kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
but it is rather unlikely that crowdingin private investment can happen overnight.
creating an investment climate is essential and in order to create an investment climate remaining regulatory barriers including those that might have been generated by recent additions to the financial regulatory framework like solvency ii as well as imperfections in capital markets will have to be eliminated promptly.
i absolutely agree that they could benefit from juncker's plan and if there is one thing we need to learn from the united states of america in terms of venture capital it is that they use venture capital in a much more strategic way than we do in europe. why is it the case that successful businesses in europe are frequently bought by us venture capitalists and transformed into
multiglobal businesses and we lose out in europe?
so i do see venture capital funding as an absolutely crucial way that we can provoke the european wide economy.
president barroso's announcement yesterday in relation to the partial thawing of a restrictive approach to member states' public investment was welcome but i would like to have reassurance that this will incorporate care services that are co funded by the esf.
there is no doubt that the crisis has had a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable of our society the elderly children living in poverty people with a disability and migrants.
i welcome very much what the commissioner has said about social investment but i believe that we need to go further.
i think it is important that we implement the recommendations of this report so that we can work towards achieving the eu two thousand and twenty targets.
these groups are dependent on financial support from fundraisers and a wide range of charities and local fundraising efforts. so funding for carers should be valued evaluated costed and red circled with built in reviews.
they want to continue to prioritise service quality and continuity for the most vulnerable and they help to deliver strategic improvements in public policy.
we want the commission to include social safeguards protecting care and social services and social protection systems in agreements with countries in receipt of financial assistance.
many of us find it incredible that that has not already been done.
i also want to thank the many individuals and organisations whether professional associations non governmental organisations or voluntary bodies that have provided their direct experience and evidence about what is happening on the ground at the moment in our member states to those who are particularly vulnerable.
yet some member states stop health insurance after a certain period of time out of work.
but we have also called for member states to carry out social impact assessments on austerity measures and to address the shortfalls.
rising costs falling income and cuts in services make it difficult to maintain the preventative services to which our governments have signed up and we are storing up longer term problems.
the eu has a roma strategy yet we still have many examples of prejudice affecting access to healthcare despite the existing eu legislation.
so the list of problems is long but we also try to look at some solutions. some are straightforward such as the provision of accurate and understandable information.
people with disabilities told us that not only are some places going back to old models of institutional care rather than supporting independent living but the levels of hate crime against people with disabilities are rising as they are increasingly viewed as burdens.
a social dialogue for the care sector could also help raise standards for the workforce.
once again i thank colleagues for their very active input and support in this important issue.
we know that times are hard in many countries but we have also heard how political choices are making things harder.
there are many other proposals in our report and i am sure we will hear those in the debate this morning.
we have tried to reflect their voices in this report and provide some ways forward.
we are also saying that the fundamental values of the european union should be respected even in a crisis situation and access to care healthcare and social assistance should be seen as a basic right for all within the european union.
they are not the only groups now experiencing harassment or even violence.
we heard about those providing and receiving care many of them informal carers many becoming a vulnerable group in themselves.
tackling discrimination and extending the legal framework at eu level would also be seen as useful.
the parliament welcomed the commission recommendation on children and the recognition of the need to invest in early years to enhance life chances yet we are seeing an increasing number of children taken into care linked to family poverty and others going without basic vaccinations.
it is the european year of citizens yet some member states are making it more difficult for eu nationals to access healthcare to which they are entitled.
the commission and member states in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders and that means vulnerable people themselves should monitor and address that is the active part in national reform plans which policies run counter to the eu's two thousand and twenty poverty reduction targets.
we want to see support for carers and are asking the commission to bring forward proposals for a carers' leave directive.
mr president i want to start by warmly thanking colleagues from the different political groups who have worked on this report with me in an extremely constructive atmosphere.
investing in prevention and organising early intervention can also prevent much higher costs at a later stage for both the individual and society as a whole. the social investment package adopted by the commission in february two thousand and thirteen outlines concrete measures of how to reorient social policies so they focus on preparing people to confront risks throughout their lives rather than simply repairing the consequences.
the commission welcomes the strong emphasis the report puts on the role of informal carers and the toll care duties often take on their professional and private lives. the commission is working with member states on improving the quality of long term care in the context of the social protection committee.
therefore it is important that the esf receives the appropriate share of cohesion policy resources in each member state.
this is demonstrated by the initiatives we have taken to maintain and improve access to care services for persons in vulnerable situations.
the package also provides suggestions on how to best use the european social fund to achieve these goals.
in the framework of the european semester the commission highlighted the importance of access to and the quality of services.
in the current situation there are more and more demands on the esf to support member states in helping their people and particularly the most vulnerable ones.
discrimination on grounds of religion disability age and sexual orientation is unacceptable in european societies not only in the labour market but also in access to goods and services.
it rightly draws the attention of policy makers at all levels european national regional and local levels to the impact the economic crisis is having on vulnerable groups in society and their access to health and other forms of care.
the commission is working together with member states and stakeholders on the implementation of the package including in the areas of health and long term care.
it called for broad access to affordable and high quality services such as social and health services child care housing and energy supply. the annual growth survey also called for ensuring the cost effectiveness and sustainability of healthcare services by assessing their performance against the twin aim of a more efficient use of public resources and access to high quality health care.
i think it is important because in the middle of all the debate about austerity about six packs and two packs esm and efsf sometimes we forget about real people about ordinary people and how they are living with the impact of the current crisis.
some of those people are being asked to pay an unacceptably high price and that unacceptably high price is for them their children and their elderly parents.
in some countries there is inadequate care provision;
sometimes there is virtually none.
that is the reality of people's lives and while we continue to debate and speak of austerity policies we often forget or at least we seem to accept that some people suffer.
the question is are we prepared to let vulnerable people wait and wait to be denied access to care.
the answer to that is yes' because it is happening. in some countries such as greece systems have broken down. in other countries like my own ireland the health system is severely stretched.
it is fracturing in places and some people are paying a very high price.
just last saturday i spent one hour with the carers' representative from my own region.
she is extremely concerned about the mental and physical health of family carers and she told me that in the region not since january has one care package been approved.
not even one. that does not mean that people's lives are immediately threatened but it does mean two things.
it means first of all that those who need care simply do not get it.
they lose their dignity and their quality of life is severely compromised particularly for those with mobility or disability issues.
they lose their independence and they lose any choice or control over their own lives.
just imagine if that happened to us.
and then the informal carers that the commissioner spoke of are under unbearable pressure stretched beyond limits with little or no assistance no respite and real evidence of serious impacts on mental and physical health.
as jean said in her report we need to carry out assessments of the social impact of austerity measures and how they affect people's lives and we need to stop focusing entirely on fiscal stability and also look at access and quality of care.
mr president it was aristotle who said that you can judge a society by the way in which it treats its most vulnerable citizens. what judgment would he pass on europe today when you have governments and eu leaders driving austerity policies that condemn the poor the elderly minority groups and people with disabilities to poverty and increasing hardship in order to protect the interests of the bankers the bond holders and big business?
the irish government the star pupil of austerity according to the commission has waged war on the most vulnerable people.
austerity is not inevitable.
it is a political choice to protect some at the expense of others.
i salute those people with disabilities older people and other vulnerable groups who have been to the fore in campaigning against austerity right across europe.
i think we have a great deal of consensus here.
i think this is coming through as something which people feel is extremely important.
well in my earlier life i was a teacher so maybe i am used to asking people to do homework but it is also the fact that our member states have signed up and made a number of commitments.
it was pointed out that they signed up to the un convention on the rights of people with disabilities. that carries certain responsibilities and implications with it but even in terms of the national reform plans there are certain things there which our member states have agreed to do and agreed to share and therefore the issue whether it is about benchmarking impact assessment or whatever is about taking account of what they are doing and looking at how they are going to
deal with the effects of that in terms of the anti poverty targets in terms also as many have stressed of the issues of human dignity and indeed what we consider to be solidarity within the european union and acceptable standards which i think is extremely important.
we are well aware of what the adverse impacts of health inequalities are for people's life chances.
there are things that can be done to reduce the gaps to reduce the barriers in terms of access to care. a lot of points have been made as well about the role of carers themselves.
there is more that can be done as well we believe in terms of actually improving the quality the decent work side of those who are providing care on a paid basis.
thank you again for the debate and we look forward to the follow up action on this.
two thousand and fifteen good morning member states of europe wake up!
i am fed up with member states not taking their responsibilities seriously. i am fed up saying the same thing over and over again.
but i know too many stories about young people in europe not to be patient.
for christ's sake it is the middle of.
we have pushed forward this proposal in this parliament in a very speedy procedure because we all agree that the time to act is now.
i am fed up with talking about youth unemployment and not seeing any action.
you have slept far too long.
let me also in parallel congratulate the latvian presidency for its engagement in this dossier that has been processed very efficiently as well demonstrating that the priority to tackle youth unemployment in the union is one that is shared by all european institutions.
time is of the essence to provide the jobs and practical experience that would help bring young people into the labour market.
this will help accelerate the initiative and reach as many as six hundred and fifty zero young people while remaining within the overall budget.
for giving priority to this file and for the efficient and constructive work and the constructive way it was dealt with.
the proposal under discussion today is to address an obstacle we identified with member states which is hindering the speedy launch of the youth employment initiative on the ground this is the need for cash.
the youth guarantee has provided impetus to both structural reforms of employment and education systems.
of course the key issue is now the quality of the supported measures.
with tangible results from some countries as shown by the examples published in the european semester country reports.
it has also been a catalyst for supporting young people in school to work transitions.
i would like to once again reassure the members of this house that the commission will process the payment of the increased initial pre financing for two thousand and fifteen immediately upon the entry into force of the amended regulation.
we all need to live up to our commitment to europe's citizens and that is what we all collectively have done by proposing negotiating and adopting this regulation so quickly.
i would like to congratulate parliament on the record time in which the agreement was reached both internally within the line committees and also with the council on this crucial assistance to youth employment in the european union.
we have indeed no more time to lose as regards the swift implementation of the youth employment initiative.
mr president i would like to thank the rapporteur and the commissioner very much too. i think we all acknowledge that youth unemployment is a very serious issue and that there is a clear need for action so i support this proposal to enable resources that have been allocated to be used in a way to speed up the implementation in member states.
group has always called for budget discipline and results based policymaking and the yei must be no exception to this so we must monitor the results.
in order to have real impact we need to work with the member states to devise tailored solutions that meet the local challenges they face.
in my own region in the west midlands they have extended the money through the local enterprise partnership so that they can provide apprenticeships and work experience and so on.
but i also have concerns that pre financing may lead to pressure on the fund further down the line and that in a couple of years we will be asked to vote for additional funds to be allocated to the youth employment initiative my.
two two million new apprenticeships started in the last five years.
i completely agree with you that we welcome this proposal a lot and that we have worked in this parliament to push it through as fast as possible but now it is really the responsibility of the member states to act because they are the ones who have the responsibility to put this money towards young people and make
impact of this funding and indeed the youth employment initiative because i think it is extremely important that the funding be spent in a valuable way particularly on developing skills and giving education attainment where it is needed in the workplace.
article eighteen requires eu companies with offshore operations to apply the same corporate major accident prevention policy whether in the eu or outside.
the directive also introduces strong financial liability provisions.
that makes it all the more important that other international forums such as the arctic council work to put in place special protection for this highly sensitive region. i am pleased that meps managed to introduce a requirement for national authorities to assess oil spill response effectiveness where one hundred effectiveness means that a response can be assured at any time no matter how difficult the weather or the logistics.
companies will also have to be much more transparent and report on any accidents that happen in their operations even outside the eu.
on the arctic i am a bit disappointed at not getting stronger protection included in this directive.
we are told that the eu does not have a mandate to ban offshore oil and gas drilling in the arctic as currently no member state has arctic waters.
more could be done of course but i believe that this is a final text which significantly strengthens environmental protection in an intelligent way that builds on existing good practice.
but sensibly those member states that already have robust regimes in place will not have to rewrite their rules as would have been the case with the regulation originally proposed by the commission.
this is a real step forward because it stops companies applying double standards on environmental protection.
that oil spill response effectiveness rating will inform the decision on whether to authorise an operation or not.
before operators can start they will have to prove that they have sufficient financial capacity in case of an accident.
oil drilling is dangerous but as part of a balanced energy policy we need it and it needs decent experienced oversight.
lawyers would have made millions safety standards would have gone down and prices would have gone up. in my view the cost of energy is already too high in europe.
mr president whenever there is a crisis brussels seems to go into a power drive seeing it as a chance to call for yet more centralisation and yet more europe.
i would like to thank my staff for their work on over three hundred amendments and particularly the rapporteur for his good cooperation taking over the work i led on the own initiative report.
on top of this many of those sitting over there amongst the greens wanted to shut down the entire offshore oil industry.
fundamentally the commission's original proposals would have made the north sea more dangerous.
and do you even care if the lights go out?
as a result the safety regime which is considered the best practice across the world will be exported from the north sea to the mediterranean and the black sea.
the same group now wants to send brussels officials off to the remotest parts of russia to tell them what they can do in the far north.
through the amendments we have redrafted this law line by line.
the commission's reaction to the tragedy of the oil spill in the gulf of mexico was a one size fits all' tick box piece of legislation and this would have been misguided.
instead of a top down regulation and a tick box culture we have a site specific country by country approach.
i care about safety standards and yes i want to protect the environment too.
i believe they have just been strengthened by this directive and hope that they will cause the safety standards in our waters to rise.
as six july this year will be the twenty fifth anniversary of this it is quite fitting that in this year we serve the very best of those memories with what we do now in terms of raising the standards and bringing an appropriate level of balanced representation from the workers themselves to ensure their own safety where they work.
i and my group believe that the trade union participation particularly in the area of safety representation is very important indeed.
we are glad to see that those trade union representatives will now be involved in drafting all major hazard reports. independent representatives make for the highest of standards and the most open of transparent procedures vital for this particular industry.
we in this group are very thankful to him his staff and others. we are happy at how the negotiations have come out both inside and outside parliament.
however it is important that the european union makes use of its indigenous forms of energy especially when it is in the form of a generator of so many thousands of jobs and allows millions access to energy which could otherwise cost far too much for them if we wait for things to be developed.
the report also promotes higher environmental standards as we have already heard from my good colleague for the industry although there remain some concerns over the future of the arctic with which the eu has no natural geographical involvement.
we now have a deal that better reflects the need to preserve the existing high standards in some member states and also to promote high standards elsewhere both within the eu and outside.
that this is done in a well worded directive is better than in an ill proposed regulation.
drilling for oil and gas offshore remains dangerous and difficult and we need high safety standards in europe.
we haven't made much progress in that sense if such a thing can happen and the international community can do little about it.
the united nations has been mentioned and the veto.
we have to constantly try and bring these countries along the path of respecting the human rights of all.
in light of the violence suffered by minorities in myanmar and particularly by the rohingya people we will propose to renew the mandate of the special rapporteur and we will confirm our support for the independent international factfinding mission.
this initiative aspires to promote a fresh positive narrative on human rights in the world.
we want the un human rights council to be a strong and effective forum to protect and advance human rights worldwide.
the council's ability to address country situations must be preserved and at the same time the council must adapt to a more challenging global environment.
the suffering of syrian children is a stark reminder of how crucial is our work to protect children in crisis.
just a few hours ago this house discussed the situation in eastern ghouta in syria.
this means that our action on the ground where the violations are happening must always be backed by diplomatic action at all levels.
this also demonstrates that every person can contribute in a positive way and stand up for human rights.
there is a growing belief that national laws can disregard universal human rights. the international criminal court and the very idea of international justice have too often been questioned and it is against this background that we europeans have an even stronger duty to invest in the united nations and in the protection of human rights through the un system.
the fight for accountability and against impunity is not just a matter of moral justice but is also essential to the perspective of national reconciliation.
earlier this week the foreign affairs council adopted new conclusions on the political priorities for the european union in the human rights forums in.
it is sad that so many human rights violations are taking place in this very year as we celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the un declaration of human rights but we should not lose sight of important good news coming from all around the world.