kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
she saw that it was about taking away democracy from nation states and handing that power to largely unaccountable people.
' and then we have a new german proposal that says that actually what we ought to do is confiscate some of the value of people's properties in the southern mediterranean eurozone states.
i very much doubt that.
you even tried to take money away from the small investors in direct breach of the promise you made back in.
it is creating a tide of human misery and the sooner it is swept away the better.
we in ukip take that same view and i have tried over the years in this parliament to predict what the next moves would be as the euro disaster unfolded.
this parliament has the ability to hold the commission to account.
knowing as she did that the euro would not work she saw that this was a very dangerous design.
nobody in the international community will have confidence in leaving their money there.
two thousand and eight the precedent has been set and if we look at countries like spain where business bankruptcies are up forty five year on year we can see what your plan is to deal with the other bail outs as they come.
i wonder whether any of you have the courage to recognise it and to support it?
this european union is the new communism it is power without limits.
you are responsible to this parliament; the troika is not.
this is not acceptable.
you have to coordinate of course with the ecb but we have to change. we also have to change our attitude in parliament.
it has destroyed all confidence and trust in the promises of the european union. therefore i think we should change the whole structure of our policies and of the methods.
we need an efficient and viable banking union.
that is not acceptable.
it is already clear that there is no willingness at least before the election.
as i said commission vice president yesterday we may not like and we very often disagree with your policies but you are democratically elected.
give them the time and the possibility to develop an alternative economy.
the only good solution is the european resolution fund whereby we make an insurance system with contributions by the financial sector itself.
i think all these are bad solutions.
learned. that is absolutely necessary.
even since the abortive first cyprus package when europe's best' stood ready to allow a raid on insured deposits there have been many suggestions on how to levy more fairly on deposits or even to apply a wealth tax which has precedents for some burden sharing in difficult times as long as it is not discriminatingly targeted at deposits.
retrospective interest taxes putting some elements of deposits in escrow as an advance interest tax and other such schemes could have raised funds from deposits without devastation but you gave no time.
many of europe's people now stand aghast at the final solution where uninsured depositors have been treated differently where businesses close and jobs are lost to protect taxpayers from sharing in losses of state funded depositors. this does not make economic sense for future recovery to say nothing of the loss of moral compass.
anyway something will have to be done.
finally cyprus teaches us that we need many clearer rules on bank resolution and hierarchy.
but surely alarm bells should ring when liquidity operations for an individual institution become of the same order of magnitude as gdp. that is a recipe for moral hazard or behaviour more befitting loan sharks.
defence is in transparency.
the second is to continue with our resolve to implement our commitments in respect of banking union.
from our point of view as irish presidency obviously i am speaking on behalf of the council but i think it is fair to say also as an irish minister having experienced our own involvement with the troika in the last number of years it is absolutely essential that we now press ahead with the banking union's other proposed elements
such as the recovery in resolution mechanism for banks a europe wide resolution fund and the joint deposit guarantee scheme and we need to accelerate that process.
these measures are quite clearly absolutely essential to ensure the long term stability of our financial sector which is of course a prerequisite for growth which in turn is a prerequisite for job creation.
clearly there are no easy solutions to the current crisis but there are very logical steps that we can take and indeed that we must take in order to rebuild the european economy and i think that is our common cause and that is our joint agenda. so i look forward very much to working towards this objective with colleagues from the european parliament
i understand that people are cross with banks at the moment but this proposal is not a proportionate response to an identified problem.
it is not the proper business of government to tell people what they can earn.
some honourable members in this house will recall coming from countries where this was the normal business of the state.
even if we do have to do this it should be done through the proper democratic national mechanisms of the member states not imposed by brussels without democratic consent.
we never saw why we should be using taxpayers' money to rescue some very wealthy individuals from the consequences of their own errors. it really is a bit rich for those of you who insisted on the bail outs now to be complaining and trying to regulate the banks.
if i want to work for you madam president and you are content to employ me and we are both happy with the terms of our contract it is wrong for the state to come between us and declare it illegal let alone for the eu to do so.
madam president i oppose this resolution on iceland because it demands that the loans taken out by icelandic banks be repaid without specifying that this burden should not fall on the shoulders of the ordinary people of iceland.
can i remind the european parliament that by referendum ninety three of the population of iceland rejected the imposition on them of a crushing debt entered into not by them but by financial speculators. so let the speculators and the gamblers who made obscene profits from this speculation pay the price. the eu institutions and the commission in particular have been bullying countries to impose savage cuts in public services and living standards while not lifting a finger to curb the inordinate power exercised by the financial markets.
in effect the kind of agreement demanded by britain and the netherlands would saddle the working people and taxpayers of iceland with a massive eur.
of course it has been through hard times recently but nobody can deny the magnitude of an achievement which has taken a people in two generations from subsistence farming and fishing to enjoying one of the highest standards of living in the world.
not for the first time the european parliament is exhibiting an optimism that makes doctor pangloss sound like cassandra.
i am a democrat and i will respect the decision of the icelandic people one way or the other.
madam president it is touchingly hopeful of this house to imagine that anyone would vote to join the eu in present circumstances.
however i cannot imagine for a moment that they will vote to surrender the prerogatives of the althing which is one of the oldest parliaments in the world or that they will condemn their oceans to the same sterility as the seas around britain or that they will hand away the autonomy and self reliance that is bred in the bone of the icelandic people.
i have seen a country transformed in those years.
this it seems to me has the potential of being a new common fisheries policy.
in that spirit i would like to thank you and the other liberal democrat meps for the role you have played in some of the legislation that went through today some of which was postponed on the creation of a new european network to regulate financial services.
consumers in the european union do not want it and they care for animal welfare.
the commission has said that there is no need for cloning to ensure food security in europe.
at the same time it is very important to continue research and to encourage the commission and efsa to come up with innovation and develop technology on all the other aspects of cloning. another important argument is that the technology tests at the moment cannot show the difference between cloned and non cloned meat and we cannot therefore inform the consumer and ensure the free choice to which they have the right.
we should not forget that the enlargement of the eu has been its most successful foreign policy instrument having completely transformed the political and economic landscape and the wider european continent.
needed to prevent economic and financial crises in the future.
it is clear that the under regulated financial markets and the activities of the financial institutions were the prime causes of the current crisis and the worldwide recession.
the financial and economic crisis has in turn created real and serious risks to the stability of the financial system and the functioning of the eu's internal market.
protecting them is therefore crucial for safeguarding the watchdog role of investigative journalism.
recently two journalists were killed in the european union for simply doing their job.
last week the commission set forth its policy on this question building on the results of the various consultations. the policy reflects the commission's commitment to improving european citizens' access to unbiased quality information online.
quality journalism and free media are the watchdogs of our societies. we must all collaborate to uphold and strengthen media freedom and pluralism values that keep our democracies healthy and vibrant.
i thank the european parliament again for the high quality of this report and for the insightful views expressed by the members.
i welcome the political agreement of the co legislators achieved last week in this house.
with the help of the european parliament we fund independent projects which support journalists under threat promote cross border investigative journalism and provide financial support to the media freedom community.
while it is for member states to guarantee media freedom and pluralism the commission is taking a number of measures to strengthen media freedom across the european union within its competences.
it is run by the university institute of florence and allows us to have an independent and in depth analysis of the changing media landscapes in all the eu member states.
one of our main projects is the media pluralism monitor.
in legislative terms it is likely that once adopted the revised audiovisual media services directive will include new provisions on the independence of regulators on media literacy and on transparency of media ownership. all of these provisions are expected to have positive spillovers on the media environment within the european union.
others such as the index on censorship or the international press institute map and report violations of media freedom or provide legal support to journalists. we also need to counter the increase in polarisation and disinformation in online media and the resulting distortion of the democratic debate.
on the twenty three april the commission proposed new rules for the protection of whistle blowers who are often valuable sources of information for journalists.
in order to achieve this there is still a lot of work to be done and it is very encouraging to see that all of us here share a common vision on these values we hold dear.
there is no doubt that europe needs a strong competitive free and pluralistic media sector.
the commission has only limited competence in the area of media freedom and pluralism but it does however not turn a blind eye to the challenges of media freedom and pluralism and will continue to follow the situation in the member states carefully.
beyond the legislation the commission also acts as a facilitator.
these crimes have left the whole european community deeply shocked and we must do our utmost to ensure that such tragic events do not happen. last week reporters without borders published its yearly press freedom index confirming the worrying trend that media freedom and pluralism is deteriorating in several eu member states.
this comprehensive approach to tackle disinformation seeks to be both inclusive and action oriented in order to aid stakeholders to take immediate actions from july to achieve a speedy reduction in the volume of online disinformation.
mr president the opinion of the committee on culture and education on media pluralism and media freedom recalls that public opinion is based upon a relationship of trust between citizens and media professionals aimed at informing the public and fostering a culture of public accountability and transparency for the purposes of general interest.
in order to actively and effectively participate in public life and take part in political debates citizens need to be properly and fully informed. they need to know that the media are providing them with impartial and trusted quality information.
so in the context of an increasing digitisation and alarming media concentration this guarantee of trust and impartiality has been proven more and more difficult to ensure.
so how can we make sure the changes in the media landscape take place in the interest of democracy and pluralism and not the contrary?
the real question at stake is what we can do to reverse the current authoritarian trend in turkey and how can we continue to support the millions of people in turkey who believe in the same values? this is why i believe that starting negotiations on an upgraded customs union would be a first important step although of course things need to improve first.
the situation in turkey continues to be worrying but there have been no developments in the last two months that would cause us to change the position we took two months ago.
we must ensure that populism and xenophobia do not take over this debate.
despite our many political differences and our diverging views on euturkey relations we have been united in our condemnation of rights abuses.
however the real question at hand is not whether turkey can or cannot one day become a member of a future european union.
the eu's credibility is at stake when it comes to the accession talks with turkey.
in this respect let me clearly state that the european parliament never called for the withdrawal of the candidate status of turkey nor for the shutting of all doors of communication.
at the same time it is important to keep making a distinction between the turkish government and the turkish population.
this house has been speaking out loudly and clearly when it comes to the serious violations of fundamental rights in turkey.
in july two months ago we called for the formal suspension of the accession talks if the constitutional amendments were implemented unchanged.
how to deal with turkey?
it is an instrument for exchanging goods for exchanging services.
this is about the future of more than seventy million people and about the future of us.
no business interests can really be more important than the interest of people to live in freedom and in the enjoyment of their rights and the same is true has to be true for the export of weapons. there are still weapons exports happening today from european union member states to turkey.
he has never threatened to stop that one and i think that is why we also need to especially use it.
i think it would be a scandal if we were to deepen our business ties with turkey while journalists and labour unionists are in jail.
we must do everything rather that we can to support them and by everything i mean both on the institutional level but also with everything that we as meps and we as groups can do.
mr president as colleagues have mentioned turkish president erdoan continues his relentless course against democracy and human rights and he has put thousands of people into jail journalists teachers politicians and also more and more eu citizens and this is unacceptable.
and people in turkey are currently every day risking their freedom and their employment by speaking up by defending their rights by defending the rights of others.
we must not forget those people and we must not leave them alone.
because i think we need to find a response that is not just there for us to feel good but a response that actually achieves what we want to get to and for that we need to indeed remember that erdoan is not turkey and turkey is not erdoan. fifty of people in turkey voted against erdoan's referendum
we have also one instrument in our hands that i believe will be very powerful in actually targeting erdoan without harming the opposition and that is indeed the customs union.
there can be no doubt that erdoan's course requires a very strong and clear european response.
and the customs union is actually not an instrument for political dialogue;
but turkey is a country in conflict not a single weapon should be sent there and certainly also not whole weapons factories.
we need to say no we won't do the modernisation and enlargement of the customs union unless there is progress on human rights.
there will be a time after erdoan.
it is certainly not a good topic for an election campaign nor for a competition about who hits the hardest.
recent figures of six hundred and one individuals arrested;
madam president eu turkey relations have become an all too familiar hotly debated topic in this house. just as turkey drifts even further from western democratic norms on the domestic scene its foreign policy decisions become ever more contrary to those of the european union and nato allies.
amid such developments it is no wonder that chancellor merkel has called for the scrapping of eu accession talks for turkey.
most recently we saw a usd. two five billion contract to purchase the russian s four hundred anti aircraft weapon system. this decision shows not only a disregard for the current strained relations between russia and the west but also raises questions about its continued policy in syria that diverges from that of the european union and nato particularly now also turkey's offensive against the pyd fighters against isis in syria another example also its bullying of cyprus in its attempts to rightfully explore for oil in its territorial waters.
i personally have long questioned the merits of turkey's accession to the european union and it seems now that such questions are coming to a head.
despite already purging over one hundred zero individuals from the civil service and the judiciary as well as arresting a further fifty zero people it seems that the process continues unabated.
four hundred and fifty of them were accused of having gulenist sympathies.
mr president the human rights situation in turkey continues to deteriorate.
a group of prominent human rights defenders arrested in july are still in prison on false charges. the director of amnesty international turkey idil eser spent time in solitary confinement and has not been able to meet with her family.
these defenders must be released unconditionally.
they must have our full support and they must be given humane conditions while they are in detention such as family visits.
the high representative and commission statements have not been strong enough on this. we need resolute action and we need loud words.
can we have clear commitment from the commissioner and ms mogherini right now to make sure these human rights defenders are set free?
i believe that a united cyprus living in peace would actually not only be best for the people living on the islands but for stability in the whole region and of course also for euturkey relations.
again we talk about the lack of separation of powers the lack of respect for the rule of law the absence of due process and fair trial the numerous breaches of people's rights and fundamental freedoms the opposition the press civil society and minorities.
add to that a constitutional package that will lead to increased concentration of powers more recent attacks including of european citizens tensions in the nato alliance ongoing announcements of the reintroduction of the death penalty and the kinds of insults that partners do not
so the question is not what is going on it is crystal clear but the question is what is the eu's answer?
i think it is a good thing that this parliament has been leading and has been consistent.
we want to have an honest debate and an eu that acts on the basis of principles.
we encourage the council and the commission to do the same next month make an announcement and be clear because as it stands we are basing our relation on the deal on migration which we think has failed and is not even delivering.
there is no perspective on visa liberalisation and the support for these kinds of deals is eroding further and further.
we have achieved results that never would have been possible without coordinated eu wide action. but we can and must do much better. this is where the external aviation policy has an important role to play. so i am very pleased that this report strongly supports a more ambitious and better coordinated policy. it is time for the eu to act with one voice.
this is a key issue.
i agree that we should not be talking about good victims' and bad victims'.
but what there is an attempt to do repeatedly in this parliament is to create good' or at least better' victims who are the christians we are europe we are christendom we look after christians all around the world and the other victims of sectarianism are often ignored. i think all sectarian violence should be equally condemned by this parliament.
i was very touched by the tribute paid to him by the president of the house this morning where he said he was a committed catholic a committed christian democrat and a committed european.
i think it is somewhat fitting that on the occasion of his passing this house is discussing the persecution of christians globally.
we need to speak up for people of faith who are gentle they want to live their lives with their families go about their work as we all do without persecution and they want religious freedom.
let us join forces today to send a clear and strong message to all member states that they have to do more better and faster to protect children.
let us together with the law enforcement authorities civil society and the it industry stand up for zero tolerance against child sexual abuse and exploitation online and offline.
mr president ahmed mansoor has become a symbol of the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression and association in the uae.
he has been harassed and persecuted by the emirati authorities for many years since his first arrest in two thousand and eleven when he openly called for political reforms in the country.
we would expect nothing less from a country that is part of the un human rights council.
the emirates' poor record on fundamental freedoms was remarked on by the un commissioner on human rights in his periodical review only a few months ago.
belarus now ranks one hundred and fifty five out of one hundred and eighty in the world press freedom index. harassment intimidation threats now form part of the daily life of independent journalists in belarus.
this is beyond what anybody even in this chamber could imagine.
at the same time the government recently extended its control over media outlets by compelling everybody to register with the authorities before even being able to publish.
it's as if there are no good quality local providers anymore and big businesses consume all and leave nothing in their wake.
councils can prepare for this now by thinking differently about procurement keeping money local in dividing up contracts to ensure money stays with local firms and small businesses can help prepare for uncertain times ahead.
it is prioritising contracts based on localism and keeping money in the local economy.
mr president there needs to be a new way to look at procurement to make sure taxpayers' money stays within the local area creating jobs and ensuring local investment.
research from the federation of small businesses has shown that for every pound spent with a small or medium sized firm sixty three pence is respent locally that drops to forty pence or less with a large or multinational company.