kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the dual needs of mutual recognition and concrete security arrangements on the ground which are of paramount importance in achieving peace would not be addressed by eu member states granting immediate symbolic recognition to a fledgling palestinian state. furthermore there are fears that this resolution might endanger peace by facilitating a hardening of the palestinian position towards more intransigence and preventing lasting mutual recognition.
we support this two state solution as being the only feasible outcome for long term peace and stability and we are fully committed to working towards the eventual recognition of a sovereign independent democratic and viable palestinian state which may peacefully co exist alongside israel based on the one thousand nine hundred and sixty seven borders with land for peace swaps.
for as long as i have been an mep the debate as to how we can in fact realise this objective has been a matter of fierce exchange in this house and elsewhere.
the fact that we cannot debate a resolution seems to be a result of a slight majority at the time on monday but i very much hope that the result of the debate will change the minds of many of those who voted to remove the resolution from the table.
nobody denies that and we greens very much hope that the eu will be among the most important partners to help bring that about. but for the life of me i cannot understand how that can be hampered how that can be objected to by actually recommending to the member states recognition of
it does not come from a raving anti semitic extreme right.
it would reward and encourage moderation' on both sides.
i understand what my colleagues on the right are saying that we have to do a lot for a comprehensive peace settlement we have to help both the palestinians and the israeli side in regard to going back to the negotiating table and achieving a lasting result and i understand that we are far from it.
your call for a united and strong message coming from this very chamber but let me just tell you that the united and strong message that you madam expect from us could have come forward more easily had we had the opportunity to debate a resolution with this debate.
do you not agree with the words of nelson mandela who once said that he could not conceive of israel withdrawing or giving up land if arab states did not recognise israel within secure borders?
do you not recognise that passing the motions that you want to have in this house will lead to a government of hamas a terrorist organisation which does not accept the right of israel to exist and therefore there will be no peace?
we would definitely be happy to debate it and i am sure that this common approach can be based on what you have said.
but if you accept movements like hamas hezbollah and the even worse extremes i can assure you that they are not fighting for independent democratic sovereign states. they are fighting for a society where people's rights are humiliated.
i do not want to have a palestinian state that is in control of those who are today leading gaza.
i want a palestinian state that can fulfil democratic obligations that respects each and everyone.
this is far too serious. it is too serious as well for gesture politics and yet everywhere i go at home and here i see those on the left making gesture politics queuing up to expose their bleeding heart about this and then not having the courage to take questions on the issue when someone wants to discuss it with them.
you cannot do these things;
this is far too serious.
have some grown up political thought for once and allow the diplomats to do what is required.
i cannot guarantee anything but i can guarantee to you that if you do not recognise palestine and give it a chance to act as a real partner there will be no true negotiations as we have seen from israel not delivering up to now.
mr president under our rules of procedure the catch the eye procedure is supposed to be for individual members not for spokesmen of political groups.
i know this because i was the rapporteur that introduced this into our rules of procedure many years ago.
it is supposed to be for individual backbenchers not spokesmen of political groups and if you say you have taken one backbencher per political group then that is discriminatory against the backbenchers from the large groups.
mr president no sound quite correctly observed when europe does not anchor itself firmly to its values it sets itself adrift. we have much of which to be proud in our history but the burned scars on children in gaza have left a permanent imprint on the minds of our citizens and are now permanently etched on our humanity.
far too many of our governments have been caught off guard and out of step with public opinion rushing to provide denials as europeans watched the horrors inflicted on innocents unfolding second by second their suffering and hopelessness capturing the european conscience pleading for calls of never again!
' today our parliaments are reflecting that public mood one after another lining up to state clearly that the time has come to give the palestinians a state and a homeland in order to protect them.
there should be no parliament from where that call should be louder or clearer than the european parliament.
a failure to do all in our power to end such horrors so that this should never happen again is to unanchor europe and set ourselves adrift from our values and our humanity.
the human rights and workers' rights situation particularly in colombia remains extremely alarming despite the claim from president santos that his government represents a major departure from the vicious anti worker and anti indigenous peoples government of president uribe.
i obviously share those concerns.
madam president the negotiation and conclusion of the eu free trade agreement with colombia and peru has rightly caused great opposition from trade unionists and from civil society organisations in both europe and in latin america.
yet they do not have to sign up to financial contributions to the eu or to a whole body of law the acquis and can trade pretty freely.
madam president i voted for this as i believe that trade rather than aid is a better way to assist less developed countries to prosper.
here we see preferential access to the eu single market being given to nations which are not members of the eu but which get reduced or even zero tariff walls from the eu customs union.
hundreds of millions of euros are being withdrawn in a bank run across the mediterranean.
why are we doing it?
i wonder whether the reason he did that was not because he was soothing himself. in times of great panic some people run around like ants but others go back to what is familiar and there he was playing his elegy his funeral threnody with the notes he had learnt as a boy.
because it makes us feel good. regulation is what makes us feel good.
the system is about to crash and we are legislating about a common definition upon the phobia about company boards having quotas of women and so on.
the liquid is coming out en route. my friends when are we going to understand that you do not solve a debt crisis with more debt?
we are treating the tumour when we should be treating the patient.
it is taking blood from one arm and pumping it into the other arm but the tube is leaking.
the euro is the problem not the solution.
however i abstained on this particular vote today.
we emphasised the fact that something would have to be done.
i abstained because as has been said previously there is a major human rights problem in the shape of the murder of trade unionists particularly in colombia.
politically i generally support the idea that trade preferences rather than aid handouts are an extremely useful tool for promoting economic development and growth in those less developed countries outside the european union.
of course it is also important that we also reasonably defend eu industries at the same time as providing benefits to third countries.
so we must remember to create the right balance in this regard with a level playing field.
it is extremely encouraging that the least developed countries are able to participate in international trade in this way and are thus able to support their own poverty reduction schemes and their own sustainable development projects through the additional export revenue that this generates and by easier access to eu markets.
madam president i too voted in favour of this report on generalised tariff preferences as a means of promoting economic growth through trade in developing countries.
i think the first thing we have got to do is to congratulate the people of japan on their resilience and the manner in which they have bounced back after the earthquake and the tsunami of march.
two thousand and eleven as a highly developed economy and as a major global trader and investor japan is an important partner for the eu.
i agree with the previous speakers i agree with mr jahr i agree also with the other two speakers that what we need to do is to get down to business immediately.
but as two pac himself said i see no changes.
to make it clear that we do support a substantial reform to how the eu is funded including a move to own resources allowing a substantial cut in member states' contributions although we do not believe the flawed commission proposal for a financial transaction tax is part of that solution and we voted against that particular line.
however the size of the budget must take account of the tough financial times that we live in.
however i want to make it very clear that we do not support any reduction in the uk rebate on a unilateral basis. the mff is an important tool for investment and growth across europe with ninety four of spending taking place in member states' backyards.
we need a budget that is realistic and able to tackle the problems europe faces.
our priorities are clear a realistic mff budget with the flexibility to spend it effectively and efficiently on boosting growth across europe and creating jobs.
we find ourselves as ever at an impasse.
i always try to look at this sort of issue from the point of view of my constituents.
they want to know why the commission is not preparing a significant reduction in its expenditure when it is calling for fiscal austerity throughout member states.
my constituents want to know why this parliament which they have elected me to attend is not calling for a significant reduction in its expenditure.
they want to know why we are living in a different universe and they are going further and further away from accepting that there is any relevance at all or any benefit at all to being part of either the european union or this parliament.
however the arms trade in its unregulated and non transparent state seriously threatens local national and international peace and stability and also undermines democracy the rule of law and sustainable development through fuelling tragically armed conflict organised crime and terrorism.
the creation of internationally agreed standards to ensure that conventional weapons are only imported exported and transferred for appropriate use would i believe have a very positive impact.
thus i back these calls for a resolution that is legally binding in order to establish common international standards.
it is revealing that the only un member opposed to this move is zimbabwe.
madam president i voted in favour of this resolution on the follow up of the elections in the democratic republic of congo which has succeeded five months after holding elections that admittedly were of questionable conduct and fairness in forming a new government.
however all things said and done the congolese people did turn out to vote in huge numbers which demonstrates their deep enthusiasm for the building of a genuine democracy in their large nation.
but it is not just the election process that is necessary for the building of a true democracy.
with the reports of continued human rights violations in particular mass rapes the drc still has a long way to go and must start to make significant progress in the criminal investigations into these atrocious crimes and the enforcement of criminal justice.
madam president governments across europe are trying to bring public spending under control. so why do the european institutions think they should be exempt from tightening their belts?
a british think tank recently revealed that the commission now employs more officials to deal with education and culture than to work on the internal market.
that is a disgrace.
the european union must refocus its efforts on the single market and ensure that eu taxpayers are getting a fair deal.
i have explained to this house many times my opposition to the eu financial transaction tax.
i am equally opposed to the introduction of eu vat.
more europe is not the answer to the current crisis.
more taxes are never the answer to any crisis.
i cannot support this report.
however i do believe that those countries which are part of the eurozone should start to get themselves sorted out.
i also believe that it is important that my delegation encourage eurozone countries to act responsibly.
the eurozone needs to sort itself out but there is no sign that this is happening with anything like the urgency which is required.
there is no better example of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted than the way european leaders have behaved during this crisis. rules which should have been in place years ago are changed on a daily basis.
we see magnificent examples of shirking responsibility cries of not me it was him' that would be more appropriate in a kindergarten playground.
i hope it works and it gives me no pleasure to say that i doubt it will.
this is a key instrument being used to help developing countries participate in international trade.
without income from exports developing countries cannot put into place either the physical or democratic infrastructure which is necessary for sustainable democratic growth.
if resources are not available through trade this funding is only available through aid. trade not aid is the right way forward. of course this report is not perfect but i support the general message from parliament that trade preferences with developing countries should be maintained and developed.
they are our sixth largest trading partner.
madam president i voted against this progress report on eu trade negations with japan as i do not believe that our negotiations in this regard should be delayed any further. the scoping exercise which was carried out relating to the potential for eu japan free trade agreements has identified many key areas on both sides.
indeed japan has already delivered on a number of non tariff barriers by eliminating them.
so given the fact that japan has already embarked on negotiations with asean and the usa in these matters any further delays by the european union now would mean running the risk of being seriously left behind once negotiations actually start.
eu ftas with countries as far apart as mexico and south korea have been a great economic success story so i hope that the european union can now conclude fta deals with india and japan which are the two great democracies of asia.
most of all i really wanted yet again to use the opportunity to express my opposition to a financial transaction tax which yet again found itself way into a report before this parliament.
there are i am sure some good things in this report but parliament is talking about tidying up the system and ignoring the real issue.
we hear that the commission is busily preparing plans to cope with eurozone membership default.
we hear commissioners dropping hints in the media and parliament is as usual completely behind the curve proving yet again its irrelevance in these matters.
no doubt people will be beating their breasts and wailing in this chamber in months to come about how we have dealt with the issue of default countries and yet we are just not taking the opportunity to deal with it at the right time.
i remain uncertain about the need for the creation of such a new post as important human rights dialogues are already frequently being held by the eu with all our global partners.
of course there might be benefits to having a dedicated eu representative appointed to promote the strengthening of democracy international justice and freedom of expression throughout the world but in my view the case has not yet been fully made. however i am also concerned that the recommendations by parliament are too broad and that the mandate that they will provide for will be too flexible and too far removed from the original proposals submitted by the council.
we also take note of your ambitious call to the member states to make e invoicing mandatory in public procurement by.
in order to achieve all this we need cooperation.
once kosovo has fulfilled these conditions the commission will give its green light to the european parliament and council.
this observation mission was deployed in record time.
based on the democratic will of the people we expect a new government to be formed and begin work without delay.
kosovo needs to become an attractive place for business provide citizens with high quality education and reduce the very high unemployment levels in particular amongst young people.
the commission is providing strong support for the implementation of these priorities through substantive financial assistance and technical advice.
any incidents of intimidation and pressure as witnessed during the electoral campaign are unacceptable.
the incoming government will need to show strong commitment to addressing the systemic weaknesses in the rule of law as we have frequently pointed out in our reports.
the european parliament has significantly contributed to making it possible.
a new governing coalition will face huge expectations and challenges.
we are ready to support kosovo every step of the way.
two thousand and sixteen the kosovo leadership is responsible for ensuring its thorough implementation with the objective of improving the rule of law socio economic development and building a track record of saa implementation.
the heads of state or government stressed the eu's commitment to the region and reaffirmed their unequivocal support for the european perspective of the western balkans in full respect of the basic principles of conditionality and own merits.
it also needs to further advance its fight against organised crime and corruption.
the eu only agreement which is without prejudice to member states' positions on status provides the contractual framework for cooperation between the eu and kosovo.
against organised crime and corruption. we share your concern about the incidents of violence in the assembly throughout.
the high representative played a key role in promoting additional progress in the dialogue.
we also look forward to the opening of the mitrovica bridge as agreed between the two sides.
finally we very much welcome the signature of the framework agreement on the general principles for the participation of kosovo in union programmes.
we welcome the steps taken to increase the number of high level corruption and organised crime cases being investigated and prosecuted.
we urge kosovo to swiftly implement in good faith its part of all past agreements achieved in the eufacilitated dialogue in particular the establishment of the association community of serbmajority municipalities and to engage constructively with serbia in formulating and implementing future agreements. we concur with you in welcoming the recent agreements on the implementation of freedom of movement and telecoms.
effective promotion and protection of human rights throughout kosovo should be pursued including the full protection of cultural and religious heritage.
it is of utmost importance for kosovo to take full advantage of these programmes. we are looking forward to the european parliament's consent for the conclusion of this agreement.
this includes additional efforts to ensure a safe environment and the safeguarding of their property rights as well as the strengthening of social cohesion.
kosovo has made significant progress in meeting the requirements of its visa roadmap which led to a proposal by the commission in may two thousand and sixteen to transfer kosovo to the schengen visa free list.
two thousand and eighteen we urge kosovo to continue to cooperate closely and effectively with eulex and to contribute actively to the full and unhindered execution by eulex of its mandate. we welcome the fact that kosovo met its remaining obligation on the establishment of the specialist chambers and specialist prosecutor's office to investigate allegations of international crimes committed during and after the one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine conflict.
we also welcome the agreement reached over the extension of the eulex mission until june.
furthermore the kosovo authorities should address the inclusion and protection of persons belonging to minorities.
progress in the process of normalisation of relations with serbia is essential and underpins the development of relations and cooperation between the eu and kosovo.
two thousand and sixteen it is important that following early general elections all political parties and local stakeholders show responsibility and ownership and engage in a constructive dialogue with parliament as the key forum for political debate.
we encourage further progress in strengthening a solid track record of convictions. we also note progress in fighting radicalisation extremism and terrorism and we encourage further efforts.
we look forward to a swift appointment of judicial personnel into the kosovo system in order to ensure the functioning of an integrated judiciary.
as rightly noted in your resolution such a decision can only be taken if kosovo meets the two remaining requirements the ratification of the border boundary agreement with montenegro and the continuation of the strengthening of its track record in the fight
neither should block the other in these efforts and both should be able to fully exercise their rights and fulfil their responsibilities.
the council will continue to monitor closely kosovo's continued engagement towards visible and sustainable progress so that kosovo and serbia can continue on their respective european paths.
it is key that kosovo further intensifies its efforts to improve the rule of law including judicial independence.
it is important for kosovo to implement the comprehensive reforms to meet its obligations under the saa in order to fully benefit from the opportunities it brings. we welcome the launch of the european reform agenda in november.
we will all continue to struggle to make kosovo part of that european union in a very positive way.
that has to be done by the government.
that is important.
we have the support and i hope we will have a good vote tomorrow for this report in the interest of kosovo's citizens.
without that progress will not be possible and citizens will not believe that there is a new government that is theirs.
turning back to what now has to be done in kosovo a new government has to be formed and i hope this will happen swiftly.
lack of progress has been made in regard to the protection of freedom of expression and media freedom and several other issues. when i talk about gender based violence still women's full rights need to be enjoyed although there has been some progress as well.
but nevertheless so many things have been agreed between the two governments of kosovo and serbia but implementation is still lacking on both sides.
nevertheless we also have to see that over the last year things have not progressed as much as kosovo citizens and also as we here in the european parliament would have liked them to go.
we still and i have been rapporteur for kosovo since two thousand and nine do not have progress with five eu member states recognising the independence of the republic of kosovo. this is harming progress also.