kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
my final comment and i think a very important one is that the right to food must always take precedence over energy security.
in many countries but particularly in africa food security is being jeopardised by the development of agrofuels.
we in the eu often clap ourselves on the back about our alternative energy targets but we must recognise the price that others may pay for the targets that we set.
mr president i am very happy with this report but wish to bring to the attention of this house an event that i was involved in recently in the commission on food safety research and innovation spending a conference that was not just telling us the results but seeing how it could be put into practice. while we are often very critical of ourselves and indeed the commission it was noteworthy that the chinese delegation that spoke at this event put on screen its plans for food safety legislation and it looked like a mirror of what the european union has already in place. so we do sometimes lead very much from the front and therefore what we do is positive.
my last comment is to pick up on my colleague mr la via in relation to agriculture research.
we need to refocus on productivity because the world has to start being able to produce more from less and in particular around food security that must be a priority in our future research.
therefore we need a much more focused and result driven research programme.
we need a direct route from research to retail.
we need industry to participate especially smes.
finally we need the commission to dramatically simplify its grant procedures.
the ideas and talents are out there; it is time for europe to move.
it is a very timely report given that palestine is very much on the global agenda.
when we look at the problems that palestinian farmers face we know there are problems for many farmers around the globe but in palestine there are particular difficulties simple but huge difficulties in accessing water land and of course accessing markets which is why this agreement is hugely significant. it means that we can help development through trade and as others have said it will not have any negative impacts for european union agriculture.
the eu passport for these two brands will allow cross border business and investment and thus channel money into areas that we know are vitally important to economic growth as well as simultaneously benefiting our whole society.
we can then address tax evasion in the appropriate manner following commission proposals.
the committee negotiations have been carried out in an inclusive spirit which has continued into the trialogue discussions.
there is a strong majority in the council against the addition of article.
whatever our aspirations we must be careful that we do not cause more harm than good.
i believe that all political groups are keen to see successful implementation of these two reports.
the global issue of tax evasion and the definition of tax havens especially in light of the global economic situation must be addressed.
these two reports have been specifically drafted to encourage investment in these important sectors.
it is therefore a pity that this has been stalled with the addition of a topic that many argue is not immediately essential to the eu venture capital and entrepreneurship fund debate.
we all agree that stimulating growth particularly in the sme sector is intrinsic to our economic recovery.
three our priority surely should be to pass these two reports without delay taking full advantage of the agreements and improvements that the parliament has already successfully negotiated in trialogue.
of course we should look at tax havens but at the right time with the right people on the right dossiers.
but the challenge is all the more demanding because europe's smes need to invest in knowledge based undertakings innovation and new sources of growth that can create sustainable jobs and upgrade the competitiveness of the european economy.
here the solution is a major push towards developing venture capital.
venture capital is crucial for young enterprises particularly in the early years of their development when despite innovative plans and strong growth potential they struggle to find the necessary funding.
moreover venture initiatives can also provide companies with valuable expertise and knowledge business contacts and strategic advice.
this regulation can provide a much needed boost to kick start some of the main drivers of growth.
it is vital therefore to get the venture capital legislation working as soon as possible. i recommend that the house supports the compromise reached with the danish presidency and that negotiations continue towards a successful first reading.
quickly as possible.
the commission has revised its state aid rules to encourage member states to direct more support for smes to key areas such as training rd and environmental protection and to overcome the current focus on large businesses.
in the area of better regulation the commission has tabled important legislative initiatives already.
there was not a single voice that would evaluate the abduction in a different way.
if we postpone it that basically means that we accept the disrespect of president aliyev in that a few days before the abduction he received for an hour and a half an ep high ranking delegation discussing human rights and then this is done.
i do not believe that that will achieve the goal.
there are many people in britain who have land in environmental schemes.
if it is going to be additional they will simply not go into these contracts.
i said that under this new system of catch the eye the officials would prepare a list of those who were here at the beginning of question time and who had put their hands up as fairly as possible.
many of these five year agreements are coming to an end and farmers are looking to make decisions on whether to renew their agreements for a further five years.
will the commission confirm that if there is an overlap and the legal baseline or goalposts are indeed changed as a result of greening pillar one those farmers who are participating in stewardship schemes would be able to leave these schemes once greening comes into force without penalty or recourse to pay back monies?
in the case of england farmers have embraced agri environment schemes with over sixty eight of england's utilisable agricultural area covered by schemes such as the entry level stewardship scheme.
farmers fear that there might be some overlap between the proposals to green pillar one and the requirements of the stewardship schemes.
this is not a very scientific way of doing it but we take the names as they come in.
it is not a perfect system but i have tried to make it clear by giving you the names of those likely to be called at eleven o'clock.
yes it is very tempting but there are genuine reasons for doing it.
thank you commissioner that was actually very helpful and it is a big thing for me to say that to a commissioner!
you have introduced the reference year of two thousand and eleven to make sure that it is genuine tenant farmers who will be able to claim the entitlements but there is still a great worry that many will lose their short term tenancies before that date and it will be the landowner who makes the claim and not the tenants.
have you thought about what further measures you can take to try and help protect tenants from being evicted before the registration day of fifteen may two thousand and fourteen for the new entitlements?
i would like to ask the commission how it hopes to deal with improving the capacity of member states to absorb the funds i believe a large proportion may not be used in the current financial period and particularly with helping local administrations put in good projects and to ensure their projects are utilised.
on the other hand we have the macro conditionality which is supposed to come in which says that payments are to stop if countries do not fulfil the stability pact.
i thank the commissioner for his response but he quite adequately displays and represents the uncertainty that exists in the minds of farmers.
without that clarification and real guidance being provided by the commission it is quite clearly understandable as to why so many in the farming community today are left confused uncertain and unable to plan ahead.
could i have a reply from commissioner andor in relation to the points i made in terms of unemployment social exclusion and the continuing problem that we have in northern ireland of low level paramilitary violence?
so i repeat my question will the commission take it seriously that agriculture is the biggest source of eutrophicating substances in the baltic sea?
i ask this question because i want to make it very clear that i have a suspicion at times that many in the commission believe that northern ireland is a done deal and is totally resolved. yes northern ireland has come an awfully long way but we still have a long way to go.
while i will certainly be encouraging the two governments to make the application will he also be encouraging the two governments to come forward with an application as well? can i take the opportunity to say to commissioner ciolo who probably thought i was going to ask him a question here today but i am not that i listened to his debate with mr lyon and on this problem
what timing do you envisage for this within member states and will there be flexibility within the member states?
on a completely different note in northern ireland we have like many other countries in europe particular problems with social exclusion high unemployment among young people etc.
can you assure me of the broad support of the college for future peace funding within the region as a tool to tackle social exclusion and unemployment as well as esf funding?
on that basis i believe these programmes will have to continue and the esf capacity is there to focus in particular on the labour market and social inclusion.
this was because president schulz had originally ruled that no split or separate votes would be allowed on this first reading agreement or indeed on any subsequent first reading agreements coming up in the next few weeks.
my concern with this directive is that whilst there are many good and useful measures in it to stop young people from smoking there is one huge mistake and that is article eighteen a which is the rule on e cigarettes.
mr president i had originally signalled my intention to move on behalf of my group that this report be referred back to committee.
that the conference of presidents has been called on to preserve the libe committee's exclusive competence on those two points and the principle of cooperation between committees.
one of the claimed benefits of eu membership is free movement of peoples and the eu is quick to condemn switzerland's democratic referendum results.
the tools are there.
all member states must ensure that their domestic order respects this key principle.
i am therefore convinced that the new dialogue will help us to ensure that the rule of law will continue to be a commonly shared objective of this union.
the political dialogue established in december two thousand and fourteen by means of the general affairs council conclusions on ensuring respect for the rule of law reaffirms the commitment of member states to safeguarding this essential element of our democracies.
this is where the added value lies as opposed to yet another monitoring mechanism.
the first vice president has mentioned eu accession to the european convention on human rights.
we simply need to learn how to use them.
we look forward to the proposal from the commission on the way forward.
it is remarkable that we have heard the call to create a new european mechanism for human rights monitoring here in strasbourg the city hosting a dozen various monitoring mechanisms.
we will not talk only about debt and budget deficits but will also talk about the enforcement of our shared values and make the european union a community of values.
i think it is about time that this european union which is developing into a political union equips itself with the instruments to enforce those values that it is so proud of.
no all member states should be scrutinised. we will scrutinise not just their budget.
i think that is exactly what we need because the fundamental rights and the fundamental values that this union is based on are laid down in article two of the treaties.
we do need binding instruments not just conventions not just silent diplomacy colloquia we need binding instruments.
i can only tell you that the ones with only green scores are denmark and sweden but the rest we will keep anonymous. if we did this exercise with parliament with the council the commission and with the national parliaments every year and here i take up your proposal for an annual debate simultaneously in all the institutions about the state of democracy the rule of law and fundamental rights in all member states because there i concur very much with the commissioner all member states should be treated equally and should be scrutinised in the same way.
we have scored all twenty eight member states against a set of indicators like freedom of speech freedom of assembly equal treatment freedom of religion etc.
it would have similar mechanisms to ensure the enforcement of the values that are all dear to us.
we said at the time that we did not need binding instruments in the eurozone we have a gentleman's agreement and all the member states will simply have to live up to their commitments.
it is the highest article in the hierarchy and yet the enforcement of that article is the weakest of all the articles in the treaty.
it is the most important article.
for example we have devised one instrument and i will show it to you it looks like a bingo card it is actually a scoreboard.
we have been nice and we have not put the names of the member states here.
that is why my group the alde group has proposed the democratic governance pact.
there would be no more debates about single member states here or indeed monitoring mechanisms for bulgaria and romania as we have them or only the candidate member states.
so that means that the vast majority of people in slovakia show a lot more respect for lgbt people than you just suggested.
well the pictures i saw most of them there was even the pope that you used in order to support you.
lithuania has prohibited a book of fairy tales that shows lgbt people.
parliament would be regularly informed of the progress made at each stage of the process.
can we say to our citizens that we need yet another monitoring mechanism to fight against radicalisation and extremism or do we just need to better use the existing and recently established tools?
our approach to infringements pays special attention to rule of law related cases where implementation of eu legislation raises problems of compatibility with certain aspects of the rule of
since december what we call the ex third pillar' measures in police and judicial cooperation can also be subject to infringement procedures and here too the commission is ready to take action.
part. i would like to announce here today that i plan for the theme of this year's colloquium to be about tolerance namely how to prevent and combat anti semitic anti muslim anti christian and anti minority hatred in our societies which are some of the biggest challenges we face today.
it is everyday work mainstreaming fundamental rights is a reflex throughout the policy cycle from inception to implementation.
the objective is to find a solution with the member state concerned and to avoid having to trigger the mechanisms of article.
them. i am always ready to reflect on how to enhance respect for our values.
all too often we take all of this for granted. so i cannot repeat it often enough. there can be no europe without full respect for our common values. compromising on common values is compromising on the very fabric of european cooperation and therefore weakening it and bringing it to a standstill.
it is not limited in scope to areas covered by eu law but rather designed to address clear risks of a serious breach.
let me also use this occasion to address a related issue.
our aim is to pursue with a three hundred and sixty degree approach to ensure that fundamental rights are effectively enforced and protected in member states based on information gathered on the ground.
it can enter into a political dialogue with the member state concerned when there is an emerging systematic threat to the rule of law to prevent it escalating further.
however the opinion of the court has raised a number of significant challenges and some of them are not easy to meet which is why i believe we need a reflection period giving us time for consultations with stakeholders on the best way forward.
law. article seven provides for potentially far reaching sanctions.
i think that would also mean more to our citizens than a protracted institutional debate about mechanisms because at the end of the day this is about societies and what binds us together how we can combat fear numbing fear paralysing fear fear of the other.
our union is built on a break from the past on the principle that societies should be free and open sheltered from arbitrariness and force.
in particular there are situations which do not fall under the scope of eu law and cannot be said to meet the threshold of article seven but which do raise concern regarding the respect of the rule of law in particular member states.
accession to the echr remains a top priority for the commission and for me personally.
that is when our common values really have a meaning what we owe to these values to our own history to the future for our children and grandchildren.
last december the council and the member states agreed to establish an annual dialogue to that effect and i believe that our debate today serves very much the same purpose.
seven we can clearly all agree on the aim behind these calls ensuring our common values are fully respected and enforced.
law. the commission will act impartially and treats all member states equally.
i want it to be a visible and meaningful debate.
we cannot allow illiberal logics to take hold.
this is why i welcome this timely debate. this house's vigilance on fundamental rights is of utmost importance.
mr president the clearest way to show what the rule of law means to us in everyday life is to recall what has happened when there is no rule of law.
the memories were raw the images and the fear etched into minds.
seventy years yet the alarming backdrop to this anniversary not just the headlines but also the trends the patterns that we see this backdrop has come as a harsh sobering call for vigilance.
it has now been seventy years.
we cannot let our societies imperceptibly slip back.
there is no such thing as illiberal democracy'.
to me all institutions have important complementary roles to play.
law. that is why in our view the framework is well targeted on the key issue at stake and much already exists in terms of reporting mechanisms and information sources on compliance with fundamental values and the rule of law in member states.
the key issue for discussion is that of the best means to achieve this objective.
i will personally see to it that the commission acts in a non ideological manner and assesses each case fairly and objectively based on the facts of the case and on the
i hope that you will engage actively in this important event.
i am well aware that this house has on different occasions called for an effective and binding instrument supplementary to article.
when such a rule of law crisis emerges in a member state the framework also allows the commission to react swiftly following an objective assessment of the situation and with full respect to the principle of equal treatment of member states.
though parliament has welcomed the eu rule of law framework and the annual debate in the council i am aware that there are renewed calls to establish new additional mechanisms for the permanent and regular monitoring that the member states comply with the eu fundamental rights. my conviction and policy has always been that if current tools do not deliver we will have to improve
our purpose is not to sanction individual member states per se but rather to address issues through targeted intervention to restore the correct application of eu
together by speaking up and speaking jointly we can send a powerful political message.
this great leap that is what europe stands for.
for this reason last march the commission established the eu rule of law framework which sets out how the commission will react in this sort of case.
i strongly believe that it would lead to a further strengthening of fundamental values.
this is the debate and the actions that citizens expect of us.
together with commissioners jourov and avramopoulos we form a fundamental rights project team and i will invite other commissioners to join if necessary.
seven parliament will have an important political role in supporting the commission's efforts to convince the member state concerned to put an end to the rule of law crisis.
however before embarking on a long discussion on possible new instruments we must be clear on the problem at stake.
the commission is dedicated to advancing fundamental rights and the rule of law. i have been entrusted by president juncker with a duty of special significance and of huge significance to me personally that of steering and coordinating this work.
however past experience has shown that this instrument which can be triggered by the commission the european parliament or one third of member states is not always suited to swift and effective intervention.
many of you may also wonder about the state of play concerning eu accession to the european convention on human rights following the opinion of the court of last december.
we are keeping a close eye on all issues arising in member states relating to the rule of law and i will not hesitate to use the framework if required by the situation in a particular member state.
experience has shown that there is not so much a need for new reporting or monitoring mechanisms but rather for the improvement of the european union's capacity to act and intervene in certain types of crisis situations relating to the rule of
the commission has its own role and in line with the treaties in recent years it has taken firm action by exerting political pressure but also by successfully involving the court of justice when the rule of law was threatened for instance on the unlawful retirement of judges or on measures affecting the independence of supervisory authorities.
efforts to make this information more accessible and easier to use must certainly be encouraged.
law. this includes for example the right to an effective remedy before a tribunal or cases where enforcement bodies have insufficient powers or independence.
underpinning this union.
the council discussed on several occasions how to better safeguard the rule of law in the union.
this exercise will have to be based on mutual trust. the presidency will play a central role in making sure that these principles are respected throughout the debate.
the dialogue will respect certain principles such as objectivity non discrimination and equal treatment.
the commission contributed to this debate by means of a communication in march.
member states have to ensure that their internal orders fully respect the rule of law and other fundamental values.
the commission parliament and the council play an important role in safeguarding these essential principles.
as you may recall in june two thousand and thirteen the council stated that respecting the rule of law is a prerequisite for the protection of fundamental rights and called on the commission to take forward the debate in line with the treaties on the possible need
two thousand and fourteen these initiatives complemented the already existing tools the infringement procedure applicable in the case of a breach of eu law and the atomic bomb' option provided by article seven of the lisbon treaty