kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
both central features of the wto; its negotiating and its dispute settlement are under severe pressure for the moment.
we will see a difficult process of negotiations regarding a possible ministerial declaration where the questions of how to prioritise work for the future will be key.
if this is not sufficient in terms of the outcome we will continue to work in these areas but also it has to be accompanied by progress in other areas.
it has to be part of a broader package in particular including e commerce domestic regulation in services and new transparency rules benefiting smes.
we are of course ready to discuss possible concerns regarding the?
these issues are right for the mc.
but we cannot and we will not accept measures which weakens it or puts its independence into question.
i very much appreciate the support of the european parliament and i am looking forward to seeing the big delegation that you will send to buenos aires in four weeks.
as i mentioned domestic regulation of these services e commerce transparency of regulatory measures;
thirdly there has been call by some members notably the united states to reform the wto. we are ready to engage in discussions on this but we need to see concrete proposals on what precisely such reforms would entail.
following the success of the last two conferences in bali and nairobi notably they accepted the adoption of the trade facilitation agreement and an agreement on agriculture export competition it is important that the positive momentum is maintained and that concrete outcomes are agreed.
mr president honourable members this is an up coming conference which is of utmost importance.
however there are other proposals on the table reflecting unrealistic ideas that are not boding well for a substantial outcome in agriculture.
unfortunately the divergences among the members are still strong.
we have tabled together with brazil and other wto members a former current proposal for a comprehensive solution addressing domestic support in agriculture and public stock holdings and we really think this is a realistic proposal.
the wto members are pursuing the objective of reaching agreement on public stock holding for food security and fishery subsidies.
regarding fishery subsidies the political commitment to implement the united nations' sustainable development goals on marine resources has contributed to advance work here but it remains doubtful whether we can be able to achieve an ambitious outcome. secondly we also believe that other issues that are of relevance to many wto members and relevant to today's global trade should be addressed.
where the unprecedented decision of the united states to block the appointment of new members put at risk the functioning of one of the most important and well functioning elements of the wto.
we are also finally committed to work on trade and gender and we support the declaration on trade and women's economic empowerment and that will be adopted in the margins of the conference.
the european union is working very hard in geneva with other countries and we have taken the leadership in preparing such outcomes by tabling texts in several key areas.
we need to make sure that we can defend a strong functioning wto with concrete outcomes because it has to be at the centre of the multilateral trading system.
eleven moreover it would be important to agree on a strong future orientated element which would set the stage for the post buenos aires work avoiding contentious and sterile debates about doha joe and non doha work.
today it is more important than ever that the eu shows its strong support for the work of the organisation.
in this context it is necessary to accelerate the work towards a balanced package. let me just give you a few details on where we are. firstly public stock holdings for food security purposes and fisheries subsidies have garnered support of most of the membership in terms of aspiration for outcomes.
this would be good but we strongly believe that it would not be enough;
preparations for the conference are significantly affected by the situation surrounding the?
it is a critical moment for wto.
the prospects of a negotiated outcome still remain highly uncertain although some elements are becoming clearer.
it is the best way to deal with international trade issues and it is now being seriously challenged.
a month from mc?
mr president having recently returned from an international trade mission to new zealand a country that is among the world's greatest exporters and now with no subsidies for its farmers i reminded them of the importance of free trade and open markets through the world trade organization the.
on top of gats.
i will do my part working together with the world's trade ministers to champion the central role of the wto as a global rules based organisation. the wto is quite simply the spring that flows into the rivers of trade agreements around the world including all eu trade deals and amongst the wto's one hundred and sixty four members.
trade liberalisation has shown huge benefits for developing countries but trade facilitation and market opening must be accompanied by appropriate flanking measures covering say education equality infrastructure development and good governance.
we support the outstanding items of the doha development agenda but where progress is not possible the wto should not stay stuck but advance in areas where it can progress for example e commerce investment facilitation and in services by seeking to unlock the trade in services agreement
ecr group is committed to the multilateral trade agenda and to a positive outcome at this biannual wto ministerial conference this december.
it cannot be a way to undermine or to weaken the wto. that is why we need to listen to concrete proposals and bring that forward.
ideally we would depart from buenos aires just before christmas with a balanced package of negotiated outcomes and an ambitious agenda of work going forward.
as for the proposals you could say that they are not ambitious enough but they would still move the global agenda forward in a way that is reasonable in.
i thank you for the resolution that i hope you will vote through tomorrow.
that has been working very well and it has served us in the european union well but it has also served the united states very well evidence shows that they very often come out winners of their procedures. we must really find a solution to the blockage of the appellate body.
certain forces are putting that into question. i can tell you that it is not only the us there are also other countries who are problematic in this regard but we are really working towards that aim in the european union.
i have personally spoken to a lot of different ministers and our people around the world are trying their utmost to see if we can find compromises that are as broad as possible. as i told you we have in the eu sometimes together with other countries put forward proposals that we think would bring the multilateral agenda forward.
so it is not easy but when we do agree it is really powerful. we are also willing to listen to calls for reform an organisation always needs to reform but it has to be in a way that strengthens and further develops the wto;
our team in geneva is doing a fantastic job to reach out to the different embassies and delegations there.
we always had the leastdeveloped countries in mind at the centre of this in order to see how we can help them to further integrate into the global trading system.
more than ever european leadership is needed to safeguard international trade based on rules.
last saturday eleven countries agreed in principle to move ahead with the trans pacific partnership without the us. the trump administration seems to have no desire to advance a multilateral trading system either how quickly times can change.
while the eu continues and we should pursue an ambitious trade agenda with global rules other parts of the world are also moving on.
only by thinking globally but also joining forces with like minded partners can we advance the multilateral trading agenda.
uk exporters would face.
since december the government has been in discussions to reclaim our place as an independent member of the world trade organization the.
twelve nine billion in the opposite direction.
a no deal scenario would see us revert to trade on most favoured nations tariffs.
a comprehensive free trade agreement that retains cooperation with the european union is the most preferable.
there would be. one eight billion worth of tariffs on german car related exports alone.
so consider colleagues while brussels continues to preside over demands for the divorce bill it should be aware that actions have consequences on both sides of the channel.
however the european union's block on opening talks on the future relations is preventing progress.
final terms of our membership will depend on the deal struck between the united kingdom and brussels.
research by the think tank civitas suggests that this would cost eu firms twice as much as those in the united kingdom.
mr president after brexit i am pleased that the united kingdom will have its own functioning trade policy outside of the european union. we should freely look to new global markets where ninety of the world's growth will be seen in the next fifteen years.
that does not inspire you as a nation that is committed to seeing the development of the wto as a rules based organisation.
but it is disappointing that as other colleagues have said historically our biggest ally on many of these issues the united states will not be supporting us in buenos aires.
mr president notwithstanding the commission's and the commissioners' herculean efforts to keep the show on the road it is frankly quite difficult to imagine a positive outcome to the eleventh ministerial council.
the trade system we have now prioritises the interests of capital above those of people.
we can change this and we must if we are to defeat the forces of nationalism and reassure our citizens that globalisation can work for them.
forgive me if i doubt the extent to which this concern was considered seriously at the recent wto discussions. while commissioner malmstrm is developing plans for a multilateral investment court to protect businesses from potential losses the un is debating an international binding treaty enforcing minimum human rights standards on multinational corporations who too often slip through national legal controls.
mr president the agenda for this ministerial conference is not overly ambitious and i am not so sure that our hopes are very high but i think we will go there as the european union in good faith.
the real worry and others have mentioned this is that one of the main global players the usa is not participating fully in the wto at the moment and is perhaps acting to weaken the structures that we all rely on.
however what we should absolutely be clear about here is the consequences of not negotiating a free trade agreement between the united kingdom and the rest of the european union and sometimes this needs to be spelt out for our european partners and for the benefit of their constituents.
in trade agreements at all so i would suggest that before formally engaging in negotiations on new topics we should conclude the doha round.
the truth is all they want to be given is a level playing field and it is an understanding from the sensitive sectors that they will be defended.
trade is extremely important we all know how important it is so that is why i believe we must go positively forward.
because there has been an example in my own member state of gold plating the directive particularly in the requirements for energy performance certificates in public buildings and this has added in some cases extra bureaucratic costs with little perceived energy saving and led to a loss of public support;
as a final point all those who fear that the eu is facing an identity crisis at the moment should take heart from this report.
we need more sustainable living not only because of the carbon challenge but also because of the concerns we all share about rising energy prices and energy security.
energy performance certificates help to raise awareness of where energy and costs can be saved and encouraging new buildings and newly refurbished buildings to have smart meters give consumers more control over their energy related decisions.
going forward parliament and the commission must always keep an eye on how member states are implementing this one. the commission must help please facilitate the transfer of best practice among member states and also ensure that minimum energy performance standards are compatible
whilst reflecting regional differences. we all know that to rise to the challenge of energy saving it is important that consumers both in the public and private sectors acknowledge and see the benefits which directly engaging with energy saving initiatives can bring both in environmental and economic terms but i will give you a warning
this is all good progress. this recast was born because the original directive was being poorly implemented.
some member states are already much more ambitious in their national codes for energy efficiency and i hope that this directive will encourage others to follow suit.
that is regrettable.
secondly all member states need to consider adopting national annual targets for improving a certain percentage of their existing buildings.
i would suggest three key actions that we need to see in place if we are going to realise the potential for energy saving in existing buildings.
thirdly and vitally member states need to put in place upfront funding for energy efficiency improvements and despite all the work of the rapporteur and the shadows' best efforts we did not get as far on this in the recast as we would have wished from parliament's point of view.
therefore it is particularly important that we now get money for energy efficiency into the economic recovery programme and i hope the commission will not delay with its proposal on this.
to have any effect on meeting our climate change targets it is existing buildings that we need to concentrate on and the energy efficiency requirements there.
we have had a big delay because of the legal adjustments that were necessary because of the lisbon treaty and that has meant that there has been a lot more co emitted than would have been if we had been able to do this sooner.
firstly it is very important that the commission comes forward with a robust cost optimal methodology for renovation. the timetable is quite tight but necessarily so because so much time has already been wasted and it is going to be two thousand and fourteen before the cost optimal methodology will apply.
if we had a european binding' target on energy efficiency i am sure that we would see that kind of action being taken in member states very quickly because they would realise that one of the easiest ways to achieve an energy efficiency target is by systematically upgrading
public procurement is a key market based instrument which is a vital factor in fostering sustainable employment and can also be geared towards innovative solutions to environmental and social concerns. current rules on public procurement already allow considerations such as social inclusion working conditions and the needs of marginalised individuals to be taken into account.
but also sustainable job creation.
however the practical application of the current rules needs both simplification and clarification. with public procurement accounting for approximately seventeen of the eu's gdp if we simplify the current rules we could give smes a genuine opportunity to come forward with innovative ideas which not only promote economic recovery
madam president public procurement can be used to drive both innovation and efficiency but often innovation is not encouraged when contracts are awarded. public procurement is already too complicated and too bureaucratic and mandatory innovation targets would not help.
innovation cannot be made to order.
instead contracting processes should enable providers to develop clever solutions to challenges rather than try to specify solutions in advance.
on energy efficiency for example searching for the lowest price is not always the answer;
nor is forcing authorities to purchase individual products which individually appear efficient but collectively may not be.
there does need to be a good dialogue and mutual understanding between the public sector and r d sectors but i am not convinced that the commission's rigid partnerships are necessarily a good solution.
simplifying processes must be a priority and the eu should avoid over regulating where this restricts flexibility innovation or competition.
again i am going to tell you now that i have far more requests for the floor than we can possibly take.
i think it is quite clear that we are setting the framework within which the commissioner is going to move forward.
i think there is a sense in which public procurers are managing the process and are focused entirely on meeting the rules instead of considering the outcome.
that is bad public policy and now is the time to do something about it it is one of your twelve levers of growth commissioner and that is the context in which we need to put it.
my closing point which i made in the big meeting we had with commissioners last week is that we cannot actually wait for two years to implement the new rules.
moldova as a manifestly sovereign and european country could one day join nato and even the eu.
we can usually judge russia's sincerity by its degree of commitment to resolving conflicts like this one but the fact is that in transnistria as well as in georgia and ukraine russia cannot resist interfering.
the eu must redouble efforts now to resolve outstanding issues in moldova and give it the appropriate financial assistance it requires but this will not happen by naively resetting relations with the kremlin.
russia maintains that moldova as a former soviet republic is in its sphere of influence. such concepts are outdated.
however it would undoubtedly be more prosperous and secure if it did not suffer from an artificial territorial division. very little progress has been made towards a resolution of the frozen conflict in transnistria a problem which goes back some seventeen years. this is largely because russia bankrolls the illegal regime in tiraspol and continues to garrison troops in transnistria.
this is what i want to stress.
the developments in moldova are important for its people but are also very important for the entire region.
by the commission and i insist on this.
finally the new agreement with the republic of moldova should be an association agreement as in the case of the other countries under the european neighbourhood policy.
more efforts are needed to promote interest in culture starting with children at a young age.
your valuable recommendations fed into the preparation of the proposal for a new european agenda for culture that the commission presented in may. the new agenda intends to exploit synergies between culture and education to strengthen links with other policy areas and to help the cultural and creative sectors to grasp the opportunities of the digital shift. the commission will play its part to help member states achieve these goals.
finally the commission will propose a mobility scheme for professionals in the cultural and creative sectors under creative europe.
third we will organise regular dialogue with the cultural and creative sectors in the context of the renewed industrial policy strategy.
one of the objectives of the year is to make cultural heritage accessible to all by removing social cultural and physical barriers.
second we will support regions in focusing their smart specialisation and macroregional strategies on culture.
let us keep up the momentum of the year and work together to ensure its legacy.
it gives meaning to historical events and feelings and it helps us to communicate across languages and nationalities.
i hope that many of you will be able to take part.
i would ask you to support our proposal for the future creative europe in the tough negotiations ahead.
culture is not a side issue or an added extra.
culture and creativity are also important engines for economic growth yet figures show that more than one third of europeans do not participate in cultural activities at all. i share your analysis regarding the obstacles preventing wider cultural participation both on the demand and supply sides.
i am grateful for the continued enthusiasm of the parliament for the european year and i would like to use this opportunity to warmly thank president antonio tajani for organising a high level event dedicated to the year in the european parliament on twenty six june.
we have a great opportunity to create an ambitious framework for culture a framework that will enable more europeans from all backgrounds to take part in cultural activities and a framework that will boost the circulation of european artworks and help cultural professionals and artists perform or work in other countries.
on the contrary it is at the heart of the european project. this was confirmed by the heads of state and government in their conclusions last december. culture is part of our identity.
first under the creative europe programme the commission will launch a project on cultural and creative spaces and cities to promote cultural participation and social and urban regeneration.
let me give you a few concrete examples.
this will identify policy needs and support a comprehensive policy framework at eu level.
here the commission is already promoting sustainable cultural tourism through a dedicated european initiative as part of the european year of cultural heritage.
at the same time we need to ensure a market for cultural and creative professionals that is less fragmented and where they have sufficient access to finance and enjoy viable contractual conditions.
the current creative europe programme already helps by promoting the circulation of cultural and creative works and of artists across borders but we have to do more.
it raises the crucial issue of structural and financial barriers preventing access to culture.
thirty four this will enable us to reinforce support across the board to add specific sectoral activities to support the mobility of cultural and creative people and to encourage the activities of the european cultural and creative sectors on the world scene.
mr president access to culture and opportunities for creative expression are vital to enable democratic freedom and peaceful equal societies.
member states must ensure that the socio economic personal or cultural background of citizens does not prevent them from participating in the cultural life of their local national or international community.
cultural participation should be cross cutting and be embedded within multiple policy areas if it is to truly have an impact.
digital innovations have opened up new ways for people to access produce and disseminate cultural content but we need to do more to ensure that people have the digital skills and infrastructure in order to participate.
many rural areas including those in my constituency in north west england are still left behind without adequate broadband coverage.
in the united kingdom the conservative party has chosen to place austerity at the centre of its ideologically driven political agenda.
civic spaces such as libraries museums galleries and swimming pools have closed down at an alarming rate preventing citizens from accessing information activities and opportunities to develop skills.
for minority groups and those with multiple barriers the effects have been profound.
but despite this the uk government has introduced policies which actively prevent large numbers of secondary school children from studying any creative and cultural subjects.
but working together as a union of member states we can always better fight for progressive inclusive societies where access to culture is seen as the right of the many not just for the privileged few.