kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
mr president the dairy industry is in crisis and i want to record my thanks here and compliment the commissioner on her very timely actions which i think were precisely right.
i am persuaded that it will be necessary to grant powers under article one hundred and eighty six in order to deliver this benefit in a timely manner to the producers so it has my support.
it has my support although i prefer that we limit this concession until two thousand and thirteen at the latest.
i think it is penalising the efficient and progressive producers often the young men the young people who are the very future lifeblood of our industry and i think it is sending all the wrong messages.
i have been a long time supporter of the commissioner for her long term vision for the future of the industry and i would encourage her to go down that path which is long term strategy not short term reaction.
this is why the commission must be able to intervene more quickly in the market and this motion is positive in that respect.
in the interests of showing solidarity with small farmers in particular this figure should be maintained.
i firmly believe this.
the next priority for the commission must be to address the whole issue of milk supply.
only eighteen months ago you were saying that milk prices would increase substantially only to see them fall by half in some countries.
regarding my proposal article one hundred and eighty six is an existing provision for a large number of products but milk is not included.
the first meeting has taken place and we expect that the final paper will be delivered before the end of june next year.
again to use this possibility we need to include milk in article. one hundred and eighty six when i say i announced the possibility of proposing eur two hundred and eighty million you have to be aware that the budget authority which is the european parliament and the council
these proposals are the latest in a long series of dairy oriented measures that we have adopted. i have taken note of your resolution of seventeen september and i hope you have noted that many of your recommendations are already covered in practice
at this stage i can only say that private storage for different products and this could include cheese is a candidate provided that the market situation is such that we can justify it.
we can only hope that the money is paid and distributed quickly.
i am however underwhelmed by the proposals concerning articles sixty five to.
one hundred and eighty six any financial aid to the dairy sector is imperative to its survival especially the survival of small family farms as we find in northern ireland. if as you say commissioner you need the changes to article one hundred and eighty six to trigger the eur two hundred and eighty million fund then it will have my broad support.
many farmers have waited too long to have the aid that is required.
eighty four it is almost certain that these will not impact on the uk and i have a number of questions surrounding them particularly in that i feel it will create an uneven playing field between the regions of europe and it seems contradictory in the light of the commission's current policy.
i can hear that there may be other ideas but if we start discussing internally how to distribute then i think it would take at least to the end of next year because there would be so many great ideas we would never be able to find a common line on this issue. i will reply to some of the specific
it is actually necessary.
the quota they buy out can be kept in the national reserve and distributed at a later stage if member states so wish.
it is already there for member states to use if they want to help specific dairy farmers out of business.
nothing could be more wrong.
so it is not a blank cheque.
let us acknowledge that intervention and export refunds have been used to maintain prices even with that horribly low price for producers so i think some of the criticism is unnecessary and harsh.
we should acknowledge that in this house and push to ensure that they are passed on to farmers.
i would say to those political groups who tonight support funding for dairying make sure that you also support a properly funded common agricultural policy after;
i support the extension of article one hundred and eighty six if you needed to pay out this eur two hundred and eighty million which i regard as symbolic rather than significant.
i am not convinced that the proposed quota changes will make a great deal of difference but as they are voluntary on member states this group will certainly not oppose them being granted.
is that why you require the powers?
as i understand from your contribution early on you did mention that you needed this extra power as a legal basis to pay out the eur two hundred and eighty million.
i welcome the moves you have taken to try and stabilise what is a very serious situation for dairy farmers. i also welcome the eur two hundred and eighty million that you have announced for restructuring. in terms of the first part of your proposal the question we all have to ask today is why are we being asked to approve urgency measures at this late stage and will they assist market recovery? because clearly as you said in your speech the green shoots of recovery are already starting to show.
we ask for statistics and reasons in cases where national authorities did not file indictments following reports by olaf which happens in seventy three of the cases initiated by olaf.
commissioner emeta looks forward to presenting this paper to the committee on budgetary control at its meeting in july.
more detailed rules on procedural rights will be included in the legislative proposal for revision of the olaf regulation.
to provide an overview and facilitate access to the member states' websites the links to these websites are linked on the europa web page.
the commission appreciates that parliament strongly underlines the joint responsibility of the eu institutions and the member states in this respect.
i thank the rapporteur for the strong support he explicitly states for the work of olaf.
in the area of agriculture the council has agreed that publication of the beneficiaries of funds is the responsibility of the member states.
they exchange information and provide each other with specific training to improve their respective staff knowledge on issues of mutual interest.
regarding procedural rights the new olaf manual adopted in december two thousand and nine which has been transmitted to parliament already provides comprehensive guidance for olaf investigators.
this has brought about considerable improvements in the reporting of irregularities by member states including those which you criticise in your report.
my colleague commissioner emeta fully agrees that the office should concentrate on its core tasks of conducting investigations although olaf also has other important duties to fulfil in particular in the area of fraud prevention. he also agrees that the focus for olaf should be on the more important cases and that small scale fraud should be handled by other bodies.
the information has to be made available on a single website in each member state in line with the principle of shared management.
mr president honourable members on behalf of my colleague commissioner emeta i would firstly like to thank the rapporteur for his constructive report and the proposals put forward for improving the protection of the union's financial interests.
the commission has taken strong actions to remedy weaknesses in the most affected areas and programmes in the framework of the action plan for structural actions in two thousand and eight including a vast simplification exercise.
the commission will assist and monitor the member states for the closure of the two thousand two thousand and six programmes and will make sure that the management and control systems under the new programming period will deliver their benefit.
the region. i know how important this is for the ordinary citizens of the western
we have unfortunately witnessed a certain slow down of political reforms in turkey in recent
started. the key outstanding condition is the ability to meet international standards for the conduct of free and fair elections.
this is particularly true for a country like turkey which is going through a difficult process of transformation and
it is therefore only right that greece as a neighbouring balkan state expresses its firm solidarity and works to help a small country like macedonia to achieve its aspirations.
also i call on parliament to send a delegation of meps to observe macedonia's forthcoming presidential election and help legitimise the outcome.
as in the case of greece and macedonia these difficulties must be solved bilaterally rather than being dragged into the eu accession process.
i am known in this house and in my constituency as a strong philhellene and a friend of greek and cypriot meps alike but i am also a member of the newly formed ep friends of macedonia.
slovenia joined the european union while it still had outstanding issues with italy which did not stand in its way and try and block its accession so i see no reason why croatia should be held back in turn.
let us resolve this outstanding issue promptly and sensibly.
turkey will contribute to a favourable political climate to achieve such a settlement.
from the point of view of the european union it is important to ensure that any solution is in line with the union's founding principles of liberty democracy respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.
has been made available to the returnee community.
the powers and resources of the office for the prevention of corruption and organised crime have been strengthened.
we now await concrete steps leading to the economic social and cultural development of the region.
time. it is our impression that this message has been heard and that significant efforts are being taken to prevent any disruption.
macedonia. further progress in this direction is achievable.
the presidency will continue to take forward the negotiations.
the main issue now is to make sure that the expected results are delivered.
significant legislative reforms have been achieved in these two areas but we need to see how they will work in practice.
it is a detailed text which represents a serious effort to take on board the commission's recommendations. against the background of the region as a whole the document and the work that has gone into it should be viewed positively.
that said despite good progress much remains to be done.
your report places considerable emphasis on the question of a date for the opening of accession negotiations.
we are encouraging both slovenia and croatia to work constructively in order to find a permanent and mutually acceptable solution as a matter of urgency because it should not be just a prescription for more delays.
at the same time the presidency welcomes the recent positive steps undertaken by turkey including the recently adopted national programme for the adoption of the acquis and the appointment of the new chief negotiator.
we welcome the recent agreement concerning the missing documents and urge croatia to deliver on it. on refugee return we note that the implementation of the convalidation decision for validating pension rights has begun and information on the changes to the rules
the presidency shares the opinion of parliament that turkey needs to be commended for the progress achieved in the field of energy.
you also rightly highlight the wish of all sides to find an early and mutually acceptable solution to the issue of the
apart from this important issue further progress in the wider negotiations depends above all on croatia itself.
this also goes for legislation to improve the rights of minorities.
it is important that these commitments are now translated into real and tangible actions.
i would like to assure this parliament that the presidency will continue to make every effort to help resolve this issue and in this context we fully support the ongoing efforts of the commissioner olli rehn to find a solution to allow us to continue with the accession negotiations. we had a lunch just before
it is a condition for strengthening the rule of law and the proper implementation of the acquis.
road map. personally i hope that positive developments can be achieved
a professional accountable transparent and independent public administration is also key.
the full implementation of the anti corruption programme and action plan is key to addressing this serious problem.
we have taken note of the blueprint drawn up by the government of the former yugoslav republic of macedonia.
the same is true of the fight against corruption and organised crime as outlined in your report.
as a result we underlined to the government and all political players the importance of addressing these core points in the run up to the presidential and local elections due in a few days
since the start of the negotiations twenty two chapters out of thirty five have been opened of which seven have been provisionally closed.
this is also the case with the criminal courts investigating cases in this area.
this must include addressing longstanding issues such as the return of internally displaced persons or the question of village guards.
the internal cohesion of this multiethnic state is of course key to its future development.
but the key objectives of the association partnership have to be fulfilled and we need evidence of well conducted elections in contrast to what happened
on visa liberalisation we are currently at an evaluation stage and i would not wish to prejudge the outcome. on a personal basis i would simply say that i have much sympathy for the hopes and aspirations of ordinary citizens of the former yugoslavia who would like to be able to travel freely again. but the essential precondition remains the preparedness of the country to fulfil the specific
on housing care the two thousand and seven cases have been resolved but the two thousand and eight benchmark has not yet been met.
this is an issue to which you have also drawn attention in your report.
at the same time it faces a number of significant challenges.
the continuing support of the european parliament throughout the process is significant in particular given the challenges ahead.
in the european elections on four june voters of greek origin in london should remember that the conservative labour liberal democrat and green parties all enthusiastically support turkish entry.
thousands of turks will be able to legally go to southern cyprus and effectively occupy it quite legitimately if they so wish.
the european union will border countries such as syria iraq and iran with enormous potential for future conflict and confrontation.
madam president if turkey joins the european union it will be the poorest and most economically backward member state with a population of over seventy two million people.
as a huge net contributor the united kingdom carries a disproportionate burden in funding the eu so when it comes to the massive additional cost of enlargement to include turkey we would be burdened beyond what we could bear.
with a reduced tax base falling income and increased welfare outlay and a crippling debt legacy in the future decades arising from the mismanagement of the labour government we cannot go on taking out our diminishing cheque book
president aquino has expressed his commitment to human rights good governance and the fight against corruption and his administration has made commendable improvements.
to keep up the progress i encourage him and the government of the philippines to take measures to protect the people involved in ongoing investigations and trials as well as journalists and human rights defenders.
the philippines currently ranks just above the notoriously corrupt and failed state of somalia in terms of press freedom.
of particular concern was the two thousand and nine tragic massacre of fifty seven individuals including civil rights campaigners and journalists participating in a peaceful convoy in maguindanao.
this tragic event illustrates the extent to which the manila government is increasingly presiding over a criminal culture of intimidation extra judicial killings and widespread corruption.
the victims of torture and ill treatment and the families of the disappeared should have access to a medical evaluation and be adequately compensated.
we call on the aquino government to improve the witness protection programme and to further enhance national law enforcement and prosecution capacities.
we have to express our concern that the use of torture and the ill treatment of suspects in police custody continues to be widespread. we urge the philippine authorities to increase their efforts to rigorously combat the violations of the two thousand and nine national anti terror act.
two thousand and ten however the government's ability to effectively combat widespread impunity of the perpetrators of such acts has yet to make progress.
there were many previous attempts to address this issue and the course now set by president aquino is in the right direction.
the ratification of the rome statute and of the optional protocol to the convention against torture and other cruel inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is an excellent step forward.
and an increased number of cases filed at the prosecutor's office.
we were encouraged by the requests of the government of the philippines for eu assistance. we responded with the justice support programme two thousand and nine two thousand and eleven which provided technical assistance for strengthening capacity particularly in the investigative and judicial areas.
achievements of that epjust programme included a decrease in the number of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances from around three hundred cases in two thousand and six down to three in two thousand and eleven increased quality in the investigations of murder and abduction cases that have been filed
the serious lack of trust in public offices is an endemic historical and structural political problem. therefore we encourage president aquino not only to address corruption and fraud committed by the previous administration but also to fight impunity.
let me assure you that the eu remains active in cooperating with the philippines on human rights issues and in particular in the justice sector to address impunity.
we all welcome the commitment and the progress made by the aquino administration in addressing human rights the culture of impunity and respect for the rule of law in the philippines.
and to put in place a comprehensive and reliable set of measures to prevent these acts from reoccurring.
only two weeks ago the eu through its member states in the un human rights council actively participated in the second universal periodic review of the philippines.
a clear message should be sent by ending impunity for extra judicial killings forced disappearances and torture by bringing those responsible to justice including people with high ranking military or government jobs or who are in the chain of command of paramilitary factions.
he wants clear policies against extra judicial killings and other violations of human rights.
we also welcome the ratification of the rome statute by the philippines but now these words need to translate into actions and results.
the government of the philippines is urged to invite the un special rapporteur to visit the country to investigate the human rights situation and the eu stands ready to help with the justice for all programme which has been allocated eur ten million for.
urgent measures are needed to protect witnesses judges lawyers and prosecutors involved in investigating the sensitive trials.
too many roma are still denied fair chances in the labour market and too many roma women are still victims of violence and exploitation. the inclusion of roma is a priority for the eu and it requires the commitment and joint efforts of national and local authorities civil society and eu institutions. for its part the commission is deeply committed to improving the situation of roma people and in particular their social and economic integration.
too many roma are still victims of racism discrimination and social exclusion.
too many roma children are still on the streets instead of going to school.
let us all fight together the ghosts of the past.
therefore we have to speak about this.
to respond to trump's decision to pull the us out of the paris agreement we need to make progress on the idea of an import tariff on climate busting steel.
if we import steel from countries that flout human rights and climate commitments then we are destroying jobs at home while colluding in a race to the bottom.
such a border adjustment mechanism would be acceptable to the wto since domestic and imported products would be treated alike.
it would be a very serious mistake for the eu to respond by appeasing this global bully.
this can ensure that taking action on the climate does not damage energy intensive industries here but it must be balanced by a meaningful and rising carbon price floor across the eu.
the greens fought hard for the inclusion of social and environmental standards in the modernisation of the anti dumping instruments and we urge the commission to make use of these instruments.
trump's reaction is ignorant and indiscriminate but it offers us an opportunity to rethink our trade policy in a situation where the eu imports around twenty four of its steel.
in the meantime we will also continue to work for an open rule based trade system in the world together with allies through free trade agreements and through the reform efforts that we are doing in the wto.
but it has to be done within the rules.
the eu and the united states are strategic allies and partners.
on the contrary we have also suffered our own notably steel but also aluminium have suffered from this.
where we can discuss voluntary regulatory cooperation where appropriate;
if this were rejected in the coming days we would have no other choice than to go to the wto to show that we must respect the global trading system and the rules we have set up together.
today we offer a positive agenda to the united states a positive agenda where we can discuss issues such as liquid gas;
it would have to be mutually beneficial and it would have to be explored and of course were we to enter negotiations it would have to be on a mandate given to the commission by the council.
this would be a positive agenda a mutually beneficial agenda.
the wto is not perfect but it is the best system we have.
we should work together to address this and other issues in the global trading system.
we have put in place a lot of anti dumping and anti subsidy issues we have reformed our trade defence instrument and we should seek to address this problem globally with partners such as the us in the wto in the global forum on steel and continuing the triparty cooperation that we have started with japan and the us.
we will take rebalancing measures in a proportionate way in full compliance with the wto and we will continue the safeguard actions on steel and aluminium as we have already prepared.
this will be an important moment but it is clear that the final decision will be made by president trump himself.
we are very concerned from the commission side about the us unilateral initiatives that are undermining the multilateral trading system.
we have put in a prior surveillance system in place on aluminium so that we have a strong information basis in case action becomes called for in that section too.
the question is whether that would be a hard cap meaning volume limits above which no further eu exports would be possible or a soft cap under which further exports would be possible but under duties.
such an agenda would be based on four tracks first a deeper relationship on energy issues notably in the field of trade in liquefied natural gas;