kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
we deeply regret the loss of life to date and the fact that criminal sentences handed down to anti government protesters have been too severe.
the bahraini courts have decided to drop several of the lower charges against them but the more serious accusations still remain.
so bahrain does not appear consistently to be upholding civil liberties specifically the right to appeal and equal access to justice in a way that meets international standards.
we now look forward to the findings of the bahrain independent commission of inquiry set up by his majesty king hamad and hope that it will be a means to prevent any more potential abuses from occurring in the future.
in the course of these events it became clear that the bahraini security officers were preventing the medical professionals doctors and nurses from saving the lives of injured demonstrators.
the alde group calls on the bahraini authorities to stop all the violations and investigate all human rights violations and to allow the high commissioner for human rights to visit the country.
we welcome king hamad's decision to set up an independent commission to investigation the crackdown and violations. finally all peaceful demonstrators and activists should be released.
as lady ashton said in this chamber two weeks ago we welcome some recent positive steps namely the decision to annul the charges and sentences against the medical staff and order a retrial in civilian courts.
we remain convinced that a proper investigation in which the right of defence is exercised correctly should lead to these charges being dropped.
we also recall that the medics are just one of the many groups of civilians who have been subject to harassment unjustified arrest and harsh sentences including the death sentence.
retrials should be extended to all civilians tried in the national safety court.
we are looking forward to the results of the independent commission of inquiry the announcement of which was publicly welcomed by the eu. we hope that after it reports in november action will be taken to follow up on its findings.
we are also looking forward to the promised visit by the office of the high commissioner for human rights.
the commission of inquiry should offer a platform for reconciliation.
the rifts in bahraini society can only be addressed through a deep and inclusive national dialogue where all parties can be heard.
clearly all human rights violations must stop.
our fear is that the more time passes without positive action the more difficult it will be to establish meaningful national dialogue.
the eu has repeated this essential message one of encouragement not mere condemnation in many public statements and direct contacts between the high representative vice president and the most senior bahraini representatives.
we all share an interest in bahrain's reforms unity and prosperity.
but it is also important that we achieve more global participation better implementation of decisions and a higher level of transparency.
the more we want global governance the more need there is for accountability transparency and legitimate institutions.
but behind that lies the fact that we have a number of emerging economies that have contributed to changing the global economy and have defeated poverty in large areas of the world.
we can see the fact that currency policies in some major economies are contributing to the imbalances.
it is also a meeting that will deal with the fact that the world economy is characterised by imbalances that can easily be described as countries with surpluses and those with deficits.
but it is also important to look at the institutional set up.
we can only do that if we also lead by example and that is what our heads of state and government are going to do this week.
the g twenty has taken its place and has become a prime forum for international economic cooperation.
governance which is a very important contribution to all the governance problems on the different continents.
i would also like to thank the members of parliament who have taken part in the discussion and made contributions to this topic.
president barroso said in his speech on the state of the union in this house that it is also time to have unified external representations of the euro area with the strengthening of the internal governance.
the current crisis was a real watershed in global economic governance.
madam president i would like to underline that the european leaders are going to make strong proposals this week in order to get europe out of the crisis. having said that mr hkmark is right to underline the importance of global economic
however more is needed to counter the current slowdown and this will be discussed in cannes shortly. more is also needed to strengthen global governance and as stressed in the report the eu should play a leading role in this economic governance reform.
we now need to move towards a more unified external representation of the euro area in international financial institutions like the imf and the commission will soon make proposals in this regard.
i think that is a very important point.
let us not miss it.
we know that there are great benefits from fair trade.
after all the test of our progress in this house will not be that we helped those who already have much but that we helped those that have so little in this world.
madam president a decade ago the first democratic elections and the adoption of a new constitution provided important cause for optimism on the path chosen by the maldives.
secondly do you share the concerns over reports that china has despatched a fleet of eleven warships to the east indian ocean in a sign of support to the maldivian authorities further increasing military build up in the south china sea?
opposition journalists human rights activists face attacks from authorities and extremists and the recent state of emergency further encroaches upon the vital rights and freedoms.
i would say it is crucially important that we have regional actors who are at play and it is important that we get support for the sd amendment.
so my questions to the commissioner are what measures can we take to support the un facilitated dialogue between all parties in the maldives in the run up to the elections that have to take place this year?
democratic transitions take time but as someone who has consistently called for strong eu support for the maldives it pains me to see the turn that has been taken over the past few years.
three years on the situation has significantly worsened.
aside from the urgency of these domestic issues we have seen repeated accusations of maldivian flagged vessels involved in oil transfers to north korea and reports of an increasing numbers of citizens being recruited by isis daesh.
madam president it is now almost three years since our first resolution in this parliament in relation to the political crisis engulfing the maldives. that resolution was a response to the thirteen year prison sentence handed down to the country's first democratically elected president mohamed nasheed on trumped up terrorist charges which were condemned by the un working group on arbitrary detention.
we in the european union must continue to apply pressure to achieve this outcome and i welcome today's resolution.
freedom of expression assembly and the press have been stifled members of parliament and protesters have been routinely arrested and now we see the country under state of emergency rule aimed at strengthening president yameen's hold on power.
it is vital that we see an end to the state of emergency now see all elected members of parliament allowed to take up their seats and find a course to ensure that genuinely free and fair elections can take place as scheduled in september two thousand and eighteen with opposition candidate nasheed being allowed to stand.
arrest. we commend the deployment of an electoral follow up mission led by honourable member of the european parliament eduard kukan in january two thousand and eighteen which carried out an assessment of the implementation of the recommendations of the two thousand and fourteen eu electoral observation mission. we are looking forward to mr kukan's report and call for the competent maldivian authorities to fully consider his conclusions with a view to organising credible transparent and inclusive elections.
the council underlined that the parliament and the judiciary should be enabled to return to their normal functioning in accordance with the constitution and called for the immediate lifting of the state of emergency and restoration of all constitutionally guaranteed rights. the council condemned politically motivated arrests and called for the immediate release of all political prisoners.
since the adoption of the conclusions the situation has not yet improved.
it is essential to restore constitutionally guaranteed rights and lift the state of emergency as well as to respect and protect the rule of law human rights and fundamental freedoms including the freedom of expression and the right to fair
the european union must use all instruments to promote respect for human rights and democratic principles in the maldives even if that means suspending financial assistance or using targeted measures.
the state of emergency should be lifted.
fundamental human rights and the rule of law must be respected.
a functional parliament and an independent judiciary are fundamental pillars for a working democracy therefore any interference with the work of the supreme court is unacceptable in a country that calls itself a young democracy.
we call for the immediate lifting of the state of emergency and the implementation of the supreme court order to reinstate opposition mps and release political prisoners. the state of emergency cannot be used as an excuse to violate the constitution and crack down on members of civil society the media judges and political opponents.
we encourage the regional actors to play a positive role in helping to resolve the political crisis in the maldives. if the situation does not improve we ask the eu to consider targeted measures in order to promote human rights and democratic principles.
it is time for president yameen to stop ruling with an iron fist and enter into a genuine dialogue with opposition parties and civil society ensuring free and fair elections.
we all deeply regret the state of affairs in the maldives not least as there are elections due in september this year.
the people there deserve a free and full choice of candidates who can campaign robustly.
i welcome reports in today's news that the state of emergency there is unlikely to be extended and i hope that turns out to be true.
the issue of the judicial system is crucially important in events there and looking at some of the recent events many of us are left wondering about certain legal decisions and what has motivated them.
there is a need for a credible and consistent system of justice which is able to operate independently regardless of who brings a case or who is accused.
courts should never be a political instrument for political parties so we need the whole system to be free of harassment intimidation and corruption from wherever that comes.
and to take the opportunity to underline the importance of good eating habits among school children.
that would be a bad outcome and that is the reason why we have maintained our proposal.
there are more than one zero contributions on the website from all over europe. we are now digesting all these different ideas and we will present a communication in may.
firstly some countries such as ireland may be unlikely to draw up information programmes if the trade does not show an interest.
secondly while the proposed increase in funding to sixty and to seventy for fruit and vegetable promotion would be very welcome in the current economic environment realistically the incentive to expand generic promotion may be limited as contributors and non contributors alike will benefit from the programmes.
before going into the content of the report i would like to put it into perspective.
it should also be possible for those programmes to be implemented by international organisations.
with regard to those amendments i would emphasise that member states do in fact already consult trade associations in order to make sure that they have the support of producers.
we have got to go out there and promote our high quality products. you mentioned the wine reform previously we were taking a lot of low quality wine out of the market buying it into intervention and then making it into biofuel which was absolutely the wrong way to go. what we should be doing is promoting quality food. we have got a great diversity of wines cheeses meats olive oil fruits vegetables you name it. europe is rich in all these and we must go out and market them in the future.
i think as we move beyond the health check into the new agriculture policy in two thousand and thirteen and beyond we have got to make sure that we use more money to promote our products and to link into the marketplace because that is where the future lies.
as regards fundamental rights the commission has no general powers as you are aware to intervene in cases of violations of fundamental rights.
and article ten of the european convention on human rights.
the commission as you are aware is about to adopt a major radio spectrum policy programme to enhance the fair distribution of spectrum across europe and allow the development of new forms of media to the benefit of media pluralism.
at this stage and without prejudice to further legal analysis no such systemic link can be established from the situations in a number of member states with which i understand certain honourable members are concerned.
number one the promotion of independent tv productions; number two the right of journalists and news organisations to access short extracts across the eu for the purpose of short reporting;
the commission has already launched infringement proceedings against twelve member states that have failed to meet the transposition deadline.
europe therefore cannot replace member states when it comes to enforcing fundamental rights.
respect for media pluralism protection of journalists' sources freedom to criticise private and government powers independent media and independent regulatory bodies are all essential for the full exercise of freedom of expression
the commission does not intend to propose the revision of a recently amended directive the real impact of which has yet to be assessed.
two thousand and eleven in the meantime however if other infringements are detected the commission will not hesitate to take the necessary steps including citing the court of justice of the eu.
in the commission's opinion the situation regarding the media in the various member states does not fulfil the conditions necessary to trigger the article seven procedure.
the question has arisen about what should be the next step with respect to a study and in that connection i wanted to let you know that i was waiting to have a proper discussion with you about that matter.
we have published that study on our website.
the views expressed across the house today will therefore be key input into those reflections and i will make sure that the college of commissioners is fully informed and ready to discuss these.
furthermore article two of the treaty on the eu settles the common values shared by the member states and includes pluralism as one additional element to be considered when assessing the implementation of those values.
and the commission is fully committed to the defence of fundamental rights.
more will be revealed in the first application report due to appear by nineteen december.
furthermore spectrum policy is a clear example where the eu can act within its field of competence to enhance competition for the resources on which broadcasters depend and thereby to strengthen media pluralism.
in addition the question has arisen as to whether article seven of the teu should be applied to the various member states in question.
moreover three important elements in the directive strengthen media pluralism.
it is only after this examination that the commission will be able to assess the compatibility of those laws with eu law and fundamental rights and to say if any criticism of national legislation is well founded or not.
member states have constitutional traditions which protect fundamental rights.
more generally going beyond the specific case of audiovisual media there are several questions that need to be tackled before any new substantial action is taken in this field.
however it would be able to examine respect for freedom of expression and media pluralism in specific cases where a link with eu law could be established.
and number three reference to the need to have independent media authorities at national level a reference that could only be adopted thanks to the strong support of the european parliament.
a would be member state is able to join the family that is also a matter for those who have already joined the family. second the violation of those values can trigger the warning and sanction procedure provided for in article.
conversely in the second sentence article two explains the characteristics of the european model pluralism non discrimination tolerance justice solidarity and equality between women and men;
take something like that for granted but that you have to defend it and if that is not passion then i would love to have a drink with you after this session and find out what your definition of passion is.
i am really an open book on this matter and i am proud to be an open book.
having said that finally let me assure you that i have listened carefully to all of you and as i reflect on the next steps with my colleagues i am ready to continue this debate with you so i am looking forward to coming back and continuing this debate.
these are respect for human dignity freedom democracy equality the rule of law and respect for human rights including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.
it would be difficult at this stage if the values stated in article two were to be in imminent danger as a result of the events evoked today.
the commission and myself in particular as vice president in charge of the digital agenda and the media will remain vigilant and will defend press freedom media pluralism the right of journalists to protect the confidentiality of their sources and the capacity of the media to investigate corruption and the abuse of power.
and those characteristics help the application and the interpretation of those values.
this is indeed freedom of expression and i am grateful to be in a parliament that not only tolerates freedom of expression outside but also defends it in its own house.
the eu and the member states are obliged to respect those values.
and which member states must promote.
that does not mean that it is always possible to do it one hundred your way for we are indeed finding out what is the best in europe and what is the best way we could take.
i am well aware of the developments concerning your report and i welcome it very much and look forward to the results.
seven the operational nature of the list of values explains its brevity.
only the most important underlying values with a well defined legal content have been listed.
indeed one of the issues that i am touched by is that quite a number of members of parliament are from young democracies and i think that is a warning. you have been fighting for freedom of expression and you have been fighting for media pluralism and we should all take that lesson into account which is that you do not
i consider quality and investigative journalism written press and news media to be an important feature of european political culture and democracy.
not only that but journalists will be paid to follow the commission president on foreign trips.
there is clearly a very fine line between funding the information industry and bribing it.
eight staff will even be hired to monitor the blogosphere for criticism and quash whatever unwelcome opinions are found.
the digital age has seen profits fall rapidly and many companies thrown into financial turmoil but how can any political body fund the industry without crossing the line of impartiality? a leaked letter to president barroso from the new commissioner for communications viviane reding revealed that in order to boost his image the president will have a photographer and a tv producer on hand twenty four hours a day.
our member state governments are responsible for ensuring that public media retain their independence and their ability to provide unbiased information and we the european parliament should continue to monitor how well they fulfil this public duty.
these council of europe standards must be enforced in all member states both in the former communist east and in western europe.
we must resist this trend.
information encourages citizens' interest in public matters and their participation.
thus it falls to our public media to do more and more in the field of information and education. dangerously there are some parties and politicians who continue to try to gain control over the public media.
journalists are there to inform not to instruct.
more than anything else journalists value their independence.
if they do not have independence they cannot be considered free.
its content is nothing more than press releases with moving pictures.
this is why nobody watches it.
the lkkegaard report was actually voted through this parliament today requiring eu studies to be incorporated into school curricula. any journalist would tell you there is no place for propaganda in free and independent media.
in the uk we already have a press that can be considered to be free even if they use allegedly' a lot.
as we have seen here today the eu seems to be moving in the opposite direction.
in my country the uk we have excessive media ownership by news international by rupert murdoch.
if a politician seeks power they do not tend to rock the boat by challenging that too much.
how can we condemn bad practice elsewhere if we do not ensure that our own practices are as good as they possibly can be? now of course there are limits to the commission's powers to its legal competence. but commissioner you are not a bureaucrat; you are a leader;
you have a voice and this is a time when that voice can be raised to embarrass people to force change to act for freedom.
however you say that the european commission has no general powers to protect freedom of the press but i would say that that is a rather narrow interpretation of your powers because first of all protecting democracy and freedom and civil liberties is enshrined in the treaties and you are the custodian of the treaties.
secondly if we as a european union demand from candidate member states that they meet certain standards then we may assume that the commission will protect those standards within the european union as well.
the second issue at stake here is whether we should name and shame whether we should single out individual member states.
it may be unpleasant and i would certainly not like my member state to be criticised but if we are no longer capable of self criticism then how can we protect fundamental rights?
so we do have a precedent.
this house has repeatedly called for legislation specific legislation to give the european commission the tools to intervene and protect freedom throughout the european union.
but thanks to a strong and wide consensus amongst mainstream parties about the goal of eu membership kosovo has a great potential to advance quickly on this path.
my political group will endorse the report and i want to thank all of you who have been involved in this process.
i particularly welcome repeated assurances by their officials that there will be no takeover of the serbian populated north of kosovo by force as it needs to be peacefully integrated into the wider kosovo.
belgrade pristina and the international community need to do more to resolve this issue which is still open more than fourteen years after the end of the conflict.
pristina needs to do much more to enable its anti corruption bodies to enforce the rule of law.