kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
so i strongly support the emphasis on the need for better it systems to smooth the work of customs authorities and also its call for better managed rollout of new it projects by the commission working closely with national bodies.
technology when properly utilised has the ability to massively reduce the costs and administrative burden of customs procedures in future. parliament has recognised this for some time but the commission has taken eight years to roll this out and also appears reluctant to look at technological solutions in some of the new customs borders that may emerge in the next few weeks even though there is a clear case for it. in concrete terms using technology means cheaper goods for consumers and lower costs of business for traders.
the rest of the world is pushing on with tech solutions to customs issues.
as trials have already demonstrated technologies like blockchain have huge potential for even simpler and more secure customs procedures but we can also help customs authorities by raising the de minimis threshold for ecommerce to the physical limit not reducing it to zero.
overall creating a single secure digital place for all parts of the process is the longterm goal but we're not quite there yet.
as the repeated delays to the implementation of new it systems in the eu have already shown getting the union customs code ucc going has been a torturous process. but i support the message of this report which is too important to give up on.
but that has quickly evaporated plunging the country into crisis.
with runaway inflation the final insult of high fuel prices was the final straw.
anger and anxiety has pushed protesters onto the streets and their government's response a legal crackdown on dissenting voices; arrests use of force live ammunition door to door searches intimidation and harassment internet scrambling you name it!
zimbabweans and their human rights defenders have the courage to stand up to their government and we need to stand with them.
fleeing zimbabweans must get the assistance they need in neighbouring countries to comply with international law and to the uk i say stop returning zimbabweans until it's proved to be safe.
we must encourage a peaceful democratic national dialogue on an equal footing with civil society religious leaders opposition and government to find a better solution for zimbabwe a sustainable solution that ends this violence once and for all.
the risk that human rights defenders in chechnya are taking is illustrated by the fact that titiev's predecessor natalya estemirova was brutally murdered and others face constant threats and intimidation.
so today we call for the release of oyub titiev and the dropping of charges and we urge the chechen authorities to respect their own laws and constitution and at least every citizen's human and legal rights.
the harassment of ngos and journalists really has to stop but we also need to hold to account the perpetrators of the worst human rights violations through a european magnitsky act'.
i call on celebrities who think it is fancy to take money from a dictator to perform or to be present to stop doing that and to consider the money they make that way dirty money.
mr president there is quite adequate legislation on animal transport the problem is that it isn't being enforced and here we find a cultural difference.
in the northwest of europe there are a lot of people who are very concerned about animal welfare.
but the further southeast you go in europe the more the culture changes and they are less interested. these are the people who are expected to enforce the legislation and they simply can't be bothered.
they do not need to be packed full of food.
globally as in europe there has never been a time when women have been better fed longer lived better paid more equally paid less likely to die in childbirth and better educated than today.
the driving force for that improvement has been the free market.
a real backlash if we have to talk in terms of backlash as this report suggests is not to equality it is to the fact that every single proposal in this report is one that involves greater state intervention either higher taxes or more power to brussels or in most cases both.
surely the best way to enlarge the freedom of women as of men is to recognise is that individualism and freedom are the basis of modern civilization.
but by implementing this opinion we make sure that the whole custom procedures regulating the market are made as efficient as possible.
therefore i think this initiative is a necessary step for the creation of a truly seamless custom union and single market.
this will allow our companies in the union to take part in a healthy competition allow us better trade with the rest of the world be also open to the very investors abroad coming to the union and increasing competition allows for the best merchandise and products of the season on the internal market thus ensuring improved quality of the goods that we are buying on an everyday basis.
we find ourselves a decade on from the regulation's introduction with the same breaches being reported time and time again.
unfortunately as an observer during zimbabwe's last presidential election i witnessed post election violence which put an end to those hopes with recent government crackdowns we've already heard on anti government protesters including trade union leaders and opposition.
the promises of a peaceful prosperous democratic zimbabwe made during those elections it really has to be understood are a prerequisite for international support for debt relief for economic recovery.
our condemnation so far has fallen on deaf ears and unfortunately facing internal power struggle key actors find it easier to blame outsiders for the political and economic crisis they're in as opposed to taking responsibility. but for the european union given russia and china's growing influence i think it's important we have a clear strategy.
disproportionate and excessive use of force against civilians is unacceptable. abuses by security forces must end.
from this debate i conclude that we must continue to use a balanced and comprehensive approach with iran.
in this regard we need to use the diplomatic power and instruments of the european union and its member states to their full potential in support of preserving and implementing the jcpoa which is vital for the eu and international security.
president six months ago when you took office you promised change and a bright shared future for all zimbabweans with a government unwavering in its commitment to the rule of law with policies that would project harmony and stability and attract foreign investment.
i urge you to get back on that right road to break clean from the evil forces lurking in your shadow to dismiss those responsible for the recent brutalities to release all the political prisoners and work with the opposition forces the churches and civil society in a great national dialogue that will lead to the genuine and sustainable democratic change that your people so desperately want. do this and i feel sure the international community
stands ready to give you every assistance.
do the right thing and history will judge you well.
you arrest and torture women just because they defend their human rights. how come you don't look at women as human beings?
we women across the world request that you release these women immediately.
the male guardianship system has to be abolished and all forms of gender based violence including genital mutilation marital rape sexual assault and harassment has to be criminalised.
stop this cruelty to human beings.
we look forward to positive changes and actions.
mr president crown prince mohammad bin salman has been keen to market himself as a progressive visionary since coming to power ushering in headline grabbing reforms such as removing the ban on women driving and allowing cinemas to operate freely in the country. on other fundamental issues however we see little changing particularly for women as they continue to be subject to the harsh guardianship laws imposed by the saudi authorities.
these laws and the repressive culture surrounding them are making the everyday lives of saudi women unbearable.
we are ready to work with the bangladeshi government to fight such terrorists and to help them to counter extremist movements in their country but the government must also continue to work to make clear to its citizens through its words and deeds that there can be no justification for these crimes.
madam president freedom of speech and expression is fundamental to all democracies including bangladesh. the bangladeshi constitution guarantees these freedoms to all of its citizens in article.
thirty nine it also states that only reasonable restrictions can be imposed on these freedoms.
these acts of extremist violence are nothing less than acts of terrorism terrorist acts on a par with the attacks on charlie hebdo in paris.
we have stated our concern about legislation and policies that can be used to restrict media and internet freedom while calling on the government to defend and protect freedom of expression and other fundamental rights. upholding these rights is an integral part of what is so very clearly
this year has been marked by tragic attacks on journalists and the brutal murders of secular bloggers and a publisher while others are facing death threats.
this is taking place against the backdrop of a volatile security situation which includes an unprecedented attack on a shia procession in dhaka last month as well as recent killings and attacks on foreign citizens.
the eu has expressed its alarm at the deteriorating human rights and security situation.
the government has criminalised criticism. section fifty seven of the ict act criminalises criticising islamic religious views or reporting on human rights violations.
george orwell said if liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear'.
i am proud that this resolution calls for independent investigations into such killings but never to resort to the death penalty in response.
here she can have a voice but in bangladesh today such a voice risks being silenced for good.
the bangladesh government and the european external action service in their dealings with this government must remember this.
it is not just the killings that prevent free speech;
many writers have fled are in hiding or have been silenced by such threats.
the government of bangladesh must not be seen to be granting impunity to those responsible for attacks on secularism.
the bangladesh government though far from perfect is committed to protecting the right to freedom of expression for its citizens but is doing so in very difficult circumstances.
nevertheless the balance between the need to protect citizens' rights and the ideals of ensuring universal freedom of expression and religion is always a delicate one and is something of which we should remain mindful when we are discussing or criticising bangladesh.
today's resolution is a positive one but we must not fall into the trap of demanding safeguards and protection for people while simultaneously criticising all measures introduced to protect a modern secular state such as that of bangladesh.
the european union should recognise that bangladesh is undergoing its own security threat coupled with a general election outcome that has magnified the aspects of killing maiming and intimidation of its citizens.
it also has in place laws that further impact on freedom of expression for instance freedom of belief is not allowed.
western media have reported the spread of radicalisation in bangladesh and threats issued by is against that country.
my message to the bangladesh government is that there are no better weapons for safeguarding a society from extremist violence than inclusiveness democracy respect for human rights and freedom of speech.
madam president i very much regret the need for this resolution today but we know that the debate will be watched in the bangladeshi press and i think that is positive.
in my visits to bangladesh as chair of parliament's relevant delegation we have seen a very vibrant press in the past but it certainly feels under attack now.
we know that governments and politicians in general do not always like a vibrant press but it is part of democratic development as are active ngos and civil society.
indeed much of bangladesh's considerable development in terms of gender equality child nutrition and climate change adaptation is a result of civil society working with government.
i think that it is really important that there should be general political condemnation of violent attacks and death threats against journalists bloggers writers and indeed the public in general.
we need a high quality justice system that acts impartially to put forward the best interests of the people and bring perpetrators to justice.
this is essential to prevent the further spread of this bacterium in the european union. i want to be clear on one thing the strict conditions applied on movements out of the demarcated areas in italy are also applied to imports from affected third countries.
two thousand and fourteen these measures lay down strict requirements for import and movement of host plants in the eu timely identification and control in the affected areas in italy and the removal of all infected host plants. the commission's food and veterinary office carried out two audits in.
clearly there is a high risk of a further spread if decisive measures are not taken as a matter of immediate urgency.
xylella fastidiosa is a bacterial disease which following its first introduction into the european union is now heavily affecting olive oil production in southern italy.
the new measures proposed by the commission and endorsed by the member states on twenty eight april this year foresee the following for the heavily infected province of lecce it was finally agreed to restrict the measures to the felling of infected trees and intensive testing of the surrounding trees.
this list contains approximately two hundred species a much larger number than that covered by the previous eu emergency measures.
italy has in the meantime declared a state of emergency nominated a special commissioner in charge of this file and announced a series of measures to be taken including significant financial funding.
compensation can be granted for eradication measures such as removal and destruction of plants phytosanitary treatments including for sampling and testing on condition that all proposed eradication measures are fully implemented.
at the same time we are exploring any possibility of further support with the rural development programmes and horizon.
the commission is very concerned about this situation because there is no effective treatment to cure the plants once they become infected.
although not yet found in citrus and grapevine plants the range of host plants affected by the bacterium found in apulia is gradually increasing as investigations continue to unfold.
this shows that the disease has already moved outside the originally affected area.
two thousand and fourteen the second audit conducted in november two thousand and fourteen concluded that the situation had dramatically deteriorated since the first one conducted in february of the same year.
lastly let me reassure you that the commission is in permanent contact with the italian authorities to explore all possible tools available to support financially implementation of the eradication measures foreseen in our legislation.
at the same time eradication measures have to be taken in the infected area in italy to reduce the presence of the bacterium and prevent its spread in the union.
i share your views that we need measures such as the ones presented by the commission and endorsed by the member states which are based on scientific and technical bases. their implementation should not be delayed. furthermore a new set of measures will be examined with a sense of urgency.
it is our common responsibility to convince all actors of the benefits of such measures to prevent the spread of the disease in italy and beyond.
movements of plants out of the demarcated area in italy and imports from third countries have to be subject to very strict conditions.
mr vice president
mr president high representative commissioner i would like to welcome first of all commissioner piebalgs' detailed and positive statement on the situation and his conclusions that the financial instruments are working well.
all decent people like us want to stop drug smuggling people trafficking and the supply of small arms to conflict zones but it is very easy to be emotional and generous with other people's money.
i hope to god it is a misprint but the fact that such a ridiculous error could slip past all the experts and meps who have read this report speaks volumes for the careless abandon with which the european union spends money.
mr president as is so often the case with eu proposals these financial instruments include measures which have great emotional appeal.
this is relevant to the debate today because it emphasises the key point.
the president of pakistan says i am president zardari your president.
all the commission's money comes from the taxpayers of the member states or to be precise the taxpayers of the fourteen member states which are net contributors.
i therefore leave you and ask you to consider very carefully this question can you really suppose that hard pressed european taxpayers and uk taxpayers especially in today's environment really want an extra eur two billion
to be spent because that is what these proposals provide for just so that the eu commissioner can strut about on the world stage?
even if the commission gets its own resources some time which on the basis of the votes earlier today looks depressingly likely the money spent by the commission would still be money from taxpayers.
a thief holds up the president of pakistan and says i want your money.
the thief says in that case i want my money!
two thousand and thirteen in some cases the commission proposed only technical amendments in order to bring them into line with the other instruments.
on the instrument for stability the commission proposed to include eu action against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons following the ruling of the court of justice in. two thousand and eight we are discussing the issues raised in council and must find an agreed solution.
we tabled a proposal broadening the industrialised countries' instrument to cover activities which cannot be eligible as official development assistance. this is about engaging with important bilateral partners and global players with whom the european union has a strategic interest in promoting diversified links such as india china or brazil.
two hundred and ninety as you know the commission and also the council do not share this point of
moreover funding is scheduled to double over the years two thousand and eleven two thousand and thirteen for the peacebuilding partnership.
let me be clear we definitely need to find a solution
this amended instrument called ici plus is a short term solution for three years.
even more important is the share of twenty two for civil society funding under the crisis response budget since. two thousand and seven this shows the capacity of ngos in peacebuilding and crisis response.
i can also assure you that funding for civil society under the crisis preparedness component of the stability instrument will further increase this year.
these countries are also interested in engaging in economic academic business and scientific exchanges with the european union.
this will provide ample scope for funding civil society actions.
committees have all adopted amendments in order to treat strategy papers and multiannual programmes as delegated acts under the new treaty procedure in article.
we do not prejudge the future revision of external action financial instruments for the period after.
two thousand and ten the so called banana accompanying measures have a clear objective to support the adjustment of ten acp banana exporting countries to changing eu import tariffs for bananas.
it is also in the interests of us all to ensure that programming can be done in a practical and smooth way. so far parliament has been involved through the democratic scrutiny procedure which was agreed in two thousand and six as regards the strategic papers and multiannual programming. through these procedures the commission engages in dialogue with parliament on the content of the strategies.
it is an excellent example of the added value the stability instrument has brought to comprehensive eu action in fragile and conflict affected countries worldwide.
i believe that we have experience that we can be proud of.
financial instruments definitely help us to address these challenges. i believe that today's debate was basically very positive about the experience that we have had from the financial instruments.
now we have a stability instrument for post crisis development.
it is just not good enough for us to talk and talk and talk we need to have people on the ground instruments for monitoring elections good governance and all the other things for which we require funds.
in the same manner i think the human rights instrument needs to have oomph.
mr president we must look at how the financing instruments the dci the stability instruments and the human rights instruments are important for the soft power that the european union exercises around the world.
what we need is a cross party non governmental european foundation similar to the national endowment for democracy established by the us congress.
mr president the european instrument for democracy and human rights is crucial for an eu foreign policy seriously committed to the promotion of democracy the rule of law and human rights worldwide.
i would like to use this opportunity to point out a new tool which the european parliament should help create and which this instrument could fund in order to assist even more efficiently and with more flexibility the people who often risk their lives
it is the only instrument that we can now mobilise to help those who stand up for democracy and human rights in countries where basic freedoms are restricted.
in fighting for democracy rule of law and human rights in countries with dictatorships or oppressive regimes and in countries seeking a transition towards democracy but where they meet violent anti democratic forces and where they need much more assistance in terms of building capacities to defeat these anti democratic forces.
two thousand and eleven two thousand and thirteen this means that the budget allocated to the european instrument for democracy and human rights must be significantly increased.
european union countries can and do ban political parties openly as in belgium and germany or by the back door by civil action as in the united kingdom.
the additional eur one hundred and seventy six million will not just be given to the poorest countries but also to emergent countries whose exports are already and increasingly destroying our manufacturing bases and the jobs of our taxpayers.
giving money out of other peoples' pockets those of the taxpayer is both less generous and less honest.
a desire on the part of the eu to promote democracy and human rights in the third world might be admirable if it were not for the fact that european union countries can and do imprison people who have committed neither acts of violence nor theft but simply expressed heretical or dissenting opinions on political or academic subjects.
then there was another thing that i would like to highlight.
i find that quite interesting and correct.
colleagues this is not a point of order it is an interesting point and it might play on some local tv but it is not a point of order.
mr president the eu is the world's largest multilateral donor of development aid and humanitarian assistance.
it also plays an important political role supporting the promotion of human rights and democracy in third countries.