kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
in line with our principles and our values in the most effective way.
but we will continue to work in that direction and i hope that the next report will manage to be even more analytical and focused than the one we produced today and i would like also to thank you for the work done and the indications of your reports that were somehow
so there is to a certain degree a cautious approach that we needed to take especially when analysing our instruments and especially when they fail i have to say.
personally i would say that we have tried our best we will continue to push in that direction to have a more analytical and substantial report paying attention to the fact that not all details especially on the critical parts could be mentioned in a document that is a public one for the sake of the continuation of the work we are doing because we are talking about peoples' lives.
also when they succeed we probably have to be a little bit careful.
for the work that he is doing with a dedication and an effectiveness that given the situation around the world and inside the european union is really amazing. this is a team work that can only work if each of us manages to do our bit of the job;
sometimes we have failed sometimes we have had results some of them were in this room today.
but also another seventy are in prison because of their political ideas. so we have progress but at the same time there is not enough pressure that we can exert to stop those authoritarian rulers who put people into prison because they criticise them.
we need to do more and there needs to be more coherence between trade and economic instruments and our human rights policies.
we should not have double standards and should not close our eyes to breaches of human rights due to specific economic ties exports of military machinery or geopolitical interests but also our humanitarian and development aid should be used for improving human rights especially in sub saharan africa and
and this is not addressing you but much more the member states who should support you in all your efforts.
we should also continue to advocate for zero tolerance as you say for the death penalty and torture and also to further work towards their universal abolition.
it is the next agenda item of today to recall the obligation of the general assembly when electing the membership of the un human rights council to take into account candidates' respect for the promotion of and protection of human rights the rule of law and democracy.
i believe it is high time we stopped talking about the strong eu voice and start to deliver it.
in contemporary times due you to unbelievable atrocities perpetrated by so called da'esh they face the real challenge of disappearing from the region that once used to be their cradle.
on the other hand in the east we face persisting violence of human rights in annexed crimea as well as ukrainian political prisoners still kept hostage in russian prisons.
and this year in particular there remain serious questions as to how far the eu's refugee policy fully upholds human rights.
but i do not want to bash the european commission on that the needs of the refugees themselves are too important.
nor do i wish to do so on the commission's widely publicised failure to carry out the human rights impact assessment required in the eu vietnam trade negotiations.
but i do ask for an honest reflection of whether this demonstrates a mind set that these assessments may be conducted normally on trade agreements but for their own sake and that they do not truly inform the trade policy which follows.
a serious commitment to human rights merits a serious reflection on that question.
this is a very worrying situation. these resolutions and statements over the last couple of years track and summarise very well a growing collective concern in the european union about the political evolution in bangladesh.
it is now time for the government of bangladesh and democratic political parties together to engage in real dialogue for the country's stability democracy and economic development.
i have spoken already about social economic rights they have to be effectively protected;
it is time to put an end to the arbitrary arrest and harassment of opposition leaders to restore tolerance and to open spaces for public political debate.
it is also essential to ensure the protection and safety of all citizens.
in this context the first european union bangladesh dialogue on migration management was held in dhaka on five april.
the relationship is still growing.
human rights violations and freedom of expression.
achieving this very ambitious target will need the involvement and determination of all bangladeshi citizens and institutions as well as the support of bangladesh international partners.
our relationship has led to results that are mutually beneficial for both sides particularly in trade investment and development.
two thousand and sixteen the most important policy objectives in bangladesh are possibly to become a middle income country by two thousand and twenty one and therefore to continue lifting bangladeshi people out of poverty which i think has to be the first priority.
the worrying political evolution in bangladesh could be very detrimental in this respect and since the controversial january two thousand and fourteen elections boycotted by the opposition and criticised by the international community the political human rights and security situation in the country has unfortunately steadily deteriorated. the resolutions on bangladesh adopted by the european parliament in the last two years cover these two thousand and fourteen elections
the eu and bangladesh continue addressing together new challenges such as contributing to the sustainability of the bangladesh ready made garment industry a very important topic i think through the sustainability compact and more recently addressing comprehensively migration and mobility.
we think it is important that an overall new social and political consensus will need to be built in bangladesh for democracy human rights freedom of expression and political liberties to be fully restored promoted and protected in the country.
it is also time to ensure freedom of expression as a fundamental human right and to promote respect.
we will continue to follow closely the situation and address our concerns at our regular dialogue with the government of bangladesh.
high representative federica mogherini her spokespersons and the european union heads of mission have also issued statements on these and other issues such as the death penalty and the recent brutal killings even yesterday of independent thinkers and activists.
especially the brutal murders and horrifying attacks on citizens must cease and of course investigations into these killings need to take place and those responsible have to be brought to justice.
attacking a range of people as we have heard from a shopkeeper to gay rights activists and indeed the murder recently of mahmuda akter the wife of an anti terrorist police officer. it is certainly time for very strong signals from the government that society is not going to be divided.
we really should be upholding the work of human rights defenders such as the organisation odhikar' and indeed press freedom. we are seeing far too many journalists going to jail.
we really need to be supporting the government in its efforts but making sure but that it also acts in the best interests of all bangladeshis.
i think we should be pleased to see the statement from one hundred zero clerics and their fatwa for peace which will be fully published on eighteen june. two thousand and sixteen but a strong civil society is absolutely essential and to provide grassroots resilience and a sense of community rather than seeing as we sometimes feel at the moment that the government sees those grassroots as a problem.
we also need to see effective policing and a judicial system where people really do feel that there is equality before the law.
on an issue where all other powers china india and the united states have failed to raise any alarm the eu needs to put pressure on the bangladeshi government to respect the fundamental principles of democracy those of free and fair elections the right to political opposition and the responsibility of a government to protect its citizens from violence.
also five different islamist extremist attacks in the past year have been targeting minorities activists and intellectuals.
no one has been punished for any of these crimes; instead hasina blames the bnp for the attacks giving justification for further persecuting and discrediting them in the name of national security.
two thousand and eighteen this continues an already authoritarian course of eliminating any opposition via banning political parties and changing laws that normally guarantee the integrity of elections.
the pace of outrageous incidents still increases and as recently as today a hindu priest was hacked to death.
it is widely believed that violent islamist terror militia are behind these despicable acts and clearly liberal voices and religious minorities are the targets.
and not as just or as impactful as a fair trial to bring people to justice.
you rightfully pointed out the important ties and the relations we have in the form of trade and development.
so i wanted to ask you minister why we have not seen more statements or could you share more about the actual steps that eu leaders and the external action service and high representative mogherini have taken in reaching out to the bangladeshi authorities?
we leveraged it before when factories collapsed and we should leverage it again with stronger words offering assistance to tackle terrorism but in an appropriate manner.
what will be the real consequences if there is a lack of adequate response to these outrageous murders?
too many innocent victims have been killed and the debate today is long overdue.
given the long list of many people killed by islamist militia since two thousand and thirteen it is surprising and actually quite disappointing that eu leadership has not been stronger and that we have not been more vocal.
our thoughts go out to the victims and their families and loved ones.
it is important that the government does all it can to prevent more horrendous bloodshed and while we see that the authorities have launched new actions against terrorist groups concerns remain that more could have been done to protect people and also that point blank killings of suspects are not a proportionate and adequate response
only today was the body of a hindu priest found near to his temple the killing clearly motivated by his religion.
bangladesh as one of the poorest countries in the world does not enjoy the luxuries of established and properly trained and sophisticated security services as we do here in the west.
its championing of religious tolerance freedom of expression women's rights and education are values that we would recognise and celebrate here in europe. such values are however threatened in bangladesh right now but not by the government as some in this chamber will seek to argue this evening but by islamist extremists.
he joins the many others that have been murdered in similar attacks academics gay rights activists secular bloggers and journalists as well as other individuals from religious minorities such as christian buddhist or ahmadi.
mr president bangladesh is a secular south asian democracy and it is a political model that i strongly support.
i urge tonight the opposition party the bmp to end and denounce its links with them so that it can fulfil its proper secular democratic role in opposition.
it is also important that we work on countering first of all the issues that are behind this including projects to counter violent extremism and to assist in deradicalisation.
i think these are important points.
the most brutal murders included a student a professor two lgtbi activists a policeman and a security guard a hindu tailor the wife of a police officer a christian grocer and a buddhist monk.
second the structural integrity of factory buildings and occupational safety and health;
we must also see where we can assist because this is a major
on the one hand it has made some progress in reaching the sustainable development goals which is actually amazing.
if you look at the rise of civil society in bangladesh we have seen that through very important progress made through civil society in cooperation with the government enrolment in primary education is now close to.
let me say a few words about the input that you have brought to the debate tonight.
in terms of environmental issues it is the most vulnerable country in the world. it is the most densely populated country in the world and it is a country that has different aspects.
we recognise the progress made by bangladesh but of course and i think that was correctly mentioned the need is there for the government to facilitate trade unions' registration to upgrade the directorate of labour with additional staff and resources and to ensure that the legal framework is also applicable in the export processing zones protecting freedom of association and collective bargaining.
first of all i think the shrinking space for the democratic and secular opposition comes at a par with all the issues that you have mentioned the multiplication of terrorist attacks targeting bloggers religious minorities including christians i would say foreigners and law enforcement officers.
there was one question on sanctions.
first respect for labour rights in particular freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining;
it is also important that our delegations reach out not only through projects in these areas but also in the bilateral meeting at the asem summit to the government of bangladesh on these very disturbing developments.
i would like to support all of you who have said that this is not only a compact that should remain on paper but needs operationalisation and implementation as well as the responsiblisation of the business sector in order to ensure that it actually works.
daesh and alqaeda claimed many of these attacks yet bangladeshi authorities systematically refuse to acknowledge their presence opting to use these atrocious killings for electoral purposes instead of protecting activists and vulnerable groups like lgbti.
we need to do the following set up projects to counter violent extremism with india as a bridgehead which will help us gain a foothold and stop the country from becoming a regional stronghold for terrorism.
i call upon the high representative to take a lead in the un on further steps implementing sanctions against those responsible for abusive policies on all sides and supporting an internationallysupervised judicial mechanism to ensure justice is served.
there seems to be no clear end to the tragic news. these brutal attacks have not only targeted anyone opposing mainstream views but have seriously infringed freedom of expression in the country.
while we must do our utmost not to meddle in the affairs of sovereign nations we have a responsibility to condemn violence while encouraging and fostering political dialogue.
to this end the only viable way for bangladesh to get itself back on track is for the country's leading political parties to show real leadership to get the country out of this impasse.
one cannot ignore the toxic effect of the ruling coalition's blatant electoral manoeuvring in the run up to the previous elections. it created a climate of great institutional mistrust and has only added fuel to the fire of violence that we are witnessing now.
on the other hand the opposition would do well to distance itself from extremist groups developing real policies for their countries instead.
with regard to the issue of competitiveness i would like to emphasise that enhancing competitiveness is one of the main objectives of the relations between the eu and the octs and as such all activities undertaken in the context of the association decision shall contribute to this end.
in that respect i would like to stress one substantial change that can be pointed out in comparison with the two thousand and one overseas association decision and which concerns the inclusion of a fully fledged chapter on environment climate change and disaster risk reduction.
while based on the general system of preferences model the rules of origin proposed go further by simplifying origin certification for small consignments adapting cumulation of origin with other eu trade partners and last but not least by allowing octs to derogate.
in terms of procedures the new rules introduce from two thousand and seventeen origin certification by registered exporters also known as self certification.
however the overseas association decision proposal cannot foreground the provisions of instrument specific regulations as this would constitute a breach of the legal order.
these will be designed following consultation with the octs and the four member states concerned in the commission regulation complementing the overseas association decision regarding financial assistance provided under the eleventh european development fund and the programming guidelines.
of course regional cooperation can take different forms exchange of information and best practices being one of them and support for regional or international projects programmes and organisations another. to this end the proposed overseas association decision includes a provision for the definition of rules and conditions to ensure better articulation between financial instruments and partners within the same geographic region.
the commission's proposal contains provisions to allow for the eligibility of octs in all union programmes and instruments under certain conditions.
in the past octs and the eu have cooperated on issues related to employment education health and social policy.
mr president i would like to thank mr tirolien once again for this report and for welcoming the commission's proposal. in preparing this the commission has listened to the comments and suggestions from all sides and the final text demonstrates the commission's unwavering commitment to assisting octs in their efforts to achieve sustainable economic and social development. the overseas association
health issues notably the spread of communicable diseases are also of concern to octs hence the inclusion of provisions relative to these issues in a general chapter covering social issues and which also includes employment and social policy.
we reaffirm our commitment to facilitate the active participation of octs in horizontal programmes.
decision proposal takes into account not only the multitude of challenges with which the overseas territories and countries are confronted but also their particular advantages and future opportunities.
given the importance and success of this cooperation these themes have been maintained in the legislative proposal.
the commission shares the concern expressed by parliament regarding the need for simple and effective rules and procedures concerning programming and the implementation of financial assistance.
regarding trade and the rules of origin the overseas association decision proposal constitutes a significant step towards improving the conditions for octs.
the european union wishes to support octs that seek to develop closer relations with their neighbours and to address joint challenges.
moreover in terms of substance the new rules simplify the product specific rules including for fisheries products.
on regional cooperation the commission concurs with the views expressed in the resolution. that is why this question is already accommodated in the text of the proposal.
rather than limiting competitiveness to specific parts of the decision we consider that to be a cross cutting issue.
this recast regulation is essentially about bans and restrictions on the production import export placing on the market use recovery recycling reclamation and destruction of these ozone depleting substances.
the ozone layer is one of the two layers of the atmosphere that protect life on earth.
two thousand and seven these will now be incorporated in this recast regulation to accelerate the phase out of ozone depleting substances and to further limit exempted uses of these substances.
responsible business conduct is really important.
this is a debate that is ongoing around the world.
if i was unclear in my introduction all the member states support this it is not a commission driven idea it has the support of the member states.
there was discussion before that and also in other parts of the world there has been discussion of this.
there is the human rights working group in the united nations and we are following that.
issues related to tax evasion are important mr marias but they will not be discussed in the multilateral investment court.
that is why it takes a little time to get everything right because we do not want to impose a system that is european we want to listen to our colleagues from other regions as well.
we are looking at setting up a group of friends who could start the process and start looking into more details of this.
mr lange kindly added some extra questions to the written questions so i will try to answer them and then we can come back to it in the debate.
finally it is still too early to say whether the multilateral investment court would be a stand alone institution which is one possibility or docked into another.
another question that was asked was about our current thinking on the relationship between the multilateral investment court and the domestic courts and how that will be governed in the investment treaties under the multilateral investment court jurisdiction.
you can see it so you will know what we are talking about and we are looking forward to the swift adoption by the council of the authorisation and directives. but we still have no indication of when this will come. on the other question the idea that the multilateral investment court would replace any isds mechanism included in the investment treaties;
we consider them from the commission side as contrary to eu law and member states have to deal with this issue.
this is why a multilateral investment court could be the optimal reform of the system. the council and its member states have broadly welcomed this and they have expressed political support. the commission adopted a recommendation for a council decision on thirteen september authorising the opening of negotiations for a convention establishing the multilateral court.
in order to respond to these concerns we have been working on the initiative to create a permanent multilateral investment court.
on the final question it is intended that discussions and future negotiations on the court should focus only on procedural issues. matters such as counter claims and compliance with other international obligations will in principle be addressed in the underlying investment treaties to be applied by the multilateral investment court. if such treaties allow for the possibility of bringing counter claims the new court should also be able to hear those claims against investors.
this would ensure a higher degree of legitimacy consistency and reliability.
so these are our priorities for the international negotiations.
they will have to be outside this reform initiative.
however in different countries we are discussing with their different traditions so we will have to see how we can find a way forward as part of the negotiations.
our approach included in our eu agreement will be to encourage recourse to domestic courts prior to initiating international dispute settlement.
we have examined different options in our impact assessment ranging from the reform of the existing rules or renegotiation of each investment treaty to the establishment of an appeal body but these alternatives do not really fully address the totality of the concerns identified by us and also raised by this house and many others.
so they are also looking at how to reform the system.
there are different views on this and options are on the table.
we have discussed this numerous times.