kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
following the july donors' conference a multi donor trust fund was set up by the world bank for the broader social sector including education.
together with the council of europe we support quality education for roma children including in their mother tongue.
it touches on many issues that we agree are of crucial importance such as the preservation of kosovo's cultural heritage the improvement of its public administration capacity better integration among its communities the importance of multi ethnic education and the plight of roma families in lead contaminated refugee camps in the north.
the commission is actively assisting in finding a swift and sustainable solution acceptable to
perhaps i can say a few words on each of them in turn.
i thank all honourable members of this parliament very much for their attention and look forward to your questions.
gender equality is high on our agenda as well.
the opening of a multi ethnic european university college will receive our support once all local stakeholders reach an agreement to make this effort a sustainable project.
this money will also contribute to improving the local capacity to reintegrate returnees into the local social and economic environment.
and of the challenges ahead.
the plight of roma families in lead contaminated refugee camps in the north is an issue of serious concern.
the commission takes all these issues very seriously.
the commission is making significant efforts to help reform the education system in kosovo.
all. we have repeatedly called on all parties to refrain from politicising the issue and to act only with the best interests of the roma families in
since two thousand and four the commission has financed the reconstruction of religious and cultural heritage sites its programme with a budget of eur ten million with the close involvement of the council of europe.
the commission welcomes the draft resolution being discussed here today in the european parliament.
it aims at improving both material conditions and the quality of teaching at primary secondary and tertiary levels and in the vocational sector as well as strengthening the multicultural aspects as a basic condition for reconciliation.
our support for roma in kosovo also includes education.
as regards public administration capacity the commission monitors the implementation of kosovo's public administration reform strategy and action plan.
with eur five million the commission is among the main contributors to the
the commission has provided technical assistance to the kosovo gender equality agency.
the best way for kosovo to move towards european integration is by creating a democratic and multi ethnic society with full respect for the rule of law cooperating peacefully with its neighbours and contributing to regional and european stability.
is to provide valuable support on the ground in order to help us collectively meet all our political objectives.
respect for human rights and the protection of minorities as well as encouraging economic development and working for the protection of kosovo's rich cultural and religious heritage.
this presidency is committed to keeping you informed both through regular discussions here in the plenary as well as more detailed briefings through the committees.
two thousand and eight its main aim is to assist and support the kosovo authorities in the area of the rule of law specifically in developing the police judiciary and customs administration.
kosovo institutions will also face many challenges in the implementation of their commitments to develop a stable multi ethnic and democratic kosovo.
more recently eulex the most ambitious civilian esdp mission to date began its mandate in early december.
our main challenge over the coming months will be to intensify our engagement in kosovo most importantly by moving to full deployment of eulex. we are realistic enough to know that two thousand and nine will present its fair share of difficulties and obstacles.
the presidency is grateful for the continuing interest of members of parliament and for your support for the role of the union in the region.
however these incidents are a constant reminder of the constant risk of destabilisation there.
this has been welcomed by the council. it should offer new opportunities and build on what has already been achieved adjusted in the light of our experience over the next few months.
we remain committed to assisting in the economic and political development of kosovo within the overall objective of ensuring long term stability for the balkans as a whole. in the case of kosovo that means contributing in particular to strengthening of the rule of law
we have a lot of challenges ahead of us.
mr president the international rush to recognise kosovo was in my view hard to understand.
the people of the various parts of former yugoslavia clearly have a right to live in peace and prosperity.
we in the european union have a moral duty to help but this assistance should never be open ended. we need to see real reform in kosovo genuine efforts to combat organised crime and people trafficking and proper protection and equality for minorities such as the serbs.
this is not the question since the quality of the recognitions matters more than the quantity.
a declaration of self determination does not lead to independence if the state in question is not recognised by those from which it wants to self determine. the independence of a state is not real as long as the united nations security council does not accept it.
moreover a state is not independent if it is not able to offer to all communities living on its territory a fair prospect of organic integration into a civic and multicultural society and if it is not self sustainable and self governable.
asking for the status quo ante is not a solution either one should move further.
to this end the european union and the permanent members of the united nations security council must convene an international conference which should find a sustainable solution for democratic security geo strategic equilibrium and social economic stability in the western balkans.
within this framework kosovo should be put back on the track of international legality and the region should receive a clear road map for its eu integration.
unfortunately the lagendijk report does not explore such ways thus abandoning any realistic drive towards a better future. therefore romanian social democrats will be obliged to vote against this report.
the readmission agreement has been for many years now an important tool in managing migration flows and the lisbon treaty explicitly mentions readmission agreements.
this was also discussed at the council meeting last week.
with regard to visa facilitation agreements no list of prerequisite criteria for deciding to open such negotiations exists but the european union takes into account the conclusion of or active negotiations on readmission agreements external relations objectives implementation records of existing bilateral agreements and progress on related areas in the field of justice and home affairs including fundamental rights.
a report earlier this year from the united nations office on drugs and crime assessing criminal assisted migration from pakistan estimated that the annual revenue of this so called industry amounted
we have directives in
furthermore we gather any relevant information about the implementation of the agreements in
we should also not forget that these readmission agreements can play an important role in undermining the activities of migrant smuggling networks.
in any case under a readmission agreement no one shall be returned if this would entail the risk that the person concerned would be subject to persecution torture or inhumane or degrading punishment.
it should be noted that for all countries with which the eu has concluded visa facilitation agreements the commission has presented a draft negotiating mandate to the council as a follow up to council conclusions which envisage the promotion of people to people contact with the country concerned.
to. one twenty five billion dollars. the report recommended inter alia that pakistan initiate operation and cooperation agreements with key partners including general agreements for mutual legal assistance and extradition.
they facilitate the return of persons staying irregularly in the country of origin or transit and they are agreements between administrations stipulating the procedures to be followed.
however the sd voted against this agreement in committee for two very basic reasons both based on the protection of human rights.
we cannot be expected to rubber stamp agreements when fundamental rights are still in question.
for that reason the sd group calls on the commissioner to carry out such an evaluation as soon as possible.
we believe in these readmission agreements but they must be based on fundamental human rights and safeguards.
it has entered into negotiations on seven more two of which pakistan and georgia are on the point of being concluded and one turkey is to be signed very shortly.
we believe that respect for international conventions is not fully guaranteed in this agreement.
it seems logical to us and our group that signing basic international conventions such as these should be a necessary precursor to signing readmission agreements.
however despite that first such agreement entering into force in two thousand and four there has been no evidence based evaluation of the effectiveness of such instruments and the consequences of their implementation.
the main question to be asked is why there should have to be an agreement with pakistan for them to be allowed to enter their own country.
are they suggesting that all illegal immigrants from countries with flawed human rights standards should be allowed to stay?
if they really believe that we must ask why they are content for the remaining populations of those dangerous countries to remain in them.
should we not be inviting the entire populations of pakistan china afghanistan the middle east latin america and africa to move to the european union?
as a european agreement it can be monitored it can be subject to control it is much more transparent we can discuss it here in plenary we have greater leverage on issues such as fundamental rights and human rights and we have greater legal clarity.
the asylum qualification directive and you all know that i want to strengthen this directive and negotiations are ongoing specifies relative criteria in that respect and no readmission agreement can release member states from that fundamental obligation and duty.
they do not have the obligation to report to the commission but we will in the light of the upcoming evaluation look at this issue and see how we can cooperate further member states ngos people working on the ground in order to bring that forward. so this evaluation is very important.
it will define the future readmission policy but that should not stop us from making progress in the agreement that we have before
the united nations started the initiative to illuminate landmarks in orange all over the world to raise global awareness for this important issue. the european parliament is proud to take part in this initiative and will light up in orange starting tonight until tomorrow midnight. in this way we as the european parliament want to stand up against violence against women and girls.
in this context i would like to pay tribute once again to last year's sakharov laureate dr mukwege to his exceptional work as a doctor but also to his strong message speaking out against violence and impunity and calling every day for justice and the protection of congolese women.
this violence is one of the most cruel violations of women's rights and therefore we need to unite efforts to eliminate it.
i think that is not needed.
and not in infrastructures and models of the last century.
what is needed is social and ecological change;
secondly the investment plan.
the digital agenda the telecom package do it! the internal market and the service directive ensure that it is done!
i think it is good to have a plan in order to mobilise capital financing of new investments but the gap we have in europe is much bigger than any public investment plan can bridge.
the investment plan and the bridging of the investment gap will need real political reforms and structural changes.
firstly having listened to this discussion and the shouting from over there today it strikes me that the problem of the extreme right in this house is that they are not at all right only extreme extremely wrong and i think that their correct name should in future be the extreme wrong'.
we need to deregulate make things easier and ensure that we can have an open europe.
do not invent the wheel again.
alone. for my part i will use all the skills i have to keep the work of the european council results oriented and focused on what really
i spoke here.
if you have ten priorities you have none.
yet again we face the everlasting dilemma between security and freedom and yet again we must find a wise balance between these two fundamental needs.
fear. this also means fighting the enemies of those values whoever and wherever they
there are some here who do not wish the union
of course i know as well as you do that the investment plan is not a silver bullet but only part of our efforts.
citizens. politics is about the disagreement we allow to play out on the rock of our
among us. they are often productive and
we will come back to it in june.
it is also our responsibility to create a genuine economic and monetary union. i take this task very seriously.
and vital. our continent remains the best place in the world to live and i think the european union is the best political organisation in its history a political organisation which means that it is a tool in our hands not
on the sanctions we agreed that the best thing for now is to stay the course.
today the commission presented the plan in more detail.
in march we will discuss the european economy the energy union and our approach to russia including in the context of the eastern partnership summit in riga in
to play. we will conquer the challenges facing us with energy and optimism or not
this parliament has rightly taken seriously its role in defending the freedoms of european citizens.
at our meeting leaders gave their support and set a firm timeline. now it is for you as legislators along with the council to ensure that the fund is ready by june.
may. in june we will take decisions on the digital single market and review the investment
one european system is clearly better for security and freedom.
on investment and growth we discussed and agreed the plan to establish a european fund for strategic investment.
leaders also welcomed the intention to increase humanitarian
but i also ask you to help us protect the security of those who elected this chamber.
be safer. i believed in europe when the polish solidarity movement was
we know this is a difficult and delicate topic.
times. these are tough political
future. we must remember that europe is a real community of nations and peoples and that is why we must not be afraid of tensions
this is an important issue and not only for public finances it is also a matter of fairness and social justice.
are. secondly we need strong determination to end the economic crisis especially to reduce unemployment.
or barren. i have no doubt europe is young dynamic
creative. equally we often get better when we agree to disagree. i am sure that in this room we have a difference of opinion on the charlie hebdo cartoons but as europeans we share the fundamental view that no one has a right to use violence or to murder people because they have a different religion or a different sense
that is exactly what we proved in paris last sunday.
our common currency the euro is our advantage.
be freer. no one will be better
times. this is the time when the europe our children will inherit is being decided on day by day. that is why firstly we must be clear about our fundamental values solidarity freedom and human dignity including the right to live free from
if anyone has an idea about how to overcome the crisis at one stroke please speak
today it is my duty and my pleasure to brief this parliament as the president of the european council. after an overview of the meeting in december i will sketch out the work ahead and give you some of my ideas about our union. you will find that they have not changed since the last time
we will decide the next steps in march.
matters. for a long time now i have observed that the institutions compete with one
that is why in december i invited leaders to focus on just two crucially important issues needing our immediate attention.
them. i also took the opportunity at the december meeting the first of my presidency to set out a clear agenda for the months ahead.
principles. however we will never get anywhere without recognising that the fates of europeans of all of us are fundamentally bound
however the only concrete measure referred to both in the statement and now in our discussion today has been the automatic exchange of information on tax rulings in the eu.
in particular we need country by country reporting of profits by all multinationals we need a common definition of tax havens and we need to blacklist those firms engaged in tax fiddling and the advisers who help them to do this.
while that transparency is of course welcome as my group has long argued we need far stronger measures to tackle tax fiddling.
some of these measures as well as the creation of a common consolidated corporate tax base have been held up by particular member states within the council.
mr president i was pleased to see the council acknowledge the harm from aggressive tax planning and tax avoidance both in its statement in the december meeting but also reiterated again now by both presidents.
so can i please implore presidents tusk and juncker to make sure that these long over due measures are genuinely unblocked at that meeting in june?
we need to pool national resources in order to foster investment and job creation;
we need to pool natural resources to provide better energy solutions more internal and external security and also to ensure real faith in european integration.
you are one of them and it will be necessary to see the general european interests and not only the addition of the interests of the twenty eight and that is your main task.
we are always looking to google because of their monopoly position in europe.
nine eleven i see three elements in this.
it has to become a marco plan a michel plan a rutte plan; from the twenty eight and that is the reason why i am a little bit disappointed by this council of december.
the problem today in europe is sharing the information.
it was a short council;
the p and
it has to become a tusk plan; it has to become a hollande plan;
i have here all the decisions taken by the council in.
a telecom package is the first step to make it possible and i think your second priority is also very clear that is to have a package to counter terrorism after the dramatic events in paris.
that is the reality.
but it is our own mistake because we have no digital market.
nine eleven and then december laeken more than thirty pages about our counter terrorism strategy.
i do not criticise it but i would have preferred a long council and then at the end twenty eight member states saying yes to this plan and entering into the guarantee scheme of the investment strategy of the european union.
we are talking about the digital market;
finally i think that the commission has to come forward with a number of legislative packages to open up the markets because an investment plan alone is not enough.
you know how they are;
we need trade and investors do need rights.
we need investment in energy transport digital innovation production but politicians cannot keep spending taxpayers' money so we must encourage that private investment.
we must make it work and we must make it work in a digital age or we will lose it.
our national leaders need to listen more closely to the people and we in this chamber need to listen more closely to our national leaders.
our single market is meant to help businesses and consumers to trade easily across borders to remove bureaucracy to boost competitiveness.
but the private investment is facing global competition for that money.
i hope we will continue to work on them in the same way delivering quickly and clearly on the energy union strategy ahead of the march european council and on the digital single market proposals ahead of the june council.
at a meeting of the foreign affairs council next monday we will already start to discuss the issue and we are preparing this work very closely together.
let me just mention a few of them.
your debate is about immigration and time and again you have promised the polish voters that young poles would return to poland.
it turns out that you have both been wrong and that your country has been depopulated by two million people since you joined the european union. the reason is obvious. it is money is it not?
but he also says that he will now restrict the benefits of eu migrants working in britain.
it is dominating political discourse within our country.
you are like the euro record that has got stuck in a groove a completely out of date view of what europe is. clearly you have learned absolutely nothing from the results of the european elections.
at the heart of that is the whole question of the free movement of peoples but your debate is the other side of the same coin.
i would put it to you mr tusk that the european elections showed us one thing the voters in europe want change.
so on that one you have won a great victory against mr cameron without having to lift a finger.
in the past you have been very clearly opposed to this.
at the same time mr cameron has promised the british people that fewer poles would come to us.
in the united kingdom we in ukip have proved that a moderate party which seeks controlled immigration managed migration not uncontrolled immigration has been able to kill off the extreme right the racism and xenophobia of the bnp.
but here in this place commitment to democracy is lacking. i note for example juncker's comments about greece telling greece to avoid the wrong outcome' in its general election. those are unacceptable. the only crime of syriza is to oppose austerity and it is right to do so.
it is entitled to do so.
your approach is a very good one make it easier then we will get some of the growth;
ms rodrigues i have two very quick questions. first of all would you not agree that the best way to get more investment going in any economy is through confidence and the confidence will not be there as long as debts continue to pile up through excessive spending?
could you also explain to the british people particularly why it is an attractive prospect to us to pool our national resources across europe when we already do not have the things we require in our own country?
i must say that it is the council and therefore the council structures including the european council that have the worst record on better regulation.
the absolute minimum is impact assessment.
i would only add that we need to make sure that we will implement it in a united way that we will have a common policy.
so if for example we could have common definitions around taxable assets and activities across the eu that would solve many of the problems.
europe's neighbours are seeing a rapid population increase a lack of job creation and in africa in particular are increasingly troubled by future effects of climate change.
these people have fled war famine repressive dictatorships economic hardship or a mixture of all of those combined.
the valletta action plan recognises this and i welcome the eeas's efforts to support statebuilding and development goals.
i am convinced personally that in many respects the geneva convention is illsuited to the modern globalised world and that reform is vital if we are to maintain support for its key tenets of providing temporary safe haven to those most in need.