kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
but we as politicians have a responsibility to ensure that while citizens are aware of the real potential of the citizens' initiative they are also aware of its limitations. we know that it is not just a question of one million signatures on any issue.
the issue must come within the competence of the union and we must not promise more than we can deliver.
i am pleased to see that in the agriculture council you are making progress with the issue of improving the functioning of the food supply chain.
food security cannot and will not be guaranteed unless our farmers can earn a fair and reasonably stable income.
finally prime minister well done on your initiative to stamp out gender violence;
there is now reason for cautious optimism on the prospects of enduring peace and stability in this region.
it is also a matter of personal regret that my observation of somaliland's desire for re recognition as a nation state was deleted.
pockets of stability such as somaliland have proved to be capable of developing effective judiciaries and democratic institutions.
we have also seen success through the eu training mission in somalia and the newly launched eucap nestor which aims to strengthen the rule of law in somalia.
africa itself as a continent presents huge economic potential but we cannot ignore the problems of fundamental human rights.
coupled with this is the lack of stable democratic and employment prospects for the population particularly the young.
but the first thing that my report notes is the paramount importance to the global economy of a stable horn of africa and safe passage of ships off its coast.
the eu should stand ready now to provide financial assistance when required but the political resources and political impetus must come from within the region itself led by the horn of africa nations ethiopia kenya and uganda. the latter until a recent announcement of withdrawal have all provided valuable military support to the efforts to achieve stability and peace in the region.
nevertheless i hope that this report can offer some contribution to the current multi layered discourse on the horn of africa and eventually be incorporated into the eu strategy more broadly.
the extremely large volume of amendments inserted at committee stage for my report have of course diluted the initial foreign affairs and security focus which i had intended and i did oppose the hostile tone of some paragraphs towards ethiopia in particular.
the recent elections in somalia to replace a transitional federal government and the near peaceful split of sudan into two sovereign states gives rise to the hopes that democracy stability and prosperity will one day be realised for all the nations in that region.
we have seen that eu and au troops can work together to achieve common aims.
several of them have discovered oil and gas resources.
if both rise to the challenges and responsibility of finding common ground they can make a major contribution to regional stability.
that is what high representative ashton means by a comprehensive approach. by providing the support to our mission and maintaining atalanta to secure the high seas from piracy by training the future officer corps of the somali army through the eu training mission by financing nestor to create maritime policy capacity and by supporting rule of
the turning point for the region has been the changes in somalia. we have a new and more representative government voted in by a new parliament.
we must of course do our utmost to secure the progress achieved and we must prevent the region from being affected by the developments in the sahel.
law programmes in more parts of somalia the eu has laid the foundations for a somalia that can be at peace.
we are pleased that the external action service and the eu special representative for the horn of africa have already engaged through the african union and with the intergovernmental authority on development in order to develop such a regional policy.
we have created the space for politics to play their part. now we are opening the path for development activities to resume and we are helping make the entire region of the horn of africa more secure.
we call for clemency in the case of abdul basit but we do so in steadfast opposition to terrorism and in full solidarity with pakistan and all countries who suffer as its victims.
with all countries with whom we cooperate in fighting terrorism we seek to uphold human rights and the rule of law and we say the same to our friends in pakistan in our resolution today.
we oppose the death penalty and we ask pakistan again to consider whether all executions are genuinely linked to terrorism especially in the light of research from the justice project and from reprieve that they are not.
so we mourn the seventy two victims in lahore terrorists who targeted a children's playground at the height of holiday celebrations to inflict most harm on those who are most innocent.
the eu and the international community need to support and acknowledge pakistan's overall progress in fighting terror.
in the last three decades the country has suffered immensely.
the european union has also been calling for comprehensive action against terrorism in full compliance with international law fundamental values and international human rights standards.
some action has also been taken to address the widespread problem of hate speech.
the european union is opposed to capital punishment in all circumstances and has consistently called for its universal abolition. the european union in all its contacts with pakistan continues to underline the importance of reintroducing the moratorium on executions and of complying with the minimum standards.
pakistan has made some progress in strengthening the institutional framework for human rights including by establishing a national commission for human rights. furthermore the government recently adopted an action plan to improve the human rights situation in pakistan.
the european union bilateral development cooperation for the period two thousand and fourteen two thousand and twenty for pakistan with a total amount of eur six hundred and thirty five million has human rights and good governance as one of the three focal sectors.
we always raise human rights issues in our regular dialogue with pakistan and encourage authorities to address the challenges including those concerning the situation of minorities. the european union regrets the lifting of the moratorium on the death penalty in pakistan and the large number of executions
my colleague federica mogherini the high representative in a statement extended her condolences to the families and friends of the victims and underlined our support to pakistan in its fight against terrorism and in the promotion of our shared values among which is diversity.
we are very worried about the rising levels of religious violence and intolerance in some parts of pakistan and we are closely monitoring these developments. minorities in the country including religious minorities continue to suffer disproportionately and they are frequently targeted by extremist militants. we call on the government to step up efforts to ensure the security of all members of religious minorities.
we call on pakistan to bring the perpetrators and instigators of these attacks to justice and to take firm action against the organisations that claim responsibility.
the two thousand and sixteen gsp report underscores that the human rights situation remains very challenging.
this has led
just yesterday four more prisoners convicted of murder were hanged.
the plan includes various measures notably the development of a national plan of action for the promotion and protection of the rights of minorities.
human rights violations remain widespread in the country despite some of the constructive initiatives underway.
the european union is also supporting several projects to improve awareness and protection of human rights access to justice for vulnerable groups and to strengthen civil society organisations in pakistan.
mr president i am speaking today in my capacity as chair of the delegation for countries of south asia and i want to add my condolences and those of the delegation to the families and loved ones of those killed in the recent atrocity in lahore designed to attack children and families on the easter public holiday and also
we have been seeing an overall decrease in such attacks by violent extremists and have seen a more consistent and coordinated effort from the government and the army and it is essential that they work together.
we welcome the government's commitment to reform the education system and curriculum to engender a wider understanding of human rights and respect for diversity.
we welcome too the further commitments in terms of equality before the law and the promotion of human rights which of course will need a strong and fully independent human rights commission as well as the implementation of the conventions that the government has signed up to not least as part of the gsp agreement.
we also hope that we will see a reconsideration of the death penalty and its eventual abolition.
mr president for those belonging to religious minority communities in pakistan life can be very difficult.
the horrifying terrorist attack in lahore on easter day is sadly not an isolated incident and deserves our full condemnation in this house. whilst it would be unfair to say that no action has been taken i do call today upon the pakistani government to do more to foster an atmosphere of tolerance and respect for all communities.
part of the problem is the apparent inability to confront pakistan's deeply troubling legislation on religion such as the blasphemy laws and the hudood ordinances laws that should be repealed as a matter of priority.
salman taseer the assassinated politician who called for the abolition of the blasphemy laws and paid with his life for doing so is much revered by many in pakistan but it is clear to me that the country is still infected by undercurrents of extremism.
we have a lot to do and we have to do everything we can to help.
those are the founding principles of pakistan to which we refer in our resolution. every person killed maimed or injured in these cowardly attacks in lahore is a pakistani.
if we seek to split them into categories in our resolutions we do a disservice to their memory.
states and actors who support terrorist networks should know slowly you are being exposed your operatives are and will be captured and eventually you will be exposed completely.
they are inexcusable acts of barbarism that cannot be justified or explained in any way.
the european parliament's response to the latest attacks in pakistan should be no different. we should send a simple message denouncing these crimes while expressing our solidarity with its people. there should be no strings attached.
unfortunately some are using this opportunity to deliver a lengthy lecture to pakistan on a wide range of domestic issues.
imagine if in the wake of recent attacks in europe someone told us they felt sorry but our migrant policy and social integration failures were to blame for what had happened.
do not get me wrong there is a time and place for socio political debate on pakistan but now is not the time.
that is why we call today on the pakistani authorities to further engage in the ideological battle with extremism the fight against terror but also to tackle social economic exclusion and ensure religious tolerance. let us be clear pakistan alone will not succeed.
finally we europeans also have an important role to play.
six we have to reflect on the procedure of annual budgeting at the end of a financial perspective in terms of an increase in payments.
importantly members of this parliament have accepted savings as well in terms of accepting a freeze in the office allowance and a cut in the travel budget. i believe in future we can do even more to make further savings.
we recognise that our priorities should be in putting money into jobs and growth things like structural funds while at the same time making savings where we possibly can.
the council should understand and recognise that structural funds are an important part of creating jobs and growth in the european union and if we do not have enough money to fund those structural funds the council as i said should accept the blame.
i first of all want to say a few words on the general budget before going on to the european parliament's budget.
in a doomed pursuit of its lisbon agenda the eu has squandered more than one trillion euros of taxpayers' money. i say the number again one trillion euros. funds are given to the commission which fails to properly control their use and yet it always comes back to us for more. the present economic and financial situation in europe is without a doubt a reflection of the abject failure in the use of funds. while this wasteful spree goes on in brussels mr osborne in the uk has announced further budget cuts.
for goodness sake stop sending more british taxpayers' money to the european union.
so i tell the government in the uk today no mr hague the eu budget is not under control;
this is simply not true;
do we honestly think that funds have been well spent in the past by the european union or that they will be well spent in the future?
all the eu's efforts should be focused on economic growth on competition and indeed on areas such as research and development.
this budget should have seen major substantive cuts with funds returned to the treasuries of our countries.
across europe governments are having to cut their budgets to overcome massive deficits while desperately trying to induce economic growth.
we could have set an example with parliament's own budget admittedly only a small part of the overall budget but nevertheless significant costing some eur.
new direction the think tank has identified cuts that could easily have been made a quarter of the budget could be cut some eur four hundred million could be saved by this parliament without affecting the core roles of this house.
i am pleased to report that in my own constituency of northern ireland water quality standards are improving year on year.
therefore i believe that a harmonised approach is not the best way to safeguard resources.
eighty eight six of works compliant with current regulations. i would also like to draw attention to the impact of eu water legislation on the agricultural sector in northern ireland where concerns have been raised in relation to the soil framework directive.
although farmers in northern ireland are very much in support of the need for action in order to maintain their land in good condition ensuring long term fertility and productivity the challenges faced in protecting agricultural soils vary across europe.
therefore it is essential that mechanisms are in place throughout each individual member state to safeguard this vital resource.
but one thing that they have never said in the thirteen years that i have been doing this job is that they want a common european number to dial in emergencies.
if people were to dial their national emergency number nine hundred and ninety nine in the case of the uk they would at least find a responsive national mechanism on the other end that might do something about it.
europe is the problem and not the solution. the earlier we recognise that the better for everybody.
once again though there seems to be a metaphorical aptness in what we are discussing. the emergency has been caused by precisely such harmonisation as this.
but if they dial a common number expecting the fire brigade they will instead find the arsonists.
eu funds are about compliance not performance and many regions including those in the mediterranean have been failing to deliver results year after year.
eu regional funding is simply another layer of bureaucracy which is preventing not promoting growth in the economy.
another pressing concern is the requirement to retrofit vehicles by.
i appreciate that in the field of road transport some european harmonisation is necessary.
two thousand and twenty this will be very expensive and will be an additional burden on a road haulage industry already suffering in the current economic crisis.
however complete harmonisation goes far too far.
the commission's assurances on data protection are also insufficient and as has been pointed out fraud is an increasing problem.
mr president i have always supported strengthening the enforcement of intellectual property rights and i welcome this overdue commission proposal.
of course i share the concerns of some members of this house with regard to generic medicines but let us not forget the profit motive on the basis of which most medical advancements are made in europe by our pharmaceutical companies. my group has previously expressed concerns that additional responsibilities placed on already strained national customs authorities should not be too onerous so therefore i would hope that any forthcoming amendments will avoid encumbering them more than is necessary.
the company and the irish government have incredibly classified this as non hazardous despite the fact that when a similar plant had a serious breach in hungary in two thousand and ten it released highly toxic caustic sludge.
this waste has already become airborne damaging the health of people in the region and damaging the farmland.
ordinary farmers in the region are being forced to pay thousands of euros to install new septic tanks at their homes.
the rusal alumina plant refinery produces alumina powder in a chemical process which leaves behind toxic waste.
yet we have the biggest septic tank in all of europe sitting there without proper regard to the massive environmental dangers it poses.
between twenty million and fifty million tonnes of this hazardous waste sit in an area of over two hundred and fifty acres on the banks of the shannon estuary in a pond which has never been properly lined.
if there is a major spillage it would see the water air soil and livestock of the area destroyed.
mr president i too fully support this resolution urging the commission to draft legislation requiring car manufacturers to fit the ecall device in all new cars from two thousand and fifteen and to require member states to ensure that their emergency services are able to handle the ecall system.
a car fitted with the device would be able to make an automatic emergency call and transmit data about the location and time of the crash to the nearest emergency response unit.
non respect of the minimum breaks rest periods and the maximum driving times can lead to fatigue for drivers and cause a potential risk to road safety. heavy goods vehicles are potentially lethal weapons. finally professional drivers and transport companies operate in a highly fragmented market and a fiercely competitive environment.
what we need to do is tighten up.
i accept that this should not be a prime concern when human lives are at stake.
the implanting of emergency services' telecommunications devices within the private motor vehicle has the potential to save thousands of lives by automatically relaying the information about accidents and their whereabouts.
although i realise that a voluntary approach to implementing this has largely failed i am still worried that moving to a mandatory approach may impose significant although unknown costs on the member states.
i was however pleased at the committee stage that the ecr group was successful in guaranteeing a technology neutral approach whereby private ecall systems can compete with a public ecall as this is most in accordance with the principles of a single market and also competition.
current international services in europe are still often run by complex joint ventures formed for this purpose and requiring unnecessary expenses and delays.
a gradualist model of strengthening national independent rail regulators with a view to the establishment of a pan european regulator is the right approach.
a free market in rail services will surely be a boon to the european traveller and haulier.
mr president i voted in favour of the proposal on a single european railway area. it seems to be quite apposite to consolidate existing directives on european rail policy while moving towards a necessary further liberalisation.
i am a great supporter of the rail sector and of new infrastructure building such as the new high speed two set to be constructed in the uk.
as water is a fundamental right i believe that it is important that water utilities remain in public ownership and that income from charges levied must be ring fenced for the upgrading of the infrastructure.
mr president i welcome the recognition that water is a public good that access to water constitutes a fundamental and universal right and that there has to be a strong social dimension to water pricing.
moreover in order to ensure that the vulnerable and less well off are protected there should be a quota for households for basic use before charges are applied.
a european funded replacement programme throughout our older cities could be part of a stimulus package and would create much needed employment and replace infrastructure that is over a hundred years old.
i think we can all agree that they have road safety benefits and transport operators use them without complaint these days.
but i cannot agree with the suggestions in this report that extra expenses should be imposed on european transport operators by agreeing to mandatory introduction of new technology without a clear cost benefit analysis and by that i do not mean an analysis of people not complying.
i mean an analysis of the results of people not complying which seem to be significantly missing. i am particularly concerned about the extra cost to transport operators of the requirement to retrofit into vehicles new technology by two thousand and twenty which seems to be an unnecessary expense and one which will disadvantage many in the transport sector.
new technology should of course be embraced particularly when it is aimed at combating fraud.
mr president i voted against this report on recording equipment in road transport with particular reference to tachographs. i know how important tachographs are.
i am in favour however of acting at international global level wherever possible and the report notes correctly that there needs to be more focus on the international angle.
that many eu water bodies will not have achieved good status by two thousand and fifteen is of course a disappointment and it is distressing to read that even the basic information on european water quality and quantity which we evaluate our progress from still remains poor.
europe is not an island and water scarcity in the rest of the world will inevitably cause problems for all of us in the future not least with regard to conflicts displaced persons and mass migration.
mr president water policy is one of the areas in which eu coordination can be highly beneficial for our consumers if done properly.
i welcome however the conclusion that the regional dimension must be addressed more closely and that water policy should be mainstreamed into all policy areas.
mr president i voted against this report as i find the notion of a single european railway area a ridiculous unnecessary and unwelcome intrusion into domestic affairs.
there is no need for fritz the tank engine or for a single eu fat controller for our railways.
but the united kingdom is a large island with only one rail connection with continental europe and it has no road connections at all.
in east anglia my constituency hard pressed rail users do not stand on platforms demanding a single european railway area. they need better services less crowding and reasonable ticket prices.
this is a silly single rail area proposal and it should not be allowed.
it should not leave the station.
mr president the recast of the railway package represents a further step towards the full liberalisation of european railways.
i stand with european rail workers in opposing this because it is all about developing the railways into a nice profitable treat for the private sector to gobble up.
it runs against the interests of both workers and consumers.