kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
without law and order no democracy can stand. golden dawn is persecuted as a criminal organisation because of its alleged involvement in crimes.
my problem was to save my country given all the mistakes of the past and all the structural problems of the present.
concerning something that we heard earlier greece is a democracy and democracies persecute actions.
as was decided two months ago by the general affairs council and by the council of the ministers of the environment.
and yes people in my country are still suffering.
members of golden dawn are persecuted by the independent judiciary because of their involvement in criminal acts.
regarding the crisis in ukraine the presidency in close cooperation with the commission and the external action service followed the two track approach which is a political solution and more sanctions if required.
we did not let them do that and we are very proud that we did not because things are indeed improving in greece where we are coming out of the worst crisis we have had for decades.
but my position as prime minister of my country after july two thousand and twelve was not to criticise the policy mix or engage in an academic discussion about the perfect path to stabilisation;
in doing so i believe we have served the best interests of my country.
i only serve the interests of my country and i do not have to apologise to people who do not want anything to change and who tried to block as i said before investors and privatisations.
yes the greeks have suffered a lot;
democracies do not persecute convictions.
we modified what could be modified we implemented what should be implemented and we ended up delivering results.
their admirers and their supporters are totally unacceptable but i have to repeat that the leaders of golden dawn are persecuted for what they do not for what they believe in.
we corrected our fiscal deficit by eight of our gdp in two years stabilised the collapsing economy produced a primary surplus one year ahead of our programme and came out into the international markets much earlier than anybody could have thought only six months ago. despite the strict austerity measures we reversed the trend of unemployment which is now falling.
some people are still doing everything they can to block changes to block privatisation projects to scare away investors and to keep the country in the misery trap we are trying to escape from.
this is what we did not want to happen in greece and we achieved our aim with the sacrifices and the maturity of the greek people and the determination of my government.
greece suffered from a devastating occupation by the nazis.
in two thousand and ten when the greek debt crisis surfaced our monetary union had no instruments with which to face it.
i would like to give my personal thanks to your colleagues for their good work on the general affairs council preparing the summits discussing the horizontal issues and completing this very important file on the european political parties which i believe will be quite instrumental for the next european parliament elections.
that is why we need to speed up the work that is now on the table of the council and parliament. in fact it is now possible to make more progress in that direction because very important achievements have been realised during these last months.
two thousand and fifteen investment is rebounding.
they did not even accept the words.
progress. we are now in a phase of moving member states from crisis mode to a more forward looking reform oriented perspective.
with real signs of improvement particularly in terms of the correction of very important imbalances.
suffering the most; and ethos implies preserving our european values of freedom justice
level. but the decisions i repeat have been taken by all the governments by the finance ministers and ultimately by the prime ministers of all our
it is already in its fourth edition it has now reached cruising speed. it has taken us further down the road of economic coordination which is also a prerequisite given the high level of interdependence of our economies.
difficult times. prime minister samaras and his team have demonstrated their commitment capacity and experience indeed it was the fifth hellenic presidency as well as their strong
six more member states have now exited the excessive deficit procedure bringing the total number down to eleven fewer than half of the twenty four countries which were in this position in.
agreed. i repeat the endorsement of the country specific recommendations was unanimous in the member states so it combines all the governments left right north and
of our borders. we have to manage some specific challenges yes freedom of movement is
of the council. we have discussed other important issues during
two thousand and eleven i believe this is progress;
implementation. member states can and must play their role too creating a more growth friendly environment by cutting red tape and this is a collective responsibility of the commission of this parliament and also
it would be helpful if they could consider that they were wrong.
despite the many prophets of doom greece has remained an integral loyal member of the euro area.
countries. so please it is time to avoid these discussions putting the blame on brussels for decisions that are taken by the governments themselves. i hope they will have the courage to stand by decisions they take
the membership. it is one of the greatest achievements ever in terms of european history to have this reunited
now there are. twenty eight we have almost doubled
a sacred principle. we should combat any kind of misuse or abuse of the rights of freedom of movement but it would be a real mistake for europe to
us. we cannot afford a jobless recovery or a lost generation.
we all know this process has been painful.
fund. this was a crucial sign of our commitment. it was a very important sign to the markets and to our citizens that economic and monetary union is here to stay and is going to be completed.
it was dreadful but not the worst one either.
in the last three years my country has been seriously challenged.
on the contrary they voted for more europe and better europe!
fourthly the horizontal theme of the hellenic presidency has been to redefine and re launch eu maritime policies in all their aspects including security growth and energy.
just a hundred years ago a devastating war started here.
i will just mention here the regulation on e business and e commerce the directives on the posting of workers electronic invoicing in public procurement and the disclosure of non financial information of businesses also very important in fighting tax evasion.
particular attention was also paid to enlargement thus renewing relevant eu interest while confirming the engagement of those countries to fulfill their accession criteria.
some were predicting the so called grexit' the idea that greece should exit the euro.
i believe this is your first and foremost priority here in the european parliament to bring our union closer to the hearts of our peoples!
our monetary union is now much better equipped to avoid future crises and better prepared to face them if they do happen.
this means more liquidity to restore normal lending to the economy and in particular to the most important part of our economy which is the smes. important investment files were also concluded while progress was made in the fields of telecommunications and infrastructure.
we proved that peoples across our union can change their countries in making them fitter and more competitive so that they can successfully demand change in our union to make it stronger safer with more competitive economies and more stable democracies.
the most prosperous and most stable we have ever had in centuries.
the adoption of legislation in the framework of the single market act i and ii has further contributed to improving competitiveness.
concerning turkey in the framework of the eu turkey association council it has been underlined that turkey's eu path depends on her fulfilling her eu obligations relating to cyprus. all in all the greek presidency concluded sixty seven pieces of legislation and advanced another fifteen legislative initiatives
we proved them wrong.
yet our people need to be inspired by our union and by its prospects.
all these are different aspects of two things more integration and more competitiveness.
this was done in four months instead of the usual duration of six months because of the european election.
our union has problems but it also has the capacity to solve those problems and go ahead.
the strategy promotes eu principles and values the rule of law democracy respect for human rights energy efficiency and security and a rule based approach to maritime security as reflected in the un international law of the sea.
a major breakthrough was the adoption of the post stockholm strategic guidelines in the area of freedom security and justice which focus attention on the implementation of the principle of solidarity in the areas of asylum border and migration management the linkage between migration and the union's foreign policy that is cooperation with third countries and the more for more principle' etc.
we have to bring our union closer to the hearts of the europeans.
thirdly border and migration management this presents major challenges not only for the european south but indeed for the whole of the eu with far reaching repercussions on economic growth and social cohesion.
it defines strategic interests and threats in the global maritime domain.
our peoples suffered again and again one tragedy after another for decades.
of third country nationals in the context of intra corporate transfer as well as of course the new frontex regulation.
but we have to do more than that.
important achievements here were the revision of the list of countries for which a visa was required to enter the eu allowing the citizens of about twenty non eu countries to travel to the eu without a visa and the adoption of the directive on the conditions of entry and stay
at the institutional level the adoption of the regulation on the statute and funding of european political parties and foundations is also a qualitative leap for european representative democracy through truly european political parties.
the most democratic we have ever had.
it facilitates and safeguards the economic activity of our citizens and businesses.
where consensus was achieved between the commission and the council.
they need to feel our union closer to their hearts.
in other words better prospects for job creation employment growth and prosperity especially at times when huge unemployment levels threaten the fragile social cohesion in many of our member states.
and we did it with a minimal budget of which not more than forty was finally spent! now we are particularly happy that the next presidency the italian presidency will take the lead and push all policies and initiatives further.
we proved that our peoples across our union can work together and construct their common future in times of prosperity obviously but also during trying and very difficult moments of crisis.
further on agreement was reached on the participation of the union in the capital increase of the european investment fund.
some were predicting that the euro itself would not make it either.
then on jobs and growth the approval of the own resources legislative package will ensure timely and steady financing of eu policies.
better funding more market flexibility more access to the markets for everyone more access to liquidity for smes more transparency across our union.
a proud year for every european citizen!
in the last european elections the european peoples did not vote against europe.
a key component is the european maritime security strategy.
it was not the only one in the years to come;
so the conclusion of the single resolution mechanism regulation together with the intergovernmental agreement on the single resolution fund constitutes a major step towards the completion of the banking union.
europe was also challenged.
i believe we have already started delivering although we have still a long way to go.
the development of effective return readmission and visa policies and continuous attention to an effective internal security framework.
to prove that our union is not a series of bureaucratic procedures nobody can follow and that it is mainly about common prospects and common ideals that everybody shares and can understand right away.
but the death penalty is not fail safe.
two thousand and ten to see any reduction in the numbers of legal killings is encouraging but hearing about the possibility that executions in japan will restart under a new minister of justice is a matter of great disappointment both for me and for my political group the greens
it degrades both japanese society and morality and it further punishes the prisoners' families who are innocent of any crime.
mr president the end of the death penalty has been achieved in ninety six countries across the world and only twenty three countries actually carried out executions in.
that duress could include physical abuse or sleep deprivation or denial of food and water and the use of a toilet and not being told of the date of their execution until the day itself arrives.
i would hope that the japanese government will continue the work they have begun with a study group in the ministry of justice which is examining the death penalty and i hope they will listen to the strong abolitionist movement which exists in that country.
i agree with the previous speaker that the european union and japan have close and strong relations we are partners in many areas of development and in the world and we speak to the japanese in this case as friends.
in modern japan the death penalty has no place.
we very much welcome the fact that there have been no executions in japan since july.
we say to them that as a european union we can never support the use of the death penalty.
that is why the minister's statement was so disappointing.
mr president this debate is inspired by the fact that the new justice minister in japan has indicated that he intends to end the moratorium on the use of the death penalty and to resume executions in japan.
there is no place in any modern state to take the lives of its own citizens.
mr president let me start with a quote from the french writer and activist victor hugo who summed up the hypocrisy and barbarity of the death sentence when he said you hold up capital punishment as an example.
from two thousand to two thousand and nine japan sentenced one hundred and twelve people to death and executed forty six and there are currently one hundred and thirty people on death row in japan.
executions are carried out at advanced ages and despite signs of mental illness.
i think it is essential that we call for the immediate abolition of the death penalty.
and just what is it that you wish to teach by means of this example? that thou shalt not kill. and how do you teach that thou shalt not kill?
it is a disgrace that the death penalty still exists in japan and it is a disgrace that the new minister of justice has announced that he does not want to continue the policy of caution of his predecessor and will potentially sign new execution orders. the barbarity of the situation in japan is increased by the fact that in many cases prisoners and their legal representatives are not informed of the execution until the day that it takes place and their family members are not informed until the execution has already taken place meaning that they cannot say a last goodbye to their loved ones.
japan also has a ninety nine conviction rate a figure which critics say is attributed to the use of forced confessions.
obviously that cannot happen in the case of the death penalty.
those convicted are kept in solitary confinement and wait an average of more than seven years sometimes decades in toilet sized cells.
mr president one knows a true friend by unconditional honesty;
even a remote chance of a mistake does not allow it to be applied in a contemporary democratic country that respects human rights.
in this case hungary used a combination of these two.
he is now in ireland in his country of citizenship and do you know what?
ireland refuses both to extradite him to hungary and to enforce his sentence.
in order to find a balance in the negotiation process france should be reinforced by the european union which in my view has a historic chance to try to resolve this very frozen conflict showing its knowledge and experience in negotiations.
this brave admission gives rise to the interpretation that following his recent visit to baku mr orban knowingly and deliberately helped to pardon a murderer and sacrificed diplomatic relations with armenia for a highly questionable economic deal to help his own country out of the crisis.
the european parliament strongly condemns that. he was granted a presidential pardon by president aleyev there and he has been honoured as a national hero and promoted to major in the azeri military.
it also involves the economic crisis in the new eu member state and irresponsible acts by heads of government and state respectively.
let us look at hungary.
mr president the ecr group regards the granting of a pardon by president aliyev and the hero's welcome given to ramil safarov immediately after his return home to azerbaijan as deplorable. this is contrary to the reported diplomatic understanding by hungary where he lived because he was convicted and serving a life sentence in prison for carrying out the brutal murder of an armenian citizen.
it is also against the spirit of the european convention on the transfer of sentenced persons which is supposed to mean that returned prisoners serve out their sentences in their home country in order to be closer to their families and in their home culture and language.
although what was done was strictly speaking legally permitted within the laws of azerbaijan politically it sends all the wrong signals to armenia by escalating tensions in an already fraught situation. azerbaijan is a member of the council of europe and participates in euronest the eu eastern partnership and various other bodies like the osce which all purport to uphold democratic values and human rights.
clearly this case is illustrative of the increasingly bellicose attitude taken by baku over the nagorno karabakh territorial dispute.
assurances were given the text is available and i too have said that the azerbaijanis effectively did not act in the spirit of the convention.
the subsequent azerbaijani decisions including the pardoning of mr safarov and steps which have widely been seen as rewarding his crime are deeply regrettable.
the handling of this case has the potential to further complicate the peaceful settlement of the nagorno karabakh conflict as well as potentially the eastern partnership agenda.
the eu does not see and would absolutely reject any alternative to peaceful conflict settlement.
intense contacts with all actors to establish the situation have been deployed by the eu and there was a good discussion on this at the informal foreign ministers' meeting last weekend in cyprus.
without a community of values without the rule of law and respect for human rights and commitments taken there can be no reconciliation or peace.
in this respect the implementation of the eastern partnership roadmap becomes a key element for regional stability.
more than ever our efforts in support of peace in the region are needed.
if that is not done i believe that there will be a growing rejection by people of the very recipes that you are offering.
is there not a realisation in the commission that if you do not build a strong social component into the european semester it will not deliver what people are expecting? namely build in the european pillar of social rights in the reading of the resolution that this house passed
there are some signs of recovery on the labour market but as we have heard growth is pretty moderate.
the share of long term unemployed is increasing employment rates among low skilled workers have continued to fall by.
two thousand and fourteen my question has to do with much of what colleagues have been saying.
a couple of weeks ago.
and if we want to convince people that they need more europe or even that they need the european union as such they should be able to see the benefits of integration in their everyday life.
internally there are clear economic and social challenges such as continuously high unemployment and poverty levels income disparities across and within countries low productivity growth and increasing divergence in productivity performance across firms and sectors.
and more integrated capital markets would also contribute to the development of a secondary market for non performing
since its inception the european semester has proven instrumental in fostering guiding and supporting the reform process in the member states and in improving their economic and social performance.
potential inherent in our economies we need to continue in particular to strengthen investment in education training and skills as well as in research and development and infrastructure.
imbalances. on the whole we can expect continued progress with imbalances gradually being
for italy. as you know there is a need for additional structural adjustment
end of april. the commission is expecting the national reform programmes and the stability and convergence programmes
guaranteeing well functioning product services and labour markets and promoting an effective uptake and integration of new business models should also remain priority areas for policy makers. national reforms and making the most of the single market in all sectors are essential. sustainable public finances and remaining alert to the emergence of imbalances in the private sector are the foundation on which to build a sustainable
public and private debt levels remain high. there are also persistent pockets of weakness in the banking sector including high non performing loans in several member states.
the upcoming country reports will zoom in on where problems occur and where more determined strategies to deal with this issue are needed. the ongoing work to build a true capital markets union is also important in this respect as it aims at widening and diversifying companies' financing sources.
i am a proud co founder of the parliamentary intergroup on children's rights and i am proud that the european semester report we are about to adopt includes a call to create a child guarantee in line with the investing in children' recommendations that will ensure that every child in europe at risk of poverty including refugees has access to free health care free education free childcare decent housing and adequate nutrition.
children are among the most impacted and remain the group at the highest risk of poverty and social exclusion.
to social education and employment targets as well as properly recognise the contribution of culture in reaching the so called aaa for the development and well being of individuals and societies.
mr president as rapporteur for the opinion of the committee on education and culture i would like to recall that the eu and its member states must refocus the delivery of the europe two thousand and twenty objectives of smart sustainable and inclusive growth paying more attention
if this situation is not properly addressed through decisive political action we risk excluding a great part of the next generation.
the commission has already acknowledged that austerity has increased inequalities social injustice and poverty in europe.
these are the kamikaze messengers willing to sacrifice european jobs and prosperity on the dream of a failed ideology.
the united kingdom is a vital trading partner essential to the jobs of millions of europeans.
mr president coming from romania where a critical twenty of young people are inactive and not in education or training where a similar rate of children leave school early and where opportunities for adults to benefit from lifelong learning are still very scarce i can only welcome the emphasis on education in the growth survey and the joint employment report.