kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
as ms engstrm said we have reason to celebrate but let us not forget that this is not the end of the road.
a central plan of action involving taking waste legislation in the european union to the next level with ambitious legally binding landfill reduction and recycling targets for the period up to two thousand and thirty five alongside targeted waste prevention measures.
embracing the circular economy offers significant opportunities as it will unleash new sources of innovation growth employment and well being.
the new waste legislation that we hope you will approve later this week will provide fresh impetus to this area. the commission will do all it can to make the new legislation deliver on the ground.
but it is also offers us huge opportunities especially in the environmental economic and social sectors.
can get a five year derogation for recycling and landfilling targets so maybe she can reconsider your position and vote in favour instead of abstaining.
for me it confirms once again that creating a circular economy is one of the big challenges of our time.
it is for all these reasons that the european commission and the european union at large have made the circular economy a key political priority and that we are implementing an ambitious plan with far reaching initiatives.
more and bold action is still very much needed.
let's continue working together as we have done so far.
if we are that bad then i think we are really going to need some fairies going forward.
we will also provide guidance as requested on many new key provisions for instance on how to modulate producer fees under extended producer responsibility schemes to promote more circular products.
i should finally mention that among the commission declarations that accompany the package are four declarations responding to points that were particularly important to this house first on the policy framework for the circular economy;
the commission has actively pursued the follow up to the fitness check on streamlining environmental reporting which aims at increasing transparency optimising the use of it tools and reducing the administrative burden for all stakeholders.
thanks to your support the ambitious recycling and landfill reduction targets proposed by the commission were generally kept even though member states may take some more years to attain them.
over the next years the commission will closely monitor the implementation of these new calculation rules to ensure that only input to recycling is reported.
finally you also pushed very hard for an ambitious waste policy agenda during the coming years.
before the end of may we will present a legislative proposal to amend the reporting requirements in a number of environmental directives and regulations modelled on the proposals for the revision of the drinking water directive which you are currently discussing.
not all of parliament's amendments found their way into the final text.
your support in keeping up the pressure for full and effective implementation will be essential.
this requires member states to urgently step up action building on the progress that many of them are already making to meet existing obligations.
we did it to pursue more ambitious better designed goals that would get the approval of member states and would be actually enforced on the ground.
i trust that this house will vote clearly in favour of the adoption of the package on wednesday.
and it will of course help to protect our environment and thus the health of our citizens.
in doing so you would give a great push to further improving waste management in europe in line with our circular economy goals. this will unlock new sources of growth and innovation create jobs and reduce our dependence on imports of critical raw materials and our reliance on waste treatment abroad
i do know that this house had its doubts when this commission in december two thousand and fourteen withdrew previous proposals on waste.
the new eu waste legislation that we are discussing here this evening will help to prevent waste and will turn much more waste into valuable resources.
i would like to express my profound gratitude to the rapporteur ms simona bonaf all the shadow rapporteurs as well as all the other members of the european parliament and staff members involved for their relentless and constructive work on the commission's new proposals over the past two years.
without your vision and support we would not have achieved the very good result we have on the table today or indeed overcome the stalemate that the pre two thousand and fourteen proposals had engendered.
local and regional administrations and businesses will also have a key role to play.
two thousand and twenty our shared task now is to ensure that the promises enshrined in this waste package are actually delivered on the ground.
this agenda encompasses and reviews the many different pieces of existing eu legislation ranging from reusability and recyclability of packaging waste end of life vehicles waste oils food waste and waste disposal operations as well as recycling targets for waste other than municipal and packaging waste.
i believe that there is every opportunity to reach an agreement at first reading on this proposal too so that the benefits can be delivered already in two thousand and nineteen before the end of this legislature and we have something to show for ourselves when we head for elections.
i am aware for instance that you would have wanted to see an even stricter harmonisation of the calculation rules for recycling. unfortunately the council could not agree on a single measurement point yet the new legislation still marks a major step forward by ensuring that only waste that enters recycling will be reported under the targets.
before concluding i would like to very briefly touch on the other file in this joint debate the standard reporting directive. repealing the existing directive is an important first step towards further administrative simplification and higher levels of legal certainty.
parliament's support was also crucial to agree on strong new rules on waste prevention including food waste and marine litter and you also helped to secure strong new rules on extended producer responsibility the management of hazardous wastes and bio waste and the separate collection of waste.
once properly implemented the new eu waste legislation will make the european union the world leader in waste management.
if appropriate the commission will consider if further harmonisation and calculating recycling targets is feasible.
the commission will continue to support member states in making the best use of available instruments in terms of new legislation economic instruments and financial support.
second on the collaborative economy;
very briefly on the topic i think nobody in this house would doubt that sustainability is absolutely crucial both in environmental as well as industrial terms.
what we now have at hand is a very solid package of legislation.
the circular economy is therefore not only about waste recycling or targets it is actually about air water new jobs new resources and money money that we can dig out of the bin and put to work for us in a new economy that never existed before.
the circular economy is one of those policies which has the general support of the public and where eu added value is crystal clear.
implementation is unfortunately another story and it will take a lot of effort by the member states to make sure these policies are going to be implemented efficiently.
i wish to thank the commission and the rapporteurs for making a good proposal even better and for allowing muchneeded flexibility for countries that need more time to get to where we all need to be.
documentation of such cases is made difficult by the government.
the supreme court confirmed the death sentences but the supreme council for judicial authority spared the prisoners' lives at the last moment in february two thousand and two after they had spent one hour blindfolded and bound to a wooden stake awaiting execution. according to mr al sharif one of the three men committed suicide in december.
however human rights watch interviewed one prisoner who said that the authorities had commuted his death sentence at the last moment to life in prison.
in this context the conclusion of the framework agreement between the eu and libya will provide the legal basis for establishing a regular dialogue and cooperation on all human rights issues.
the seventh round of negotiations took place last week in tripoli and the commission can report that good progress has been made especially regarding political issues.
the commission is committed to continuing the policy of engagement with libya that the council has decided.
the commission condemns executions as they are in contradiction with our values.
while considering this very positive the commission intends to put these relations on the basis of a growing respect for fundamental values and rights.
the commission is particularly disturbed by the fact that these executions have taken place just weeks after libya was elected to be a member of the united nations human rights council.
the european parliament urges libya to end death penalties and to ensure fair trials in line with international standards.
in two thousand and three the eu lifted sanctions against the country and in two thousand and seven negotiations on the framework agreement started.
the most serious punishment the death penalty is not only used in cases of serious crimes; freedom of association and expression have also led to the death penalty in libya.
however this is only possible when the libyan government commits to respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all its people. the recent closing of the unhcr offices in tripoli is another regrettable move which causes a further drifting off of libya from the international community. in the light of this the united nations should seriously rethink libya's place in its organisation.
membership of this council should be granted only to those countries that respect human rights themselves.
given the continuing breaches of human rights it is deplorable and highly inappropriate that libya has a seat on the un human rights council.
i very much hope we can continue to work together with libya.
we believe in more engagement of libya with the international community and welcome this at any time over self isolation of the people in the hands of their authoritarian regime.
this leads to all kinds of questions about free media but it does lead us to believe that this is a credible source in this matter.
otherwise the entire body loses its credibility such as when iran was a member of the women's rights council in the un which is equally regrettable and tarnishes the credibility of the entire organisation.
member states in europe should be aware of their responsibilities when extraditing refugees and others to libya as there is a serious risk that these people will be subject to inhumane treatment.
the promissory note was an iou given by the irish people to bail out two insolvent banks in order to prevent contagion in the eu banking system.
last february the promissory note transferred back to the irish central bank and we in ireland are now paying capital and interest to our own central bank and when it is all paid our central bank will simply burn that money.
tonight i ask the european central bank to allow the irish central bank to destroy right now twenty eight billion in sovereign bonds that were issued in lieu of the promissory note and all interest payments on those bonds.
it will evaporate. the crisis has cost us twenty five of our gdp and four and a half million people have borne forty two of the cost of the banking crisis.
the eu does not have a european economic protectionist policy. it has a globalist policy designed to move by gradual degrees to a world economy with a common wage level and standard of living.
there are genuine europhiles but the eurocrats are not among them. they are cosmopolitans.
it was the time at which parliament was testing its new powers and becoming aware of its responsibilities not only towards european citizens but also towards filling the spirit and the letter of the new treaty with concrete life.
this new reporting requirement entails in particular an evaluation by the commission as to whether or not member states in their eca policies are applying the principle of fostering the union's external action goals with regard among other things to the promotion of democracy and human rights and the achievement of the millennium development goals.
i only noticed that we knew very little.
two thousand and eleven we have to acknowledge that we are at the very beginning of this exercise.
as the rapporteur for parliament i asked myself what we as parliamentarians knew about the activities of the ecas of the member states which to a large extent operate with public funds.
the next set of reports by the member states will for sure be better and i want to thank again all of my colleagues who in this legislature have laid the ground for making sure that one day europe will be a more consistent global actor for democracy and human rights.
therefore in the report we make suggestions as to how such reporting could be done in future and how the commission should be enabled to evaluate such reporting.
this own initiative report finishes at least for this legislature work which started more than three years ago and i am deeply grateful and indebted to all shadow rapporteurs for their very constructive cooperation in this long lasting endeavour.
member states find it difficult to frame a report on such non financial issues as to how they ensure their spending is used to foster human rights and democracy or on how ecas screen environmental risks into the setting of their premiums.
moreover i detected no inherent relation between the work of the ecas of the member states and the new requirement of the lisbon treaty that all external activities of the union and its member states shall be conducted in the spirit of the union's external action goals as enshrined in article three and article twenty one
the report that will be voted tomorrow evaluates the commission's first annual report on the reports of the member states on eca activities for the year.
while we might have deeply rooted controversies about trade policy matters we found and still find ourselves united under the roof of the lisbon treaty and its prerogatives. hence i found almost full support across the entire political spectrum to ask the commission to provide parliament with an annual report about the ecas of the member states and on its own activities so as to get the emerging economies to adhere to the oecd arrangements for ecas.
it was one of those thumbs up' dossiers but it came to us under the ordinary legislative procedure shortly after the entry into force of the lisbon treaty.
it was also the time at which the financial and economic crisis was unfolding in europe and along with this came much higher tension over public spending.
we take particular note of the observations on the policies applied to export credit transactions contained in the present report. we will further analyse them and see how in due consideration of the wording of the regulation and in agreement with all parties involved appropriate follow up can be given to them.
the global financial crisis has demonstrated in an impressive manner how essential the availability of adequate financing is for global trade flows.
the european commission shares the view expressed in the present report that member states in their annual activity reports have made available the financial and operational information on export credits requested in regulation.
they are therefore instruments of strategic importance in our wider efforts to support the interests of european exporters.
the commission would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for the support expressed in the present report for our ongoing efforts to engage the major emerging economies in the establishment of the new international working group on export credits.
engaging them in a constructive dialogue will be an important challenge.
countries like china india and brazil have become major new players in export credits in recent years.
it is however also vital to ensure that there is appropriate transparency at european level on how export credit agencies operate and what they achieve.
mr president honourable members on behalf of commissioner de gucht i wish to thank you and in particular the rapporteur mr yannick jadot represented by ms keller for this report and the highly interesting views on export credits which are reflected in it.
looking at the outcome of the first reporting exercise under this regulation let me make the following observations.
but if a tax from land and air were not enough spain now also harasses my constituency by sea.
i trust that the house will join with me in condemning such hostile acts and in showing solidarity with the eu citizens of gibraltar who seek nothing more than the freedom to go about their legitimate business.
their right to free movement is frustrated on a daily basis by excessive and unjustifiable border controls leading to queues at the border which are regularly of two or three hours' duration.
an amendment to the single european sky package last month tabled by spain's partido popular would do precisely that.
this will mean for example that thousands of families who cannot afford the luxury of sky sports at eur sixty four a month will be unable to watch dublin fight to retain the sam maguire cup.
the minister for sport michael ring has said that he believes all games should be free to view but words are cheap.
it should be one of our key priorities the priorities that should deliver the result.
we should set an example for other countries to implement these measures.
that is exactly what we want to do together.
everything must be looked at.
but again this is not against my personal preference which is well known.
a few comments on this debate.
thirdly implementation by member states needs to be ensured not only within the eu that is about tax rulings but also more widely and globally at the level of the g twenty at least on the automatic exchange of information.
there we must pursue a level playing field reduce complexities for our companies and eliminate aggressive tax practices.
we all share the view that reform of tax systems is about making them fair which entails ensuring that taxes are paid where value is created and this is a common sense principle.
we also need to end the de facto double standards between smes and multinationals which can use sophisticated strategies to escape taxes. a wide range of recommendations are made in this report but let me use my one minute to insist on one point the call for an improvement in the mechanism to solve
we do not have fair tax competition.
madam president in one minute i can only refer to a few important points. first of all let me say that i am very pleased that i was one of the original signatories requesting the setting up of this committee and i fully support its extension.
member states must continue to have the right to decide on that.
we should not do that;
we should work with the instruments at our disposal.
this proposal has the potential to split the union.
at eu and at global level we have to find a way to ensure that multinationals pay their fair share of tax and that smes and ordinary taxpayers do not continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of the tax take. in this context however we also need to ensure that the eu itself remains competitive.
finally we need to implement the oecd stance on beps.
we believe that transparency of tax rulings and exchange of data are also sensible.
instead of uncovering proof of tax rulings being used as illegal state aid the report goes too far in calling for tax harmonisation.
there is no recognition in this report that low tax rates are good for economic growth.
no distinction between legal tax avoidance and illegal tax evasion;
these global problems need global solutions and i am pleased that the british prime minister has pushed tax matters to the forefront of the g twenty agenda.
it is another unwanted call for more europe which seems to be this house's response to every question it faces.
tax competition between states is good. taxation is a member state competence;
there is no definition for example of aggressive tax planning as opposed to ordinary legal tax planning;
no recognition that tax rulings are normally made to clarify overlycomplex tax laws.
the g twenty oecd work in this area has provided a clear global framework and we want member states to implement the beps country by country reporting template.
i am particularly pleased to see these measures command support across all of the parties certainly all of the groups within this house.
i am enormously pleased that our parliament looks set to approve six measures which if enacted would radically reduce the possibility of tax dodging across europe.
fourth protecting whistle blowers like antoine deltour who act in the public interest; fifth ensuring tax advisers provide a clean service that does not involve conflicts of interest;
second fixing a common tax base for corporate tax so companies and governments cannot fiddle around by playing definitions off against each other;
in two thousand and thirteen david cameron said that when taxes are not collected the poor suffer but his measures have been described by conservative peers themselves as purely political gestures.
however i have to say that i have been disappointed before and i was disappointed again today although sadly there appear to be no uk conservatives left in the chamber at the moment that they continue to be against the consensus of this parliament for european action against tax dodging.
third creating a robust european definition of tax havens with sanctions for those who use those havens;
in fact when it comes to country by country reporting for multinationals and making that public parliament has already shown its support emphatically and i am very pleased that it looks like we will be doing that again in the days to come.
and finally making sure countries share information properly and quickly about sweetheart deals concluded with multinationals.
i do agree with you.
i think we have to recognise that we have a mismatch when it comes to tax systems in different member states.
we do not believe we have a monopoly on these things so we will be very happy to discuss and decide together with you on those issues.
can i ask mr simon if in light of the fact that there is a six month extension he has a view as to the real work that the committee can undertake during that six months and particularly whether or not the committee will be in a position to carry out that work if mr juncker and mr dijsselbloem do not attend and whether he has a personal view as to whether both of these gentlemen should attend the hearings over the next number of months?
the eu has done what it normally does it has created a sneaky trick to get ever closer union on taxation through the front door rather than the back door for a single eu tax policy.
here i agree with mr fox from the conservative party.
we oppose tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance but we believe tax competition is positive. as winston churchill once said we contend that for a nation trying to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle'.
mr president this report is an important step forward as it sets the legislative framework for sanctions against those who promote and implement unacceptable tax avoidance and tax planning practices and also because it deprived all of us of the pretence that we did not know what was going on.
now we know that we have to do something and we know what to do we have the road map to do it.
m. in an empty chamber.
there is so much more to do.
despite numerous efforts it has not been possible to make progress with india in this domain in time for the summit but discussions continue.