kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the most comprehensive data are collected by the transported asset protection association which has recorded a twenty four increase in the number of cargo crimes in august compared with august.
in particular the commission supports member state initiatives such as the swedish government's response to the stockholm attacks through the development of geo fencing to automatically restrict commercial vehicles from entering centre city zones such as pedestrian areas.
to help make this a reality the commission has made eu funding available through our connecting europe facility programme over recent years to finance such parking places and the commission has provided almost eur thirty million since two thousand and fifteen to support nine secure parking projects. the european parliament additionally provided a budget of eur eight hundred and fifty
on the basis of the intelligent transport systems directive the commission has adopted a delegated regulation on the provision of information services for safe and secure parking places for trucks and commercial vehicles.
we need to look at how we are doing in terms of cross border police cooperation.
so we do need a range of solutions to the problems we are looking at this evening from asylum policy through to high technology.
mr president i want to pick up on the part of the question as it was written and to say that if we are looking at calais it is a very longstanding issue.
but i also do not want to see any more dead unaccompanied minors falling from a truck when they should have been safe in the uk had the dublin system worked properly.
all of us would agree that drivers should be able to operate safely and we do need to tackle the criminal gangs who profit from desperate people here.
mr president i wish to thank the house very much for this important and interesting discussion. as i said at the beginning of this debate for the commission it is of the utmost importance that the road transport sector can function well and that the safety and security of drivers is ensured.
the road freight sector is facing a complex range of threats which continue to cause increased costs and delays affecting the competitiveness and viability of the many small and mediumsized enterprises which are the backbone of the sector.
the commission is working hard to find solutions to mitigate these security issues through a mix of interventions which include funding and the development of best practice guidance and tools to help the sector to improve its overall security. this is in addition to actions that member states and regional governments themselves
there is no single magic solution that will solve all of these problems overnight so the focus of the commission will remain on working with our partners to collectively improve the security of europe's roads in the long term.
one of the difficulties in legislating in this area is a prejudiced assumption that if a material is natural it follows that it must be good.
however this zeal fades away when the debate turns to naturally occurring pesticides.
another anomaly in trying to set a standard across the european union is the underlying assumption that organic produce will be traded across the eu.
they talk about air miles' in a negative way so we have another contradiction here.
however if you talk to organic organisations they want to promote local food;
in the last few years i've witnessed a very determined effort here to ban various synthetic pesticides from being used.
there are a number of farmers who are prepared to produce their crops and their livestock according to these restrictions but they demand a higher price to compensate them for the higher costs incurred.
a good example of this is the use of raised beds in scandinavia to avoid brutal ground frosts so presumably global warming is going to solve this problem for us.
unfortunately organic farming methods have acquired an aura of sainthood on the left of the political spectrum because they imply a reduced opportunity for large corporations to make profits from supplying inputs.
a further complication in trying to legislate on rules and standards on organic produce across the culture zones of the eu is that perceptions of organic farming can vary.
of course this is in direct contradiction to another aim of the left which is that food should be as affordable as possible to those on low incomes.
some insist on total purity whereas others are more pragmatic if total purity means a very high cost or no organic food at all.
here in the european parliament our job is to legislate which includes legislation on agricultural matters.
during my eight years here i have heard all sorts of dire warnings about gm crops and factory farming but the two big crises were horsemeat described as beef and of course thirty one people tragically dying from eating organically grown bean sprouts.
why have common rules otherwise?
this is done in the name of safety for human health and safety for the environment.
those of us who dwell in the countryside are keenly aware of the dangers of ergot deadly nightshade ragwort and hemlock.
one of these used by organic farmers is copper sulphate a material that is highly toxic may cause cancer and is known to damage fertility and human organs. these are the wonders it does for human health but the environment doesn't get away unscathed either because copper sulphate is bio accumulant that slowly builds up in the soil.
do we have a deal here?
we are talking about a very dynamic sector which has enormous potential and one that has been transformed from a niche sector to one that is very much in the mainstream in agriculture.
so i'm satisfied that we have managed to reach a reasonable and balanced compromise in many areas which meets the essential priorities for the three institutions.
the agreement provides the conditions for european union organic production to accelerate its move away from being simply a niche production and continue on its path of sustained growth while maintaining consumer confidence.
moreover the new regulation brings greater simplification for our farmers something that i have prioritised since becoming commissioner. for example small farmers now will be able to choose group certification which will reduce their certification costs and make it easier for them to join the organic scheme.
we're not talking anymore about a niche market we're talking about a very solid sector and constant growth and export opportunities are increasingly available on third country markets.
new opportunities will also be created by the opening of new markets for organic heterogeneous seeds as mr husling has just said and indeed other plant reproductive material with a high level of genetic and phenotypic biodiversity.
the horizontal official controls regulation will be valid for organics while the organic regulation contains additional rules to target the specificity of the sector.
today we have sixty plus different standards that apply to imported organic foods and these will be replaced by compliance meaning that those who wish to export their organic products to the eu market must respect eu organic rules.
which has wiped away the la carte derogations it will ensure that the same rules apply to all organic producers and products.
this ensures a level playing field between the operators from both inside and outside the european union.
i'm disappointed that we didn't reach a more ambitious outcome on pesticides.
opening up to risk based controls will lower the burden for producers and allow authorities to better use their available resources.
resistance to pests and diseases will be improved and better adaptation to local conditions will be a focus. as regards controls the delimitation between horizontal food safety rules and the rules that are meant to guarantee the respect of organic principles have been clarified.
the consumer must have trust in the organic brand and in the organic logo.
the scope of the organic rules has been extended to cover a range of new products such as salt cork and essential oils. it will also be possible in the future to add new products in order to respond to the development of the sector and to the consumers' demand providing additional opportunities for our producers.
i welcome the conclusion of this process which in my view is overdue.
when it was put on the commission work programme i took a leap of faith in the ability of everybody to be able to reach an agreement and i'm glad that it wasn't totally misplaced. we should remember that many of the current rules are over twenty years old and they needed to be updated in any event to reflect the major changes that have taken place in the eu organic sector over that time.
mr president thank you for your indulgence.
but the most important point and it struck me as i came into the chamber is that this area of agriculture is the most prone to food fraud.
so we have a real issue here that if we have a good organic sector we have to protect us from those who will use the fact that you get a premium payment for organics to engage in fraudulent behaviour and mislabelling so it's just a warning.
we have new rules but remember there are those who will use organics in a most improper way and destroy the good work that has just been undertaken by the rapporteur.
i also want to take the opportunity to thank the estonian and maltese presidencies as others have done for their great work.
my sense having listened to the debate is that there is broad support for the compromise agreement that has been reached by the three institutions.
otherwise we would have thrown away all the good work and all of the progress we've made over those four years and i don't think that would be a responsible way to act.
in particular i reject any suggestion that the commission yielded to any interest.
you can point the finger somewhere else; we didn't yield to any interest whether from northern europe or from anywhere else.
what the commission did was to engage in good faith in this democratic process with the members of this house and the council and the outcome on which you will vote tomorrow is the result of that progress.
the potential of the organic sector has yet to be fully realised.
we have a legal text which can only help the organic sector.
i commend this text to the house and i hope it will get a strong vote here in this house when it is voted upon tomorrow.
surely they should have a total pay freeze in absolute terms or if anything a pay cut in the current climate?
we have kept our increase next year down to.
two thousand and seven so i would urge the council even at this stage to make the concession and to say we should be putting that.
i think the parliament can be proud of that.
one is the overall level of increases which are to be given to the other institutions. the council still wants a blanket freeze for all institutions in the budget next year. we are saying that is wrong.
in terms of the other sections' budgets there are really only two outstanding issues now.
all the institutions are different and have different needs. therefore we need to look at giving some of them an increase but of course we are encouraging them to keep their increase down below.
indeed the matter could be worse because if the court does uphold that salary increase we could be looking at finding funds going back to july.
returning briefly to the issue of parliament's and the other sections budgets i just want to remind colleagues in this house how well we did.
six i am concerned that legal commitments will not be met and i am even more concerned about the future of some programmes and some projects.
two thousand and thirteen i also take from this debate that we all know that that is the least our citizens would expect from us at this stage.
not to be able to agree on that would not look good;
the mandate given to the conciliation committee was to find an agreement on the two thousand and thirteen budget. however it proved impossible to find a way forward on this issue without having addressed first the issue of the draft amending budget no six for two thousand and twelve which seeks eur nine billion
this was in fact the hiatus between our respective positions.
we count on parliament's willingness to engage in a constructive dialogue so that we can have an eu budget in place from the beginning of the year.
but i am convinced that we can overcome the difficulties and reach a compromise.
despite this we were not able to find the necessary flexibility in each of our institutions needed to make further progress on the two thousand and thirteen budget.
the council was and is ready to discuss all elements of the budgetary package and is committed to honouring our payment obligations but we continue to take the view that they cannot be dealt with in isolation from each other if we are to find a balanced outcome which will meet the concerns of all parties.
in additional payment appropriations for this year.
so we fully accept that we cannot reasonably be expected to carry forward such a large liability a liability which would be in excess of eur twenty billion from two.
it gave the impression that it was the parliament refusing to cooperate unless they received more money.
but for the immediate what we want to see is a freeze in the size of the two thousand and thirteen budget.
thousand and twelve to two thousand and thirteen it is clear that this is an issue for council to resolve.
i express my sincere hope for a solution and trust that based on common efforts we will be able to meet in this house in december to endorse an agreed budget for two thousand and thirteen which reflects shared priorities can contribute to creating the conditions for economic growth and shows the union's ability to act which is the best signal we can send to eu citizens in these difficult times.
and just a final example some of the eu regulatory agencies which are in start up phase and are to take on new tasks would face considerable difficulties in fulfilling their role this would be the case for example with the large scale it systems agency in the area of home affairs which will become operational in the next few days.
it is also about the credibility of what we are doing here.
the commission considers that an adequate and realistic level of payments is necessary to keep supporting investments on growth and job enhancing measures which are priorities shared by all institutions.
however it is the union's duty to meet its legal obligations resulting from commitments made in the current and previous budgets.
the commission will do its utmost to present a new draft budget that can be a sound basis for an agreement by parliament and council and will continue to act as an honest broker to facilitate a swift adoption of the two thousand and thirteen budget.
at that time after the failure of the conciliation committee all institutions worked together in a very constructive and intense manner which allowed for the adoption of the two thousand and eleven budget in due time.
during the conciliation one real sticking point related to the shortage of payment appropriations in the budget and the additional payment appropriations requested by the commission for the year.
the commission is taking these into account in preparing its new draft budget.
in this way the commission hopes to maximise the chances for council and parliament to reach agreement on the two thousand and thirteen budget before the end of the year and thus avoid recourse to provisional twelfths. the level of payments is a key outstanding issue.
two thousand and twelve we are all aware of the economic difficulties facing europe and of the austerity measures prevailing across member states.
while the commission regrets it was not possible to reach agreement on the two thousand and thirteen budget within the conciliation period foreseen in the treaty we are convinced that we can still find a solution by the end of this year and in the next days the commission will present a new draft budget
let me just finish mr president by mentioning some of the consequences of not achieving this because we believe that the consequences should not be underestimated.
just a few examples implementation of key eu programmes and actions will be delayed with immediate effects on beneficiaries.
a reasonable solution on meeting the payment needs in two thousand and twelve must be found now if the eu is to keep its credibility vis vis national and regional authorities who have advanced the funds in the areas of cohesion and rural development and also towards smes researchers and as has been mentioned already students who are awaiting payments under programmes such as erasmus and the research framework programme.
let me just return to the two thousand and thirteen budget and what comes next.
i know that both parliament and the cyprus presidency are aware of these risks and that both are willing to cooperate intensively in the next two weeks to pave the way for a sound agreement before the end of the year.
it would be impossible to mobilise any of the special instruments like the eu solidarity fund the globalisation adjustment fund or the emergency aid reserve.
i would add that we look to the commission to play its traditional role as honest broker and i particularly count on commissioner lewandowski in relation to both the new draft budget which he is currently preparing and the facilitation of our subsequent discussions. i thank you once more for your attention and your understanding.
i have been deeply sceptical about the need for this extra cash.
we need to remember that in february this year two months after the close of the two thousand and eleven accounts the budget commissioner told us that there was a shortfall of eur eleven billion.
mr president it is no secret to anybody that the conciliation for two thousand and thirteen failed before it even started.
no more money should be granted to the commission as long as it fails to produce reliable and precise information.
this behaviour has seriously affected the credibility of the negotiators notably the commission.
this was due to the fact that the commission came up with a request for eur nine billion more to cover this year's payments.
then at the conciliation last week mr lewandowski came up with a reduction on payment needs for two thousand and twelve of eur.
so which number should we believe now?
in those circumstances i think it is wise for parliament to put that money into reserve.
the point i was making is that the court of justice is likely to uphold this salary increase and therefore we will have to pay the.
but i want to use my minute to draw particular attention to the situation of palestinians in syria.
the situation in yarmouk is absolutely untenable and in danger of becoming a massive humanitarian crisis.
the camp has been under siege since july with limited medical and food supplies being allowed to enter.
as with so many conflicts the palestinian people are being disproportionately affected.
the conditions are reported to be atrocious and more than fifty people have now died of starvation.
the neighbouring countries are sheltering close to three million refugees.
two thousand and twelve progress in the first round of negotiations has been slow but the parties are now talking to each other and we need to remind ourselves that reaching the goals stated in the geneva communiqu will be an arduous process.
it is important to reiterate that the european union's support to syria now focuses mainly on syrians who have fled to neighbouring countries and that our support is also addressed to the host countries and communities. we will also maintain all other forms of assistance including those targeting areas under the control
honourable members syria's crisis has profoundly affected its neighbours.
yet the united nations' unprecedented fundraising appeal of eur.
the european union also has the ambition to look beyond the conflict and assist in educating and training young syrians who will be key to syria's future.
yet our responsibility goes beyond our humanitarian obligations and supporting the geneva process.
at the united nations humanitarian conference hosted by kuwait the european union pledged an additional eur five hundred and fifty million for the relief effort in syria raising its overall effort to eur.
six five billion clearly shows the urgency of settling the conflict as the capacity of international donors is reaching its limits. the international community worked hard in kuwait but only slightly more than a third of that sum was raised.
honourable members the situation in and around syria remains extremely difficult.
even small progress that would for example enable more humanitarian access to those trapped in the conflict zones would be a success which would help to sustain the negotiations.
the european union continues to support them but the dangers for lebanon and jordan as well as threats to the territorial integrity of iraq are real.
that is why the recent launch of the geneva conference on syria on twenty two january in montreux is so important.
the tactics of starve and surrender' practised by the regime must end.
of the opposition to maintain and develop most vital services.
that it is why it should be our ambition to reach out to groups that have not taken up arms and can play a role in settling the conflict.
they must be applauded for their efforts to host an increasing number of syrian refugees.
to this effect the european union is planning to develop an ambitious training programme in cooperation with our member states.
nine three million syrians in need of outside assistance half of them children we have reached the limits of what the international community can do.
since last year most humanitarian statistics such as the number of those affected in numerous ways by the fighting have doubled.
the european union considers that it is important to maintain a double track approach by discussing the difficult issue of a political transition and at the same time promoting confidence building measures that could alleviate some of the suffering being experienced by the syrian people.
he refused to talk about a political way out of the crisis.
why not also establish a regional protection programme? why not encourage visa facilitation?
he refused even to make a deal on homs and yarmouk places where thousands of people are currently starving or dead.
two thousand and twelve we must not waste time;
enough blood has been shed over the last two years.
madam president i support the text of the resolution that strongly condemns the violence and barbarities currently occurring in syria.
it is time for democracy and peace to prevail in syria.
so we need to avoid duplication and work in a coordinated way.
we will also assist in advocacy efforts to insist on safe and full access for health teams participating in the polio immunisation campaign throughout syria. we will maintain all other forms of assistance including those targeting areas under the control of the opposition in order to maintain and develop the most vital services.
well last november i visited kurdistan in northern iraq to see for myself the refugee camps that they have set up to provide shelter for over two hundred and thirty zero men women and children fleeing from the bloody civil war in syria.
it is against that background that the kurds have opened their borders to give shelter to the refugees from syria and we must provide the krg with all possible assistance to enable them to deal with this new and overwhelming tide of starving and exhausted people.
second the role of iran is crucial.
tehran can effectively block any solution but iran is also the only player capable of forcing assad to step back.
the rhetoric of new president rouhani offers some hope but iran must yet demonstrate that its new foreign policy course is serious and credible not only in the nuclear negotiation but also in syria.
given our limited options for action in syria we must take advantage of any strategic opening.
so i can tell you that the majority of the refugees do not want or need to come to europe.