kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the situation in ukraine is a clash of world views that touches the very heart of the european union its principles its values and what it symbolises freedom democracy and rule of law.
this is very important for restoring confidence.
we need to continue contributing to a political solution.
this is the basis for restoring and consolidating
own citizens. the commission discussed this issue at todays college and will feed into a discussion at the european
public opinion in europe accepted the targets of twenty twenty twenty by two thousand and twenty even if they were aware of the difficulties in implementing them.
west africa; it is a challenge for the international community as a whole and europe has a responsibility to
but developments afterwards have shown that the union was and remains on the right side of the argument.
in fact the european union has invested a lot in the strategic partnership with the russian federation convinced that it is in our common interest to cooperate.
of law. at the same time we are greatly concerned by the humanitarian and security situation in syria and iraq. it is deteriorating dramatically day by day. the rapid progression of isil is
we expect difficult discussions but we are confident that a decisive deal is within reach now.
it faces. i look forward to hearing your views here today on how we can work together to tackle these
by combining two strands environment and energy consensus was possible.
our relations with our eastern neighbours are not detrimental to relations with the other neighbours. we never sought exclusivity in our relations.
they have put our union firmly into a position of global leadership and were widely recognised as a key contributor in the global fight against climate change.
the third issue to be discussed at the european council is the external situation in particular the conflict between ukraine and russia. with the unsettled conflict in ukraine we realise more than ever that to defend our values and protect our interests europe needs to take the lead and be active.
energy. just today the commission is mediating another round of talks on the gas issue. on the security front priority needs to be given to full implementation of the minsk agreements.
the eu felt let down when a comprehensive global deal did not happen despite pressing others to follow suit.
developments are still unfolding. the european union continues to work for a politically negotiated solution.
alarming. military action in line with international law is necessary but it is not enough. it needs to be part of the wider effort comprising measures in the political and diplomatic counter terrorism and terrorism funding humanitarian and communication
there is now a renewed momentum towards a global binding climate treaty to be agreed in paris next year.
objectives. humanitarian access should not be
yet sadly our european climate ambition is far from being matched by the two most important polluters globally the united states and china.
we also broadened the scope to include energy security.
agreeing a new framework on energy and climate policies for the period up to two thousand and thirty at this european council will show how credible we are in transforming our economies and societies towards a low carbon future.
trust. the ceasefire needs to be respected and verified.
council. this week's european council will cover very telling issues as far as the need for european union unity is concerned what the european union is for; what it should do and what challenges
let me start with a few remarks on the economy. this week's meeting is not one for decisions in this regard.
throughout the crisis yes our comprehensive response has always been built upon the three pillars of fiscal consolidation structural reforms and targeted investments.
we need to attract private investment making better use of the financial instruments we have put in place.
it is a choice for growth and this is what should be in our leaders minds at this upcoming summit.
a fully functioning internal energy market connected to the global market is the key to security of supply and to the long term competitiveness of our industry.
keeping our industry competitive and creating a real european market in energy with low prices and numerous supply sources is not a pragmatic choice;
but i beg to differ and this is why. for the completion of the single energy market we need to fill in the missing links in the infrastructure.
focussing on a co two emissions reduction target that will keep our air clean is good but we must also allow member states to decide themselves how they want to streamline their efforts on renewables and energy efficiency because each competitiveness pole in europe needs different policy tuning
that is why a general emissions reduction target with flexible implementation is the choice to make.
the resources we need for infrastructure cannot be covered by public money.
we need to get smart and we need direct access to the global energy market through multiple entry points.
you are defending disrespect for sovereign countries and you are defending those who are threatening europe's peaceful order.
you can do that because you are living in a free europe but people like you are undermining our freedom.
surely this is the sort of chamber where different groups can come together. surely we can agree on less pollution.
so we have to answer this fundamental question. blue card me if you have an answer.
it is nonsensical to consider them separately.
surely we can agree on less dependence on unpleasant regimes whether in russia or in the middle east. but we can also agree on more.
we have to work with the rest of the world.
it might well be found in someone's garage by the bill gates or the steve jobs of the energy world.
if we are to achieve a workable policy it is time to put aside this ideological debate between whether or not you agree with one group of climate scientists or another group of climate scientists.
wave energy?
some say clean coal.
but we have to take a step back and ask the fundamental question in a modern digital economy with high speed rail and electric cars what will provide that energy?
some say shale but the greens say no.
we can agree on more energy efficiency and more conservation and we can agree on more energy security.
the greens say no.
so let us put aside those differences and work together.
we cannot have a little european' mentality.
therefore the question and my question particularly to your group my green friends is what fills in the gaps? some people will say nuclear but the greens say no.
that is why we need to be pro market not necessarily pro big business.
we need long term thinking and we need to work with industry not against it.
surely we can agree on less waste in landfill.
otherwise we will never solve this challenge. it is time to reclaim the green agenda for those who believe that being green and pro growth are two sides of the same coin.
we can agree on more renewable energy.
climate and energy policy must be for the long term.
instead of politicians the commission or national governments trying to pick winners leave it to the market.
the market will decide which will provide us with the sustainable energy for the future.
yes i agree with you;
i agree with you;
let the innovators come forward and meet those challenges and you and i might find ourselves on the same side in the debate.
so basically you know what the answer is.
but would you not agree when you talk about cheap energy that if you want to transition our energy mix from where it is today to where it needs to be that requires investment and while you invest that increases your costs temporarily.
so back to you as a financial person how do you manage the financial transition to make sure that you can afford the investments now to get to cheap energy tomorrow?
many speakers paid attention to climate and energy policy which is an extremely important thing for europe but also for the rest of the world.
but if i just mention that this area is if i should mention one probably one of the biggest source of competitiveness if we just manage to deal with climate policy and energy policy together and the most effective way.
mr president i would like to address my remarks to the council presidency about the summit and ebola. it is good that you want to show leadership on this issue but we now need to turn the pledges into action into beds and specialised medical personnel on the ground.
every member state needs to play its part and i hope you will be asking on thursday and friday for pledges from member states and that you will keep a grid of who is doing what and when things are getting done.
it needs to be sorted out by the leaders of the eu.
the whole world is watching.
i met the american ambassador today.
we talked about this.
otherwise we are not going to be leaders in the world.
so please show leadership make sure we get a deal make sure we tackle the real underlying issues on ebola and then the citizens of europe will believe that the eu can tackle the big problems facing our societies.
as far as the esf is concerned the close alignment of its priorities with the employment guidelines provides for a direct link between eu employment policy priorities and eu financial support.
this effort involves close cooperation between relevant commission services and between the commission and relevant regional and local authorities.
one hundred and seventy four in addition article one hundred and seventy six points out that the european regional development fund is intended to help to redress the main regional imbalances in the union through participation in the development and structural adjustment of regions whose development is lagging behind and in the conversion of declining industrial regions.
i hope that i have responded to some of your questions and i look forward to an interesting debate.
the december two thousand and eight communication of the commission on cohesion policy investing in real economy' underlined the importance of the policy for focusing on the eu lisbon agenda delivery investing in people business research and innovation priority infrastructures and energy.
the strengths of multi level governance were also stressed by the committee of the regions in its white paper of june two thousand and nine where it called on the union to strengthen mechanisms of multi level governance and pointed to the leverage effects generated by cohesion policy which contributed to the implementation of other community policies as well. on your two questions concerning the eventual abandonment of
objective two and the eligibility of all european regions in the period two thousand and seven two thousand and thirteen all regions are eligible for structural funds support.
it offers a governance system which values and exploits local and regional knowledge combines it with strategic direction from the community level and coordinates interventions between levels of government.
the growing interdependence between different levels of government in the union was stressed by the consultation paper launched by the commission on the eu two thousand and twenty strategy.
human capital investments financed by the esf form an essential component of this policy mix in the context of the global knowledge based economy.
policy conclusions resulting from the public debate on the green paper on territorial cohesion will instead be incorporated in the comprehensive cohesion policy legislative package for post two thousand and thirteen prepared in the context of the fifth cohesion report which according to the new treaty is due for submission
a practical example of cooperation between the commission services is the practical guide to eu funding opportunities for research and innovation' published in two thousand and seven which was conceived to help potential beneficiaries to find their way through the three funding community instruments and provides policy makers with advice on coordinated access to those instruments.
the commission's current focus is on ensuring that the implementation of the planned investments can be delivered in partnership with national and regional authorities as effectively as possible.
larger shares of the eu budget will need to be devoted to such an agenda at the expense of regions such as wales.
but wales cannot afford to pay if nothing is paid back out.
even fewer will have to carry even more with a possible loss of the rebate for the uk. with more countries queuing up to join the eu i am concerned wales will see much needed support go to newer member states.
instead a sectoral approach to the new budget is adopted rather than operating independently within current structures.
the consequences will include reductions in programme budgets less investment in the wider economy in wales and broad reaching loss of jobs connected to programme management and project delivery.
not only does this mean that net contributors will lose further return funding but those member states expected to join the european union under future expansion would enter membership under cohesion funding likely to remain for the forthcoming budgetary duration.
instead the eu like a wolf in sheep's clothing is covertly abandoning cooperation and compromise in favour of consolidation.
whereas the people of europe were told the union on the grounds that it enhanced trade links strengthened agriculture ties and promoted equality the machinations of an increasing bureaucratic global europe see the focus on farming and regional development decrease in favour of an unwanted ambitious global strategy including increased emigration to countries like the uk.
it seems increasingly likely that the level of funding available to wales will reduce substantially.
the proposal to limit the policy to national level would lead to qualifying member states governing redistribution.
rather than having any sort of beneficial effect on my constituents the eu will serve a glancing blow to the people of wales if they decide to pull the rug from under our feet. the likely result of the reduction in funding to wales and the uk will have a major impact on our country as a whole which will affect the farming sector as well.
as a result those countries who currently shoulder a large proportion of the union's financial burden like the uk will discover they must finance an ever increasing pool of member states qualifying for support.
it now must be time that the people of wales and the uk have a referendum on its relations with the european union so the people can decide if they want to be governed by westminster or brussels.
it is no surprise that some of europe's richest countries like norway and switzerland have given the european union a wide berth knowing that they would be paying to fund their poorer neighbours.
the last payments to projects under the two thousand and seven two thousand and thirteen eu structural funds programmes will be made in.
the move reinforces the european union's increasing ambition to become further integrated centralised and federal yet abandons the regional dimension of cohesion policy which underpins the european union's pledge to support territorial cohesion and deliver benefits to all members.
the implication that cohesion might disappear entirely from richer nations with no mention at all of transitional funding would further disenfranchise the people of the uk. the disproportionate membership bill would be better steered towards funding economic development through self sufficiency determined by the uk itself.
therefore if the proposals suggested by the commission are brought forward i believe it would have huge political consequences in areas like wales.
mr president wales is probably the most positively european area in the uk and the reason for that is that every community almost every individual and many organisations benefit from european funding formerly objective one and now convergence funding.
european cohesion that makes the single market work is delivered by the european regional policy which is today based exactly on this triple foundation competitiveness cooperation and solidarity.
there is a need to move further on those issues to continue the reform of policy governance but certain principles should not be abandoned.
that is why more than two years ago the regions two thousand and twenty analytical report was published.
cohesion policy is a policy for development that engages all levels of european governance working in concert for european citizens. to conclude europe needs new energy to take care of its future to renew itself in an assertive way. it is legitimate to ask where this energy could and should come
we policy makers have raised the stakes by promising to deliver. the challenges are well known;
experience and logic clearly show that this mobilisation turns out to be most effective and efficient if pursued through the direct engagement of subnational levels of european governments.
for years we have talked about the need to unlock to mobilise the development potential of all european regions and cities.
in years to come the europe we live in will be in need of strong collective action to respond to the expectations of its citizens who are today informed citizens fully aware of how much depends on choices made by policy makers.
from. for me the answer is clear.
all elements of this integration triangle common market common currency cohesion are mutually strengthening and interdependent. they are our common european public good.
jacques delors once said that the european single market is about competition that stimulates about cooperation that makes us stronger and about solidarity that makes us united.
two thousand and ten in the course of the coming months the questions and problems raised here should find proper responses from the commission.
the area that is causing me most concern is the suggestion to deprioritise the competitiveness objectives.
these competitiveness objectives have been vital in creating rural and regional development particularly the technology parks which have helped to drive the smart economy and will be needed more so into the future.
i hope these things will be addressed in the forthcoming white paper as well as the opportunities that exist in synergies between research innovation and regional development.
like my colleague i too would be concerned about rural development policy albeit not as part of the cohesion policy more in line with the cap but at the same time it is absolutely vital that it is not squeezed in any future proposals because rural development and particularly the family farm is vital for the social infrastructure of society.
finally i just want to say also that more needs to be done in combating fraud.
these are young skilled workers and graduates who deserve an opportunity to participate and contribute to the economy who deserve to have pride and respect in their work and who deserve commitment and leadership from us as policymakers.
two thousand and eight recent figures show that in europe last year. seven five million people aged between eighteen and twenty nine were not in employment education or training.
the negative if not realist view is that for these people their earnings will never catch up with those of their peers. many face long term unemployment demoralisation and social problems.
for real eu growth to happen it is imperative that every action is taken at every level to address this growing social and economic problem before the effects are irreversible for this generation and they become trapped in a vicious cycle.
the european youth guarantee is a welcome initiative and one that has the potential to make a difference for the generations affected. however it is an initiative which requires leadership and commitment from member state leaders if it is to have any impact.
what is important for all of us is to steady the course to continue to show determination both in the direction of responsibility and solidarity.
can only be resolved by addressing the structural problems in our economies.
the priority must now be given to the implementation of the european growth strategy and the elements are there.
that is why we urgently need an agreement on the multiannual financial framework to make full use of the european levers for growth.
the commission will continue to work constructively with the european parliament and the council to have these proposals adopted. i believe this is a matter of priority.
third promoting growth and competitiveness for today and for tomorrow;
the board of governors of the investment bank is expected to formally approve the eur one hundred billion capital increase in the coming weeks and the eib's lending programme for the next three years will already reflect the bank's increased lending capacity. we are certainly an economic union;
those are priorities which are structural and it certainly will take time before we fully benefit from their realisation.
in. as the european council meets today to consider the path towards a more genuine economic and monetary union the commission urges the leaders to listen to the voice of the directly elected parliament which represents europe's citizens so that together we can continue to build a europe
first differentiated growth friendly fiscal consolidation;
regarding current account surpluses the commission is carrying out a horizontal analysis on the policy implications of large and sustained current account surpluses;
investment across europe and we cannot speak about the need for growth without recognising the critical need for targeted investment.
the european budget is at european level the most important instrument for this targeted investment.
postponing consolidation for them is not an option.
if we want to deliver growth across europe we must have a budget that can deliver investment across europe and that creates these conditions for growth.
for those member states with greater fiscal room for manoeuvre the automatic stabiliser can play its role and the stability and growth pact allows for this.
more can be done in this last area for instance in the fields of public procurement digitisation of public administration and improving the quality and independence of judicial systems by making the judicial systems a contribution to confidence and growth.
continued reform is needed to generate the conditions for sustainable growth and jobs and that is why the commission in its annual growth survey for two thousand and thirteen has stressed the following five priorities.
results are due in the first half of two thousand and thirteen and will support the european semester recommendation as appropriate.
fourth tackling unemployment and the social consequences of the crisis;
second restoring normal lending to the economy;
lastly i want to refer to the capital increase of the european investment bank.
furthermore the two thousand and thirteen commission work programme takes forward key growth initiatives already on the table and makes new proposals.
the commission has also made its point on the so called fiscal multipliers in stressing the need for an intelligent composition of fiscal consolidation measures. for member states that have lost access to financial markets there is simply no choice;
it is time to take forward the measures proposed.
we have also put a large number of initiatives in place to promote growth and jobs both in the short and in the medium term while maintaining overall fiscal discipline.
two those can really unlock the potential of the single market as well as the priorities of the two thousand and thirteen annual growth survey. we know that these measures are specific measures and we know that the real issue of social justice and prosperity
mr president the commission has put forward a comprehensive strategy for growth in europe.
stabilising the euro area certainly one of the most important if not the most urgent issues now tackling all the necessary measures to instil confidence in the european economy because without confidence there will be no investment and without investment there will be no possibility for growth and growth is the answer to the current problems of europe.
all the elements of this report in my two minutes but i just want to highlight two.