbt people.
let us be clear this is incompatible with international human rights law.
this says that the dialogue shall focus on discrimination of any kind such as race colour sex language religion political or other opinion national or social origin property birth or other status.
we continue to protest against these abuses and to offer practical support on how to end discrimination and to encourage inclusiveness.
we wanted to adapt that non discrimination clause to the language of the lisbon treaty by introducing a reference to sexual orientation.
human rights are as indivisible as they are universal.
there are eighty countries which still criminalise same sex relations between consenting adults and seven which apply the death penalty.
it is a cause for which i was proud to fight in my native country and it is a cause which i take up now on behalf of the twenty seven member states of the european union.
with its african caribbean and pacific partners for instance we proposed the amendment of article eight in the cotonou partnership agreement.
we cannot allow discrimination over sexuality and gender anymore than we can allow it over colour and creed.
in countries like moldova those dialogues have resulted in expert level follow up and in countries like russia croatia turkey montenegro and brazil the union has used its instrument for democracy and human rights to support local and international ngos in their campaigns against discrimination.
we can always do more to promote awareness throughout our delegations worldwide and guide them in their work.
madam president i want to set out briefly some of the practical examples of how we work.
elsewhere in the un system the eu has supported lgbt rights in the ngo committee of the un economic and social council and in december two thousand and eight we were instrumental in delivering a un general assembly statement on human rights sexual orientation and gender identity which had the support of nearly seventy countries on five continents.
it sets out ways to bring about decriminalisation promote equality before the law and in society and support and protect those who campaign for lbgt human rights. it also gives guidance on taking this issue onto the international stage in the un.
madam president honourable members today i reaffirm my own commitment and the commitment of the european union to the entitlement of all people wherever and whoever they are to enjoy the full range of human rights and to do so without discrimination or the fear of discrimination.
it calls on all states to decriminalise homosexuality especially including capital punishment.
through the channel of the united nations the european union takes this message to the world fifteen of our member states were part of the group which prepared the statements on ending acts of violence and other human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity which was agreed by eighty five countries at the un human rights council in march this year.
so too do we give practical support to establishing those principles.
because of who they are.
one of the greatest privileges of my life was when i was awarded the stonewall politician of the year award for the work that i have done on equality.
it sits in my home as a reminder of sometimes being able to achieve something on behalf of people.
i stand fairly and squarely in support of everything that we can do to prevent people's rights being violated in all circumstances and in this case particularly those people that we have been discussing this evening.
the un human rights council despite its significant shortcomings has done some useful work in this area.
holding an open and respectful dialogue on sexual orientation and gender identity amongst un member states is indispensable in achieving a world where equality and non discrimination against lgbt people is the international norm.
the safeguarding and promoting of the universality of human rights is a fundamental part of the eu's common values.
we still see unfortunately although rarely cases of discrimination against gay and transgender people in the european union.
member states should also reaffirm their commitment to protect lgbt rights in the conduct of their foreign relations both bilaterally with third countries in particular in the arab world and in parts of africa where criminal sanctions are still widely applied including disgracefully the death penalty in some cases and also multilaterally in all international fora including the united nations.
i would like your reassurance that the investigation into brussels security breaches some involving firearms is being vigorously pursued.
may i also have your assurance that senior management will be held accountable where appropriate and that these soldiers will not be sacrificed in order to protect the generals?
mr president in view of what we have just been speaking about i would like to say that security in this building has been stepped up and i wish to extend our thanks to the men and women who protect us.
the objective of such a proposal is to provide citizens and the union's administration with a comprehensive and cross cutting administrative procedure.
as the commission has unfortunately still not come up with a concrete proposal for a regulation or clearly stated that we are to expect such an initiative the oral question and resolution we are talking about tonight shall serve as a gentle reminder from parliament to the commission.
for the first time in two thousand and one parliament called on the commission to submit a proposal for a regulation containing a code of good administrative behaviour.
in order to help the commission to make up its mind the main aim of the juri committee working group was to draft a model regulation with the advice of law professors containing a basic set of the rules we would like to see.
we concluded that eu administrative law was very fragmented and only a very few areas of the union's administrative activities were subject to a systematic approach.
at that time we had no clear legal basis for an eu administrative procedure law but with the lisbon treaty article two hundred and ninety eight was introduced as an appropriate legal base.
new bodies offices and agencies have been created and the tasks for which the european union is responsible have also grown.
this has meant too that citizens and businesses increasingly have become directly involved with the union's administration.
and it is important to emphasise that the draft regulation which has been produced by the working group would apply only to the administration of the union's institutions bodies offices and agencies and not to member states' administration.
it would also concern only administrative activities in the strict sense. it excludes legislative procedures and it excludes judicial proceedings as well as the adoption of delegated acts and implementing acts and other non legislative acts directly based on the treaties.
finally i would like to say a word of thanks to the european law institute a group of dedicated academic experts from the political groups for the immense amount of work that has gone into this exercise over the years and notably during the past two years.
with the development of the competences of the european union citizens are increasingly confronted with the union's institutions bodies offices and agencies without always having their procedural rights adequately protected.
there you have the heart of the matter. the eu has become a bureaucratic monster that pervades all areas of life in the member states so wide are its competences and so untrammelled its powers.
as for the proposed regulation contemplated by the resolution it is surely a joke.
what rational efficient civil service needs a regulation to tell it how to administer?
the british electorate will be underwhelmed by the promises and stated objectives of this regulation.
instead our voters will think that this is a document a parody worthy of the famous television comedy yes minister'.
the eu has a wellmerited reputation for having a deeply entrenched and ingrained habit of opaque inefficient and less than independent administration.
it will take more than a tick box regulation to change that habit.
i want to congratulate the european parliament for raising the important topic of an open efficient and independent european union administration with the commission today.
we therefore must ensure that we provide them with high quality administration that acts through efficient transparent and coherent procedures.
the eu's institutions and bodies which have been created on the basis of common principles and values have through the years developed rules and practices that grant citizens rights to impose obligations on the administration. the commission and i trust also the other institutions and bodies
regularly reviews its practices to make sure that they continue to be fit for purpose and are adapted to developments.
the european ombudsman also contributes to ensuring quality in the work of the institutions and bodies and can point out where concrete improvements could be made.
in each field of concern.
thank you very much for this discussion and your attention.
you ask in particular if the commission has analysed your suggestion for a regulation for an open efficient and independent european union administration and whether the commission has any plans to put forward its own proposal.
let me assure you from the start that the commission is extremely serious about its commitment to guaranteeing that citizens can interact with a european administration that is open independent and efficient.
that is why the commission has for instance set up the transparency portal.
i also want to mention the commission inter service group on public administration quality and innovation. this group is working to enable among others national administrations and therefore european businesses fully to tap the potential of the internal market joint economic governance and the structural funds.
codification is a complex and delicate exercise that can often have unintended consequences. in having to clarify the relationship and to ensure consistency with these more detailed rules codification would require the revision of the considerable volume of existing eu legislation.
even where done with care and a sense of proportion codification may still lead to problems of delimitation between the general and specific rules not making legislation any clearer or litigation any easier for citizens and businesses affected.
these challenges and difficulties are also confirmed by the draft regulation.
it also does not assess the concrete impact of the provisions it contains.
instead of engaging in a highly complex exercise of codification with uncertain value added the commission is of the opinion that we should continue to address concrete problems where they arise analyse the root causes and then take the sort of action that is needed.
the commission analyses each case of alleged maladministration and will try to rectify any error that has been made.
it also engages constructively in the context of all inquiries by the european ombudsman.
i understand that the discussions between these countries and the eu are still ongoing and that the eea framework is an important reference point for talks.
on the eea we believe that the eea review needs to take into account the development of the single market notably in relation to the transposition implementation and monitoring of single market legislation.
i am pleased to hear that the commission has adopted a communication and we look forward to the report on switzerland. we have had an excellent dialogue with the european external action service. it appears to me that the eeas the council and parliament are in agreement on the broad aims and principles.
we need to underline that the principles of homogeneity and legal certainty guarantee efficiency sustainability and ultimately the credibility of the internal market.
we consider that the agreement has continued to function in what is overall a satisfactory manner.
the increased attribution of powers to agencies on the eu side needs to be reflected in the functioning of the eea agreement in order to avoid the risk of unbalanced levels of enforcement of the internal market rules.
efforts are ongoing to find appropriate solutions.
nevertheless common rules and thorough enforcement are essential to guarantee a level playing field and legal certainty for eu citizens and economic operations.
the commission is of the view that switzerland's participation in the eea would probably constitute the simplest solution to the problems encountered in the current situation with the setup of relations with the eu. an extension of the single market in its entirety to switzerland would be to the benefit of consumers
the possible impact of the participation of andorra monaco and san marino in the internal market is under analysis. however given the small size of the populations it is likely to be minimal.
we are now working on this analysis of the different options and we will submit a report to you the european parliament and the council before the end of the year with recommendations on the next steps.
this would of course be addressed should switzerland decide to join the eea. in the absence of such a decision the commission is endeavouring to find a solution in an institutional framework and is preparing for negotiations with switzerland on this.
however when it comes to the issuing of fines to economic operators as foreseen in certain regulations the eu and efta have a different understanding as to whether the esa should be given the same powers as the commission.
in december last year the council requested further analysis on the basis of two options.
the objective is to ensure maximum transparency and legal certainty for consumers and operators throughout the internal market.
another outstanding issue is the role of the efta surveillance authority. in the two pillar construction architecture the role of surveillance played by the commission in the eu pillar was mirrored by the role of the esa in the efta pillar.
at the same time the current sectoral approach creates problems for the uniform enforcement of the internal market rules.
in november last year the commission adopted a communication as you know on relations with these three close neighbours in western europe.
so we are in ongoing negotiations to find a solution for the efta surveillance authority and imposing fines on economic operations.
the area of financial services for instance is particularly challenging to the eea efta states in relation to the powers granted to the european supervisory authority.
as you know the european economic area agreement was negotiated twenty years ago under circumstances very different from the world we live in today and the contracting parties are well aware of the changing environment. we therefore welcome the review of the functioning of the agreement that was published by liechtenstein norway and the commission and the eeas in december last year.
therefore that must guide the action of all parties in relation to the functioning of the eea agreement.
we welcome the substantial efforts made by the three eea efta countries in the course of the past two years to reduce the number of outstanding legal acts still to be incorporated in the eea agreement but we insist on the need for the efta states to address this issue as a matter of priority.
i will try to answer some of the questions on switzerland.
in order to finalise the negotiations on energy we have negotiations on an institutional framework that should also be finalised before any agreement can be implementable.
so we will probably have to find another solution to accommodate the needs and the desires there.
finally enforcement of eu legislation is of course a must for any country willing to participate in the internal market.
so thank you again for this discussion.
competitiveness must not be seen as a trade off against sustainability.
the triangle that we have always pursued sustainability availability affordability has to govern energy policy and we should listen to energy intensive industries if they call for an efficiency target for.
if i understand anything about a revolution i would say that you cannot win if you are afraid of moving forward and we owe that much let me thank you again here for your emotional words vice president to the workers to the people and in particular to young people. equally clearly
this i believe is a core message that we all have to adopt and i am sorry that some from the far right have not yet understood that.
it. the single market is meant to be a free market.
tax rates also need to be competitive and i oppose calls in this report for tax harmonisation. those calls come from countries which do not want to make structural reforms and want to drag the rest of us down.
it is meant to break down barriers for business.
made it into the top ten most competitive countries for manufacturing.
however we also need competitive cost bases especially for our energy intensive companies.
in some areas our manufacturing is working well. look at the recent success in the uk car industry success built on a flexible highly skilled workforce coupled with research and innovation. having a flexible skilled workforce plus unlocking innovation equals helping companies to create jobs. too often our innovators have had great ideas which we have then seen exploited and turned into products in other parts of the globe.
in the uk a business taskforce recently identified a long list of detailed and specific changes that need to be made to eu laws.
that is why i support policies which help turn research into reality.
we cannot go back to the past but for a better future we need to address the competitiveness crisis.
look at the glass industry. in europe in the past two years twelve plants have shut down but seventeen plants are opening on our borders plants that will supply us with products but will not pay our carbon taxes.
it is meant to help companies trade easily across borders.
taxation decisions rest with member states not with europe and i will vote against this report if tax harmonisation stays in
the problem as i see it is that we have a crisis of competiveness unless we are competitive in industry we will not create jobs and we need jobs.
if you have low taxes for businesses businesses move within your borders.
indeed it foresaw a far reaching extension of the rights of committees of inquiry which was considered contrary to article two hundred and twenty six of the treaty on the functioning of the european union.
i would not however expect that the legal services will come up with a ready made solution or ready made solutions to all the thorny legal and institutional issues raised by this file and indeed laid out by the previous speaker but their input will facilitate finding a common way forward including helping parliament to elaborate on a new text which will have a chance to obtain the consent of the council and the commission.
in this spirit and in respect of its duty of sincere cooperation the council is therefore prepared to examine constructively proposals for a revision of the current rules on the exercise of parliament's right of inquiry.
we have been waiting for a meeting at directors general level to take place in order to finalise the joint paper before its submission to the political authorities of the three institutions.
it is long overdue.
two thousand and three then i read the text that has now become article two hundred and twenty six of the lisbon treaty and i thought yes this is a really good thing.
as well as avenues for possible compromise on other issues.
throughout the process the commission has been very transparent about its concerns.
two thousand and twelve to be sure the commission has engaged in constructive dialogue at technical and political level honouring the principle of sincere cooperation between the institutions.
however it needs the consent of the council and the commission before it can enter into force.
this tool represents in the european union treaties the traditional control functions of the parliament over the activities of the executive branch a key component of every functioning democracy.
as we all know this has been a complicated and politically sensitive file ever since the parliament presented its proposal for a regulation in.
let me stress here the commission's continued willingness and commitment to engage in constructive trilateral discussions with the parliament and the council. our aim is to find appropriate solutions to the divergences that still exist between the institutions so that after parliament's vote on a final legislative resolution the commission can give its consent in accordance with article two hundred and twenty six of the treaty
at the same time the commission has always been very clear about the points that raised concerns while offering constructive solutions. the commission takes good note of the solution oriented attitude the parliament has taken so far and i would like to thank in particular
thirdly the rules on specification of document requests and the protection of sensitive documents or testimonies.
however although our legal experts have made significant progress on pending legal and institutional issues important divergences still exist between the institutions.
public opinion requires those inquiries.