kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
there are certain issues that we believe are fundamental for consumers for example availability of information on allergens on all food;
the commission cannot accept deletion of this provision from the claims regulation.
i would like to end by again thanking mrs renate sommer and all honourable members for their contributions.
the commission has supported this proposal with wide consultation of stakeholders and a terrain impact assessment weighing the cost and benefits of the various policy options. the impact of several amendments tabled by honourable members today and in the past to add extra labelling requirements has not been subject to any assessment.
i would like to make another comment on the impact assessments.
we want innovation that works for the consumers and innovation that works for consumers' health.
for the sake of better regulation i believe that impact assessment should underpin the decision making process at all times.
four zero this indicates to me the lax and superficial way in which claims are made and why it is important that we control these claims that as i have said are made as a marketing tool to sell products.
on innovation i believe that our proposals are not against innovation.
and balanced information concerning consumer health. i would like to emphasise once again my strong support for the principle of nutrient profiles and would stress that we will not be stopping the production of any food and that work on this will proceed in an open minded manner.
front of pack nutrition labelling with endorsement of additional labelling by member states;
we are not imposing nutrient profiles on anyone.
madam president as i have said on previous occasions our aim is to ensure that consumers know what they are buying and what they are eating thus making it easier to choose a diet for themselves and their families in tune with their needs
we are all aware that many claims are misleading for consumers; some because they are not substantiated others because they do not give the full picture of the food in question claiming only their positive aspects.
the question of mandatory origin labelling is very important and needs careful assessment.
the core principles of the regulation remain valid and relevant.
i am therefore happy to see parliament table an amendment containing a provision to explicitly prohibit such misleading practices. however the introduction of a definition and specific designation of such products would provoke legal problems and we therefore need to find those designations which give correct and unambiguous information to the consumer.
the commission could partially accept the proposed amendment for an extension of the cases of mandatory origin labelling.
legibility is a major issue and one of the main complaints that consumers make.
on this basis i urge you to support the commission's endeavours to ensure that we have a meaningful basis to protect consumers and foster innovation in the food sector.
however it is unfair to our consumers and citizens to allow claims that may mislead them.
the principle that consumers should know what they eat should apply not only to prepacked foods but also to food that they buy over the counter or when they eat out.
whilst being sympathetic to most of her statements i cannot say i agree with all of them.
that said i am open to changing the text on non prepacked food so that allergen information alone would be mandatory while member states could decide on further mandatory requirements for such food.
turning to the suggestion for mandatory labelling of nano ingredients i am pleased to accept the amendment in principle although there needs to be a suitable definition.
food manufacturers can continue to produce whichever way they want to.
i should also mention the input from other committees imco and agri. allow me to briefly highlight the most important issues covered by the proposed amendments.
i am therefore not in favour of amendments which would limit the scope of the draft regulation.
finally on the issue of nutrient profiles let me state that i cannot accept the amendments to delete or modify article four in the proposed way as this provision would undermine the existing regulation on food claims.
however given the complexity of the matter the application of any mandatory labelling should be subject to the entry into force of delegated measures and be based on impact assessments.
having said this i am looking into the establishment of nutrient profiles with an open mind and i am ready to consider positively certain exemptions as they relate to traditional and basic products with an important dietary role.
it is for me a question of providing our citizens with honest and full information about the products which they are consuming.
this is a key demonstration that we are putting consumers first in our debate and i hope that honourable members can support the idea of a minimum font size.
let us not forget that the claims regulation was adopted following in depth debate amongst the institutions.
i share the concerns of honourable members about imitation foods.
origin labelling for basic primary foodstuffs which have not undergone substantial processing and are generally considered as single ingredient products could be a pragmatic option.
we are insisting on nutrient profiles where manufacturers choose to market their products through claims so that consumers can have balanced food information.
it must also be stated that claims are made on the sole initiative of the manufacturer for the purpose of selling more products.
indeed there is a recurrent demand for the mandatory provisions of such information for some foods.
the european food safety authority is completely swamped and the commission has not yet given a single opinion in response to these applications.
but different interpretations and different practices in different countries and competing commercial interests have led to much complexity.
perhaps the commissioner will use his closing remarks to tell us how we are going to get out of it.
mr president what could be simpler than laying down rules for giving information to consumers?
the commission itself is now in breach of european law so this is a complete mess.
in a response to a parliamentary question he has just given me he says that forty four zero applications for health claims have been made by companies.
i have emailed every mep with more information so please before you make up your minds read it so that you know exactly what is being proposed rather than listening to misleading industrial lobbying or flawed arguments from certain quarters of this house.
please support my proposals.
i would also urge colleagues to support mandatory country of origin labelling.
now is our chance to prove that we are serious.
as the shadow rapporteur for my group my guiding principles have been to ask what information do consumers want when buying food for their families and how best can we provide this information?
i am proposing we use a colour coding system to do this not to make a judgment on the product as a whole but to inform consumers if the product they are buying is low medium or high in salt fat and sugar.
for the ingredients of processed products it is of course more complex which is why it is only being proposed for meat poultry and fish in processed foods.
we are eating too much fat sugar and salt and it is contributing to heart disease diabetes increased risk of cancer strokes liver disease and even depression.
nevertheless for single products it is clear that their agricultural origin should be available to consumers and this is one hundred feasible. it is already in place for beef for fish and for fresh fruit and vegetables.
of course simply ensuring consumers can easily identify the nutritional content of their food is not a magic cure but it will enable consumers to be more aware of the food they buy compare products and identify the healthiest option at a glance thus taking control of what they eat.
on a final note we talk a lot in this house about the importance of consumer choice and prevention in public health.
our continent faces an obesity epidemic on a scale never before seen.
it is clear that consumers are becoming more conscious of the origin of the food on their plate and want honest food labelling.
this will only apply to complex processed foods such as ready to eat meals breakfast cereals and all of those convenience foods produced on an industrial scale whose nutritional content which is often poor consumers are often unaware of or misinformed about.
it will not apply to butter or cheese or apple juice or even alcohol.
traffic light food labelling is a simple universally understood and transparent system that health and consumer groups support and many health conscious food producers have already voluntarily and successfully adapted.
we all know there has been massive industry pressure on this piece of legislation. i urge my fellow meps to resist this pressure and take a pro health stance by supporting traffic light and alcohol labelling in tomorrow's vote.
and will inevitably increase packaging waste.
that is why i believe that the feasibility of mandatory labelling rules must first be subject to an impact assessment and i am glad that commissioner dalli said that he supports that.
i firmly believe that consumers have a right to know the origin of the food they purchase and particularly in the case of meat if it has been produced to high welfare standards and has not been transported over great distances prior to slaughter.
it is still possible for low quality whiskies from countries like india china and japan to pass themselves off as the genuine article by carrying pictures images or names on their labels which are reminiscent of the traditional whisky producing countries in the eu in order to increase their competitive advantage and mislead the consumer. we must guard against this and i therefore urge you to support amendment. two hundred and fifty four
but while this debate focuses on raw materials or ingredients of foodstuffs it does not cover the origin of the final product. this is particularly important for specific products like whisky.
but the sourcing of raw materials in processed food is irreversibly complex as ingredients are chosen based on price quality and availability and countries of origin in a single meat processing plant may alter day by day and even hour by hour. the constant adaptation of labels would carry higher costs
these additional costs would be passed on to the consumer.
the farming and fishing industries and communities which are represented in this house produce food under very stringent regulation yet for example sixty of the fish we eat is imported into the eu and in most cases not reared under the same strict environmental and regulatory regimes.
too much unintelligible information will lead to consumers ignoring the essential information and paying attention to information which has no real value.
i like my colleagues support country of origin labelling.
therefore simplicity and valuable information should be the key criteria in a labelling system.
i do believe that it is important that we know where our food comes from.
however we must be careful not to create information overload in any labelling system.
we need to ensure that our systems create level playing fields for our communities and our industries.
as members of this house we get information on many things and it is not so much the information but what we do with it that is crucial.
i want to address two specific points in this report.
one is country of origin. we do have country of origin labelling for beef.
perhaps the union would not have chosen to have it but a crisis forced us to have it.
it seems to have worked very effectively and very well.
i support the idea that particularly in relation to meat products there is a need for country of origin information for consumers so that they know where their food comes from.
i have a number of points to make.
i do not smoke i think the warnings are wonderful and i will not smoke.
those who smoke continue to smoke through all the alarming warnings that are on the labels.
can i stress that labels will not make you thin.
we should ban lifts and cars so that we get more exercise but we are hardly likely to take that particular route. i am glad this is a first reading.
i think the issues are too complex to solve at this stage.
mr president the principle of providing more and better nutritional information to consumers has been at the forefront of this report and is a commendable aim. however during the process of the report through this parliament i have had enlightening discussions on the font size on a packet of chewing gum whether chicken is in fact a meat or whether a twix bar is classified as one portion or two.
we have forgotten what is important and essential to the consumer.
the traffic light system of labelling excessively simplifies nutritional profiles causing even the most basic information to become vague and abstract.
this directly affects the choices available to consumers and has a disproportionately negative impact on staple foods.
just as certain members have been quick to make judgments the traffic light system provides too judgmental an assessment of foodstuffs and the complex nutritional composition of food;
its place in the diet cannot be reduced to a simple colour.
consumers want to know where their food is from and essential information on what is in it especially allergenic information to allow them to make the best choice of food product.
they do not want to be dictated to about what food they can and cannot eat.
we must ensure first of all that people the consumers know where the produce came from.
i agree with the rapporteur on this and i think we are in danger here of going too far too soon.
i do not want us to over regulate in europe to a position where even we in europe do not know where we are coming from.
we are in great danger of over regulating ourselves out of the market.
president morsi made the very bad judgement of grabbing more power than president mubarak had ever had placing himself beyond judicial scrutiny. our efforts to help bring investments and economic reconstruction to egypt are replaced by serious concern and the need for urgent crisis management.
democracy is much more than one man one vote' and relying on checks on power via the streets is not sustainable.
a more poorly timed and wrongly guided message is hardly imaginable.
early last year the eu made a promise to our citizens and to people in north africa and the middle east who called for freedom justice human rights and opportunities.
and what has been the eu response to this proactive power grab?
when people in our neighbourhood flourish so do we and this is not just an economic story.
with regard to the referendum and any developments that may unfold we must be much more vigilant or we should stop pretending about conditionality.
and it is disappointing that the eu is not stronger.
we are letting the people of egypt as well as our own promises down.
we need to stand firmly for the universal rights of all egyptian people.
a partnership with the new egypt is very important to us.
egypt needs the rule of law.
we saw the consequences of supporting decades of dictatorial regimes and decided that even with an uncertain future ahead the eu needed a more values based policy to build partnerships with people in these countries. our promise to reward more democratic reforms with more financial assistance has barely been implemented but is now being seriously tested.
the egyptian people do not deserve this leadership inexperienced yet power hungry.
on monday we discussed the situation in egypt in the foreign affairs council. ministers agreed that we need to see a de escalation of the situation and an all inclusive dialogue to find a solution based on consensus and joint ownership.
a public referendum on the constitution was called for on fifteen december.
again i repeat that it is of the utmost importance that egypt gets a constitution that represents all egyptians and ensures human rights for all independently of faith gender or any other consideration.
it is important however to take account of opposition demands.
let us never forget that.
sometimes actions and measures will be taken that in hindsight are not particularly well considered.
many of you have witnessed this process recently in your own countries.
as you will know last wednesday high representative vice president ashton also conveyed in a public statement the importance of egypt continuing its democratic transition and called for inclusive dialogue.
the european union also needs to convey firmly and clearly our expectations for a democratic transition recalling the successful eu egypt task force of thirteen fourteen november in which some of you
honourable members allow me first to recapitulate some of the events that have led to this deeply divisive political crisis.
however not budging on the constitutional declaration and keeping the set date for the referendum.
i think this statement summarises the situation in egypt very well and it is now up to the leadership together with the opposition to truly engage in an inclusive dialogue to find a consensual solution that has joint ownership also to restore confidence
namely to rescind the constitutional declaration cancel the constitutional referendum and create a new constituent assembly.
and evidently egypt needs a strong constitution that represents all egyptians.
the national salvation front which is the main opposition bloc consisting of liberal and secular parties including inter alia former presidential contenders amr moussa and mohamed el baradei refused to take part in the talks since none of their requests were complied with
regarding egypt's commitment to democratic transition.
what we can do now is to show that the european union supports the people of egypt through the democratic transition and continue our call for inclusive dialogue for a solution based on consensus and evidently banning any violence.
going back to my initial question on egypt's democratic transition democracy building is not a quick fix'.
this has been judged the preferred course of action given the degree of polarisation and controversy between the parties and also the sensitivity on both sides about outside interference.
you know that building deep and sustainable democracy is a long process which requires hard work commitment and stamina as well as patience domestically and internationally.
on the economic front egypt decided to freeze for the moment the imf loan for a month.
people lost their lives in tahrir square and elsewhere in their legitimate request for their political and socio economic rights.
as one of my colleagues in the foreign affairs council stated on monday transition is always messy and entails divisive decisions at times.
the situation between president morsi's supporters and the main opposition the national salvation front is seemingly blocked.
the national salvation front has announced today that it will participate in the constitutional referendum and campaign for a no' vote.
honourable members egypt is currently facing an extremely delicate situation but they have to find a solution themselves.
the constitution has to be the result of the broadest national agreement.
it is a very fluid situation in egypt. it is changing by the moment by the hour.
as ms sargentini has said it is not about megaphone diplomacy but being discreet does not mean not being clear and strong in our messages.
all new financial assistance in the form of grants pledged by the commission has now to follow new european neighbourhood policy principles an approach formulated in the aftermath of the arab spring.
at the very moment that we are speaking in this debate new proposals for dialogue are being discussed.
the european union will continue to support the egyptian people in this difficult transition period with determination and persistence for the prevalence of democracy human rights the rule of law
quickly expressed its unequivocal support for the building of a democratic transition.
tourism mobility exchanges and of course financial support in the form of grants and concessional loans.
through this new contract with egypt the european union is in a unique position to help egypt abide by values and principles and in the current situation there is need for even more engagement with the european union. let
we should make sure that respecting minorities especially religious communities and building consensus are key components of egypt's democracy.
we also have to recall that most of the eu programmes are targeting egyptian people and the most vulnerable among them.
we also agree we should be patient because transition takes time.
we all agree that egypt is vital for us for the european union for the region.
the recent political turmoil cannot overshadow the success of this task force.
we will make sure that these principles are applied and fully implemented in all neighbourhood countries including of course egypt.
me conclude by repeating that democratic transition is a long process and requires hard work commitment stamina as well as patience.
in order to show in a pragmatic manner that the european union supports egypt's democratic transition the eu egypt task force as i have mentioned was organised on thirteen and fourteen november putting all our support measures on the table investments
the new approach is meant to provide additional assistance to those countries that are truly undertaking and consolidating political and democratic reforms striving for an inclusive growth and for more social
this is exactly the message that the european union is conveying to our egyptian counterparts. let us keep working.
yes the road has been bumpy and it will continue to be bumpy before egypt has finalised its democratic transition that ensures human rights for all.
the same applies of course to human rights.
mr president those who prematurely wrote off the arab spring as having turned into an arab winter have been proved wrong by the massive protests that met president morsi's attempts to grab greater powers for himself.
his actions obviously bring back haunting memories of mubarak but the tremendous response of workers and young people show that their massive power and capacity for mobilisation has not gone away.
attacks on democratic workers women and trade union rights are mounting.
it is only through mass movement and organisation from below that the gains won so far can be defended and the revolutionary process can be pushed forward to meet people's aspirations for an end to poverty homelessness and illiteracy to achieve free education and healthcare for pensions for jobs and decent wages.
these fundamental rights will not be conceded by capitalist politicians from the muslim brotherhood by liberal oppositionists or from the top of the army.
they all have a vested interest in preserving the economic system and defending a constitution that bases itself on the principles of private property.
a fundamental struggle for democratic socialist change is necessary.
the drafting of the new constitution should have reached out beyond his islamist power base of the muslim brotherhood and in failing to do so it alienated vast swathes of the egyptian population.
more seriously his attempts to extend his powers by a huge margin and put himself beyond the legal reach of the country's judiciary would have gravely compromised hard won recent freedoms a fact borne out by the massive popular resistance which happily now seems to have forced a partial reversal of the decree. nevertheless there are signs for cautious optimism.
today we have heard that the opposition is likely to participate in the upcoming constitutional referendum rather than boycotting it.
on a wider level the ecr welcomes lady ashton's taskforce for egypt which promises economic assistance in return for real democratic progress in that country.
finally as a group we stress the need to respect the religious freedom of the coptic christian minority who feel threatened by a parliament and a government dominated by the muslim brotherhood and by sharia being the sole legal basis within the constitution.