kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
we will gather the international community the regional players around three objectives. first to renew our humanitarian support to the people of syria both inside syria and in the neighbouring countries.
after some encouraging signs of de escalation in the second half of last year we have been warning as the european union last month about the risks of a new escalation and we have tried to prevent it mainly with our work in the security council of the united nations that led to the adoption of the security council resolution.
we can only keep working together with the united nations to achieve what has not been achieved so far a political solution in geneva as the foundation of a just and lasting peace.
in eastern ghouta we have witnessed the intentional bombing of civilians and medical facilities and snipers shooting at those who are trying to flee.
i welcome the un investigation into these crimes to bring those responsible to justice.
bombs continue to rain down with impunity on homes schools and hospitals and the evacuation of the wounded remains impeded.
my hope is that the upcoming conference on the future of syria will be an opportunity to mobilise international support for a un led political solution.
we call on all parties to fully implement the un resolution urging the syrian government to abide by international humanitarian law and immediately allow the safe delivery of humanitarian aid across the country.
more than two million people half of them children are living under siege and have been prevented from receiving a single aid convoy of vital food and medicine. all these actions are a breach of international humanitarian law.
there is a complete disregard for civilian lives.
further comments from russia suggesting that it would retaliate against the us directly in the event of any attacks against the assad regime must be a cause for the gravest of alarms.
the dismissal today of one of the most sensible voices in the us administration by president trump that is us secretary of state rex tillerson is also of grave concern for what's going on in the world.
i note her warnings that if a solution cannot be imposed by the un then the us may be forced to take action independently.
as tensions between the uk and russia increase following the recent assassination attempt of a former russian spy on british soil such high stakes diplomacy come at the worst possible time.
the us is right to push for a new resolution closing loopholes that allow attacks on terrorists by russia and assad.
so my questions to you high representative are how are you preparing the ground for a unified eu position that increases pressure on russia?
the eu is the largest humanitarian donor in this conflict and has leverage.
which will aim at supporting the un led geneva process focusing on humanitarian support to syrians inside and outside syria.
i can only underline what the high representative vicepresident stated.
dear federica mogherini we all sincerely hope that you will succeed in keeping the attention and response to the syrian crisis at the top of the international agenda.
full implementation would ensure the delivery of immediate safe unimpeded and sustained humanitarian assistance. full implementation would ensure the evacuation of the critically sick and wounded and full implementation would ensure that the suffering of the syrian people would be brought closer to an end. i welcome the euhosted second brussels conference in april
the european union despite all the difficulties must continue to push strongly for a political solution of the conflict to end the appalling atrocities.
the syrian people have suffered for seven long years.
we have seen for decades now the suffering caused by your failures both at home and abroad. what will it take for you to wake up and change direction?
let's look at how we can speak honestly with every nation and look for solutions without choosing sides for military adventurism.
a matter of days ago the unhcr found a four yearold wandering the desert trying to escape but today he was stunned and silent no longer even putting that question anymore.
then that very same state russia is poisoning the minds of europeans against those fleeing syrians when they come here seeking refuge.
what is happening today in syria is nothing but a stain on the conscience of humanity and the international community's inability to face the perpetrators within a un framework is paid for in the blood of syrians.
high representative you face an impossible situation and yet today in this very house we hear voices that are sympathetic to the russian line.
and again we have seen children choke on sarin and mustard gas. and again people reduced to red lines crossed.
and again we hear how these people were actually terrorists and therefore legitimate targets for assad putin and iran's revolutionary guards.
and again we hear there is no military solution as bombs create realities on the ground. and again vetoes for un security council resolutions.
and again a blank statement from the un out of words.
representative mogherini and colleagues are you not also getting sick of this debate again and again and again?
the toxic cynical and bloody cycle that is the war in syria must stop.
it is not too late for us in the eu to play a more effective and meaningful role towards peace justice and accountability for syrians.
such is the extent of the problem that it was no surprise to me today when i picked up a leading newspaper in the united kingdom and the headline was frozen to death as fuel bills soar'.
well yes it is but my argument is that whilst we should have a strategy in order to deal with the homeless situation and those people affected by the severe weather who are homeless we must equally have a measure in place to deal with those people who could find themselves in a situation of homelessness through not being able to afford a place to live in view of the current pressures that they have financially.
we currently have approximately three million people who have no fixed abode in europe.
mr daul quotes a figure in excess of six hundred over the past few weeks.
commissioner barnier talks about the restricted role of this house.
yes it is right we must firm up the role of our member states and we must ensure that there is coordination and sharing of best practice.
this is a matter of real and great shame for all of us.
we are finding right across the european union that redundancies are rising and repossessions are rising. i have a figure of two hundred and thirty three homeless people dead within the last seven days.
i find that in my own member state the united kingdom hypothermia cases amongst the elderly have doubled in the last five years.
some may argue that this is about homeless people.
we have seen the introduction of denied boarding compensation although we know there are still issues to resolve with that.
in fact i believe we have covered most of the bases when it comes to consumer protection in aviation but there is clearly a loophole here that needs to be closed.
particularly for those people who find themselves victims of an airline insolvency.
in this question we have also floated the idea of establishing a reserve compensation fund but this must not be seen as a demand on our part or by the commission.
two thousand and in the sad but likely event that some more may follow in this tough economic climate we believe it is imperative that we use this question tonight to at least open up the debate now about how we can best protect consumers and air travellers in the european union.
these were passengers who had booked online through their own accounts a practice that has been increasing over many years.
it is not an isolated case.
we also had the problem that many of those people were told that compensation or even refunds would not be possible as they had not purchased their ticket with a credit card or booked through a travel agent.
they are normally from those families who spend their savings on a family holiday only to see their hard earned money go down the drain through little fault of their own.
if you book a charter with a holiday company you are covered by the package travel directive.
we merely wish to open up the debate as to what mechanisms might be possible to help us best solve this problem so the idea of the question is to start the dialogue with the commission in the hope that we can close this loophole and find a solution to what is a serious problem
i look forward to working with the commission to try and find a solution to this problem with my committee and to hearing the views of the other members.
here in the european union and the european parliament we should be proud of our record on passenger rights.
we have seen the introduction of rights to assistance and tougher laws on ticket pricing transparency as well as tough compensation measures in the package travel directive.
the commission reminded its catering contractors of their duty to fulfil contractual obligations and tighten controls on fish product labelling in its canteens.
i have to clarify also that the commission is in no way trying to underplay the results published by oceana although i insist that we have more accurate studies and reports which unfortunately no one is referring to.
first i would like to repeat that this discussion about mislabelling only covers a specific item of consumer information that is to say the name of the food and the risk of species substitution.
in fact member states must ensure traceability in restaurants particularly under the framework of the cmo regulation.
the control regulation provides for a sound enforcement of the traceability requirements by the member states which shall ensure that appropriate measures are systematically taken including administrative action or even criminal proceedings in conformity with their national law against natural
no study puts into question the consumer information requirements established by eu legislation.
the results of one study should not be generalised especially if we have other broader studies published during the same period which indicate that significant progress has been made.
so taking into account all these elements and the relevant eu and national laws the commission is of the view that the actual level of mislabelling is much lower than the figure published by oceana.
mislabelling particularly in the case of fish substitution does not always result from an intention to commit fraud.
this feasibility report is based on an external study as well as on a public consultation and interviews of stakeholders.
in cooperation with twenty seven member states and two efta countries we recently completed a coordinated control plan for white fish.
but please be aware that an eu wide eco label would not necessarily strengthen traceability.
six just a couple of weeks before the publication of the results of the coordinated control plan the eu funded label fish was also completed and this finding made public.
funding has already been made available through the european maritime and fisheries fund to support the development purchase and installation of components to ensure the traceability of fisheries and aquaculture products and also to support the implementation of a union control inspection and enforcement system.
possibly deficiencies are being addressed through appropriate means. moreover the commission has started a project on compliance and control of labelling and traceability.
only extensive controls by member states can avoid misconduct of operators and more generally reduce mislabelling.
the commission's joint research centre is actively working in this field and the experience gained in conducting the eu coordinated control plan for fishery products will be very useful. concerning the potential of eco labels i note that you consider these as one among possible solutions to avoid mislabelling
it analyses various options.
the commission has also been proactive in the fight against mislabelling and fish substitution.
the motion for a resolution linked to this oral question identifies the key issues and the commission shares with you the sentiment that we still have to do more. but we must act on the basis of evidence rather than on the basis of emotions.
so we must be careful of the evidence we use but having said that this is an excellent opportunity to make the point that we need a proper understanding of traceability.
concerning the study reference it must be stressed that its authors do not take into account the applicable legislation in its findings.
it emphasised the challenges in monitoring every step of the complex global food chain supply.
i hope not because it is important that we secure sustainable sources and that these sustainable sources provide the proper legal labelling.
the importance of traceability through all stages of production processing and distribution rose on the public and political agenda. do we need to repeat this scandal again before we draw certain conclusions?
not only does it threaten the bottom line of honest fishers and seafood traders it also undermines the objectives of the cfp the progress made by the sustainable fisheries and it can allow illegal and unregulated fishing practices to go undetected.
and i believe we all remember what happened in two thousand and thirteen with the horsemeat scandal which shocked the european food industry.
we are the champions of pledging worldwide but we are maybe the last in the ranking when it comes to paying.
then concerning the refugees there are five countries which have taken refugees from italy and greece not more than that.
implement what we have pledged.
i happen to know and i gave the figure a few minutes ago that the estimation is that there are between twelve and fifteen million refugees in africa between twelve and fifteen million!
we have to take our own responsibilities.
what is taking shape is a regime for holding back refugees making african countries a buffer zone making them responsible not only for holding but even for stopping refugees.
a colleague spoke about it earlier. my party does not share this decision this is not the way forward. it is not the way forward for sweden and it is certainly not the way forward for europe.
but also we also have to strengthen our capacity to receive the people seeking protection and to share this responsibility.
where is your priority list heading?
this is not the way forward.
and so my question is very honest here why are the council and the commission not putting all and i mean all their efforts into this point?
it should not be to outsource our borders it should be to receive refugees in a dignified way and to share that responsibility.
we need to build a partnership with africa because our partnership with africa is not limited to migration or the management of refugee flows.
for now. i have just seen that the scheduled time for the debate is two hours and forty minutes and as we are late i am afraid i will have to leave you before the end of the
there are more migrants and refugees on the move within africa itself than from africa to europe and we are together in this in africa and in europe.
we must finally put in place a mechanism for human mobility fit for the twenty first century a mechanism that stems irregular migration and the exploitation of human suffering including through return and readmission agreements but also a mechanism that allows effective legal mobility to the benefit of both countries of origin and countries of destination and their societies.
we have to develop useful and effective tools and we have to allocate resources to have those tools effectively implemented. it is a partnership.
but again we have security on our table we have climate change on our table;
banks. this is important to ensure that taxpayers do not have to bear the burden of global financial stability in the
you will understand better than i how relevant this meeting will be at this particular moment to send a message of unity across the mediterranean across our cultures across our societies standing together in front of the many challenges we have migration wise but also security wise. so i apologise if i am not here to respond to your observations but i will be here most of the time to listen to them very carefully.
three protection and asylum;
this includes more cooperation from our african friends on readmissions as well as on the capacity of host countries and host communities to reintegrate returnees.
time. this is the challenge of our generation and the cooperation of this parliament and of europe as a whole will be crucial to its success.
we are trying to build a stronger partnership with africa a partnership that is fit for the huge challenges ahead.
well. the statement also underlines the need to address the root causes of these unprecedented refugee flows i stress again all over the world.
this complements our efforts under the european plan for investment and the capital markets
we identified within those clusters nearly ninety individual broad actions that we will implement before the end of.
and five return readmission and reintegration.
we also need to look beyond
the overall focus was on the continued but uneven global recovery.
it will only weaken our international standing and our credibility. the current migratory and refugee crisis has sparked strong emotions in recent months including in europe good ones and bad ones compassion as well as fear. but our duty as politicians is to act
strategy and the new trade strategy.
in this respect i have engaged in these months in high level meetings with african partners from countries of origin and transit and also themselves of destination. i can quote some numbers that are really impressive.
the g twenty leaders have unanimously condemned these terrorist acts and pledged to increase their cooperation in the fight against terrorism. as you know and as was mentioned a separate statement was adopted on this
together not one before the other.
that. the refugee crisis was also part of the discussion at the g twenty summit in antalya as was mentioned.
it must happen legally and safely not by turning the mediterranean and the sahara into mass graves.
the right approach the approach we suggested to our african friends is to develop common instruments and the related means including financial ones to effectively manage together a complex phenomenon that concerns both europeans and africans.
it will finance job opportunities especially for young people and women.
we have a proper political and not only political partnership that includes plenty of other issues one in which migration management is one of the pieces of the puzzle that brings us together with
they undertook specifically to tackle the financing channels for terrorism and foreign terrorist fighters which we know very well is going to be key if we really want to put an end to
i will stop
to do so as the presidency just reminded us we focused on five clusters of actions in malta.
valletta was a first
this is the basis of our partnership. building walls on our frontiers is no solution and it definitely is not an option in the middle of the sea.
mobility can benefit both europe and africa.
eur. one eight billion into it and member states have started to top up that figure and i encourage them to continue to do so consistently and i underline consistently.
this. let me also address briefly the economic and financial outcomes of the summit.
profits. leaders adopted the g twenty oecd based erosion and profit shifting package of measures including mandatory exchange of tax rulings to counter harmful tax practices.
this is the core message of valletta and the basis of our partnership of our common work with our african friends.
in the long run migration will only be manageable if we favour africa's growth and stability.
them. on all of these issues and especially on security but mainly on migration which is the issue of today's debate we can only deal with these different challenges together.
it will not stop migration;
new country specific investment strategies were adopted to improve the investment climate and policy recommendations on small and medium enterprises financing.
but i think our discussion has helped us a lot as we managed to find common ground and an understanding on all the most relevant issues.
i have done so in ethiopia in niger in north africa all of their countries and last week again in chad where let me say with a certain pride for the first time the european union was invited to the g five sahel summit just one week after the malta summit which is i believe testimony to the fact that the political partnership among us is strong and is getting stronger.
issue. they also stressed the importance of a comprehensive approach to countering terrorism founded on relevant un security council resolutions and the un global counter terrorism strategy.
but in malta we actually signed the starting point of this trust fund which is an additional tool to tackle the root causes of poverty and irregular migration.
market. g twenty leaders reaffirmed the objective to lift the g twenty collective gross domestic product by an additional two by. two thousand and eighteen updated national growth strategies were set out in the antalya action plan which endorses several european initiatives including the investment plan the single market
the conversation especially the preparation of the summit has not been easy at times.
the european union called on the g twenty to contribute to a coherent international response to the crisis in the spirit of international solidarity.
our approach to our african partners is not about putting money on the table and asking for readmission in exchange.
let me be very clear on this while we focus on the challenge of migration we have to keep in mind that we have plenty of other common issues.
union. the g twenty agreed on a loss absorbing capacity standard for global systemically important
two thousand and sixteen let me be completely sincere with you today;
this is the reason why we agreed to implement in parallel the actions of all five clusters;
one. they agreed to support efforts to protect and assist refugees including through increased humanitarian aid and resettlement and to improve the capabilities of international organisations which is key for us as
also because again and i stress this our partnership with african countries is not limited to institutions at governmental level.
the euro area was not in the spotlight thanks to the progress we have made on our own economic policy strategy. the summit focused on developing economies stressing the risks that raising inequalities posed to economic
it is not about using development aid as a bargaining chip in our negotiations on migration management.
it is part of a much bigger picture.
the first message that we shared in malta was this migration and refugee flows are a phenomenon that concerns both europe and africa as we are all at the same time countries of origin countries of transit and countries of destination in europe and in africa.
rationally.
in the current crisis governing migration is among the interests we share europeans and africans alike.
debate. i have asked commissioner stylianides to be here for the reply as i will have to join all my colleagues not only from the european side but also from the mediterranean side as tomorrow we will celebrate together the twentieth anniversary of the union for the mediterranean.
one addressing root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement; two legal migration and mobility;
yes there is a strong link between how we invest our development money and how we manage migration.
at the same time we have started to draw up a new system to discourage irregular flows and develop dialogues on legal mobility.
step. we have started building trust between us and also rational solutions that can stand the test of
i reject this idea put forward by people like president juncker that terrorism is a risk we must live with to uphold the eu's ideals of freedom of movement.
the migrant crisis has put the well being of migrants ahead of the safety of its citizens by making us vulnerable to attack in our towns and cities.
what is this if it is not a direct link between uncontrolled immigration and terrorism?