kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
kosovo's leaders must live up to their commitments and finally provide that support on the ground.
as with so many women around the world who have survived war crimes and seen their rights and their bodies violated these women's voices must be heard for true peace and justice.
two i have always been a passionate supporter of a minimum income in all member states and i have written it into all the reports i have ever done on social inclusion but i believe the best way of achieving this is through an exchange of best practice. in my view if we try to take the legislative route
that is why i urge you to reject amendments one and.
one way of achieving this is to make sure the employment directive is implemented effectively across all member states. when formulating policy regarding poverty and social inclusion we must listen to people at the sharp end in other words those who are experiencing poverty and homelessness themselves. we must make sure that member states meet their targets for poverty reduction as outlined in the eu two thousand and twenty
we will fail to take everyone with us and will not achieve what we all want a decent standard of living for all and to take people out of poverty and avoid homelessness.
those eur eight hundred and eighty billion should be creating wealth in the developing countries.
i have heard several speeches now and we have been talking about eradicating poverty without once mentioning how we create more wealth. you cannot eradicate poverty without creating wealth otherwise what you are doing is just distributing from one to another not creating new wealth.
in the international domain eur eight hundred and eighty billion come out of the developing countries through all sorts of corruption and other activities which are not recorded or taxable or deposited in proper banks. this is a scandal of the financial community in international development.
in europe poverty is on the increase because we are over regulating ourselves against creating wealth when challenges are now coming from india and china.
council. the recommendation sets out integrated active inclusion strategies based on three pillars namely inclusive labour markets access to quality services and adequate income
i believe as usual that your contribution to this debate will be essential.
member states are currently taking fiscal consolidation measures to ensure the long term sustainability of public finances.
society. the european commission will present a european platform against poverty by the end of this year setting out concrete measures to support member states in reaching the target of lifting at least twenty million european citizens out of poverty
report. at the same time we fully respect member state competences as regards the design and functioning of social protection schemes in general and minimum income schemes in particular.
work. it constitutes a necessary complement to inclusive labour markets to combat poverty for people who can
alone. sustainable progress depends primarily on developing a country's capacity to generate inclusive and sustainable
support. the commission therefore welcomes this
adequate income is a fundamental component in the fight against poverty for people who cannot
this is part of our european project.
the commission shares the view that these measures have to take account of the need to protect the most vulnerable members of
union. it has inspired several recent commission initiatives in the area of active inclusion in particular the two thousand and eight commission recommendation on active inclusion which was endorsed by parliament and the
they are our future.
that is the blunt question they asked me.
they say that they are sick of being treated as nothing and that they feel that they have no value to society.
they gave me a series of testimonies which they asked me to convey to this parliament. they pointed out that they are no longer interested in voting because they see no prospect in change by continuing to vote.
i believe that we have to take account of what these young people are thinking.
i see no evidence that the commission is actually ensuring that the member states being urged to engage in fiscal consolidation are taking account of the fact that we must not drive these people who are already suffering pain into more pain and drive people who are currently on the margins into poverty.
in scandinavia for example domestic heating must be more expensive for all income groups than in southern europe. i oppose a minimum income because that means public funds to top up a low wage more for the taxpayer to find in an economic crisis.
how do you stop some employers paying less than they might because they know the benefit system will make it up?
answer more regulations and red tape for businesses falling most heavily on the smes who between them employ half the workforce.
we also know that there are very big variations in effectiveness that there is often no clear basis for the amounts that are paid and that the amounts paid do not necessarily keep pace with rising costs.
some member states have a very poor take up so people are not getting their entitlements and some also time limit these income schemes which seems very bizarre for something that is meant to be a safety net.
i believe very strongly that we need a common framework across the european union that gives clear principles for how we develop these schemes and a clear methodology for working on them.
we are not talking about the same level of payment in each member state and to keep saying this is to perpetuate something which is deeply untrue.
we do need to develop these schemes so that everybody in the eu can live in dignity.
worrying signs should not be overlooked.
we have to react and we call for the criminal charges against ngos and political foundations to be dropped immediately.
it may reach the goals of the revolution or it may end up in chaos or new tyranny.
legal control over foreign funding has tightened;
any transition is a long process with let us be frank an open end.
the central bank is monitoring bank transfers to ngos;
we insist that a full and transparent investigation take place and all allegations of politically motivated action behind the tragedy be taken seriously. i would also like to express our solidarity and sympathy to all those who continue day by day their struggle for democracy and social justice in egypt.
egypt has no tradition in that and naturally foreign donors are interested in supporting civil society structures. this is a form of immediate practical support that can be expected and delivered to the country. however control has been tightened to a degree for which no meaningful explanation can be given.
it was a mass movement and strike wave that managed to topple mubarak but the new military rulers in the scaf have not made life better for ordinary egyptian people or met their democratic demands and aspirations. unemployment is now at twelve representing an increase;
despite that the mass of people have not given up they continue to struggle.
the military apparatus has remained completely intact and the new rulers are using violence and trying to foster sectarian division to maintain a justification for their rule. that was seen most dramatically with the events at port said with seventy four people killed and hundreds injured in events that clearly had the hand of the security forces behind them.
inflation has risen to over;
there is a growing awareness of the need for a second revolution to take political power out of the hands of the military and to take economic power out of the hands of the elite into democratic public ownership.
mr president a protestor in tahrir square summed it up when he said that egypt is like a house where the curtains have been changed but everything else is the same.
these attacks constitute a severe violation of the right of freedom of association as set out in article twenty two of the international covenant on civil and political rights.
mr president it is clear where the liberal group of the european parliament stands with the egyptian people their rights freedoms and opportunities.
this has been our group's position for decades.
we supported human rights when mubarak was repressing speech women association and political parties and when he imprisoned politicians.
we will continue to do so as long as is necessary to stand by the people of egypt.
despite the brave struggle for freedom that so many egyptians undertook and despite the toppling of the mubarak regime the promise of a true transition is hampered by the way in which the supreme council of the armed forces is copying the oppressive tactics mubarak used.
repressing organisations working on human rights and fundamental freedoms in the name of nationalism is misplaced and dangerous.
we support the egyptian organisations that have spoken out against this move and call on the scaf immediately to drop charges against international ngos and their staff.
it is an increasingly connected world and egypt cannot close itself off from the international community.
it should not want this if it wants to see trade and the economy blooming which is essential for the well being of the egyptian people.
we are willing to open up our markets to take away trade barriers and to assist in the development of egypt's economy.
it recognises the efforts and achievements made by the croatian government.
when we close the door we are running the risk of new problems and new threats to european values;
i think it is important to say that this country is now coming closer to membership which underlines and i say this to the presidency of the council that there is a need to finalise the negotiations with croatia during.
they are making croatia a better country and a better society for its citizens and by that croatia is becoming a better neighbour and contributing to europe because fights against organised crime or corruption must be made across borders and it is an
i welcome those colleagues who have asked for proactive support for cyprus in reaching some sort of resolution with turkey.
since i became an mep in july i have been contacted by many constituents who have invested substantial sums of money in properties ranging from eur fifty zero to eur one hundred and fifty zero and who have subsequently lost out on that investment in what in many cases looks like blatant fraudulent activity.
i want to turn our attention very quickly to one aspect of this that has come to my attention and that is the plight of many of the citizens whom i represent who are suffering grave financial loss as a result of property scams within turkey.
i would request that the commission look into this and act proactively in relation to it.
the agreement was aimed at sorting out the problem of the very large numbers of refugees and internally displaced people deriving from the conflict in the region. however this is an issue that is still pending.
see the last report of the un high commissioner for refugees.
non discrimination is in the constitution but it needs to be reflected in the laws especially again in relation to lesbians gay men bisexual and transgendered people who are often murdered for no other reason than they are transsexual. so allow turkey to proceed along this route on the same terms the same conditions.
mrs dodds is right if we are going to be a part of the resolution we have to be absolutely honest and bring the sides together.
we will enforce the acquis rigorously and especially article nineteen which gives the union the right to combat discrimination on the grounds of and it is a very important list race ethnicity religion belief age disability and sexual orientation.
can i reinforce that the copenhagen criteria are non negotiable especially when it comes to minority rights and human rights and macedonia and croatia are therefore failing to reflect the community especially as regards non discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
because one person could experience discrimination on each separate ground and to do nothing on one is to make irrelevant all the good that you have done on the other.
i therefore say that lesbian gay and bisexual rights are non negotiable.
the litmus test of any civilisation is not how it treats its majority but how it treats the minorities that make up that majority.
i would say to both of those countries that the accession procedure is an opportunity to bring your laws into line and to explain to your citizens the need to do so and that once you join this club you do not join a club which is based on an la carte menu.
if we undermine the principles of accession we have no principles left.
but again on anti discrimination i wish them to go further.
nevertheless i remain concerned about restrictions on press freedom and media pluralism.
i promised during my hearing that i would come to listen and to take your advice and today's debate was a clear proof of the richness wisdom and insight that are assembled here in this house.
fourthly i will never underestimate the issue of integration capacity.
all measures that the commission has proposed and undertaken have always been aimed at ending the isolation of the turkish cypriot community as a means of facilitating the reunification of cyprus in line with the council conclusions of april.
the commission's director general responsible for these issues will be in ankara next week for talks.
coming back to turkey the reform process is to continue and the european union should continue to encourage the process and progress.
if the country manages to deliver on all outstanding conditions i remain confident that accession negotiations can be concluded this year.
this will be one of the issues he will discuss on that occasion and i will report on these discussions.
as regards the accession negotiations the opening of the important environment chapter last december is an encouraging development bringing the number of open chapters to.
our leverage and influence in turkey will become all the more credible and stronger if our commitments remain unambiguous.
however turkey will need to make additional efforts in order to be able to fulfil the demanding benchmarks.
further legal amendments are needed to protect journalists human rights activists and politicians from prosecution and conviction for the expression of non violent opinion.
twelve i am hopeful that we will be able to open more chapters this year.
the commission remains committed to the accession process with turkey.
the commission and i trust the current and future presidencies as well as the european parliament will support croatia in reaching its goal.
as was pointed out during the debate there is now a window of opportunity to resolve the name issue and i am fully committed to supporting the ongoing talks.
the trade regulation on special conditions for trade for the turkish cypriot community remains with the council for consideration.
two thousand and four we are implementing the eur two hundred and fifty nine million aid package for the sustainable social and economic development of the turkish cypriot community and its full participation in the european union following a settlement and reunification.
who would have imagined only five years ago turkish society and politicians openly and intensively discussing the kurdish issue civil military relations the reopening of the halki seminar or relations with romania?
it is therefore important that the necessary preparations are being continued with rigour.
we certainly need a discussion in our country about whether we should be in the european parliament or not.
my fear is that if turkey joins seventy million people will be allowed to come into the uk.
decisions must be taken on the performance of the applicant country.
we need to talk about the merits and closely monitor the implementation of the reforms.
i join the commission and call on the council to provide a starting date for accession negotiations at its summit in march.
these provisions are legally binding in terms of international law.
therefore there is no legal basis for greece to obstruct the country's accession process.
based upon the progress made the commission proposed that the country be given a date to start negotiations.
this is why i appeal to member states and candidate countries not to promote bilateral conflicts to the level of the union.
on this note i support the debates on the progress made and the areas in which improvement is still needed.
at a time when in all our countries we have serious concerns about energy security and turkey is in such a key geographical position in providing the routes for pipelines from the caspian why is the energy chapter not open?
it is because some recognise that turkish accession would inevitably change the nature of the eu project driving as it is towards unwanted political integration that they are so resistant to it.
why has the european union not kept its promise given in may two thousand and four to end the isolation of northern cyprus?
i agree that the turkish garrison in northern cyprus should be much reduced.
turkey of course can hardly ever be discussed in this chamber without reference to cyprus but perhaps it would be more helpful if instead of always criticising turkey the eu endeavoured to provide it with more support on this issue.
let us not blame turkey for the eu's internal difficulties.
why do we just call on turkey to use its influence when greece and the republic of cyprus both eu members have a crucial role to play?
i am sure all of us want good relations with turkey and many of us probably the majority wish to see turkey one day as a member of the european union a different european union to what is being developed today.
in fact i regularly propose to turkish emissaries that a unilateral reduction in troops would be a bold confidence building measure but we all know that had the annan plan been put into effect the turkish troop presence would have been reduced to a mere six hundred and fifty and the greek presence to.
nine hundred and fifty it is scandalous that no real progress has been made in opening international trade with northern cyprus.
confidence building is sorely required. turkey should send signals.
unfortunately the trade dossier appears to be completely blocked so starting to pull out troops is a difficult but clever gesture to
i would ask him to point out to the house where the united kingdom is in breach of its treaty obligations.
the fact that the commission has recommended the opening of negotiations with fyrom should be seen as a clear message that this country is on the right track. parliament should therefore stand firmly behind this recommendation and by adopting this resolution send a positive signal to the country and indeed the whole region.
we also know that fyrom and greece need to reach an agreement on the name issue so that these negotiations can begin.
no greek government can survive if negotiations are allowed to begin without an agreement on the name.
the horrible phenomenon of honour killings must be stamped out as well as the killing of transgender persons.
just yesterday we learned of the umpteenth killing of a transgender woman in antalya. the turkish government must ensure as a matter of urgency that transgender killings no longer go unpunished. furthermore i appeal once again to the turkish government to ensure freedom of association and put an end to the systematic attempts to close down lgtb organisations.
the resolution rightly urges freedom of religion and freedom of expression.
for a liberal these freedoms are at the heart of our democracy and are non negotiable preconditions for eu membership.
however if we ask turkey to comply with eu standards we must make sure to meet these standards ourselves. that is a matter of credibility and moral authority.
homophobia compulsory religious education and restrictions of freedom of the press must equally be fought in the current member states.
we see not only significant benefits in a larger single market but we also look unlike some members of this house for a dilution of the federalist ambition at the heart of the european union.
however candidates must be subject to rigorous and exacting standards as laid out in the copenhagen criteria.
we therefore fully endorse the commission's thorough approach to preparing candidates for membership and its willingness to learn the lessons of previous enlargements in particular the most recent ones to bulgaria and romania where there were outstanding problems in the areas of organised crime and corruption.
croatia along with iceland if approved as a candidate is undoubtedly the country most ready to join the european union and its accession will help stabilise the western balkans.
italy after all did not stop slovenia joining in spite of border and minority disputes at the time.
as the commission report makes clear croatia has also made some substantial progress in meeting the negotiating benchmarks and the country's commitment to the eu's expectations remains strong.
macedonia is also now fully back on track towards membership and we welcome its eu visa liberalisation along with serbia and montenegro and support immediate calls now to the council to allow the opening of negotiations for membership for macedonia.
the ecr group believes that the almost comical name dispute with greece should be resolved sensibly and rapidly.
meanwhile turkey's eu membership application remains problematic not least in the field of human rights.
the recent horrifying case of a teenage girl buried alive for talking to boys simply gives ammunition to those who say that turkey has no place in the european union.
its failure to recognise cyprus or implement the ankara protocols as well as stalling in the ratification of the treaty to re establish relations with armenia is a disappointment. finally as permanent rapporteur of the parliament for montenegro i should just like to add that in my view having recently visited this country it is well on its way to candidate status and i hope to see that happen as soon as possible. lastly i too would like to take the opportunity on behalf of my group the ecr group to congratulate commissioner fle on his electoral appointment yesterday and my group will be fully cooperating with him in his challenging tasks ahead.
in turkey there is significant public scepticism that the eu will keep its promise and just as you confront scepticism amongst some of our publics within the eu your challenge commissioner is to be fair and objective and yes that wins public trust. but also to put the positive case for enlargement to win over sceptic publics and our group will support you in doing so.
the commission's progress report says that reform efforts have been resumed but should be intensified.
we agree. so on this first report during the five years of this parliament let me focus my opening remarks on how we as a parliament should deal with turkey.
to the rapporteur i respect your sincere commitment to pursuing consensus in this house and i thank you for your cooperation.
i hope in future years that you will seek agreement of the political groups before submitting plenary amendments to agreed compromises at committee as our differences are small. but the real test of your rapporteurship and for this parliament is to ensure that we use our influence to secure year by year steady progress in shepherding turkey towards accession and that requires leadership here as well as in the country.
to our cypriot colleagues we understand the pain of injustice you feel.
to others in this house constructive criticism of turkey is needed;
we ourselves are critical friends. but to those who speak in this debate opposing turkey we say that you are a minority;
we expect our turkish counterparts to continue to make painful changes in their own society with difficult impact on their domestic politics.
these reforms are good in their own right but those of us who say in this parliament we want accession we have to make their pain worthwhile by ourselves doing what we say opening and closing chapters on merit delivering the promises of the council ourselves acting in good faith.