kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
so i look forward to working in partnership with prime minister orbn and with the hungarian presidency to make sure that it is a successful one. let me tell prime minister orbn here and now that he can count on the commission's full support on this. at the same time the commission hopes very much that it can count on the
asset; building the european union's new energy infrastructure; making decisive progress on energy efficiency;
european union. let us allow the proper procedures to take their course and at the same time let us give our full support to hungary as it takes on this heavy
for example we must have the new tools for reinforced economic governance at our disposal as soon as possible.
negotiations with croatia are now in the final
report. we will present legislative proposals for future cohesion policy this summer following proposals on the next financial
madam president this is a time when we should be discussing issues of economic governance employment rights and the environment all high on our agenda;
a time when we should be celebrating the fantastic achievement of hungary which for the first time has the honour of the presidency and it saddens me that the hungarian people who stood up against oppression and fought for so long for democracy are now having that democracy challenged by the new media laws in hungary and the protectionist policies used to attack foreign companies
casting a shadow on what should be a proud period for the hungarian people.
this is a critical time for our citizens and we must carry on with our programme of reform.
however we must also be vigilant to ensure that europe does not slip back into the dark days of the past.
we must continue to oppose and highlight any forms of state censorship and protectionist policies.
the european union stands ready to continue to provide enhanced support for confidence building measures and this will remain complementary to the minsk group framework.
let me also stress that we perceived a genuine commitment of our interlocutors to fruitful although at times difficult negotiations and this is reflected in the number of chapters closed so far.
increased tensions along the front lines add further concerns.
an important test for armenia will be the upcoming parliamentary elections in may and the presidential election next year.
and second our wish to see tangible progress on a number of issues including deepened democracy respect for human rights and conflict resolution.
discussions on the political as well as the justice freedom and security chapters are well advanced in particular with armenia.
mr president honourable members i would like to thank you for this opportunity to report on the progress made in the negotiations on the association agreements between the european union and armenia and azerbaijan respectively.
before providing comments on the reports let me briefly give an update on the negotiations. there has been considerable progress since they were launched in july.
during the visit of the armenian president sargsyan to brussels in march and when i visited baku to attend the euronest plenary session two weeks ago i conveyed two key messages to our interlocutors first our readiness to strengthen our links and to provide support
armenia and azerbaijan are committed to sharing values and principles with the european union in this field and we should make every effort to stress to them the need to ensure that their countries fully comply with these standards.
in the case of azerbaijan the european union has clearly expressed the need for progress in democratic reforms in a number of areas.
we therefore urge the leaders on both sides to fully implement all commitments made in the minsk group framework.
first on nagorno karabakh the european union has recently expressed its concern at the slow progress in the peace negotiations and it called on both armenia and azerbaijan to step up their efforts to reach agreement on the madrid principles' as a basis for peace.
the european union has the capacities and experience to contribute to confidence building measures on people to people contacts and on security.
as to the reports i would like to say from the outset that we fully share the views of the rapporteurs that the association agreements currently under negotiation are fundamental and far reaching tools for deepening our relations with the two countries.
we have underlined the need for unconditional unrestricted access for european union representatives to nagorno karabakh and the surrounding regions.
this is where the more for more' principle will fully apply.
that would be an important step forward.
some believe that negotiations within the framework of the minsk basic principles would bring an agreement to resolve this problem.
many things are to be done and i would recommend focusing on high level corruption cases which are the test for both judges and politicians and on improving transparency of public income and expenditure.
azerbaijan still has many challenges ahead especially with regard to the judiciary to the fight against corruption and organised crime and in particular to implementing international law on human rights.
in my view the negotiations were not robust enough and did not bring the expected results. we will have to agree to disagree on the results of these negotiations.
but before that commissioner i would like to commend you on your firm and credible approach to the two countries.
the field of mobility should be one of our four main priorities.
four other negotiation processes are well under way and we have recently decided to launch the deep and comprehensive free trade agreement component with three countries. we stand ready to consider taking a similar decision on azerbaijan as soon as it joins the world trade organisation and we are indeed
ready to assist in any way we can.
i also agree with those of you who made the point that this is not about the competition between those two countries nor is it about the debate on who is or who is not more important.
democratic reforms energy and investments those are the core interests we have in that region.
i believe that the association agreements once in force will be one of our most effective and valuable tools in promoting a number of core european union values as well as in promoting economic integration and enhancing the mobility of citizens.
how can we approve this budget without first gaining parliament's prior approval for the whole of the mff?
to use it in this manner exposes the budget to risk.
jobs particularly youth employment and growth research and development and the digital economy are surely the most urgent priorities for this house.
these are the areas which have greatest potential to deliver results and to deliver value for money. but what i cannot do is support the commission's proposals in general. i very strongly agree with the lithuanian presidency's comments earlier.
this is always likely to expose the budget to the risk of deficit later in the year.
furthermore i think that relying on the flexibility instrument to overcome these shortfalls is equally unwise.
indeed i think the rapporteurs have made a great effort to reflect that decreased budget and we therefore support the general direction that they have taken.
we have also seen in recent weeks how there is an urgent need for us to reinforce our efforts with frontex.
we specifically welcome the additional payments under heading one a. this is just the kind of priority that the budget should be setting.
flexibility instruments should be kept in reserve for genuinely unforeseen circumstances.
finally we should remember that this two thousand and fourteen budget is the year one budget for the seven year financial framework.
in order to do that we need the urgent resolution of draft amending budgets six and.
all legal options to provide additional payment appropriations this year have now been exhausted.
on the basis of these decisions the council will have approved a total of eur.
i would like to draw your special attention to the budget of the current year.
financing all these additional amounts will mean a major effort for the member states which at the same time face a difficult economic situation and important constraints on their national budgets.
by providing these appropriations through the different amending budgets the council has agreed to make full use of the amount available in two thousand and thirteen under the ceiling for repayments in the multiannual financial framework.
two seven billion of national contributions to the union budget.
the council will formally adopt its position on the other amending budgets on thirty october at the latest.
this large amount will need to be financed by member states through higher contributions to the union's budget.
there is a debate amongst the populace cut the budget. it sounds good back home but when you cut the european union budget you cut the budget back home too because europe can do less.
you may shrug your shoulders commissioner but i think lots of people are confused about what is going on and i do not think that is helpful.
there are a few points that i think are worth making.
i want in particular to express some concerns about the delayed vote on the mff.
i would like to stress that the council fully shares the european parliament's political priorities. we both agree that the eu budget is one of the tools to promote growth and employment in the european union.
let me now point out some of the issues to which the council attaches particular importance.
we believe that this approach is not the most appropriate at a time when the member states are facing difficulties and having to make sacifices.
the council is particularly concerned about the european parliament's idea of drastically reducing the margins available under the mff ceilings and to propose the use of the flexibility instrument for a number of headings leaving no leeway to cope with unforeseen
situations in.
secondly the council considers that the ceilings of the multiannual financial framework should be respected.
firstly the council regrets the significant increase in appropriations that the european parliament intends to vote on especially when they go beyond the commission's initial proposal.
however the overall level of appropriations retained should be sufficient but not overestimated.
as a result of eu activity important trade agreements have been concluded with south korea colombia peru moldova ukraine georgia and just last week with canada. others are ongoing particularly with japan the usa and from last week also with china.
mr president my blue card was actually for the previous speaker but i am quite happy to put it to this one. i hear from that side of the house lots of talk about cuts and about how european citizens are going to suffer but i hear nothing at all about the actual cuts that are required the cuts in over regulation and the cuts in the over burdensome regulation that is imposed on our smes and our businesses.
why is that side of the house not intent on joining with us in making sure that we bring about the sorts of cuts that are necessary to allow our smes to develop and to allow our businesses to move forward?
why is all the concentration purely on populist lines in this way?
including the freedom to change or abandon a religion.
freedom of religion or belief is a universal human right that needs to be protected everywhere and by everyone.
only this can create the political space which is urgently needed to bring about peace reconciliation and democratic governance in a country which remains torn apart by violent conflict and in which there are many meriams all of whom deserve
however on twenty four june we learnt with great concern of meriam's new arrest this time on charges of forgery and fraud as she tried to leave the country with south sudanese travel documents.
therefore we call on the government of sudan to release these political prisoners and to guarantee the human rights of all its citizens.
my constituent dr miguel ngel meizoso faces extradition to spain not for a crime he is accused of committing but rather to face investigation for a crime that he allegedly might decide to commit in the future.
indeed the courts are powerless to consider any evidence and cannot prevent unjust extradition.
if anyone doubts this i will gladly supply them with a briefing on the case.
mr president i want to tell you all about the latest development concerning the european arrest warrant.
when is this parliament going to face up to and debate the injustices being done in the name of the european arrest warrant?
many people have been extradited where there is no real evidence against them.
dr meizoso who has lived in london for twenty years now stands to have his life torn apart on the whim of an investigative magistrate investigating a crime that has not happened.
now there is a new refinement.
mr president the living conditions for the cypriots in the northern part of cyprus the part occupied by the army of turkey a candidate country are unbearable.
we face for example ongoing violations of human rights.
turkey is transferring population to this part of cyprus and is therefore responsible for a severe demographic change.
the turkish cypriots are already a minority in their homeland and a lot of original villages' names have been changed.
in reaction to the rally in january the turkish cypriots were humiliated verbally by turkey and turkey replaced its ambassador in the northern part of cyprus in order to install a governor.
i therefore ask you mr president to take the appropriate steps before part of a european territory is lost to turkey and to make sure that mr elcil secretary general of ktos is safe in his homeland.
today the countries are individually negotiating with the host country on that kind of exemption.
we need infrastructure. we need it as soon as possible. this is the step to speed up the whole process.
mr president with the greatest respect we have already wasted two minutes talking about it.
we are especially glad to see that we agree on the most vital aspect of the discussions taking place right now in council and which risks blocking adoption i mean the vat issue.
both the legal services of the commission and of the council have clearly stated that this is the right place.
this is consequently purely a political decision on how important member states consider the setting up of new world class research facilities in europe to
instead she is forced to carry the child of her rapist and that means that those who deny her a choice continue the violence against her.
it is nice that we are all angry but what she needs is the choice to terminate this pregnancy.
where is the dignity in forcing a little ten year old girl and so many other girls around the world like the little victims of boko haram for example more than two hundred of which are also pregnant and also have no choice?
i hope everybody is going to vote for our resolution and give this girl a choice.
where is the dignity in that? where is the dignity of forcing this little body to carry the baby of her rapist?
the ppe ecr resolution talks about dignity.
that is why we are supporting the government's efforts to tackle poverty by supporting education and social protection.
the perpetrators must be brought to justice and the victims must receive adequate medical care and support.
we europeans join their voices in calling for increased efforts to protect children against all forms of violence including sexual violence within and outside of the domestic sphere.
it has highlighted the vulnerability of children and adolescents to violence and sexual abuse in paraguay and many other countries in latin america where child pregnancy is a serious problem.
the european external action service and the commission are in close contact with international organisations in paraguay including un women the un population fund and unicef.
in the past months the sad and emblematic case of a pregnant ten year old girl in paraguay has attracted much attention worldwide.
we know that paraguay is confronted by economic and social challenges poverty and inequality making children particularly vulnerable.
i am glad that the council is committed to human rights but we would like to know what the council presidency is going to do in this particular case.
are you going to intervene on behalf of the girl?
what is the council presidency going to do?
are you going to approach the paraguayan authorities and intervene on behalf of this girl and try to make sure that she gets a choice to get a life?
this is an indivisible and nonnegotiable human right and therefore the paraguayan authorities' decision to force this girl to continue with a life threatening pregnancy resulting from rape violates her rights under paraguayan and international human rights law.
they fail to protect her and violate her right to life to health and to physical and mental integrity as well as her right to education jeopardising her economic and social opportunities.
i strongly urge the paraguayan authorities to meet their international obligations and protect human rights by ensuring girls have access to safe abortion at least when their health and life are in danger and in cases of rape and incest.
the eu cannot shy away from this situation.
the best contribution europe can make to the world in cultural terms is to carry on being a great example of tolerant free and peaceful societies where ideas are respected and where superior values prevail.
instead of seeking to impose european cultural values on other countries europe's nations should concentrate on protecting those values at home.
not for the first time the eu's ambition drastically exceeds its ability to deliver.
but the sad fact is that these values are under increasing pressure within european countries.
a major cause of this especially in respect of gender equality is the importing of hundreds of thousands of young men from countries that do not respect those values.
it is good that gender equality human rights democracy freedom of expression and the rule of law are listed as key values under pillar one of the eu strategy.
let us look to protect the key and precious features of our own culture instead of automatically believing that more diversity must always be welcome no matter how much strain that diversity is already placing on our countries.
far more than a strategy for international cultural relations we need a strategy for european cultural protection.
with the european union's increasing presence on the international stage our actions should rely on the use of our instruments and the regional programmes.
i fully support the idea to include cultural diplomacy in the toolbox of our diplomatic relations.
our action in third countries needs to be more visible and our communication channels more open.
i can already see many possible benefits of a developing closer cultural relations with candidate countries and countries in our neighbourhood.
we also need the systematic support of independent media. in the modern world i see them as essential in promoting cultural diversity as well as credible information.
madam president culture is a political issue. it is also a political tool and i am glad the commission has officially recognised that meaningful cultural relations supported by the eu based on diversity equality and with reciprocal partnerships and locally based initiatives can help address stereotypes extremism and populism foster intercultural dialogue peace making capacity building and community development and promote more harmonious and cohesive societies both in the eu and in third countries.
cultural institutions and artists from all disciplines have a key role to play and such a strategy must be founded on people to people contacts and civil society involvement.
in an increasingly complex and dangerous world characterised by an unprecedented migrant crisis and the rise of violent extremism which includes the destruction of cultural heritage and the annihilation of minorities' cultures as well as an increasing polarisation of international relations deeper understanding and a willingness to work together is what we need.
the commission shares your view that product design is of paramount importance in getting things right from the start.
how we can use the tools we have at eu level to promote better use of our resources and how we can strengthen the circular economy as an integral part of the dynamic market economy.
we see a strong role for public procurement in creating demand for sustainable products and we are examining the contribution that can be made by green public procurement in this respect. on buildings we thank parliament for its support for a more holistic approach to resource efficiency throughout the full life cycle of buildings.
that is why we need to find the right incentives for the business sector to further develop their business models.
we need the input of stakeholders in order to define what needs to be regulated or even deregulated;
secondly there are environmental gains in moving away from a linear economy where we throw away products that could be repaired or recycled.
first there are economic gains to be made from using raw materials and resources more efficiently and being less dependent on imports.
it is not a question whether change is going to happen or not it is a question of how it is going to happen.
there are a lot of points that actually prevent the new business models of the circular economy.
we need to make this happen soon because we need predictability for investors in our economies.
but before such targets can be considered they must be underpinned by indicators to assess and measure improvements.
so before we start setting absolute numbers in our targets we should carefully examine the impact of doing so.
there needs to be an impact assessment we need to make sure that this is done properly and i regret that we were unable to get some of these absolute numbers rather than principles removed from what is an own initiative report.
this is particularly true of wood which can be used in construction manufacturing textiles the automotive industry and even food production all of which have the potential to create jobs.
cascading use' means prioritising the most advanced applications of resources before burning them for fuel.
in regions such as my own in the north east of england this report will help companies such as robertson's which specialises in wooden frames for houses reopen their factory in county durham providing a vital boost for the local economy.
us. so this is a competition situation whether europe is ahead of for instance the chinese when creating incentives to business and consumers to boost the circular model of our economy.
if we over regulate something it means that those good examples will be killed and we have to avoid this. our aim is to set a target and we want to be flexible on how to get there because the target itself is the main issue. for us the circular economy is a matter of competitiveness;
it is a matter of innovation; it is a matter of job creation investment and growth.
so let us continue on this file.
how can anyone still believe that the key to making the european union competitive is to establish a new legislative framework?
how can anyone still believe that a new european policy framework would deliver legal certainty to investors?
however to achieve these objectives she states the european union should avoid exceeding the earth's resources which would also mitigate climate change.
nonsensical over regulation from the european commission will not help our economy or industries. it is now clear that regulatory uncertainty is one of the biggest threats to investment and production.
who can afford to invest in such an environment?
new legislation imposed by the unelected in brussels will not ensure the re industrialisation of europe.
for example the proposal for an eco design directive will impose eu ecological design requirements on products.
all that was in this brilliant document and my question to the commission is what will be the difference with the action plan that will be part of the circular economy package?
i hope that shows the importance of the topic in political terms.