kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
what started as a problem at our external borders has come to put into question schengen itself.
but they will work within a stronger european framework with higher standards integrated risk assessment proper information flows and a proactive system to address deficiencies before they become problems.
finally the agency will also have considerably strengthened powers in the field of return.
however i would really like to see the proposals first and i have a couple of questions still.
especially mr timmermans you have been saying that the problem that we have is all the irregular entries into the european union but we all know that those people who entered irregularly have been finding asylum here and have been granted protection.
those are people that we do not want to push away at the borders i believe.
unfortunately i do not see a proposal on that;
maybe i am missing something.
the proposal that you are making today does not really seem to be addressing the issues i think are most at hand.
so i do have a couple of questions.
i am convinced that the proposals do not go far enough and still need to be significantly strengthened.
knowing that there are member states in the council that still consider that these proposals go too far is to me quite depressing to tell the truth.
i sometimes wonder if governments of member states are living in a parallel universe.
how else could they complain constantly about the lack of control of our common borders and then oppose measures to secure exactly this once they have been presented?
how member states can argue that member states should police their own borders is simply absurd.
imagine the united states with fifty sets of coastguards and border guards where the us coast guard does not have the right to have its own equipment but has to ask if it may kindly borrow that of the state for a while.
this is an absurdity and yet in europe it is upheld by governments of member states as the only logical solution.
anyone who suggests that maybe a common border needs common border protection is portrayed as some kind of crazy federalist.
europe needs today a single border control agency and this should become an exclusive competence of the eu.
madam president i was addressed in the most aggressive way by this colleague and i simply do not accept the way that he is behaving in this house.
so the commission wants to deploy personnel from a new border and coast guard agency without as currently required the consent of the state concerned.
i do hope that european union member states' citizens will see this for what it is which is ceding border enforcement to an unanswerable probably armed but also unaccountable european union body.
i hope like me they do not want that.
do they really think it will help the situation? i do not believe it will.
well of course it will.
and will it resolve the causative european union factors behind all of this?
they need to ask for help and at the moment some are failing to do so.
the implications of this are being felt across the entire european union.
those countries cannot continue to ignore offers of help while at the same time waving through refugees and migrants on to other countries.
that agency should have resources pooled voluntarily from the member states so it can be deployed to assist.
if a country is both failing to control its borders and refusing to ask for help then we should offer them a choice take the help or the rest of the eu will be within its rights to take action for the protection of the eu's internal borders.
my message to the commission is this.
the eu has rules and too often we see countries flouting those rules with little consequence.
protecting external borders is something i support but if a country cannot cope and will not ask for help they should face the consequences.
so before creating ever more compulsion and more sovereignty sharing we must have the courage to enforce what we already have in an effective and meaningful way.
no one measure is going to solve the crisis.
however it is clear that we will have to have a close look into the details and discuss them and make sure that fundamental rights are respected everywhere and always.
we have been listening to the council complaining about the current situation concerning border management. now that we have the possibility to act we cannot tolerate any lack of action or interinstitutional cooperation from the member states' side any more.
we also know that some member states fear that the mandate of the new border guard force will go as far as allowing the deployment of agents without the consent of the host country.
i really believe that this requirement is essential if we want a workable and efficient european system in place.
madam president the inability of overwhelmed frontline member states to control the unprecedented flows of migrants themselves and consequently to safeguard the array of open internal borders clearly points to the design shortcomings of schengen's external border control system. although the schengen borders code recommends member states to request help from the eu in case of serious deficiencies the agency foreseen to provide such help was conceived to be a little more than a paper tiger as has been pointed out a few times. this was because member states were too reluctant to give frontex the actual power that could have allowed
it to step in when a national government was not able to fulfil its control duties.
at this time of tight budgets we have worked hard to make sure that we provide value for money that the eu aid volunteers complement existing schemes and that this also helps the volunteers to advance their own development.
we have carried out three rounds of pilot projects in which over forty humanitarian organisations took part providing valuable insights into what exactly is needed in standard setting in training and in deployment for the programme to achieve its main goal to be a platform where europeans live out our values
we have witnessed the enthusiasm and dedication of those who have taken part in these pilot projects over two hundred and fifty people ranging from the young to the young in spirit the youngest volunteer at twenty one the young in spirit but more mature at.
we have placed the emphasis instead on volunteer work in disaster risk reduction and resilience linking relief to rehabilitation and development.
last but not least parliament has promoted the gender dimension in cooperation with women and i can tell you that every time i go to areas affected by disasters or by conflict i often see women not just as victims but as victors as those who are saving lives. let
seventy i can tell you that meeting these people makes me enormously proud to be the european commissioner for humanitarian aid because what we are demonstrating is that it is not by chance that europe is a global leader in this field.
most of them are young people and for them volunteering is also a way to become more competitive on tighter labour markets.
and new experience.
according to eurobarometer eighty eight of europeans are in favour of the creation of eu aid volunteers and look forward to seeing them established and in action. with the active engagement of parliament the commission and the council we are now coming to the final stage of making their wish happen. as a result by two thousand and twenty
this is what gives me the greatest satisfaction of the work we do together.
i just want to stress that we have worked on creating a corps where people would be competent and qualified to help others but also to help others to help themselves.
initially they were a little sceptical of this initiative but now that they have participated in the design they are on board. i have the confidence that what we will do will indeed help europe to be a force for good in the world.
it would ultimately help the competitiveness of europe as a region that is rich not only in resources and in money but very rich in people and values.
we welcome the new approach because it sets standards for the identification selection training and deployment of volunteers in partnership with specialised institutions and also because it introduces interim evaluations of the effectiveness of eu aid volunteers on the basis of specific indicators.
to me it is a very good example rather like the erasmus programme allowing students to study in different parts of europe and learning that we are all human beings together;
now i took part also in the trialogue and the attempts to reach agreement with the council and there was one thing which disappointed me and i think my colleagues which is that on parliaments side we would have liked to have seen the volunteers wearing some identity to say that this is an eu force perhaps a little badge on their t shirt or something with the eu flag. however too many members of the council thought that this was a bad idea which i think is something that they should be ashamed of
they were full of enthusiasm for the experience they had had because not only is it helping unfortunate parts of the world where there have been natural disasters floods earthquakes or whatever which allows them to make the world a slightly better place and to help in that but the youngsters who took part in the pilot trials also said it is a wonderful experience to be working together with other people from different european countries.
and although there are only a small number of us in the chamber right now we can all be very proud as several colleagues have said to be in at the beginning launching something which is going to be entirely beneficial to europe and the world.
i listened along with her and some other members of the committee to the youngsters who had been on the pilot schemes.
i just think about my own country with the monster of ukip which is against everything is utterly miserable and against foreign aid and against foreigners and against immigrants. they are not here of course to take part in this debate no surprise there at all but i shall be fascinated tomorrow to see whether ukip and the other eurosceptic parties vote against this proposal because this is something very special and new
we may eat spaghetti or roast beef or whatever but we are exactly the same but we are very fortunate and should be helping in other parts of the world.
and i hope at least that some of the volunteers will proudly carry the european flag wherever they go.
above all albania needs to ensure a stable and constructive political dialogue.
the remarkable progress albania has made over the past year.
i am confident that this high level of commitment will continue and that we will see further positive developments during.
the high level of support among albanian citizens for european integration is a significant basis on which its political leaders can build a common platform in the interests of the country as a whole. let me conclude by highlighting
it has demonstrated political will and delivered concrete results in bringing about much needed reform.
these are essential elements of the european integration process.
this agreement marked the end of the political stalemate and paved the way for stronger cross party cooperation which made a number of important reforms possible in the areas under the key priorities of the opinion.
the necessary conditions are still outstanding so we need to continue encouraging our albanian friends in government and opposition to focus on the european union integration process.
the successful conduct of parliamentary elections in june two thousand and thirteen will be an essential element for albania's european union integration perspective.
we have been clear on what albania needs to do to continue progressing on its european integration path.
ownership of the reform process and political maturity are essential in this respect.
i welcome the report's support for albania's european perspective and the acknowledgement of the potential of the european integration process as a major driving force for reforms and cross party political cooperation in the country.
this is essential if it is to continue delivering on reforms.
for fundamental reforms evidently requires.
unfortunately the country's political leaders have not always been able to consistently place european union integration at the top of their political agenda and have not always been willing to make the necessary political compromises that cross party support
taking this progress into account the commission recommended granting candidate country status to albania subject to completion of key measures in the areas of judicial and public administration reform and the finalisation of the revision of the rules of procedure of parliament.
albania will also need to provide further evidence and demonstrate concrete results in fighting corruption money laundering and organised crime.
this year's report reflects a new situation in the country which stems from the implementation of the november two thousand and eleven political agreement between government and opposition.
beyond the key short term measures i have just mentioned albania faces many challenges particularly in the area of the rule of law which as underlined in your resolution is at the centre of the commission's approach to enlargement.
the report is largely in line with the assessment and recommendations made by the commission in its enlargement package and it strikes the right balance between the recognition of the achievements made by albania and the emphasis on continuing the implementation of reforms in all areas under the twelve key priorities identified in the commission's two thousand and ten opinion
we share your view on albania's good neighbourly relations and constructive contribution to regional stability.
we need to send a strong message encouraging albania to continue with its constructive regional stance emphasising to its political leaders the importance of clear messages promoting cooperation and good neighbourly relations.
our relations are gaining in importance reflecting the significant and growing role of albania in the region.
albania has met four of the key priorities and is well on the way to meeting two more.
two thousand and ten dialogue between the government and the opposition has improved significantly paving the way for the progress needed to fulfil the political criteria for membership of the european union.
progress has also been achieved in other areas which remain priorities for example the lifting of immunities for high level public officials and judges and an increase in seizures of criminal assets.
the council has taken note of the commission's recommendation to grant candidate status subject to completion of key measures in the areas of judicial and public administration reform and revision of the parliamentary rules of procedure.
two thousand and twelve i would like to thank the parliament for its valuable contribution to this debate and in particular extend my appreciation to the rapporteur nikolaos chountis for his valuable work.
in its conclusions adopted last night the council welcomed the progress made by albania to meet the twelve key priorities that were outlined in the commission's opinion of.
the successful conduct of the elections in june next year will be essential for demonstrating the commitment of all of albania's political parties to electoral reform.
these cover in particular the areas of the functioning of the parliament electoral reform and public administration reform.
it is fully involved in particular in regional initiatives such as the regional cooperation council and the south east european cooperation process.
again we would like to urge both the forces in government and in opposition to refrain from such rhetoric.
what will be crucial next year are the elections not so much the outcome but the electoral process itself both before the elections and during the elections. in the last elections national and regional there were many problems.
without that cooperation between the government and opposition this progress would not be possible. so i would like to call on our albanian friends both in government and opposition to continue along this path.
the report appreciates the efforts made so far but it is also worth mentioning that political dialogue and political cooperation on the eu agenda cannot be selective but needs to be solidly based within the system.
we agreed on key priorities which need to be fulfilled before the next steps in the process.
the credibility of this process should be based on fair and rigorous conditionality.
european union. we are ready to stand by our recommendation on granting candidate country status but albania will have to deliver. we will report to the council as soon as necessary.
things seem to have improved in the last year and for a while their parliament seemed to be in working order.
prime minister berisha announced that all ethnic albanians could get albanian passports knowing full well what this would cause in the region.
our parliamentary delegation meeting which was planned for next week was cancelled at the last moment.
i had my suitcase ready. i was looking forward to constructive and cooperative dialogue with the coalition and opposition but they obviously were not.
all of that came just before a very important council meeting.
to me it seems that the campaign for next year's election has started in earnest already this early.
disregarding what the country needs disregarding the european agenda. i for one would love to grant the people of albania candidate status but i am afraid that their chosen politicians have again lost themselves in an internal power struggle and that that will not be possible until they get their priorities straight again.
so please please mr berisha mr rama in the interests of your people please.
that is clearly of great significance.
as members will know one of the fundamental parts of our work in the partnership and cooperation agreements is indeed to make sure that human rights is at the heart of our agreements.
we are very clear in doing this that iraq is a unitary state and that all our cooperation is with the government of all of iraq.
in terms of camp ashraf we have consistently and repeatedly reminded iraq that this complex issue must be managed in full accordance with international law and indeed without any violence.
however we can see with the coming elections and with the opportunity for greater cooperation an opportunity for the european union with its value system and the things we are particularly concerned about human rights the rights of minorities the issues of capital punishment developing strong cooperation on energy security and supply
there is an appeals procedure which i trust will be allowed to run its proper course. i should also say that we do plan to send our eu mission next week which is six weeks ahead of election day and that will enable us to follow first hand and closely the pre election process which is of great interest.
going back to where we began i am optimistic about iraq. there are significant challenges and honourable members are right to remind us of those significant challenges.
just a little bit more about energy cooperation too.
that again is of significance and importance. i have indicated that we are sending the election assessment team shortly which i hope will help us deal with the issues that honourable members have raised in that context.
i agree too that we have to consolidate and strengthen the political processes which is going to be of great significance in everything we do and to make sure particularly that we have with the forthcoming elections an understanding of what it is we want to achieve.
i share too the objective raised by a number of honourable members on the question of capital punishment.
i would begin by recognising the importance that members attach to the issue of minorities.
saleh al mutlaq has been an outspoken critic of iranian meddling in iraq and now the mullahs have insisted on his removal from the election.
he has been banned from participating in the forthcoming elections.
i think it was no coincidence that this outrageous ban together with the banning of over five hundred further secular iraqi politicians was announced on the very day manouchehr mottaki iran's odious foreign minister was visiting baghdad.
ten days ago the justice and accountability commission decided to ban saleh al mutlaq leader of the parliamentary national dialogue front and a member of the iraqi parliament for the past four years.
the eu has a responsibility to help build democracy and ensure respect for human rights and the framework for engagement with iraq sets out three priorities to help build basic services like health and education to enhance the rule of law and to support the human rights commission.
i do think it is relevant to mention that the debate we are having tonight is taking place against the backdrop of the chilcot inquiry in the uk into the illegal war on iraq and what lessons should be learned from that and a lot of information is coming to light which confirms what many of us believed at the time of the invasion that the reason for the war was regime change and control of resources and not the threat of weapons of mass destruction.
last november the eu presidency urged the government of iraq to suspend the death penalty and abolish it altogether but nine hundred people are still on death row in iraq and death sentences are handed out often following unfair trials some lasting only a few minutes.
the partnership and cooperation agreement will be the basis for future work but we must demand immediate action on issues like the abolition of the death penalty on protecting vulnerable and targeted groups and on strengthening democracy and human rights.
the upcoming general elections will be crucial and should be free and fair.
two thousand and three it has gone towards basic services human development refugees good governance political process and capacity building all in accordance with iraqi priorities.
we want a broader and deeper political dialogue with iraq which should also cover human rights.
the eu has been playing a leading role in electoral assistance and we will continue to assist iraq in this and other areas until iraqi institutions can assume full responsibility themselves.
i am confident it will use its new institutions to find the compromises necessary for national reconciliation.
the eu will be deploying an election assessment team to iraq to assess the election and make targeted recommendations.
two thousand and eight inter sectarian violence a major problem in two thousand and six and two thousand and seven has been significantly reduced.
two thousand and three although we have seen terrible attacks targeting government institutions the total number of civilian deaths in two thousand and nine was less than half of the level of.
iraq has a new constitution and has conducted several elections with high participation at great risk.
but i want to focus today on the present and the future of iraq as a country with great potential and notable achievements over the past months.
for our part this means our work to support iraq must continue and move into new areas as the situation improves.
for our part we will continue to stand by iraq and continue our support together with the un and the rest of the international community.
honourable members iraq is on a positive trajectory.
as there is good progress we are focusing more and more on iraqi ownership and long term sustainability.
we have just signed a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation and we will soon sign a partnership and cooperation agreement the first contractual relationship between the eu and iraq. it will cover issues from political dialogue to trade and regulatory cooperation and development assistance.
parliament has taken a keen interest in iraq and we expect to see even more cooperation between the european parliament and the iraqi council of representatives in the future.
with our international partners we will be following them very closely.
if we look at iran iran is trying to get much more influence than necessary in iraq in the south throughout the whole south via the shia minority.
is this being taken into consideration?