kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
i have nothing else to add to this except answering one of the questions which has been addressed to me.
ten years as an mep and fourteen years as a commissioner and let me tell you that i have never seen this before that on all the benches there is an absolute agreement to applaud the work done by the ombudsman and his team.
mr president i am very pleased to welcome you back to the chair this morning and i am also delighted to have the opportunity to thank our ombudsman mr diamandouros for his service and work on behalf of european citizens.
you and your office have dealt with maladministration in an open structured effective balanced and transparent way.
you have introduced good practice and that inspires confidence in citizens.
you have helped to bridge that gap when we speak of the democratic deficit between citizens and the european institutions.
people's involvement with the eu is not just reduced to electing their meps once every five years;
however if citizens face too many obstacles in this process they become discouraged resentful and mistrusting and your office has helped to simplify and streamline that process.
it is a real challenge but as you have shown mr diamandouros a genuine commitment of service to citizens is the necessary solid foundation.
two thousand and one because of their concerns that the conference would be used as a platform for expressions of hatred and intolerance in its most extreme form several member states including my own decided to withdraw from the conference.
we will need in particular to define how we support implementation of the commitments which have been undertaken.
we now need to reflect on the implications for the eu of both the conference itself and the outcome document.
against the background of the economic crisis strong anti racism policies are more important than ever.
regarding the accusation of racism it is hard to find a more ethnically diverse and less racist county than israel which includes arab armenian druze and other minorities in its society.
israel should know that it does have friends in this parliament friends like me who cherish human rights and reject fanaticism.
in iran adulterers homosexuals and juveniles are executed including by stoning to death while in israel gays and lesbians have the full protection of the law.
my suspicion is that ahmadinejad is actually seeking to distract attention from the appalling and abhorrent human rights record of the islamic republic of iran.
madam president iranian president ahmadinejad recently asserted at the un conference on racism in geneva that israel is a racist country. it is tempting to dismiss him as a populist demagogue courting publicity but he has in the past outrageously called for israel to be wiped off the map and israel would undoubtedly be the first target for the nuclear weapon he so much wants to build.
we should therefore see his intervention in the light of his implacable hostility towards the jewish state which is quite rightly in my view the eu's ally and strong partner.
in iran minorities such as christians and bah's are regularly persecuted but in israel minorities are valued and their rights safeguarded.
yet still despite all this evidence many members of this house would sooner criticise our democratic ally israel than denounce a barbaric and potentially catastrophic regime in tehran.
they enjoy democratic rights and a standard of living that are rarely accorded by arab countries to their own citizens.
the image is still strong in my mind of the airlift of ethiopian jews to israel in the one thousand.
religion or belief. we should engage in further discussion in a non confrontational manner but with a strong reaction to unacceptable statements and attempts to use the durban process for the expression of racist ideology.
that we cannot allow the mediterranean to become a vast cemetery.
this is not the first time that we talk about this issue.
it was a very mature response which also talked about the causes and effects of migration.
not perhaps today but let us refresh our vision about what that will mean.
it is after many many oral questions. colleagues we have the tools to do the job of course we do.
so let us remember that president juncker in his opening statement talked about adequate legal migration channels.
in our search and rescue obligations the first part of our oral question which i put to both of you we have moved from mare nostrum to triton the inadequacy of that programme.
i attended the justice and home affairs council in milan and there was clearly no real resettlement policy with real burden sharing across the member states since it was not equal across the member states.
the european commission does its best but if we do not have the member states working together we do not have adequate burden sharing.
how many pieces of directives and laws have we put together?
but the key point and i put this both to the commission and council and particularly to the council is that we do not have implementation of our common asylum system.
how many times have we talked about it?
so let us put that into context.
what i would propose is that we say to the council implement what we have and stop people dying in the mediterranean.
of course we have the tools to do the job.
the purpose of the oral question today is not that the parliament has not done its job we have done our job.
yes we are generous but we are not there amongst the developing countries of the world taking the biggest burden.
but we should also have our inquiry to ensure that pressure is put on the council that we have resources put into an inquiry or an investigation into what is happening so that we can look citizens in the eye and ensure that they know that we as a parliament are doing everything possible to ensure that mediterranean deaths are not happening week in and week out and that we have a managed migration system that is worthy of our parliament.
secondly when we talk about broadening the activities of frontex and triton we have an inadequacy. first we have to ask that question.
then we have development of safe and legal routes.
and that is why we had that powerful moral message earlier today.
it means what his holiness was talking about causes and effects the push and pull factors and a common resettlement policy.
so colleagues yes emergency funds migration and asylum border control fighting smuggling and trafficking eu foreign and development policy what we do about common standards for reception procedures and qualifications all of that is vital.
in the final paragraph of our oral resolution we talk about the common european asylum system.
so we have to be brave and courageous in actually saying what that will mean.
when we talk about the context and we will hear many members talk about the context please remember that despite the austerity that we have the top ten countries receiving refugees today from syria and elsewhere are all among the world's developing countries.
but he also said in a very mature passage that we need a united response to the question of migration based on a recognition of the human dignity of immigrants.
colleagues it is in that spirit that we talk about our oral question today in front of the commissioner and in front of the council.
support office and frontex.
it yet. but something is out of balance
but i can assure you that there is a strong political will.
we have the early warning mechanism and the possibilities offered by article thirty three of the dublin iii regulation.
yesterday. i do realise that it remains a very sensitive issue. on legal migration for obvious demographic and economic reasons europe needs to address labour and skill shortages and address the challenges of an ageing
crisis. under the two thousand and fourteen to two thousand and twenty financial framework member states and schengen associated countries will receive
the eu's response to trafficking in human beings will remain victim centred and human rights based.
instruments. issues such as migration asylum crisis management humanitarian aid development trade democratisation and human rights should be addressed in a comprehensive and
so i do not see an urgent need for major changes to the asylum system in the very near future but this is not ruled out for the medium term after careful consideration. smuggling and trafficking have elements in
protection. it is the most tangible expression of international solidarity with refugees in third countries but also a tool to relieve some of the burden on host
action to reduce the demand that fosters all forms of exploitation whether this is by criminalising employers who use victims or by holding companies liable or individuals who knowingly use victims. smuggling is steadily increasing. we need to increase our response capacity. we need to build a stronger criminal justice response to stop this crime investigating and prosecuting those in charge more severely. the eu plan that we intend to develop to counter migrant smuggling
the commission will closely monitor implementation by the member states and support their efforts. the commission will support the member states in practical cooperation notably through easo.
we also count on the continued engagement of non governmental organisations and international partners such as the united nations high commission for refugees.
this requires an integrated approach covering all areas including foreign and security policy. it requires restoring and building more mutual trust to successfully face these challenges trust between the member states and between the member states and the european union. the sharing of solidarity and responsibility remains the foundation on which the commission and the member states are building a common european migration and asylum system
refugees. the commission intends to address the
to funding. under the development and cooperation instrument the commission is currently implementing initiatives for around eur fifty three million focused on migration and international
mechanism. the commission is already committed to exploring new avenues in particular the possibility of developing a common approach to issuing humanitarian visas to allow those in need to come to europe and apply for
we are confronted with the highest migratory pressure at our external borders since the balkan crisis.
president. finally i turn
some of these tools have already proved their worth. we need to further develop and use all of them as appropriate.
situation. yesterday my services had a first orientation discussion with the member states on a possible allocation or division
all member states must take full ownership of the proper functioning of the system. the full and effective implementation of the common european asylum system is an absolute priority.
the qualification directive and the dublin iii regulation are already in force but the other instruments will only be applied from next july.
coherent way. we must make sure that migration is embedded in all fields of eu external relations including development cooperation and security policy but we also need to be supportive
common but they are two separate criminal offences which required tailored responses.
the council. resettlement is for the time being effectively the only route of legal entry for a person in need of
continent. we will work closely on this with business and social
with common standards and rights for migrants. many tools for solidarity have been developed to put this into practice such as the financial solidarity and supported guidance provided by the relevant agencies the european asylum
protection. this was also discussed during the meeting
last year sweden received twice as many asylum applications as italy. germany received five times as many.
opening new legal routes to europe is not a solution because european societies cannot indefinitely afford this kind of immigration be it legal or illegal.
a message must be sent that risking your life and paying the smugglers is not worth it and will not be rewarded.
despite the risks the sea journey remains a very attractive option for migrants because once you make it to europe it is very likely that you will get a residence permit of some kind and be entitled to family reunification even if you do not meet the criteria for asylum.
we need to address the pull factors the rules concerning secondary protection family reunification and social benefits.
this kind of asylum shopping is against the principles of the dublin mechanism and it undermines the acceptability of the schengen area.
mr president during the first eight months of this year almost one hundred and twenty zero irregular migrants crossed the mediterranean between libya and italy.
mr president. the. so called arab spring the idiotic foreign policy of the british government and others was to support insurgent groups against their oppressive rulers.
unfortunately the liberators turned out to be more savage and tyrannical than those they sought to replace.
the unfortunate inhabitants of these countries now leave in droves by any means that they can.
if we want to have a holistic approach to this problem then it has to recognise the root cause and the root cause is of course a fundamentalist and extremist interpretation of islamic ideology most notably expressed by the so called islamic state.
the countries best placed to tackle the problem and with the money to do so are of course the vastly wealthy oil rich islamic states such as saudi arabia etc.
these are the countries that should take these people because they can afford it.
they share similar cultures and the same religion.
europe must approach immigration with respect for fundamental rights international obligations human dignity and life.
we need to have a sensible and balanced approach.
there is a significant increase year on year in the number of people dying while attempting to make the journey to europe.
this includes looking at the responsibilities of frontex and how we can save those vulnerable and exploited from dying at sea as well as confronting the appalling actions of the human traffickers and smugglers who are so often responsible for their plight.
we need to deal with third countries strongly and effectively to tackle immigration at source and how we can work on resettlement and returns policies with them.
there also needs to be a period of reflection where member states take responsibility for processing efficiently quickly and immediately in the first place of arrival.
we will continue to monitor this very closely.
cooperation. in addition we have made available support under the european development
so the eu is opening up our market much faster and furthermore providing free market access to the african countries involved.
this will also contribute to diversifying the economies of many countries in southern africa that are seeking to broaden production and include a wider range of products and services and it will foster regional integration of markets in southern africa. this is a powerful tool for prosperity stability and growth and all the countries raised this issue with me when i spoke to them in botswana.
in return. we provide for safeguards to make sure that domestic industries are not damaged and we will introduce flexible rules
years. so more specifically i propose to you that the monitoring will be based on three principles transparency objectivity and openness.
agreements. the commission also has other funding possibilities for instance under thematic programmes that support specifically the participation of civil society in partner countries
development issues are of high importance but they also need to be implemented and monitored and that is why i am very grateful for the opportunity of having this debate and answering the questions here tonight.
this right. our partners are very keen to start working together as soon as possible under these premises and we are convinced that the economic partnership and sustainable development can go hand in hand. i am committed to make that happen and i am looking forward to working with you on all these steps.
i believe it is very important that outside stakeholders are involved in the monitoring.
the sadc epa adds only six weeks to this period and that includes the month of november during which south africa exports less than one of its total production.
trade. also the epas provide the structures in which any coherence issue can
imports of oranges or citrus fruit during the eu season from december to may will not be liberalised.
coherence. we have a long track record of making trade a tool for development. this is done by granting preferential market access by providing aid for trade and by addressing any coherence issue that arises and the epa is of course part of
we are talking only about out of season imports and that has been the case since the year two thousand imports of oranges from one june to fifteen october.
in the case of the sadc epa the text requires the parties to undertake the monitoring within their respective participative processes and institutions. the last question was on policy
be addressed. so i think we have a good chance of getting
transparency in the sense that the results of the monitoring will become accessible to all to you of course but also to a wider audience. objectivity in the sense that the monitoring will be neutral systematic and involve independent expertise. open in the sense that the monitoring will involve outside stakeholders.
turning now to the questions that the rapporteur raised on behalf of parliament and the committee on international trade let me assure you first of all that we are obliged to monitor the operation of all the agreements. like other economic partnership agreements this sadc agreement requires monitoring to assure that all the objectives of the epa including those of sustainable development are realised and that the benefits are maximised for all especially the most vulnerable. epas are furthermore anchored in the provisions of the cotonou agreement and that includes sustainable development objectives provisions on labour and environment and very importantly democratic principles and human rights.
well because while negotiating this deal we took full account of the economic and societal differences between the countries involved and that has led us to eliminate much more of our custom duties than we are asking our southern african partners to do.
the duties will remain high there are specific safeguards and we will monitor the process so i am happy to tell you that some of the concerns i have been hearing are not really grounded.
of origin. we will also accompany our trade partners in meeting the commitments on trade and sustainable development in accordance with the provisions in article eleven of the agreement and this includes assistance through eu development
process. in the case of west africa and east africa those epas contain provisions for the civil society dialogue to work in consultation with the epa institutions.
this policy. we give full access to our market but we ask for less
one thing i have to say though is that i am a bit disappointed by the citrus aspect. we have discussed this for a year in our committee and it has never come up.
the agricultural industry in europe is a strong one. it has no threats to face from a rather developing region with few exports.
i think the number of safeguards the number of provisions in the agreement protecting our partner countries is so overwhelming as to make this an agreement that the region can live with.
the car industry lobbies me the chemical industry lobbies me and you do not have to come at the last minute and do exactly what they say.
i think this is what is at stake here.
think of all the agricultural producers whose products are now protected under the geographic indication protection scheme. i have quoted a number of them.
think of the european interest and think of the african interest.
it is not just one industry.
the discussion has been ongoing for a very long time.
i think this is a good agreement.
i come from a chemical region in germany.
i am very happy to hear that the same goes for the development committee because i think they have made a very thorough assessment of the impact on the region.
the issue has not been there.
the epa will only be one instrument to tap into this energy but it will prove pivotal in re anchoring the trade bonds between africa and the european union.
we already as the european parliament voted a resolution on the sadc eu interim epa in march two thousand and nine and our wish list really finds itself in almost all the points in the agreement that we now have.
we believe that the absence of a joint parliamentary committee and a joint consultative committee which exist in the cariforum epa but are not part of the sadc epa text may be felt here unless existing structures can be used.
this epa also contains some of the strongest language on rights and sustainable development available in eu agreements. in sadc the first chapter is devoted to sustainable development which underlines the importance of this aspect to the parties.
the agreement also sets out a review of the agreement to take place every five years.
thirdly due to the asymmetric liberalisation the sadc epa states do not have to fully reciprocate the market opening.
i do not understand the last minute sudden opposition coming from some members in this house.
imports of citrus fruit have previously not been liberalised during the european union's harvesting season and ladies and gentlemen this will remain so under this sadc epa.
secondly the rules of origin have been written in such a way that exports of textiles under preferential rates will become much easier.
thank you very much for your attention and i am looking forward to our debate here.
could the commission elaborate on how any civil society involvement would be financed?
first the epa contains a large number of safeguards meaning that all epa countries can activate these and raise import duties if imports from the eu threaten to disrupt the domestic industry.
new businesses are emerging and african countries are becoming less dependent on commodities.
i hope for your support and thank all the shadows and the commission for the excellent work.
today therefore we as the inta committee and as this parliament would like to know the following points from the commission.
let us remember one thing africa is the growth continent.
instead they can protect sensitive products from liberalisation.
how do we involve civil society more clearly?
the poem spoke about the hope of the people in the south african region that the agreement will offer opportunities that are badly needed.
as most of you know the cotonou agreement called for changes in longstanding non reciprocal trade preferences that had governed the economic and political relationship between the african caribbean and pacific group of states on the one hand and the european union on the other for the last four decades.
let us look back for a moment.
before coming to the details of this economic partnership agreement between the european union and the southern african development community states allow me to share a story with you.
everything started very early already at the end of the one thousand nine hundred and ninety s when the acp countries and the european union came to a common understanding that our trade relations needed a fresh start.
during the signing ceremony that took place in kasane the singer sesame samantha marumo performed a poem that inspired everyone in the room.
ladies and gentlemen dear colleagues i think this shows that our partners in africa know about the potential of the epa. they look forward to the day that the agreement enters into force and it is high time for that to happen.
africa offers something energising.
as chairman lange is not here to speak on behalf of the committee i am taking his role as the author of the oral question on this particular epa.