kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
this should be the ambition of the upcoming european social pillar but can we say that this europe as a land of equal opportunity of fairness is being delivered to all european citizens?
europe is still working as a machine for divergence and inequality and we need to reverse this very undermining trend.
for the first time in years our citizens show growing faith in the eu and its direction.
their confidence is justifying proof that the eu remains where they put their hopes and where they want to live and prosper.
some will say we need more ambition; i say we need stability consolidation and proper implementation of eu policies.
we need to defend our values to make sure our citizens can fully benefit from their rights and freedoms and that the competitiveness of our companies is both defended and supported.
yet the engine of our internal market is not fairness but competition.
the internal market is not the sum of national markets.
the state of the union should also be about how we can offer more europe for everyone.
so it seems that we will have to be content with concluding this work in the autumn following political agreement by the council in june and that is very disappointing both to myself and to many colleagues who have worked so hard. had the council been here i would have liked to have asked them for a guarantee tonight that they will do everything possible to reach a common position before the summer because this situation is incredibly urgent.
shadows and staff have truly pulled out all the stops so that we could complete parliament's first reading in the shortest possible time so as to be in a position to seek a first reading agreement and thus to avoid any further delays.
the preamble to the proposal states that weak rules to prevent trade in illegally harvested timber' are at the root of the prevalence of illegal logging but what the commission has come up with i am afraid will do nothing to change that.
the most glaring gaping hole in the proposal is that it does not actually prohibit the import and sale of illegally logged timber perverse as that sounds.
but credible action means effective binding legislation.
the bad news is that the commission proposal is distressingly weak and will need comprehensive improvement in order to become meaningful and effective.
that depresses timber prices it strips natural resources and tax revenue and it increases the poverty of forest dependent peoples.
if the us can do it we should do it and that is why parliament is seeking to amend this proposal.
mr president i should like to start by saying how relieved i am that at long last we finally have before us a proposal for legislation to tackle the problem of illegal logging. parliament has been waiting for this for an enormous amount of time and i warmly thank my colleagues for their persistent efforts to see it brought forward.
the longer term effects are even more serious as commissioner dimas indicated since deforestation of which illegal logging is a major driver accounts for nearly one fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. with the copenhagen climate conference now on the horizon credible eu action on illegal logging is ever more important.
i would also like to thank my colleagues for their outstanding cooperation in bringing us to the point of tomorrow's vote;
while the voluntary partnership agreements conceived under the two thousand and three flegt action plan have the potential to drive positive change to date only one has been signed and as long as their coverage is not universal the risks of money laundering and circumvention are just too high. the good news is that we do finally have eu legislation;
in spite of commissioner dimas' good words about the importance of tackling illegal logging the commission proposal as it stands simply is not up to the job.
so while my report maintains the commission's suggestion that only operators who place timber and timber products on the eu market for the first time should be required to put in place a full due diligence system since they are clearly the actors with the most influence it makes clear that all operators in the market share responsibility for trading only legally sourced wood and that failing to do that may constitute an offence. i should like to say to commissioner dimas that i really do believe that our proposals are supplementing due diligence they are making it more effective they are making it operational and there is no problem at all with wto rules.
quite simply the commission proposal as it stands will not achieve our aim of ensuring that the eu no longer provides a market for illegally logged timber.
it requires only that operators at one particular point in the supply chain put in place a due diligence system while everyone else is immune from any obligation as to the legality of the timber or the timber products that they trade.
illegal logging is a hugely serious problem against which the eu has preached for many years yet all the while continuing to provide one of the world's biggest markets for illegally logged timber and timber products. between twenty and forty of global industrial wood production is estimated to come from illegal sources and up to twenty of that finds its way into the eu.
sadly however the painfully slow rate of progress in the council has put paid to that idea.
i have learnt from meetings with numerous industry representatives and other stakeholders that many countries and also many companies already have in place excellent systems which would fulfil most if not all requirements of the due diligence system.
it makes sense then that all the work that has gone into establishing those systems does not go to waste and that we do not create unnecessary extra administrative burdens;
that being so we have been very careful and have made use of good advice on including wording which would enable good existing systems to qualify under the regulation without the need to establish whole new structures.
i would also add that many elements of our proposals are actually supported by industry.
it is rather ironic that in many senses industry seems to be far more ambitious in this area than even the commission itself.
as far as european operators are concerned i would like to say very clearly that the regulation as we have amended it should do nothing but benefit responsible european operators since the vast majority of them already do most of what is being asked and the existence of the regulation will prevent them from being undercut by other less scrupulous operators.
so we should be very clear that there is nothing in this report that makes life difficult for european operators.
we have also got some special measures for smaller operators so we have taken very seriously the risk of being disproportionate;
i think we have addressed that very sensibly in the report that we have put before you. having heard again your comments commissioner on the environment committee's report i am afraid i do maintain my view that the commission's proposal as it stands is disappointing and weak and simply will not do what it claims to do.
i fail to see how you can have legislation aimed at preventing the sale of illegally logged timber which does not actually make doing so an offence.
i think most european consumers would be genuinely shocked to realise that the eu does not already have in place legislation against illegal logging and i suspect that all those who concluded in response to the commission's own consultation that legislation was the only way to really address the problem would not see the particular proposals by the commission the due diligence system on its own as sufficient to be able to address the problems that we face.
as i said earlier we had really hoped to get a first reading agreement. parliament did everything it could to enable that to happen.
there can be no surprises or else it is going to be very difficult to try and shape a sensible budget.
the two thousand and thirteen budget year will prove to be a very difficult one with on the one hand a real need for budgetary constraint and austerity but on the other hand significant demands for payments from member states as we come to the end of this financial perspective.
i would like to see us aim for a freeze in real terms of the two thousand and thirteen budget but this must be tempered by the fact that we are nearing the end of the financial perspective and the budget must reflect that fact.
year after year this parliament is happy to put more taxpayers' money in the hands of the commission an institution which as the auditors tell us is unable to ensure the proper use of eu funding.
when will this parliament realise that stimulating growth and jobs requires much less red tape and much less pointless legislation?
if this house refuses to show common sense and responsibility it will be the architect of its own downfall.
of course the commission never runs a deficit and it never will because it can always go back to the member states and tax them more to balance its books.
why can this parliament not admit that growth targeted spending would be best directed at member state level?
that is the inability to transfer what is underspent to what should be spent at the end of the year.
everything is moving late but moving at cruising speed at the end of the financial perspective and we should remember as mentioned by the rapporteur the lesson of. two thousand and eleven another important lesson is the full implementation of commitments and payments but also more than one hundred consumption and implementation in many areas for example competitiveness and innovation one hundred and thirty five
the inability of the commission to pay what it should pay for legitimate projects in several countries is also affected by the crisis.
what is next and what is equally important is how to boost investment how to boost employment opportunities especially for the younger generation and how to support small and medium sized companies in europe.
our inability to repay to reimburse to athens to rome to madrid to lisbon the countries under financial stress money for what was accomplished what was legitimate is clearly inconsistent with the political declarations that we should supply;
that means that it is going to be important to strike the right balance between austerity and sound judicious investment. in that respect our rapporteur has set out a number of principles which we are happy to support.
i strongly agree with his assertion that we need a budget that focuses on jobs and growth.
in particular i strongly agree with him that the key test for eu expenditure must be the creation of european added value.
we would also impress on him however the need for value for money.
i would urge greater thought to be given to the efficiency of this budgetary process.
specifically inaccurate budgeting and the growth in the reste liquider' both lead to large sums of unspent money both of which suggest that we should be looking for ways to increase flexibility in the budgeting process.
but the one point that is missing in this report is a commentary on the size of the budget.
at a time when most of europe is experiencing austerity and most of europe's governments are cutting expenditure it is most important that we too show a determination to reduce our expenditure wherever possible.
we are also preparing a communication on implementation later this year which would deal with the question of implementation in a more holistic way.
we are already discussing it thoroughly together with the directorate because i believe that this is one of the questions on which we should focus in the future including of course in the proposals which we are discussing today.
level by politicians who are accountable to the electorate.
medical devices televisions remote controls calculators heaters tumble dryers and washing machines.
madam president mobile phones phone chargers play stations cameras saunas thermometers refrigerators freezers toasters kettles microwaves irons air fresheners clocks watches electric toothbrushes dvd players vacuum cleaners children's toys video games
well that is just to name a few because all of these appliances and many more will undoubtedly rise in price as a result of this waste directive. and to think that the european union is prepared to pile this legislation on just at a time when we are in the depths of a recession and when people are struggling to make ends meet! i therefore encourage everyone in this chamber to show sympathy with the hardworking taxpayers and with small to medium sized businesses and put this prospective law in.
this also gives us a chance to finish some uncompleted business.
they have a constant war with the remanufacturers who take these printer cartridges and refill them with ink and sell them back to you for a fraction of the price.
so we inserted into the legislation article four designed to ensure that you cannot place on the market products which cannot be recycled.
but the printer companies found a way around that.
nearly ten years ago we discovered that the printer manufacturers had hit upon a new means of advancing that war by using electronics to stop the printer cartridges being recycled you fill them with ink and they stop working.
printer companies have a business model based on selling their printers relatively cheaply and getting their customers locked into a contract to keep buying expensive printer cartridges.
this is the chance to close that loophole to make sure that we have more competition on the market and to encourage proper recycling.
we must not impose a system that increases the costs for the general taxpayer particularly in this era of fiscal consolidation.
yes i totally agree let us set challenging targets but let us not confuse targets with compliance.
this is an area that has been sadly neglected.
i think that the proposed ambitious targets will ensure that a larger percentage of smaller weee will be collected in the future.
if i want to recycle batteries i can take my old batteries to any retailer.
if we want to see the targets increased for waste electrical goods we have to have more of that kind of collection.
we have got to make it easier for the public to dispose of their electrical goods and particularly small electrical goods. when the target of four tonnes per person was set it was totally inadequate.
it should be the norm that every item of electrical waste is collected and most of it recycled not the exception.
unfortunately in europe today it is the exception.
by strengthening the weee directive we can make an important contribution towards becoming a resource efficient recycling society.
we are talking about the fastest growing waste stream in europe and one with huge potential for reducing our dependence on imported or virgin raw materials.
based on this very positive background of broad agreement between parliament and the commission let me make some introductory comments on the three specific issues.
the commission is pleased that parliament fully accepts the ambition level and starting date for the new collection target.
it is ambitious in order to benefit our environment and increase the resource efficiency of our economy and it is achievable for each member state which is also important. the committee proposes to define the target in a new way by mentioning the ultimate goal collecting a proportion of the weee generated explicitly in the wording.
the commission is willing to contribute to coming up with this methodology as proposed by the committee.
however we are aware of the increasing number of concerns relating to the potential environmental impact of solar panels particularly in their waste phase. a voluntary agreement recently submitted by the solar panel industry clearly fails to meet the criteria for such agreements.
we clearly need to assess properly the environmental risks and opportunities of the disposal of solar panels before considering their inclusion in the scope of the weee directive.
only those elements have been truly impact assessed.
i wish we didn't need it but unfortunately we do.
i would like to thank you for this clear and loud support.
this is in everyone's interest.
this is what our member states have asked for and we have delivered.
that is why we also need to advance those proposals on which we are ready or almost ready.
last but not least we need to continue our actions to strengthen and better manage our common external borders.
we have to be ready for the future an unpredictable future.
we simply can no longer afford these types of unorganised ad hoc solutions. now is the time to put words into action.
we will continue to work together intensively to achieve the completion of our comprehensive work.
the commission and i personally remain fully committed to continue working with you and the council to achieve this very important goal the reform of the european asylum system.
as the world's second most used currency it reinforces europe's presence on the global scene.
i believe this project can in time go a long way towards making the euro stable and inclusive.
the agreement will allow for a more effective and broader use of the european stability mechanism and make our system of bank resolution more credible.
still the single currency emerged stronger from the crises thanks to committed national policy action and major improvements in the euro area's institutional framework.
the health of public finances and of the banking sector has also been improving.
step by step we are increasing the resilience and the smooth functioning of the currency union.
the euro has become a symbol of the european identity.
euro area countries and their citizens will thus be in a better position to reap the benefits of the single currency for the next twenty years and beyond.
it became a popular idea among three hundred and forty million people in nineteen euro area countries as it enjoys greater support today than ever before.
its work paved the way for an agreement at the december euro summit on strengthening our single currency. this was the single biggest reform of the euro performed outside the crisis context.
our single currency provides a solid anchor for the creation of jobs and growth across europe.
it is a tool intended to increase the prosperity of the peoples of europe.
shortcomings in the architecture of the economic and monetary union came to the surface.
steady job creation has allowed increasingly more people to benefit from this expansion.
the establishment of the european stability mechanism and the banking union has strengthened economic policy coordination which illustrates precisely this point.
it is our responsibility to ensure that it lives up to its promise and even more so in these uncertain times.
many predicted a spectacular failure of the euro but we proved them wrong.
the work on this file is our priority in the months ahead but the eurogroup will continue working on other important issues such as the european deposit insurance scheme and liquidity in resolution.
it is a pleasure to join you today to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the launch of the euro.
importantly leaders also agreed to establish a euro area budgetary instrument for convergence and competitiveness.
pardoning corrupt politicians because you say that the prisons are overcrowded is not acceptable in the european union. fighting those who are fighting corruption is not acceptable.
and i would like to say that you and your government need to fight corruption as we require from any other government.
and you need to take on the responsibility of safeguarding romania because we believe it is a fantastic thing that you are having the presidency. don't make a mess of it you have a responsibility take.
i must say that was a disgrace for the socialist group.
these agreements provide for progressive and shared liberalisation through a comprehensive and balanced free trade area.
the eu holds preferential trade agreements with twenty six of the thirty three countries from the community of latin american and caribbean states including the free trade agreements with colombia and peru.
they have invested in five g mobile test infrastructure to supercharge the development of connected and autonomous vehicles.
no collisions no traffic jams. to become a reality of course there will need to be car to car and car to everything around them communications and crucially all cars really need to be speaking the same language.
so if industry wide standards cannot be agreed by industry then the eu must step in.
mr president i welcome this report on autonomous driving.
there won't be any translation booths or headphones.
the vision for the technological future is one where we all sit back and relax in cars that drive us safely and efficiently to our destinations.
there are many issues that we need to address if we're to bring consumers and to get consumer confidence in this area.
the technical standards of vehicles and infrastructure need to be addressed.
safety and privacy of data is one of them and of course safety of individuals.
we need responsibilities of the operators to come into play.
if we're going to move forward in this area there are lots of questions that need to be addressed and that can only be done in this house and other national parliaments in ensuring that we do have societal acceptance of autonomous vehicles.
this doesn't mean that projects are selected politically not at all.
a final point on efsi one thing which makes me especially happy when looking at what efsi has achieved is to look at the countries which have mostly benefited from efsi.
the idea is to address policies like climate change or improve digitalisation or increase financing for small and medium sized companies which are lacking finance in certain member states.
in addition to this combination or pooling together of thirteen funds we will pool together thirteen different advisory services.
so mostly the financing has gone in the right direction exactly to the countries and regions of those countries which have had some financial constraints.
by pooling together thirteen existing financial instruments it should be clear to everybody that from the end user's point of view investeu is much easier to use.
partner for the commission also in the future but we want to improve and encourage new financial innovations.
at the same time we have to conclude negotiations on two hundred and forty two different proposals.
improve the transmission of a monetary policy.
so therefore we count on your continued support for the capital markets union project which would lead to deeper and better connected capital markets and thus also foster the international standing of the euro.
so we have a window of three months in that window an opportunity must be taken. we didn't have qmv in the austrian presidency and i say to and i ask the romanian presidency take this opportunity we should have qmv under the treaties we should have some movement the homework was done in this parliament many of the rapporteurs were here.
that is the question everyone needs to answer today.
madam president as we approach very fast the end of the mandate we only have a three month window and it is somewhat a tiny country like malta four hundred zero which was the country when i first became a member of parliament that was taking refugees and again such a tiny country
taking refugees again the commissioner going member state to member state and we have to then ask the question are we deluded if we say there is no common policy or that we don't reform dublin or we don't have a package?
let's take this opportunity.
and the answer to that question is of course we need some common approach otherwise the shame of seawatch and seaeye will be repeated over two zero people will die and their numbers will be added to and that will continue.
only investment which learns the lessons of the climate crisis is good investment and therefore it was positive that the compromise coming out of the leading committee foresaw an increase in the share of sustainable investment in the infrastructure window to sixty five and it is important for our group that this house sticks to this proposal.
but at the same time i would like to stress that good investment is only sustainable investment.