kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
today there are twenty four an increase of well over one hundred and i have announced a further four appointments of women already in the two thousand and thirteen package of heads of delegation.
in the report itself i want to just focus on three particular areas.
fle. i pay tribute to all of
costs. eur thirty million per year for kabul libya baghdad and other high risk places. i am convinced we need to look and transform the terms of the budget debate with member states to look at the potential for savings for national diplomatic services as we make progress in areas like shared reporting co location in europe houses' and similar arrangements
it is my intention not only to highlight what works but to think about what we could improve in the short term or for the future.
croatia. of course our level of ambition is inevitably constrained by resources and the review will need to take account of the budgetary situation.
ground. resources are also the key to any discussion on new areas of activity including consular protection activities or more security experts in delegations areas where at the moment we have limited expertise or competence.
in today's world it matters.
the eu. this figure also reflects this very small presence of officials from these countries who transferred from the commission and the council.
we have streamlined in brussels to provide resources for new tasks and as i have said the eeas is increasingly expected to be present and to remain in places that are high risk as well as to respond to changes that are going on new delegations in libya and
so in approaching the review we need to look at ways to strengthen our ability to deliver in these core areas. i am pleased to see in the report that we agree on so many issues.
in line with your report i think we should include in a more structured way empowering commissioners to do that representation fully in parliamentary matters and internationally.
against that background your report rightly highlights the importance of ensuring a strong presence of permanent officials.
overnight. in conclusion can i welcome the report? you will see much in common as i have said with my review
these recommendations will be designed to improve further the effectiveness of our service.
i welcome the emphasis on getting the most from our civilian and military missions.
i agree. we need a human resources strategy that offers attractive and rewarding career prospects for all eeas staff including the officials who joined the service from the commission and the council. i am very pleased that next month we will be opening publications of eeas posts also to officials from parliament and other institutions in line with the provisions of the eeas
excellent cooperation on election observation missions i pay tribute to parliament for the work you do on this and the intensified dialogue at all levels including in sensitive areas requiring the sharing of classified information.
years. the annual staffing report that we will soon present to parliament will confirm the good progress that we have made on ensuring a meaningful presence of all member states and a clear improvement in the presence of women in key management positions in delegations.
so now that we have seen the changes and they have bedded down it has become easier to try and define exactly what we mean by this.
first our neighbourhood.
partnership with parliament is a very important part of the success and the agreement we have on political accountability has brought considerable improvements.
looking back i wonder if we did not underestimate just how much work that would take.
we have already been discussing simplifying procedures with member states.
but we should not delude ourselves lisbon left cfsp as intergovernmental and subject to unanimity decision making. in situations i have to say where there is an absence of political will or an agreement amongst member states there are limits to what the service can deliver.
i strongly support your proposals to improve the speed and effectiveness of operational decision making in csfp and csdp and the integration of the responsible services in the structure.
we are the world's largest economy.
i have encouraged the senior management team to be open to you in every way possible.
antonio tajani is a good close collaborator on our taskforces bringing hundreds of business leaders in support of the economies of countries in transition.
for me there are three key elements i want to focus on.
i said when i was asked to take office that we should be defined in the european union by what we are able to do in our own neighbourhood.
we have a very successful practice of exchange of views with newly appointed heads of delegations and eusrs valued i believe by parliament and by me and by those individuals who appear before you.
but in line with the recommendations of the report this is an area that we are continuing to discuss with the commission including the question of making more frequent and effective use of the group of external relations commissioners under my chairmanship.
this is going to be a very important area as we prepare for the european council in december.
proposals. we have gone from not having a service to a service that is functioning. i am truly grateful for the supportive role of the european parliament and members of this european parliament in the creation of this service. i hope you will continue to make what is a very necessary and positive contribution to this collective challenge through to the end of my mandate and well beyond.
collectively we can achieve things that individual member states and they all say this cannot do.
gender balance was and is and will remain a top priority
support. we have eliminated duplication.
on the second issue i also agree also there is a need for greater clarity on the question of who deputises for the high representative vice president including in parliament.
these changes will not happen
i want to look for quick wins but i also want to point to medium term changes that will require some adjustment ready for the next change of mandate.
two and a half years after the establishment of the service we can say that we have a modern and operational service.
you have high levels of ambition and i welcome your support for the comprehensive approach concept the need to get better and faster in our cfsp and csdp procedures and the importance of the role as the vice president of the commission to ensure the overall coherence of the external aspects of our policies.
and we need to go further in what already happens mandating specific missions to foreign ministers of the member states so that we boost the collective impact of the union's positions.
for me. when i took office there were only ten women leading delegations;
the first is cooperation with the commission then deputies and the structure and operation of the service.
them. but i am glad your report emphasises the role of the eeas in defining the strategic orientation of external financial instruments so we get coherence between foreign policy and development policy objectives.
myanmar. but in many cases this comes with heavy and unavoidable security
when you think back our aim was to create a twenty one st century european service to tackle the new challenges that we are increasingly faced with to add value to the work of member states and to do more than a foreign ministry because we have elements of development and elements of defence.
you will see much in the review that i will present in the next few weeks that is in common with this report.
too. finally to turn to the structure and operation of the service.
decision as well of course to diplomats from
working together more generally in the field and on the
operations that tackle not only the symptoms but also the underlying causes of a crisis or a situation and our capacity to remain there for the long term.
and i pay tribute to the heads of delegations who do such great work in supporting the official visits for members of this house. but i am very open to looking at ways to continue to improve that cooperation.
me. i would like to thank pierre vimont and the management team for all of the hard work that they have undertaken over the course of the last three
i am grateful for the support parliament has
secondly the comprehensive approach.
in that i respect the service which supports me in my role both as high representative and as vice president so that we can do this coordination work which the report highlights as extremely important.
my own view is that sometimes we underestimate what good progress we have made in finding good solutions to the changes that were needed following the decision to set up the eeas as a self standing body.
already in the two thousand and fourteen budget i will propose a reduction in the number of senior posts at ad sixteen and ad fifteen and i believe there should be scope to go further in this direction in the context of the institutional transition at the end of next
it became clear very quickly that ubiquity is not something that one can expect of the high representative in what we always called an impossible job three hats at the same time is simply impossible to fulfil without serious political deputising.
today this is the first point in the recommendation that we are writing as a parliament. the second issue that we discussed and which was indeed realised was to have a broader leadership structure rather than one all powerful general secretary.
the mere existence of a reasonably well functioning eeas less than three years after it started is a very positive element in itself and a kind of little miracle in which we should rejoice.
the combination of three hats high representative chair of the foreign affairs council and vice president of the commission would require superhuman strength and ubiquity.
mr president i was initially quite sceptical about the eeas which had the potential to seize an unacceptable level of power from national governments.
such examples include organising sanctions against iran's nuclear programme the excellent work of eunavfor atalanta in dramatically reducing piracy off the somalia coast the current work of the eu training mission in mali and burma and the recent groundbreaking achievement of the kosovo serb agreement for which i offer the vice president high representative my sincere congratulations.
these successes demonstrate precisely what we want from the eeas which is an economy of scale organisation performing a useful job within clearly defined parameters.
the ecr cannot accept a scenario in which eu battle groups are deployed as a rapid reaction force not least because it would mainly be british and french troops doing the heavy lifting.
foreign and security policy is the backbone of national sovereignty and member states have different priorities budgets and geopolitical strategic concerns.
it is unacceptable to force an individual country to make highly costly and often dangerous decisions contrary to its national interests.
any attempts to end its role would simply add ammunition to those voices bewailing falsely perhaps the lack of democracy and accountability within the eu structures.
lastly the relex legacy needs revisiting.
not only has the vicious circle of violence and impunity left these communities distraught and paralysed the failure to tackle the situation has led the violence to spread beyond the borders of the north caucasian republics.
the tragedy reigning in the north caucasus has only deepened in recent years with pervasive human rights violations still affecting the daily lives of the communities in chechnya in ossetia dagestan north ossetia and kabardino balkaria.
so there comes a point when this must stop.
at least seventeen people were injured most of them civilians.
the families of victims in beslan still do not know what exactly happened to their children and loved ones how they died or where their bodies are.
mr president i would like to say that this resolution on the situation in the north caucasus and in particular on the case of oleg orlov is one of the most deserving resolutions this house has adopted for a long time.
while muscovites have felt the trauma of terrorism chechen refugees in europe fear persecution even murder.
the eu invests tremendously in eu russia relations and we are joined through the council of europe and the osce.
russia has the right to fight terrorism in the northern caucasus but if the rule of law is not upheld this has a counter productive effect on stability.
intimidation of journalists and civil society activists prevails disappearances of human rights defenders happen systematically and there is no freedom of expression including on the internet.
this prize embodies freedom of thought an essential european freedom and right we stand for on behalf of our citizens and across the world.
the absence of the rule of law has led to twenty zero cases pending at the european court of human rights from the russian federation.
there really is no excuse for russia not to comply with its own commitment to human rights. we look forward and will see to it that the representatives of memorial have the freedom to come to this parliament thereby symbolising the freedoms and rights that all citizens in the northern caucasus enjoy.
this also goes for the people who defend human rights in the northern caucasus. last year's sakharov prize awardees oleg orlov sergei kovalev and lyudmila alexeyeva of memorial have not been able to pick up their award personally as their freedom is threatened.
russia has thus committed itself to protecting and promoting human rights and the rule of law but what a long way we are from that situation.
while the anti terrorist operation in chechnya was officially declared over last year violence and the climate of impunity continue there but even more so in neighbouring dagestan and also in ingushetia.
the armed attack that took place on tuesday of this week on the parliament in grozny was the latest reminder that the situation remains volatile and dangerous.
the high representative for foreign and security policy vice president ashton has deplored this attack and has stated that no circumstances can justify the use of terrorist violence and suicide attacks.
i would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest sympathy to the families of the victims.
in this case the victims were a civilian and two policemen carrying out their duties.
as terror attacks continue in the northern caucasus so too do regular attacks on human rights defenders and journalists and the perpetrators of such attacks are rarely brought to justice.
we pay tribute to all those who have lost their lives and to those who continue their work in such an environment.
mr orlov's statements challenged by president kadyrov concerned the fact that the killer of memorial activist natalya estimirova although identified has not been brought to justice. the european commission is following mr orlov's ongoing second trial very closely.
the eu calls on russia to uphold the commitments it has entered into as a member of the united nations the osce and the council of europe. president medvedev has spoken out against what he has termed the legal nihilism prevailing in russia. the eu stands ready to support russia's reform of its judicial system.
concrete activities have been prepared in close cooperation with the president's administration and the council of europe.
the eu highly values the opportunity it has to discuss its concerns on human rights with the russian authorities.
we welcome the open attitude president medvedev has taken in discussions with the eu concerning these issues.
the regular eu russia human rights consultations at expert level offer an opportunity to broaden the scope of these discussions.
in this regard it is definitely something that our agriculture sector should be exploring as part of the strategy in order to ensure its future growth and sustainability especially in relation to exports. however i am a bit wary about the issue of supply management and i seriously doubt whether the measure will prove to be of any benefit to farmers.
i think that quality production is a great way to add value to what is being produced on our farms throughout the european union and therefore will hopefully increase the profit margins of the producers and all involved in the supply chain.
i am only too well aware that this file has been subject to very tricky and intricate negotiations.
if you are making a reference to a meeting that i may have missed well all colleagues miss meetings from time to time and we all have other things to do in other places. that in no way weakens the commitment or involvement of our group in these discussions or the commitment to amendment eighty seven on behalf of all our parties.
it was not treated seriously by the council which has not treated this parliament with the respect a colegislator deserves. we could do better than is on the table at present.
i would have thought that if it was a priority in the committee vote it should have been a priority within the trialogue negotiations.
we have retabled it as amendment one hundred and three and i do urge colleagues to support it.
that is not to say that there are not things to admire;
if we could have done better than we have achieved at present let us stick to our guns and deliver more for our quality products than is on the table.
hopefully the package should streamline and simplify the administration and bureaucracy faced by organisations and farmers wishing to register quality products.
i believe it was a correct decision to separate out the proposal for supply control to be given to producer organisations to allow the rest of the package to be agreed. this contentious proposal can now be discussed as part of the single cmo package.
while i completely disagreed with the supply control part of the package i am very happy to support the efforts made to strengthen and improve eu quality policy.
you never get everything you want from a trialogue but in this case i believe she has done a pretty good job.
my member state the uk has not historically always been at the front of the queue when it came to applying for and using these quality schemes but we are catching up very fast. these provisions will make it easier to continue with this trend. i am particularly pleased with the agreement on traditional speciality guaranteed products.
the commission proposal would have wiped out the majority of uk products with this status and this has now been avoided.
i look forward to being involved in the future discussions on the creation of new labels for local farming which i believe represent real opportunities for food products and food producers and is something that we should get on with as soon as we can once this package is agreed.
early comber potato the armagh bramley apple and the lough neagh eel. while i welcome the official recognition of these products there must be adequate safeguards in place to protect not only the standing of the products but also the scheme itself. this report goes some way to addressing that.
if quality schemes are to be meaningful and useful in the marketing of products then it is imperative that those products retain their authenticity.
this is especially true of products that require traditional production steps but must also be manageable in today's global market.
it is important too that the registration and monitoring of those using quality schemes must be fit for purpose but not restrictive.
the success of a quality scheme will depend on its capacity to stay relevant to the consumer and to add value whilst maintaining exclusivity and regional brand identity.
finally while we continue to improve quality schemes in the eu i think parliament and the commission should do more to protect eu citizens from poor quality imports which do not meet the same high standards and should put an end to the hypocrisy in this regard and the unfair competition for our farmers.
mr president this report potentially offers a very good opportunity for agriculture.
these strategies do not just add considerably to producers' incomes they can also create and sustain a large number of jobs in the rural sector they contribute strongly to growth in the rural economy and they will significantly reduce dependence on subsidy support from the common agricultural policy. however i have two criticisms
first it is too focused on the domestic or european market. we should not forget that european products possess some of the best recognised and strongest identities in the world but that export potential is not being fully exploited at the present time.
i therefore suggest that we should be doing more to help stimulate this important trade.
second we are keen to support and encourage regional and producer organisations.
but such organisations should not be empowered to restrict or control output levels.
in practice that would amount to an unofficial quota system which in the short term would be anti competitive and in the long term would mean missing opportunities for efficiency gains and wider market exploitation.
water quality has improved biodiversity continues to improve and of course the quality of the food produced is constantly improving.
we have without any doubt a guarantee that food can be traced from farm to fork but sometimes the primary producers have not benefitted from this and these proposals should help to ensure that happens particularly if we streamline the bureaucracy and ensure that the solutions are simple ones.
this is barbaric.
the commission stated they were open to discussion with the aim of ensuring that appropriate solutions were found.
rats carry diseases such as e coli and salmonella and can cause significant damage to property in some cases leading to electrical fires. farms especially fall victim to rat infestations without effective pest extermination. anti coagulants are the most widely used method of rat poisoning and are by far the most effective accounting for around ninety five of rodent control.
in may i directed a written question to the commission requesting formal acknowledgement of the implications of a ban and sought a support framework for those affected as well as indications as to possible alternative pest control.
what kind of solution does the commission propose?
this daft piece of legislation will ensure that only professionals will be allowed to put down rat poison which is freely available in shops.
we are already told that you are never further than twenty yards away from a rat in a city centre in the uk. this piece of crazy legislation will only make things worse.
to put this into perspective this is a piece of bureaucracy for a rat poison that has been safely used by ordinary folk for the past thirty years not only in the uk but across europe and in the usa. i will finish by asking a question. why are you doing this? do you want more vermin? do you want more disease? or is it just about control and your obsession with trying to govern every single aspect of our lives?
so if rats are in your front garden spreading their diseases and chewing everything up the ordinary uk householder will be forced to wait for the council rat catcher or have to pay for rentokil.
a quick look in my local store at the weekend confirmed this active substance to be in about half of the products available and all with clear instructions for use. rodenticides create resistance they need to be used in rotation to remain effective.
so if anyone is tempted to vote in favour of amendment sixty one which would make toxicity the lone criteria for substitution then beware you will be cutting across the whole rationale of protecting public health and the environment.
taking one product away will upset this balance and could lead to a major public health disaster. please colleagues do not be instrumental in letting this happen.
these substances are the most widely used products in the fight against rodent infestations and are a vitally important tool in the agricultural and agrifood sector.
i was very concerned with the initial proposal from the commission which may have led to a ban on rodenticides.