kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
stability democracy and peace in that region continue to be a key priority for the european union for the commission and i trust for parliament as well.
this is about and i quote air emissions and environmental taxes' just as the last speaker said.
mr president a regulation on the european environmental economic accounts sounds very boring but in my experience that makes it the most dangerous kind of eu legislation because you think that the taxpayer and the media will not bother to read it.
mr president let me make the first point. the fact of the matter is that this place likes to control things from the centre.
let us also make another point that none of the commissioners are actually elected by the people.
democracy matters for the whole of europe so yes i do believe that we are seeing a sovietisation of europe. the fact of the matter is that these decisions should be taken at member state level.
more balanced decision making with the goal of sustainable development.
the council has always been open to discuss concrete issues and concrete drafting.
as you know over recent years the council has considerably improved access to relevant information about the activities the governance and the financial management of the institution.
i understand today that the conference of presidents has recently agreed on a mandate in this regard and we think this could be a new momentum.
it says that the council has always scrupulously respected article three hundred and nineteen of the treaty according to which the european parliament acting on a recommendation from the council gives a single discharge to the commission.
this is by the way recognised in the text of the resolution you will be voting on.
every year the parliament looks through the books of each of the eu institutions and agencies to approve them and every year these bodies comply with the process with the exception of the council.
the eu treaties may say that the parliament only grants discharge to the commission but i think there is a moral obligation to comply with what is essentially a transparency process.
when you look at why the council may not want to go along with this you see that just last week on the day that brexit negotiations continued the council put out a public tender for four thousand bottles of champagne.
that would be enough to celebrate brexit!
i regret to have to give the same speech pretty much year after year.
i will try to be a little bit more civilised this year than i have been on some occasions.
second we recognise that we must be better in anticipating risks so that we can act decisively when they materialise.
as she so clearly stated we live in a world where the frequency and intensity of disasters is on the increase and climate change population growth and urbanisation as well as terrorism put us at a higher risk.
the first is to respect the primary role of member states in securing the safety of their citizens.
fourth we are very mindful of the tough budgetary times in europe so we are looking at ways in which working together will create savings for member states.
we have witnessed over the years the role that parliament has played in creating a high level of ambition to make solidarity work for european citizens and for the citizens of the world.
we are doing this for our citizens and over ninety of them want us to act together in the face of disasters.
we saw how much it helped us during the libya crisis.
third there is a very important move away from the ad hoc response we currently have to one that is pre planned pre arranged and predictable.
that communication is based on four very important principles.
therefore what we have put forward is a bottom up' approach where we bring the assets of member states together for collective action when either a member state or a third country is overwhelmed by a disaster.
by mr leinen and mr seeber how we coordinate with the high representative and i can give you a very positive report that on the basis of activations and practice in dealing with crises we have advanced significantly the institutional arrangements and we have much more clarity in who does
in other words at community level when it makes sense and at the country level when it is more appropriate.
in moldova we can provide humanitarian assistance overnight in romania we cannot. i am therefore a very strong proponent of making sure that solidarity is expressed right at the time when people need it when a disaster
we know that a euro invested in prevention brings four to seven euros in return.
it is a very critical question to link relief to rehabilitation and development and to make sure that development assistance including technical capabilities from the european union is made available to countries affected by disasters.
i can say with confidence that we have support from member states for this proposal especially from member states where the national requirements are such that the delegation is not even at the level of federal or central government but goes down to regional authorities.
we work together with commissioner hahn to make a proposal for redefining the solidarity fund so that it can act immediately through a pre funding arrangement in case a country is affected by disasters.
i want to stress that we are not waiting for the legislative proposal to advance.
outside europe we act as a first responder bringing civil protection humanitarian aid whereas the high representative has a role in political and defence coordination.
so we do have separate roles we do of course have to coordinate in complex emergencies and depending on the emergencies we define exactly how this coordination takes place.
i do agree that this is an area where more work needs to be done and we have made it a priority with commissioner piebalgs for our cooperation.
the critical issue we face is to assure member states that we are mindful of their legislative conditions in other words that we respect how civil protection is organised in each and every one of our member states and recognise that in national disasters where there is no
this must always be respected and i am grateful to baroness ashton for very much supporting this principle of neutrality and independence in humanitarian work.
plus eight coordination teams.
hits. on the question of gmes this is a pilot project that is very much on the priority list of the working programme for the commission.
of course forests are a big part in our prevention measures.
we will come back with additional legislative proposals in this area as we advance in our operational thinking.
we have already made significant advancements in integrating the capabilities of member states. when i took office we had less than forty modules registered at european level. i can report today that we have one hundred and twenty four modules registered at european level
of course in complex crises the high representative takes the lead and there we bring our skills and capabilities this is best practice in our member states where civil protection is coordinated.
just for information in two thousand and ten alone we activated our civil protection mechanism twenty eight times. for reference in previous years it would be two three four or five times and this year we already have activated it eleven times and the probability is that there may be more activations.
we have taken some measures in that respect to improve the post disaster risk assessment that is carried out and then make sure that the european contribution is in this context of internationally coordinated efforts in developing countries.
i very much agree with ms de brn that we must respect the principles of neutrality impartiality and independence when we provide humanitarian assistance including civil protection in kind assistance in developing countries especially in areas that are affected not only by disasters but also by conflicts.
i was also asked about how we deal with post disasters.
so we will have an integrated capacity we can call it a force of member states' assets.
yet moving ahead with prevention has proven to be difficult in europe and elsewhere in the world.
i can give you my word that i am very fiscally prudent and that yes we will make sure that every euro of our taxpayers' money is spent in the best possible and most effective manner.
last year i faced a very uncomfortable situation when floods affected moldova and romania.
just last friday i was in poland taking part in a five country preparedness exercise carpatex and i can tell you that bringing our community of civil protection together is paramount in saving lives and reducing property and we in the commission are dedicated to do more of it. i was asked
end. we cannot extend it but we are going to include it in the legislative proposal.
madam president i rise with some humility as representing a country which managed to elect a prime minister and chancellor of the exchequer a scotsman the only scotsman in the world who actually does not care how much money he spends it is an interesting phenomenon!
however i look forward with the great british sense of humour which is one thing nobody can take away from us in this place which gave us an energy policy an employment policy a fisheries policy an agricultural policy that have been as almost everything that this place has done has been a complete and total disaster.
we are now contemplating a response to disasters most of which of course we create for ourselves in this place.
so i can say i look forward to seeing how this develops how it goes forward in the future and i am just interested to see what kind of pig's breakfast you are going to make of this one!
therefore a complete overhaul of the entire system is indispensable and this very detailed report provides the necessary orientation.
in essence we have to eliminate redundancies and increase the efficiency of what we want to keep.
in that respect we need to shift the emphasis from reaction to prevention stressing monitoring scenario preparation and education. we need to create a permanent pool of the national means placed at our disposal for such purposes and increase the flexibility of our procedures to make the entire system more operative. the main conditionality would be subsidiarity then availability of means both material and financial.
we have proven it in the south west of england.
i want to talk to those members of the plenary who are not here in the chamber.
millions of us demand the change
i want to say something to them that i hope they will listen to.
we know that we can do it with discards.
i think it is very important that citizens of europe are made aware of this.
fishermen do not want that;
we are the world's largest fish market.
that is the good future we want to see for the fishermen of europe.
this proves that it is not only environmentally sound to rebuild fish stocks above minimum msy levels but it also means good business.
member states have not thought it possible' to set quotas at sustainable levels over the last thirty years so why would they now think it is possible?
tomorrow we will have the responsibility and the opportunity to change this destructive route.
fish a little less now and spend a lot less money trying and earn a lot more money in the future.
they want stability in catches they want safe investments and they want to be able to tell their banks that they are going to have a future because stocks are so abundant that there are no risks at all involved in their fisheries.
but they have aimed to rebuild the stock above msy levels and they now have two million tonnes four times msy levels.
we must also recall the position of the council which i find quite shocking.
norway and russia have proved that this is possible.
far from enshrining it in a new common fisheries policy we should be reviewing it.
and indeed on the forty anniversary almost to the day now of our membership of the european union.
in my view there is a real danger that if we do not grasp the opportunity for momentum and change now we may lose that momentum and may not see a common fisheries policy reform agreed in the lifetime of this parliament and potentially in the lifetime of this commission.
the key rapporteurs and coordinators in this room and in the committee on fisheries understand these issues as do the ministers in the council.
we want to see an end to the discarding of fish which is indefensible and we want to do that in a real and pragmatic way that can bring the industry with us as well as satisfying all others that are watching and concerned about what we have not done in the past and need to do in the future to ensure that we have a sustainable management of fish stocks
in my view the window of opportunity is there for a deal to make something significant happen and to move from debate and discussion to decision and action on a new cfp.
we have an opportunity now in the next five months.
if we do that i think we will have achieved something very significant for our fishing industries and indeed for everyone who is following this debate with hope and expectation that something significant and positive is going to happen.
you have a presidency of the council which wants to bring the council to a final position on the key regulation by the end of this month so that we can then open a trialogue process with the commissioner who also has similar objectives
i look forward to hearing what all of you have to say and i look forward to the opportunity to respond to the debate at the end.
i want to help to solve the ongoing dispute around interinstitutional issues that we need to resolve in the context of the lisbon treaty and also in the context of cfp reform.
we now need to find a pragmatic way forward as politicians as policy makers and as people who have the trust of the population across the european union who expect and want a real modernisation of fishing that can allow sustainable fishing practices into the future.
you have a presidency of the council which wants to work with you.
thank you for the invitation to be here.
so that we can reach a conclusion in the codecision process by the end of june.
that window will not be open forever.
can i finish by once again congratulating you on the extraordinary work done particularly in committees so far.
in my view if we were to allow that to happen our citizens would not forgive us easily and they would be right not to because there is no reason for us to delay significantly any longer.
we have been debating these issues now for more than two years.
we are determined to work as a council with you as an equal partner in bringing about a real fundamental and ambitious reform of the common fisheries policy which is in need of reform.
this is the first time that the european parliament will be fundamentally a partner in the decision making process around a common fisheries policy reform.
greenland the irish republic and the northern part of the united kingdom were defined as hague preference' regions.
the minister is no stranger to northern ireland's fishing sector and we look forward to positive action during his time in charge in the council.
i agree that this parliament is right to support a ban on the discarding of fish.
on three november one thousand nine hundred and seventy six the council agreed a resolution that extended the fishing zones of member states in the north sea and north atlantic to two hundred miles.
i would commend those member states which have already launched initiatives to deal with fish discarding and i want to recognise that the industry in northern ireland is being proactive with continuing work on gear selectivity.
regional advisory councils are central to the policy but they need to have the appropriate remit and resources to allow them to deliver a regional policy where decisions are based at regional level and not in the normal top down brussels fashion.
i also want to convey a welcome to minister coveney to this house.
as well as this vote today commissioner i urge you to act in haste and look at the policies already in place which contribute to the discarding of fish and remedy this situation.
let me focus on some specific policy areas.
annex seven to this resolution recognised the so called hague preference' in order to take account of the needs of certain local communities particularly dependent upon fishing.
reform of the common fisheries policy that is in line with what most people outlined in their contributions today.
that is a decision for you to make on behalf of parliament as you formulate your position tomorrow i hope which will then become a negotiating position during a trialogue codecision process that i am looking forward to.
i wish you well tomorrow with the decisions you need to make.
we cannot continue to allow over fishing when we know that it is preventable through modernisation improved selectivity and better management of our stocks.
of the common fisheries policy.
we cannot continue as the commissioner has reminded us to discard an average of twenty three of the fish that we catch.
decisions are made preferably at a regional basis in the future and the way in which our stocks are managed whether by regionalisation whether by msy and whether we look at biomass or mortality in measuring that whether it is how we collect and how we finance the collection of data or whether it is on the difficult issue of discards where
thank you for the invitation to be here and i look forward to working with you and the commission to make something real happen before the end of the irish presidency.
you face the same challenges that we in the council face when we debate and decide and vote on final positions namely to try and put in place a new common fisheries policy that not only makes sense to us as policymakers but that can actually be implemented and can fundamentally change the way in which our fishing industry operates the way in which
as we have been reminded by ms lvin and others today we cannot continue to import nearly seventy of the fish that we consume in the european union when we have waters in the european union that have the capacity to produce a lot more fish.
in many fisheries it is far far higher than that.
first of all can i thank all of the speakers today for what has been an informative debate and can i just say a number of things before concluding? i think everybody agrees regardless of what group you come from or how you will vote tomorrow that there does need to be a fundamental reform
i look forward to working with you and the key players in particular ms rodust other rapporteurs shadow rapporteurs and coordinators from groups as we find i hope a compromise at the end of this process that is not driven by party political interests or by ideology but by a practical determination to make a fundamental and sensible
but i would encourage you to get the job done tomorrow if possible so that we can move ahead with the process of decision making and finding a satisfactory conclusion.
we need to bring an industry with us as well as making ambitious and fundamental reform in this process.
enabling member states to enact their own conservation measures within a twelve nautical mile zone is clearly desirable but the member state must be able to enforce that against other member states.
it would stop concessions from being bought and sold and the concessions would remain the property of each member state.
the practice must be ended whether it involves under sized fish that have been caught accidentally or less valuable fish that are discarded to make way for more valuable fish so called high grading'.
successful policymaking is dependent on accurate supporting information.
the report particularly does not fully address the problem of incompatibility between the conservation of fish stocks and the survival of fishing industries. the only solution is for countries that have provided the bulk of the fish stock to be given priority in their own waters.
the commission's own projections show employment in the sector is set to decline by sixty over the next ten years with the heaviest losses falling on those small and medium sized fishermen.
i support the opposition in this report to the commission's proposals for individual transferable quotas which would have amounted to a de facto privatisation of the seas.
with planning and democratic management of quotas they could be assured of a fair income and sustainable use of this vital resource.
mr president the common fisheries policy has meant forty years of unsustainable fishing and it has been a disaster for our coastal communities.
it has favoured the large fishing barons who in pursuit of profit have used unsustainable methods that have brought our fish stocks to the point of collapse.
small fishermen workers in the industry and coastal communities must be put at the heart of the management of the fishing industry.
small and medium sized fishermen in coastal communities are in real danger of losing their jobs and way of life.
that amendment is going in the opposite direction of decentralisation.
improvement in the general situation is that everybody now accepts that the cfp has been a failure and that includes the commissioner.
in addition we must re examine the process by which and the level at which decisions are made.
i will be supporting measures which are designed to eliminate the scandal of discards because that is another subject that i was raging about many years ago.
thank you commissioner.
i think we should be building on the few successes that we have had in recent years for example the twelve mile zone where management by the fishing nations themselves has been relatively successful scotland's own efforts through its selectivity measures through real time closures decided upon by locals and moved around as required by the situation cctv observation
i would like to thank ms rodust and her team and also the shadow rapporteurs and their teams for bringing us here.
i think that everybody here parliament the council and the commission can understand our responsibilities.
you have the opportunity to go for a real change.
i really believe that this is not an issue between the commission the council or certain political parties;
twenty seven so it can be done.
we can do it all together.
tonnes and the fish landed by our fishermen by half a million tonnes.
we have to build a better relationship between our three institutions.
so this is our real opportunity.
today we have;
i am pleased by the decision of the committee to support my amendment which recommends the introduction of a standardised control and enforcement regime.
mr president we are only too aware of the failings of the current common fisheries policy. the continued dominance of issues including over fishing discarding and depletion of stocks demonstrate that the eu's fisheries management has to date proved ineffective.
this means that we are giving away to eu interests about gbp two billion a year in fish plus the value added cost of boat building and repair fish processing employment and ancillary services;
in the light of this i propose that the commission go beyond making the legislative changes proposed in this report and ultimately fully repatriate fishing policy back to the member states.
so while i am glad that the obscene practice of discards is being addressed it cannot be denied that the eu has a terrible record in the fishing industry.
ukip has tabled amendments calling for the repatriation of fishing policy and the reintroduction of the two hundred mile limit for fishing in accordance with un law.
this reform package does not change the fact that no matter who a person votes for no matter which party is in power no matter how bad the policy nothing can be done in the uk to change it.
mr president for forty years we waited for the commission to grace us with some amendments to the common fisheries policy in which time the eu has emaciated the british fleet to half its size ruined local jobs and coastal towns and destroyed our fish stocks.
i would like to reiterate that the commission is very willing to discuss through the trialogues with the council and with parliament any other good ideas that will be voted on tomorrow.
so we have done a lot.