kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
two thousand and ten will also be the year when the effective implementation of operations will start requiring the performance of ex ante controls by the commission on extensive numbers of tenders and contracts. the budget cuts mean that the sound financial management of pre accession assistance is put in real danger with all its political dimensions.
all i want to ask is that we meet the commitments we have given to the developing world.
these are people who are hit not just by the financial crisis in the way we are but by the fact that they do not even get the remittances which were greater than the financial assistance we gave them from their families living in the developed world because they too are suffering.
these people are suffering doubly they are also suffering from the consequences of climate change.
all i want us to do is to meet our commitment to these people.
so let us meet the percentage contribution we said we would make.
clarity in the budget line so that we can measure here in parliament that you are meeting those commitments and additionality are absolutely central to this.
clearly the economy recovering from the crisis and fiscal consolidation remain top priorities for us all.
if we do not want to have a jobless recovery we need to look at how we can reform our labour market rules and how we can remove the obstacles to higher employment in europe.
my kids are not going to school;
why are you talking about a minor institutional problem when you could have done something to help our problem?
in our part of the codecision we increased the money that we give to member states to resettle refugees;
you say look at refugees'.
i am sorry to say this;
i have to admit that my heart jumped when you said that because i am the european parliament rapporteur for refugees.
look at the refugees if you think that war and peace is not important for europe'.
during your presidency you could have done more than look at refugees.
it was not difficult.
you were addressing the new generations.
it seems that it was because of article two hundred and ninety and delegated acts something which is in the treaty of lisbon.
i do not have a passport;
we are stuck in a refugee camp;
he suggested that the time given to these big issues is little more than the times when leaders are on a flight to brussels.
he says that we are facing a financial crisis a crisis of the welfare state in an ageing society a crisis of globalisation of nation states and potentially even a crisis of the efficacy of european democracy.
he says that leaders need to sit together until they have reached a full mutual understanding of all that needs to be done the whole job and not just bits of it.
only something on that scale will give markets durable confidence.
i think there has to be a fair opportunity for members to intervene in debate.
the decision you will be taking is about providing better protection for our citizens and for our economies against a clear trend of more frequent and more devastating disasters.
in just the last three years for the first time in human history we have damage costs that exceed usd one hundred billion a year and we know that this is only a fraction of the costs because what it reflects is the insured damage and not the damage overall.
and one that delivers a pre planned predictable coordinated response.
we have followed a bottom up approach one that is based on voluntary contributions by member states to the pool and that respects the principle of subsidiarity.
you are aware that in the last decades we have witnessed a very clear increase in the frequency and intensity of disasters here in europe.
it is also about our ability to offer better assistance to disaster victims worldwide.
we have lost in ten years one hundred zero of our citizens to summer heat to floods to summer and winter storms and this has also affected significantly our economy with a
i would like to finish by saying that just weeks ago in the philippines i saw with my own eyes what it means to have europe acting as one and i am very proud of this achievement.
for the first time in european history our member states will accept a legal obligation in the field of preparedness and prevention and we will set up a voluntary pool of eu assets and experts on standby for immediate deployment should a disaster overwhelm one of our countries or a country overseas.
mr president at the outset i would like to thank ms gardini and all the members of the european parliament who have worked tirelessly over the years to shape the legislation presented to you today.
so this is proof that we already give aid when natural disasters occur.
it belongs to the nation states.
this is a desperate effort to get the citizens of europe to love the european union at a time when its popularity has hit rock bottom.
what we do not have to do is to filter it through the european union for the eu to use as propaganda.
let me make four points firstly for this legislation we are harnessing the will of our citizens.
ninety of disasters are local and there the solidarity mechanism has no direct role to play but for the ten of disasters that overwhelm either our countries or a third country this solidarity makes a huge difference fewer people die and there is less damage.
when a member state is overwhelmed by an emergency like floods earthquakes forest fires a request for assistance is sent to the commission's emergency response centre which then circulates the request and receives offers of assistance from other member states and international organisations.
recent weather patterns particularly in my region including increased flooding suggest that day might unfortunately not be too far away.
the role of the uk as a contributor of assistance to other member states and international humanitarian operations means i can clearly see the value of the coordination role of the civil protection mechanism.
it allows for efficiency savings and can hopefully prevent chaos on the ground where lots of people are trying to do different things at the same time. the improvements negotiated including increased preparedness planning and the voluntary pooling of civil protection assets will make for better eu assistance in this area.
allowing member states to keep national security information out of preparedness planning documents that are shared with the commission and other member states;
and making sure that member states can withdraw from voluntary pools if they themselves are hit by a domestic emergency.
the liberal group and parliament as a whole should be happy to vote for this legislation.
we heard last week that the catalan president is to be charged with the crime of disobedience because he held an unofficial referendum on catalan independence.
does anyone in this chamber imagine that the spanish officials who are breaking the law by throwing migrants back over the fence will ever be threatened with such a punishment as a year in prison?
at its external borders.
i have also accepted an invitation from the minister to visit the two areas concerned in the coming months.
i am satisfied that the minister of the interior himself and the spanish authorities are willing to engage in dialogue with the commission on this issue. however the situation remains disconcerting and requires our attention. the commission is concerned by all the allegations as well as the recent proposals
to amend the relevant legislation.
for this reason the commission is in contact with the spanish authorities over this matter. it is also important for the commission to know more about the procedures put in place to ensure the correct application of the principle of non refoulement and effective access
any border surveillance measure must be proportionate to the objectives pursued.
the commission is also concerned that the interpretation by spain of what constitutes an external border and recent proposals amending relevant legislation what some have called hot returns' might not be in conformity with obligations arising under eu and international law.
in addition my services have already addressed the spanish authorities at the technical level to better understand the implications of these draft amendments and their conformity with spain's obligations under european union law.
of the fundamental rights of individuals.
the commission will not hesitate to take appropriate steps where there is evidence that a member state has violated european union laws.
but i am confident that the dialogue we have opened with the spanish authorities will have positive results and will lead to the necessary changes and i am planning to accept the invitation of the minister and confirm together with him the improvements in such a difficult part of our common european borders.
it is not up to the spanish government to simply decide where jurisdiction applies and where it does not. the territory between the fences as well as spanish territorial waters clearly belongs to spanish territory.
the eus asylum law and notably the reception directive clearly also refers to territorial waters.
the eu law and the european convention and international refugee law all forbid returning people without checking on a case by case basis whether those people are in need of international protection.
likewise hot returns' are in breach of the principle of non refoulement which is a key principle of international law as well as of european law and the spanish government cannot simply ignore this.
but it is not enough to simply look at spain here.
spanish borders are european borders and the refugees and migrants there merit european attention and european solidarity.
what happens in spain what happens at the borders of europe is the responsibility of all of us and we cannot simply ignore it.
the rule of law has to apply to everybody be they citizens of the european union of spain or of any other country or be they refugees and migrants who come to europe to look for protection.
i think that we found a unique way of working together to come forward with a very coherent crossparty resolution.
so the cites secretariat is simply not fit for the tasks that we give it and official contributions are relatively small.
secondly corruption is a fundamental problem and the eu has tabled a resolution together with senegal.
i must say that the success of these elements will really determine the future of cites i would like to highlight five elements. first of all how are the commission and the member states going to succeed in getting stronger enforcement of the cites rules?
for europe this cop is quite unique as well because it is the first conference of the parties in which the eu is participating as an official partner party.
but i understand that the usa and canada do not support the european resolution.
there was a common position but there did not seem to be any common strategy and that was quite painful to see.
let me start by thanking all my colleagues who were co authors of this resolution.
i hope that is not a precedent for the future especially because i was present in two thousand and ten at the cites cop in doha and the eu contribution there was very ineffective.
please tell us the latest state of play and how we can assist in reducing demand in many countries.
can we make sure that it will work in the future in a better way than it is doing now?
so do the commission and member states still foresee success in this field?
one of the main problems is that the rules are simply not enforced in the right way.
like the agenda of the conference of the parties we are focusing on different issues than before like demand reduction sustainable livelihoods combating corruption and effectiveness and implementation of cites.
my question is to ask whether you believe that this resolution will be successful in johannesburg and if it were adopted would it also be effective in practice?
so my question is to ask whether both the commission and the member states on an individual basis are willing to increase their contribution.
everything that we want them to do puts more work on their shoulders but if you look at their budget in real terms it is now lower than it was ten years ago.
irrespective of whether the eu or the individual member states vote the vote will be based on a coordinated position as has been the practice at previous cops with the exception of budgetary matters where the eu and the different member states contributing separately to the budget may express separate views.
as in previous cops the eu and its member states will deliver statements based on positions agreed between them.
those have been set out in the declaration of competences when the eu deposited its instrument of accession.
these imports.
when the sustainability of these trophies cannot be established no imports into the eu can take place.
the european union is the biggest donor for conservation in africa.
cites tools must be used by those countries that are hot spots for wildlife trafficking particularly ivory trafficking including through the national ivory action plans.
the european union decided to co sponsor gabon's and senegal's proposal to bring more african rosewood species under cites protection.
we cannot afford to continue losing tens of thousands of elephants to poachers each and every year.
our third priority is to reinforce the standards applying to international trade in hunting trophies of species such as lions. this issue has generated a lot of attention in this house and amongst the wider public.
first we will support concrete measures against wildlife trafficking to strengthen enforcement in terms of range in transit and in destination countries and to reduce demand for illegal wildlife products.
the european union is also proposing a resolution on corruption facilitating activities that are in violation of cites.
when properly implemented cites can make a difference against wildlife trafficking.
i agree with mr gerbrandy that we have to enforce cites rules at source in transit and in destination countries including in the european union itself. but let me conclude by noting the significance of this meeting for the european union where we will be participating for the first time as a
we will press for quick progress on this and for sanctions if progress is too slow. international trade in ivory is banned under cites. we fully support a continuation of the ban.
at cop seventeen we will also be able to sit at the table and to engage with others to make it a success.
the european union has already tabled ambitious proposals and the european parliament has been very active in shaping the eu position.
it is facilitated by corruption and weak governance structures.
the eu has tabled a proposal on voting transparency.
we will actively promote the adoption of international criteria on the sustainable and illegal trade of hunting trophies in order to ensure that imports of these trophies are of legal and sustainable origin. the council has recently urged the member states to do so. our proposals for amendments to the cites appendices
we will also look for acceptable solutions that encompass the need for species conservation and at the same time respect the means for subsistence of populations with fewer or insufficient resources.
we are of course particularly encouraged by the support of the european parliament on these issues.
we will conduct the upcoming deliberations in a spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding.
in addition we need to improve cooperation coordination communication and data sharing with wildlife implementation and enforcement agencies in third countries. i would like to underscore the need to enhance awareness raising and education about wildlife protection and the impact of illegal trade in wildlife as well as the need to step up training for all parts of the enforcement chain in source consumer and transit countries.
now on more substantive aspects. the eu and its member states along with senegal have tabled a proposal for a resolution against corruption facilitating activities conducted in violation of the convention.
the use of secret ballots can cast doubts on the basis on which decisions are made within cites.
we will do our utmost to have them adopted in johannesburg.
wildlife trafficking has become one of the world's most profitable organised criminal activities.
we have also made a proposal for a resolution on the sponsored delegated projects to increase transparency with regard to the funding of delegate participation.
we need to ensure efficient risk based and proportionate in country compliance monitoring and enforcement in order to improve the rate of detection of illegal wildlife related activities.
the presidency will make sure that the eu and its member states will act jointly at cop seventeen to promote the eu position and speak with one voice. we go to johannesburg having put a number of important proposals on the table and having co sponsored some others. it is our intention to engage with other parties and stakeholders in promoting our proposals.
the council on the other hand does not support the suggestion made by some parties to foresee in the revised rules of procedure certain conditions to the exercise by the eu of its voting right.
the decisions that we will take in south africa on plant and animal species will show whether cites parties are prepared to find acceptable solutions that balance conservation needs with economic justification.
the presidency together with the commission and the member states is determined to take an active role to ensure that cites continues to be an effective tool in order to attain its two main objectives conservation and sustainable management of natural resources.
our decisions should be based on our joint interest in the protection of species that are threatened by trade.
in some regions wildlife trafficking threatens national security and fuels conflicts by providing funding to militia and terrorist groups.
it should be at the heart of the development of conservation policies and practices within the convention.
first concerning some procedural aspects.
in that sense i do not support the commissioner's view this is perhaps a small point but i really do believe it is important that we make sure we have zero tolerance on these issues.
the species specific recommendations are obviously very varied but most of the representations i receive from members of the public and there are a lot of them as this is a very important subject are about ivory.
ivory is totemic.
i know we spend a lot of time talking about ivory but it is really important that we get ivory right.
i would ask you commissioner to raise yet again the issue of mammoth ivory which is increasingly being mined and is increasingly muddying the waters when it comes to seeing what is legal and what is illegal.
the scale of what europol's investigation has uncovered is indeed concerning. many of us were shocked by the finding that there is a criminal network involved in fixing football matches across europe with three hundred and eighty matches deemed suspicious.
i have to say that i am very much in favour of sport autonomy.
however when corruption is as endemic and widespread as this investigation illustrates we are duty bound to consider what intervention is necessary in order to tackle this growing problem.
it can for example be organised crime syndicates based outside of europe who are operating with criminal networks inside europe but at our end and inside our borders we have to make sure that the involvement of organised crime in sport is not gainful in europe.
these discussions must also take place at a global level as these issues are not simply an eu internal matter.
we must all do all we can to protect the integrity of sport which we all love.
we need enhanced cooperation to tackle this problem.
finally the integrity of sport is also vital for the gambling industry.
i believe that the exchange of information is vital in the fight against match fixing and corruption in sport.
match fixing poses a real and present threat to the integrity of global sport.
the people behind match fixing are often linked to organised crime.
match fixing and corruption is not only affecting the high levels of sport but many allegations also involve matches in the lower divisions around europe as well.
normally i do not think we should interfere too much when the sports organisations themselves have ways of solving problems.
it is used as a tool by criminal organisations to make and launder money from activities such as drug or human trafficking by gambling on fixed matches.
the commission should take up a stronger coordinating role.
those member states are especially vulnerable since they are not alert and do not perceive match fixing as a threat.
waiting until the end of two thousand and fourteen is not going to stop criminal organisations. action is needed now. what does the commission intend to do today to protect our citizens and to safeguard the integrity of sports?
mr president i am concerned about the integrity of sport i am concerned about the safety of our citizens and i am concerned about the lack of concrete action since organised crime is infiltrating sport in europe. the shocking results of the investigation by europol which were presented recently have revealed a widespread network of criminal organisations that have been involved in fixing hundreds of football matches across europe.
match fixing is a new form of crime with high revenues and low sentences and detection rates.
with this attitude they are creating safe havens for criminals.
we cannot afford to wait to take action until the council of europe is finished with the match fixing convention.
how are you planning to address now the involvement of criminal gangs in european sports competitions which is threatening the integrity of sport?
we know about the efforts of the european commission to address match fixing.
well i am pleased to tell you we have already got one in the united kingdom it is called the police force.
there was a fixed match in france and holland on the constitution when they came up with the wrong result but rather than have the re match actually they changed the terms of the game and declared it a win anyway.
so if there is going to be some kind of investigative body to look at fixed matches i suggest we start with the european union.
the commission therefore intends to involve all the relevant stakeholders in this process.
i would also like to add that i am working closely with my colleague commissioner barnier to address the problem of match fixing from the angle of sports betting. on twenty three november two thousand and twelve the commission adopted an action plan on online gambling which included a chapter on the integrity of sport.
two thousand and fourteen the coordinators of the projects are working together to achieve synergies and common strategies.
the competent authorities will be able to rely on eurojust for the practical coordination of cross border prosecution but also on a whole range of instruments adopted in the field of judicial cooperation including the european arrest warrant. however policing and prosecution
these projects will help to educate the relevant actors and raise awareness about the problem within both the sports movement and the general public.
in order to be effective the fight against match fixing needs to include preventive measures as well.
other initiatives such as studies workshops and expert meetings will gather evidence and inform the drafting of the recommendation.
in the light of concerns that the gambling sector is vulnerable to money laundering the commission has proposed to broaden the scope of the directive beyond casinos to cover the whole gambling sector.
as the recent announcement made by europol shows the involvement of law enforcement agencies and notably their cooperation at eu level is essential to combat the threat of match fixing.
the convention should also be open for signature by non european countries thus addressing the global dimension of the problem. in order to ensure a comprehensive approach all competent commission services are now working closely together
to ensure consistency with the eu acquis on criminal law data protection and the internal market.