kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
secondly let me reflect for a moment on the nature of the rule of law why is it so important?
if you accept my premise that the independence of the judiciary is an essential part of respect for the rule of law how is it that in poland the executive can choose whether it wants to publish the rulings of the highest court in the land according to whether it likes the rulings or not?
but let us remind ourselves of the beauty of the victory of democracy and the rule of law against oppression and communism and let us not forget that this is the true true achievement of our common european dream.
the issues at stake go to the heart of our commitment to this union.
vice president timmermans will update us on the ongoing process and on his contacts with the polish authorities following the recommendation issued by the commission on twenty seven july two thousand and sixteen and i look forward to hearing from him.
the rule of law and the separation of powers are at the heart of the european union and also of the wider european continent.
in this context i would like to mention three elements.
it is in that light that the report of the council of europe's secretary general is an important contribution.
let me start by saying that the presidency and indeed all of us agree that the protection of the rule of law democracy and fundamental rights in our union are of crucial importance.
it should be our joint commitment member states and the eu institutions together to ensure that these principles consistently remain a central part of our action.
in june the council stressed the importance of applying the charter of fundamental rights as a part of the wider set of applicable fundamental rights sources in the national context.
as the presidency said here in january both the independence of tribunals and freedom and pluralism of media are indispensable elements in ensuring the rule of law in a democratic society.
as we all know the european union is currently facing multiple interrelated crises.
today's debate relates to the follow up to the dialogue established between the polish authorities and the commission concerning in particular the position of the constitutional tribunal and the governance of public media.
the commitment to protecting and promoting human rights is a constant challenge requiring unwavering attention and effort across the full range of policy areas. this is not the time to be complacent about the protection of fundamental rights.
fundamental rights need to be upheld and defended as our best guarantee for sustainable open and free societies.
those challenges test our core values in different ways including in respect of fundamental rights be it in the area of migration or internal security.
our strongest partner equally engaged in the promotion protection and development of human rights and the rule of law is the council of europe.
also this year's rule of law dialogue in the council focuses on fundamental values in the context of the integration of third country nationals.
secondly the same applies to the report by the council of europe commissioner for human rights published in june two thousand and sixteen following his visit to poland and taking into account the comments of the polish authorities.
the council is aware of the situation and of the fact that the polish authorities are in constant contact with both the venice commission and the european commission. together they are working on finding a solution to the issues raised.
a functioning constitutional review procedure is also essential for ensuring full respect for the constitution by other important laws in a wide range of areas which have been adopted by the polish parliament.
since our recommendation there have been a number of further developments which i would like to mention.
i would like to echo what was said by the representative of the council.
that said the commission stands ready to continue the constructive dialogue with the polish authorities in order to find solutions to the issues raised.
secondly the publication of all judgments of the tribunal which should be automatic and should not depend on any decision of the executive or legislature;
however the polish government refuses to recognise the validity of the judgment and to publish it in the official journal.
despite certain improvements major concerns remained as regards the composition of the constitutional tribunal the publication of judgments and the effectiveness of constitutional review by the tribunal.
as you know the dispute concerning the composition and functioning of the constitutional tribunal led the commission in january to open a dialogue with the polish government under the rule of law framework. we decided to do so because the rule of law is one of the fundamental values on which our union is founded as enshrined in article two of the treaty.
i would like to thank parliament for the strong support for this position which is expressed in the resolution adopted in april.
respect for the rule of law is also a prerequisite for upholding the full spectrum of eu law including the proper functioning of the internal market and for mutual trust throughout the union.
very similar concerns were expressed in an opinion of the council of europe venice commission last march an opinion i might add that it issued at the explicit request of the polish government. since then extensive exchanges at various levels have taken place between the commission and the polish government.
today i would like to talk about what has happened since and what action the commission has taken.
following the opinion in july the polish parliament adopted a new law on the constitutional tribunal.
for this reason on twenty seven july the commission adopted a rule of law recommendation setting out its remaining concerns and recommending how these could be addressed.
the recommendation identifies three main issues firstly the composition of the constitutional tribunal as the three judges lawfully elected in october by the previous legislator have still not been able to take up their function;
in particular on eleven august the constitutional tribunal rendered a judgment holding that a number of provisions of the new law on the constitutional tribunal are unconstitutional.
to conclude i would like to thank parliament for its continuous efforts to uphold the rule of law in the eu and for supporting the commission's actions concerning the situation in poland.
moreover while the polish government has published a number of other judgments rendered by the tribunal it still refuses to publish the judgment of nine march annulling the constitutional tribunal act adopted last december.
and thirdly the effectiveness of the functioning of the tribunal which should not be undermined by the new law on the constitutional tribunal or by any other legislative reform.
the commission asked the polish authorities to address the remaining concerns within three months from the adoption of the resolution.
what this is about and i will quote the council presidency pay attention because i rarely ever quote the council presidency who said that the issues at stake go to the heart of our commitment to the union'.
this is big.
this goes right to the heart of what the european union is all about about the rule of law about fundamental rights and about democracy.
in this sense i would give full support to the initiative of commissioner timmermans.
however i would like to make one remark because i think that the current situation shows the limits and weaknesses of the toolkit that we have to protect and promote democracy the rule of law and fundamental rights.
i am glad that in this house we are jointly working on a mechanism that will monitor and evaluate all the member states because i think that we should move beyond the situation in which there are accusations of countries being singled out or of interventions being politically motivated.
you know we are not in government so we have absolutely no issue here and no interest.
but i think it is very important that the european union provides itself with a toolkit that will allow us to promote protect and uphold democracy the rule of law and fundamental rights.
in order to ensure that the legal framework is properly applied from its entry into application in may two thousand and eighteen the commission's focus is to work with member states with the data protection authorities as well as with businesses and civil society to ensure that the rules are well understood and that they will be applied in a uniform way all over the european union.
as regards law enforcement the data protection police directive stresses that where decisions with legal effects are taken on individuals they are given the right to obtain human intervention.
in the near future most economic activity will depend on data but if data cannot move freely our growth potential is limited.
the more we have data availability and the more data is used the better the data economy will develop.
furthermore the commission looks forward to the discussions and adoption of the e privacy regulation which will increase trust in electronic communications services trust and protection which must go hand in hand.
finally the commission is currently looking at how to ensure the free flow of non personal data across sectors and across borders within the eu.
this is a shared concern across the world and as politicians we have to remain vigilant on all these aspects.
the new rules also require that an appropriate level of security for personal data processing is ensured depending on the risks and type of processing. and this is also a fundamental data protection principle.
this helps businesses to develop new methods for security and protection of personal data. for the use of big data analytics anonymisation and pseudonymisation are very important.
for example the regulation reinforces the tools allowing people to keep control over the use of their personal data.
big data needs a high level of personal data protection and strong security.
mr president honourable members today's debate on big data and its fundamental rights implications in particular on data protection non discrimination and law enforcement is very timely and important.
as with any major technological development there are significant challenges that we must deal with.
we are facing a new technological revolution driven by big data artificial intelligence and robotics.
big data and artificial intelligence holds huge potential for our strong industrial base and for the public sector and can help solve societal challenges whether it is better health care combating climate change and protecting the environment more efficient transport agricultural productivity and the list can go on.
in this regard the eu data protection reform the parliament and council adopted last year sets the highest data protection standards in the world.
it will be easier for citizens to obtain the rectification or deletion of personal data.
we will also develop awareness raising activities for citizens.
the regulation also introduces the right to portability and clarifies the notions of consent profiling and transparency. data protection by design and data protection by default become essential principles.
overall cyber security is also important to ensure confidence and the eu network and information security directive is also due for implementation next year.
the communication entitled building a european data economy was adopted on ten january this year and an online public consultation has been launched and is running until twenty six april.
the communication looks at unjustified data location restrictions access to data and how more data can become available for use and reuse.
it is clear that alongside an adequate legal framework it is essential to take into consideration the ethical dimension of such activities.
the principles of data processing such as purpose limitation no excessive collection data security must be fully respected.
the general data protection regulation promotes the use of such measures rendering impossible the identification of the individual and disguising the identity of the person while keeping the data retraceable. data security measures such as encryption are also a useful tool to adequately protect personal data.
as is the case with every new technology the effects of big data analytics depends on the purpose it is put to serve.
no wonder that according to eurostat eighty one of europeans are concerned about the control of information they provide about themselves.
in order to maintain trust it is essential to make sure that it is not misused for example to deny health insurance or bank loans for certain categories of people based on their online search history.
it can help optimise businesses improve public services and enhance the quality of our lives.
mr president water is indeed a sensitive and potentially inflammatory issue in the middle east.
high level delegations from israel and the palestinian authority are currently discussing water rights as part of the comprehensive framework for peace. as a member of the quartet the eu supports a two state solution as the ultimate guarantor of peace and stability in the region.
conserving the watershed of the jordan river is an important regional issue that is not of course confined solely to israel and the palestinians yet israel's opponents in this house and elsewhere are blatantly seeking to exploit this issue as part of their campaign to undermine the jewish state.
the jordan river was crossed by the israelites under joshua and it is here that the miracle took place of jesus walking on the water.
we should not need another miracle for its waters to be protected for the benefit of the peoples of the region today and for future generations there to live in peace and prosperity.
the european parliament has rightly drawn attention to the need for a cooperative approach in this area. the european union promotes the spirit of cooperation needed to address the middle east region's serious water challenges and advocates treatment of the problems at source and not just the downstream symptoms.
let me conclude by confirming that the european union will continue to contribute to the efforts to alleviate the water deficit in this region and to ensure the provision of clean water resources preserving the environment and safeguarding drinking water for the people of the region.
the european union will continue to support activities conducive to a future rehabilitation of the jordan river and to the possible future establishment of joint and integrated management of the river basin if that is the choice of the countries in the region.
the european union will keep supporting dialogue and promoting cross border cooperation on water issues between the various neighbours in this region contributing to confidence building.
serious efforts and political commitment are needed from the neighbours themselves to balance the available resources and demands.
this includes not just governments but also civil society.
as in europe individuals companies and local municipalities need to contribute to the sustainable management of water resources.
mr president honourable members i would like to thank you for this opportunity to discuss the critical situation of water in the middle east.
the european union considers water to be a serious concern in the region and i fully share the concerns of the honourable members of this house as this region is characterised by water scarcity water stress and the deterioration of the quality of water which are likely to be further aggravated by climate change effects.
we are aware of the impacts this can have on the people in the region the environment and regional security.
the european union considers that water is a peace priority in the region and this regional challenge requires a regional solution.
as you are fully aware the european union has been involved in encouraging urgent steps towards a comprehensive peace deal between israel and the palestinians where water is one of the final status issues' to be resolved along with borders
the european union recognises the specific situation of the lower jordan river basin and the need for more efficient water management including its tributaries.
we are therefore engaged in a range of activities at national sub regional and regional level with all neighbouring parties.
we are supportive of water reforms and policies that encourage the application of sustainable water management.
through the european neighbourhood policy and other measures the european union is supporting confidence building measures promoting cross border cooperation and bringing together water resource communities that have shared water concerns.
european union activities target capacity building of different water authorities and users the collection and sharing of data the availability of treated waste water water conservation measures including water networks
european union efforts address both the demand and supply side of the water sector and establish the conditions that will enable an integrated management of water resources in the future.
mr president as the vice president of the euromed assembly's committee on energy environment and water i had the opportunity to see the concrete and dramatic ecological reality of the jordan river area during a field visit which took place last february. the special report on the situation in the jordan valley for which i was rapporteur highlighted the fact that all parties concerned in particular israel the palestinian authority and jordan but also lebanon and syria must find a common solution to the two most pressing problems an equal distribution of water that respects the need of all the people in the region and a healthy and protected environment for the generations to come.
the first step identified in our report is that israel and the palestinian authorities have to agree together on common data concerning available water distribution and demographics as a starting point for further negotiations since both sides as well as independent reports have presented different figures up to now.
one of our main conclusions was that in order to solve the water problem by cooperation it is necessary to implement plans for a joint administration decision making on an equal footing and the joint management of water resources in the region.
in conclusion i would like to remind you that while efforts are being made to resume the discussion towards an overall peace agreement we have the responsibility not to use the situation in the jordan valley for political and ideological purposes.
i hope our debate today will serve the interests of all parties in the region and lead to concrete and unbiased conclusions for an active involvement of the union towards future sustainable solutions.
however my party ukip and i believe that an issue as great as this should be addressed at a global rather than a european level with the national parliaments of member states monitoring wastage and food safety issues in their countries without the creation of further eu bureaucracy and legislation.
almost eighty eight million tonnes of food is being wasted in the eu each year and a number of studies have shown that between thirty three and fifty of the world food production is not consumed.
the rapporteur believes that a solution to this problem is a coordinated policy at eu level with the eu action plan for the circular economy laying the foundation in conjunction with the commission evaluating the relevant legislation to see if it is fit for purpose and identifying if there are gaps overlaps or areas in need of clarification or further action.
it is welcome that this issue is getting increased attention.
finding innovative solutions to the problem of food waste from the farm to the supermarket shelf to the consumer is in everyone's benefit.
farmers' livelihoods depend on getting their produce to the market and loss of produce at farm level equates to loss of investment and income. therefore farmers can be part of the solution here.
in europe we import forty million tonnes of feed yet we waste eighty nine million tonnes of food.
we will all have heard stories from producers in our constituencies about farmers having to search for secondary markets at short notice even plough their produce back into the soil because the supermarket does not accept their product.
but i also recognise the stress and need for increased traceability.
the role of retailers also needs to be recognised.
so there is also potential for the use of former foodstuffs by products in the food chain in feed production.
farmer led initiatives can and have offered viable economic solutions and provide value for products which might otherwise go to waste as well as socially innovative projects such as gleaning and offering food that might otherwise go to waste to food banks.
so thank you commissioner i really welcome your thoughts that that is being rethought through because i do think that this house would welcome that so long as public health was adhered to. so thank you again and i look forward to seeing some of these ideas come to fruition.
i think it is a terrifically good idea and there are lots of ideas in here.
it is extremely useful to share best practice it is extremely useful to share benchmarking not to repeat the reinventing of the wheel across twenty eight member states.
it is all terribly important and i think this report really does a great job in bringing all of those threads together.
she chose a very challenging subject for a word limited own initiative report but i think she has done a terrific job.
i recognise why every time i meet somebody over about seventy they talk to me about how food used to be collected to be fed to pigs and chickens etc.
i would just like to welcome very much what the commissioner said about rethinking within the commission on animal feed.
i compare it for example with a house of commons report from the uk and so many of the things are along the same lines similar thinking the gathering of data the use of data.
and for the record having followed two british members both happened to be ladies this time i would like to say that i think it is entirely not the case that this is not of use to all of us.
and they always kind of look at you a little bit blankly because clearly the use of food waste in animal feed would be a good move forward.
at time we are talking about meeting the two degree target this is something we really have to tackle and thankfully we are beginning to do so.
maybe the simple thing would be to abolish it. food is either safe or it is not the use by' date would be proper and that would help to end the confusion.
at least we are trying to tackle the food waste which is similar.
also the best before' and use by' dates.
the platform will soon meet again giving stakeholders the opportunity to share experiences business cases and successful models to allow their replication in all other member states and business sectors and possibly bring these up to eu level.
food waste is an issue which is very close to my heart not only because of my personal history but also because food waste is unethical and immoral.
task. should any changes be proposed in future we would need to ensure that these first meet consumer information needs second can indeed make a contribution to food waste reduction and most importantly third would not put consumer safety at
why is the european union actually doing this and what does it actually imply and mean in terms of implications?
i think the negative that really needs to be addressed and voiced this evening is this issue again of european union control on every aspect of the food chain from animal health and welfare packaging crop selection transport consumption and waste disposal and it is all about performance targets and does not address local issues.
i welcome what the rapporteur is trying to do but i think at this stage it has gone too far in terms of just addressing numbers and meeting those targets.
however in some countries this is not the problem.