kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
i am pleased that the report highlights the importance of geographical indicators my.
from outside europe.
as you know. book pricing is not up for negotiation and ttip will not impose any obligation on any member state to provide financial support to culture
for the environment. nobody will accept a ttip that will restrict our right to provide new protections
to concerns. well transparency has increased thanks to your concerns and those
with you and others. let me also remind you that the mandate to negotiate ttip has been given by twenty eight countries unanimously and endorsed by
on public services. we are highlighting the need for smes because they will be the
question of jobs. of course there are many studies being published
it. we need jobs. we need growth.
platform for ttip. it helps us to negotiate an ambitious comprehensive and
same direction. this house you in september two thousand and fourteen less than a year ago published a paper with an in depth analysis of the expected impact of ttip on
secret tribunals. nobody will accept a ttip that will undermine europe's proud tradition of providing high quality public services
but they exist and we have
court. this is something that is being discussed all over the world. we have the highest number of these more than three
zero agreements. so let us take the chance the world is watching us to reform this system and create something
it is clear that there are many concerns. i also meet citizens who have concerns and who share them with me. but i also want to remind you that overall a majority of european citizens support those negotiations. they might not be as vocal as those who are against but their voice is also important. that is also democracy. let me answer some of the questions. there was a question from the committee on development on the impact of ttip on developing countries. we are doing a study on this in the commission and it will be published later this autumn. the preliminary results show there is actually very little impact on our neighbours and on developing countries but we can come back to that once it is published. regarding gmos our legislation will not change. what is prohibited in europe today will remain prohibited; we will not change our laws on consumer protection; reach standards will not be lowered and we will stick very strongly to our precautionary principle. on isds this is a chance we have together to reform an old system. that system dates from the one thousand nine hundred and fifty s. you represent all of you but one countries who have many of these bilateral agreements already. you might like them you might not like them
to face that. so this is an opportunity to really get rid of an oldfashioned system to create something new something that clearly spells out that states have the right to regulate in order to protect
industries. there is also the
still not out of
in this regard. most of them point in the
in the future. nobody will accept a ttip that gives companies unfair rights through
big winners on this. we will continue to engage
system dramatically. we have made clear statements with the united states
we need investments. there are many ways to do this but ttip and the other trade agreements that we are negotiating are a part
balanced agreement. this is
madam president we are the democratic arm of the eu institutions. our job is to stand up for citizens and to tell you what they want and i can tell you very clearly they do not want ttip. well over two million have already petitioned the commission to stop negotiating in their name.
it is a way to allow corporations to take control of more of our economy and that is why they are driving this agenda.
as a continent we are currently facing massive crises in greece with migrants in the mediterranean with conflict in the middle east and ukraine and with climate change.
it threatens to undermine the standards we fought for in areas such as air quality water quality safe food and animal welfare.
more trade is not the solution to our problems.
we still want to foster job creating investment but we are proposing a new system that sets down the right to regulate in black and white a new system that takes us away from the private arbitration tribunals of the past.
i respect people who have doubts and questions across the continent and within this house.
to get it right we need the engagement of the whole of this parliament and this resolution is proving that engagement.
they would find it easier to export and to get their imported components and raw materials more cheaply.
i have made proposals for a deep reform of investment protection.
these negotiations are far reaching and a lot of work is still needed.
when president juncker came here to present the agenda for his commission last july he made clear that ttip was one of his core priorities and this house at that time voted very strongly for his agenda.
we have also made clear where we stand on public services such as public health and water concessions.
ttip will be a step towards that goal not the final result.
we want the benefits of shared expertise and we want opportunities for our people.
beyond investment we also have important proposals to discuss how best to protect labour and environmental rights and digital commerce.
i am happy to say that ttip is the world's most transparent bilateral free trade negotiation.
because ttip is an essential part of the commission's strategy to open markets around the world.
i have together with ambassador froman the us trade representative made a joint statement the eu and the us are fully united around a crystal clear vision that nothing in ttip will change the fact that only member states choose how their public services should be organised.
there is honourable members as you know an unprecedented debate about this agreement.
we need an ally like this to shape the globalisation we see deepening before our eyes every day.
we particularly need an ally because we know that the strength of our voice in the world is in relative terms decreasing. ttip guarantees that partnership with america for the future and we cannot afford to turn our backs on that either.
having parliament's priorities so clearly established helps the commission explain why we need to tackle them in the final agreement.
we are more affected by economic and political decisions made in other countries than ever before.
since last november i have opened up these negotiations to unprecedented public scrutiny.
it covers traditional trade issues but also many other issues from medical devices regulation and financial services to sustainable development.
second ttip is also a strategic alliance with the country that most closely shares europe's commitment to core values and to a high level of protection of people and of the environment in our regulation.
there will be many more issues to debate over the course of these talks which are far from over.
we are doing that not to benefit a small few but in order to create opportunities for the whole of europe the people of europe the consumers of europe the entrepreneurs of europe.
we have also made it very clear where we stand on regulation. i have put the proposal on cooperating with the us online and it says that there will be no limitations on the power of this parliament or any national parliament or of european governments.
the fact that fourteen committees in addition to the committee on international trade were all active proves that members are very engaged in this and has enabled the whole parliament to take part in discussions in deliberations and in getting to know all the details of this agreement.
the result is a completely new approach.
i will continue to push the us on our offensive interests including on public procurement where we expect an ambitious proposal but also on services energy and geographical indications to mention just a few examples.
it would also make goods cheaper and more varied for consumers and it would help to make our small and medium sized companies more competitive.
this is a concern i have heard very frequently.
it is an essential step given the role of the us as a global investor.
instead we want a future in which disputes are decided in an international investment court by judges and with a right of appeal.
that is a good thing.
i take those concerns very seriously and have engaged a lot with national parliaments with this parliament with ngos with civil society and other stakeholders to listen and to try to understand their concerns.
what will happen to the thirty one million jobs that depend directly on exports and will europe continue to have to get its energy sources from authoritarian governments?
i will read every line to make sure it is so and i would like to ask my colleagues to start thinking globally about the ttip negotiations.
ttip is more than just an economic agreement it is a geopolitical agreement.
while making us stronger economically it will help to confirm us as leaders in the world.
in this debate today let us focus on the important strategic questions about ttip and europe.
what will happen to european standards as china rises if we are not part of the global decision making process?
in this report we have also made it clear that the sustainable development chapter must be binding and enforceable. we have demanded that the us sign and ratify core ilo conventions on workers' rights;
we also acknowledge that ttip is an opportunity to help set global standards.
where we can agree we should agree common standards with the united states and again as others have said if we do not it will be the global marketplace that sets those standards.
even on the most sensitive issue isds we have made progress.
the rapporteur has performed a herculean task in bringing together competing and sometimes contradictory views on a wide range of sensitive and emotive issues.
in my view and in the view of my group if this report is adopted by parliament it will provide an excellent blueprint for a progressive ttip that not only creates jobs but protects public services and the right to regulate and defends labour and environmental standards.
i think parliament has fulfilled exactly the role that it should play.
the majority now accept that any investor protection must be transparent must not limit the right to regulate and must not undermine health labour or environmental standards. that is indeed progress on where we were six months ago.
do we really believe that the human rights standards from latin america the labour standards from china the environmental standards from other parts of asia will be up to our standards?
with this report we are also demanding very clearly and explicitly the full exemption of public services from the deal regardless of how they are financed and as the rapporteur has said that includes healthcare education and water.
i have listened very carefully to the commissioner.
in fact i would like to say one important final thing.
nobody in this house has said today on the basis of this or that agreement that we have reason to be concerned.
this brings me to the conclusion and to the view that the main reason why we differ why we see and hear all these arguments is that we just have different perceptions.
that is a lie the predicted growth is between now and.
it is the most ambitious scenario.
stick to the truth.
our minister with responsibility for this area richard bruton invited meps to a breakfast to discuss this issue. in the invitation he informed us that this agreement if successful would lead to an increase in growth of.
we have to reach a balanced trade agreement but we also need to have mutual recognition of product standards or we have to work towards transatlantic standards.
we had two reports in the last parliament but this is our third opportunity for parliament to lay down our principles and our requirements for a sustainable ttip.
we want to ensure that labour environmental and social standards are enforceable.
we want to guarantee the rights of member states to legislate organise fund and regulate all public services and we want the explicit exclusion of public services from the deal. we aim for full and effective implementation and enforcement of the fundamental ilo conventions and the ilo decent work agenda.
yet we have been led to believe that a free trade agreement with the biggest power in the world would actually not create jobs and growth.
it all depends on the level of the rules set out in trade agreements and labour meps have set out exactly what we would like to see in a future ttip deal a full exclusion of public services regardless of how they are provided organised or financed;
protection of our standards and our democracies;
and no isds or special systems for foreign investors.
we delivered the first two in the trade committee but we did not deliver the third and that is why labour meps will reject isds unambiguously tomorrow.
madam president my constituents in the uk have been in touch with me in massive numbers to voice their opposition to ttip.
this parliament needs to understand the strength of opposition to this deal in the uk.
for far too long the european parliament and the european union have pushed through proposals that people simply do not want.
in my country the privatisation of health care by different governments has been a disaster. in the enf group we say no to ttip in the interest of big brussels and big business.
i think the world's biggest trade and investment partnership should be a means a tool to ensure jobs and prosperity for all europeans and americans.
but fundamentally it is also a unique opportunity for the eu and us the dominant forces of the western world to ensure that trade and investment rules are based on our democratic values and control in a situation of increased competition from non democratic powers in an ever more globalised world. so the choice of this parliament is very simple if we want we can start taking back democratic control of economic globalisation.
the lange resolution with its focus on labour rights democratic values high standards sustainability and a clear no' to the old isds system is crucially important.
it should therefore be adopted if this parliament wants to make a real difference.
we all know that there are politicians in this parliament who will reject any ttip agreement.
this is no solution;
we should adopt a strong resolution and i think we have it in front of us.
i am grateful to the many thousands of constituents who have contacted me with their concerns that ttip threatens our public services and health care our jobs environmental and food standards small businesses and an issue which is vital for wales minority languages and cultures.
i am opposed to ists or any similar process under another name which gives foreign investors rights to take legal action against elected governments rights which are not granted to anyone else.
ttip is about power and profit;
i refer you to commissioner malstrm's statement at the confirmation hearings when she said in prepared remarks that trade is a powerful foreign policy tool;
the intention is that member states are to be forced to barter trade away their sovereignty in order to support the eu's vanity foreign policy.
the eu should not manipulate the uk's trade nor that of any other member state in order to promote the political pretensions of a wannabe european superstate not with any trade agreement and not with isds either.
it was the s d group of which the labour party is a principal component that saw to it that no one got to vote on our amendments which protected the nhs.
ukip stands up for the nhs even as the british labour party does not and fails to do so. i have to make a potentially embarrassing personal confession which is this on a personal level i rather like president schulz.
but we are getting to vote on the amendments tomorrow and i urge members to support our efd amendments.
these require very simply that the commission does not use ttip to establish a global regulatory regime nor as a device to advance the foreign policy goals of the eu nor to set up a parallel system that would undermine
national courts and national legal systems through the much mentioned isds.
madam president this was a significant opportunity for the european parliament. millions of people across europe have mobilised and they have asked this parliament to defend democracy the environment workers' rights public services and our farming community by rejecting the commission's current approach to ttip.
this parliament has missed that opportunity.
this report and the actions of the office of the president and of the larger groups have positioned the european parliament not as the democratic voice of the people of europe but rather as a very expensive rubber stamp for the commission's agenda.
make no mistake about it opposition to the ttip deal that will undermine the very fabric of our communities is only going to grow in the time ahead.
i would like to point out four issues that will decide my vote.
this deal can bring us the growth that we so desire cutting red tape and reducing tariffs so that our businesses of all sizes can flourish in a truly transatlantic marketplace.
in turn the consumer wins being able to choose from a wide range of products at a cheaper price while the taxpayer gains from further competition if procurement is opened up too.
we will be discussing the situation in greece a member state that has fallen on hard times in one of the worst economic downturns we have ever known.
but we cannot on the one hand condemn the situation there scrambling to find a resolution to the problem and on the other strike down ttip.
if we are to have any hope of overcoming this crisis we must be outward looking.
as the trans pacific partnership nears conclusion with the signing of the trade promotion authority in the us europe should lead the global trade agenda and not be led by it.
this is not just an option for us we must do this to catch up.
we have taken part in numerous debates over recent months and i do not recall having heard anyone deny that isds requires change.
we must have a dispute settlement mechanism that is transparent and accountable and offers the opportunity to appeal.
the compromise agreement that we have on the table takes this into account and the need for reform is there for investment protection within ttip.
but let us be clear europe is desperate for investment and with that must come some form of investment protection.
i like my group remain committed to the promotion of free trade to free and empower people the world over.
we need to get further down the road of negotiations with the us to see what it is possible to achieve if the eu has any opportunity to prove that it is truly open for business.
their many wishes but also concerns are reflected in this intensive stocktaking. is it a perfect text for our group?
no but it is important that this house sends a strong message to the negotiators and cooperation requires some compromise.
the text we have agreed maps out what we believe a good ttip should look like.
i am sure it is not the last debate we will have on ttip and the state of play of the negotiations which will probably last years more.
we call on you commissioner to get clear results from the us side as results are the best way to demystify and clarify while not of course replacing transparency initiatives which we also encourage you to take more of.
concretely we need market access for eu companies in the us government procurement at all levels and an end to protectionist measures that seriously restrict the space for our businesses notably in the transport sector.
we need benefits for smes so they can more easily expand business across the atlantic.
most growth in the global economy is foreseen as coming outside of europe.
we are happy to see developing economies succeed but we must avoid a race to the bottom and do not believe in development and growth at any cost without respect for people and the planet. our environmental food safety labour and other standards are cherished and cannot be lowered.
it is key that europe lead in strengthening rules based trade globally.
we need progress in finding a solution to the outdated isds mechanism which frankly has no fans left.
i support your plans for an international court and hope the member states and other countries including the us can be convinced that this is the way forward.
a lot of work remains to be done on the road to a good result from the negotiations.
initiating comprehensive political dialogue;
we want to see respect for fundamental freedoms and genuinely inclusive democratic governments in both north and south sudan.
we also continue to have concerns about the detention of human rights defenders journalists opposition politicians and peaceful student protestors.
our utmost concern would be to avoid state failure.
capital and ideas.
south sudan will need all our attention in terms of stabilisation state institution and capacity building and long term development.
the eu's main objectives are to support peace between the two states and democratisation and prosperity within both of them. we want to see two viable states coexisting as good neighbours sharing an open border allowing for cross border exchanges of people goods
one of the basic principles of the cpa was the establishment of democratic governments based on respect for diversity and basic freedoms.
as part of a possible response strategy we will be looking at a number of important elements stepping up the eu presence in juba by establishing an eu delegation;
we will need to continue to support efforts to achieve a comprehensive and just peace in darfur trying to secure a positive outcome from the peace negotiation process and create enabling conditions on the ground for a darfur based political process.
they do not have the infrastructure that is required for a modern state to be'.
we also have one of the greatest challenges facing the european union in front of us.
this is a country rich in natural resources but it is also a country with the most awful social indicators.
they need the rule of law they need good governance they need transparency they need our expertise as partners. they need to invite us and we need to provide our partnership of know how.
a child born in south sudan today has a higher chance of dying in infancy than attending primary school.
food products provided by aid agencies and intended for distribution to the poor for free are now being sold on the market.
but just as the eu should be proud that we have contributed to a largely peaceful and credible referendum process and i pay tribute to my colleague veronique de keyser for her personal leadership the eu must give priority to helping south sudan with its constitutional review process entrenching a multi party system and preventing corruption from taking any root from the start.
for north sudan although the comprehensive peace agreement may be coming to an end its obligations do not.
i hope that south sudan can achieve its independence while averting the tragic transition suffered by the people of east timor and providing peace and prosperity for the sudanese people who have suffered too much during the longest running civil war in africa.
now we have to decide how that money is to be spent and it has to be better spent.
you are letting down the people you represent when you are prepared to be an iconic waste of money.
madam president there are few issues which have the power to unite all sides of this house like the embarrassment and scandalous waste of the strasbourg circus.
please france and germany wake up!
rather it goes to the heart of democratic accountability and the obligation for elected representatives to work where they wish in the service of the people they represent rather than having a member state government determined to thwart the views of the vast majority of eu citizens and governments on the grounds of naked self interest and distant sometimes forgotten symbolism. let us consign to the past the worst excesses of the eu and the scandalous waste of maintaining two duplicate parliaments. let us decide for ourselves where we work.