kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
it should not ignore issues such as the persecution of buddhist monks and nuns the ever increasing number of self immolations the forceful resettlement of over two million tibetan nomads the mistreatment of the uighur population the demolition of christian churches or removal of their crosses the forced disappearance of hundreds of human rights lawyers and so on.
but we will never achieve reforms by lecturing the chinese government.
trade brings people together it makes everyone richer and ultimately it will break down barriers and achieve a better outcome both for europeans and for people in china.
the uk is china's number one investment destination in europe and our economic ties are growing.
we will achieve them by interacting and trading with china so that we can demonstrate the many benefits including economic of greater respect for human rights and democracy.
madam president i very much welcome my colleague mr belder's report and its emphasis on stronger relations and constructive dialogue to achieve further improvements in human rights and democracy in china.
that said we must be mindful of the problems of human rights and democracy that continue in china.
in the west midlands my constituency this is especially true.
it will only penalise our farmers who rely on gm feed.
what is the point of efsa if we ignore their advice and base our opinion on personal dogma?
it offers hope in drought hit regions and it is safe. europe is being left behind with its medieval attitude to this new technology.
it has a number of excellent suggestions that i agree with for example the issue of public countrybycountry reporting for all multinational companies in all sectors. i also support the idea of stricter rules governing firms which give tax advice in order to avoid conflicts of interest.
however i could not support the recommendation for a new approach to international tax arrangements.
this recommendation says that the commission should be mandated to negotiate tax agreements with third countries on behalf of the union instead of the current practice under which bilateral negotiations are conducted which produce suboptimal results especially for developing countries.
i just cannot support that proposal and it goes further than that because i believe that is beyond the competence of the eu.
i also believe it would be unacceptable to a majority of our citizens to see the eu commission negotiate tax agreements with third countries.
sites are closing with thousands of well paid highly skilled jobs being lost like in redcar in my home region or threatened especially in the supply chain.
it is clear that the market is saturated with overcapacity especially from china.
today i am calling on the uk government to stop blocking the vital reform of eu trade defence measures.
edouard martin's report offers long term solutions to this crisis and if implemented correctly could put european steel on the path to a sustainable future.
creates a perfect breeding ground for dangerous products to slip into the food chain and endanger public health.
checks were simply not enforced.
furthermore the fact that the netherlands chose not to act upon the two thousand and sixteen tip off completely rubbishes the idea that the european union enhances cooperation between member states. whilst the european union obsesses and i mean obsesses about regulation its own inherent freedom of movement weakness
the free movement of goods allowed these insecticide contaminated goods into the human food chain in the same way that horse meat from eastern europe turned up in supposedly beef products.
just last month bloomberg agreed with this point of view in an article entitled even european union regulators can't stamp out food scandals'.
mr president it is a fact that fipronil is not permitted for use around animals destined for human consumption. this situation is yet though another example of why the european union's fundamental principle of the free movement of goods services and people is in direct conflict with the protection of citizens of member states in this context
apart from the immediate risk management actions the commission has also taken additional important
this is not to minimise the incident as it relates to illegal use of an unauthorised substance which is totally unacceptable but this is not about a health risk issue.
but we must be sure that our compensation is not going into the hands of
we need to understand balance and to see how to move forward together. this is not the time to name blame and shame.
system. the system as such as it was designed is working well from my point
it is our task to move forward and to enforce our situation.
speaking of delays by the member states we have to look at this from two angles the functioning of the system itself and the use of the
this is why over the years the eu has built a comprehensive and solid system to ensure safe food for all and to detect unsafe or adulterated food.
system and the speed of information sharing.
let me conclude by calling on all of us to support and encourage the actions taken by the commission and member states to ensure the safety of our daily food to avoid these types of fraud and to resolve them efficiently whenever they occur.
therefore we must also make every effort to ensure that legal and efficient ways to prevent and treat that infestation remain available.
there should be zero tolerance for such fraud.
they also provide for the designation of european union reference centres for the authenticity and integrity of the agrifood chain reinforced administrative assistance and cooperation mechanisms between member states and enhanced coordinated assistance and followup by the commission.
in its conclusions on the role of law enforcement cooperation in combating food crime adopted in two thousand and fourteen the council encouraged the commission to continue its work on the fight against fraudulent and deceptive practices along the food supply chain and to develop any further action necessary for high level
as i already mentioned it seems clear that the present fipronil contamination is the result of fraudulent activity.
we will need this full clarity for our future debates.
however the infestation of hens by red mites is a real problem for many farms.
the question of how we can strengthen cooperation and the exchange of information between countries in order to deal more efficiently with such crisis situations will be further discussed at the high level ministerial meeting organised by the commission in brussels on twenty six september
since then the commission and the member states have been carrying out investigations and taking all necessary measures to protect consumers.
the ongoing investigations and followup discussions should give us a clear overall picture of what precisely happened and why what went wrong and what can be improved.
after this presentation ministers held a discussion including among other things the need to ensure an efficient circulation of information in such cases. indeed since the first contamination cases were reported concerns have been raised including in parliament regarding possible weaknesses in the eu's rapid alert
while the overall responsibility for the investigations and protective measures remains with the commission and the member states the presidency of the council has been following developments closely.
mr president fipronil raises two key points which must be answered. first what is the reality of the threat to human health?
the mere fact that something is prohibited tells us nothing about the severity of the threat.
are we talking about potential organ failure or would you have to consume such vast quantities that in reality there may be a technical hazard but the risk is minimal?
we do need to know.
controlling red mite on chickens is a very big animal welfare issue and there must be a sound reason not to use the best materials.
secondly this is demonstrating a failure of the single market.
although used on british cats and dogs this material cannot be used by british egg producers because it has not been allocated a health and safety executive number.
the scandal has resulted in british consumers losing confidence in eggs generically and the british producer is paying the price for the sins of other eu producers.
but there is a vital fundamental problem we are not addressing and that is the nature of our industrialised farming system which has been linked to a long list of previous animal diseases and diseases in animal products.
the big problem with intellectual property rights is ensuring that big business cannot submit mountains and mountains of patents on every conceivable issue and then sue any small business which introduces something which happens to look a little bit like one of those patents.
i have read this fourteen page report and there are two words that i just cannot seem to find anywhere in it small business.
mr president considering the significant changes that have taken place in the area of ipr over the past decade i believe that protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights is indeed a very important issue to tackle in order to fight the threat that infringement poses to eu creative industries jobs and growth.
the report underlines the high importance of protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights around the globe for our stakeholders. it also stresses the need for the commission to not only continue but also go beyond the efforts it has been making in this regard. the commission shares this vision. the commission welcomes the appreciation shown for the approach that the strategy for the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in third countries takes in aiming to achieve a balance between divergent interests.
it is certainly true that the debate about achieving a fair balance between right holders' interests and end users' interests is extremely complex with economic interests on all sides.
more consumer awareness about the consequences of infringements;
the commission will be taking careful note of the recommendations made in the report during the implementation of the strategy for the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in third countries.
you will not find anyone arguing about that.
the reality is of course this money goes to purchasing the loyalty of interest groups within the recipient countries and this is relevant because as the uk negotiates its disengagement there is going to be a question of what we continue to pay into and what we do not.
if we have money to give away as development money it should be targeted to africa asia and places where it will be useful.
or is it then that it is raising the standard of living in the recipient countries? well if that worked then greece would be the wealthiest country in the european union having been the largest per capita recipient since one thousand nine hundred and eighty one of cohesion and structural funds.
there are many more deserving recipients of our aid than these territories within the european union.
but the idea of paying simply because somebody has a medium level gdp?
so i say well done to those who took the case and those who decided to hear it in the castlebar court.
the case seeks to make public the original expert opinion and technical evidence vw used to develop a fix for the affected engines.
the case brings to the fore the fact that there is no mechanism at european level for citizens to take a class action and that is something we have to deal with.
eu citizens deserve no less than us citizens when it comes to defending their rights.
almost half of the eu's final energy demand is for heating and cooling and so i think that this initiative is timely and i believe that our work on heating and cooling should go hand in hand with our work on renewables energy efficiency buildings and energy security.
for me technology development is a vitally important part of the strategy.
mr president since our glorious brexit vote we have seen a large number of economic scare stories kicked into the long grass.
but this should not disguise or hide the government's policies that are turning the screws on working people.
we have seen record numbers of zerohours contracts zerohours contracts that provide absolutely no job security whatsoever.
the government is also set to introduce pay to stay' for council tenants.
that is simply not on and we will fight it all the way.
brexit was a vote by those left behind by big business big government and the political class and we will make sure that brexit benefits those who voted to get our country back.
i am pleased that it is working to get to the bottom of the scandal. ensuring that the rules we make at eu and national level are adhered to is vital and the fitting of the so called defeat devices by volkswagen is a clear breach of those rules.
the de funding of the un population fund is a very positive outcome from the united nations commission on the status of women.
i am happy that the us is no longer funding forced abortion and involuntary sterilisation in china. the blood of chinese women and babies will no longer be on their hands.
this does not deny anyone maternal health care as abortion choice stakeholders in this house claim.
rather it protects women from suffering the horrific ordeal of having their young baby torn limb from limb from the womb. these barbaric acts should cause an outcry but not against me as the messenger but against anyone cruel enough to support this gendercide.
feminists should be particularly outraged as it is baby girls who are more often killed in the womb than boys.
this is cruel illegal discrimination.
let me be clear abortion is not health care.
there are no medical benefits.
madam president women's rights and gender equality are under attack around the world so now more than ever we must push to strengthen international cooperation on women's rights and empowerment including our reproductive rights.
the eu has always been a crucial promoter of gender equality in europe and on the world stage and we must redouble our efforts for the sake of those who come after us at home and abroad.
the un commission on the status of women has been a key international forum for the promotion of gender equality and for mainstreaming a gender perspective across policy fields.
at this moment in history with misogynists like president trump normalising sexual harassment and limiting women's reproductive rights the movement for gender equality must become unashamedly intersectional in order to tackle the gravest forms of discrimination exploitation and abuse that women face.
we must be specific in tailoring policies that tackle the problems faced by different groups be they refugees migrants young girls looking for an education women with disabilities or older women facing poverty.
we must be able to give a voice to those who have been denied one and we must make our voices heard in the corridors of power.
we must ask men to step aside and give women a seat at the decision making tables particularly in policy areas such as defence and security where we can offer an alternative to patriarchal warmongering and remind the world that it is always women and their children who pay the highest price when conflict ensues.
the role of women in peace building and conflict prevention is therefore crucial and both the un and the eu have a key role to play in this respect.
what will the commission do in order to ensure the legal protection of citizens on the one hand and avoiding heavy fines for carriers on the other?
we have also asked questions about mexico passing on pnr data to the united states.
how are you going to ensure protection for citizens and carriers?
two thousand and twelve some of the colleagues here said that we have failed to raise the issue.
two thousand and fourteen so on five december two thousand and thirteen a month before the deadline i put parliamentary questions to the commission regarding the deadline and did not get any satisfactory reply.
i also welcome the massive presence of the council who are clearly very interested in the matter.
well i would like to give you a little selection here of the actions that i have taken.
what action is the commission going to take regarding the other countries that i mentioned such as russia qatar the united arab emirates and other friendly nations? then i would like to get a full report on the situation regarding those other countries.
we have not got an answer to that.
incidentally i know that not only have i been asking questions but the countries concerned and the carriers have almost been imploring the european commission to act and the commission has not.
this opinion is not expected before the end of the year.
two thousand and fifteen at this point it is important to mention parliament's decision in november last year to seek the opinion of the court of justice on whether the draft pnr agreement with canada
however the mexican legislation has not yet been enforced with regard to eu traffic because the commission has asked the competent authority in mexico to postpone the imposition of fines on several occasions.
it is clear that we will need to take into account the criteria and standards set out in the court of justice ruling on data retention of april.
the mexican authorities are aware that this is the case.
two thousand and fifteen i have made it clear that negotiations on a pnr agreement with mexico cannot be finalised before the court of justice has issued its opinion on the draft pnr agreement with canada.
i therefore as soon as possible intend to suggest to the college of commissioners that the commission request a mandate from the council to formally open negotiations for a pnr agreement between the european union and mexico.
two thousand and fourteen this approach has been welcomed by mexico and has enabled the commission to secure the postponement of the sanctions from one april to one july of this year.
mexico has had legislation in force since november two thousand and twelve requiring all air carriers operating flights to and from mexico to transmit pnr data.
the collection of personal data with detailed safeguards is a measure that we need to adopt in order to counter the threat of terrorism and to ensure the effective implementation of the european security strategy.
the commission answered that while waiting for the court of justice decision on the agreement with canada it is up to member states and national data protection authorities to assess the conditions and decide on what passenger data their air carriers can lawfully transfer to a third country. i understand that you are waiting and i believe that the eu solution is very
that is why i believe that the eu solution is needed and i wanted to ask the commission what apart from the solution with mexico are the different possibilities for such an eu solution?
do not give me a lot of reasons to have trust in their ability to protect our fundamental rights.
in a democratic society it has to be necessary.
that means that we have to discuss how far the collection and analysis of passenger name records like any other personal data is justified.
targeted law enforcement focusing on suspects already known to the relevant authorities respects the rule of law and is after all more effective.
is it because in reality you do not support such a reference despite the repeated calls by the un high commissioner for this to take place?
was excruciating.
like many colleagues in this debate we have read the human rights watch report this week detailing the torture inflicted by the syrian authorities including beating by baton and wire electrocution burning with battery acid sexual assault the pulling of fingernails and mock execution. elias one detainee described how he had been hung by his wrists for eight days and denied sleep. he said my brain stopped working.
we must do all we can to bring about the end of that ghastly regime in damascus.
mr president syrian opposition leaders now claim that fifteen zero people have lost their lives in this tragic conflict which has dragged on for nearly a year and a half now.
the high representative of the eu must give her full backing for the agreement reached at geneva to allow for a transitional national unity government minus president assad which will pave the way for democratic elections.
this is a tragedy.
the annan plan may yet prove to be a success.
recent defections from assad's armed forces testify to the regime's continuing loss of support even sometimes from the alawite component. the syrian national council with its islamist components and other strictly secular opposition groups must now show a fully united front against the brutal repression of the baathist assad regime as this would aid in ceasing the conflict which is fast taking on the characteristics of an all out civil war.
exercising full executive powers.
this is unacceptable and those responsible for crimes during the current conflict must be held accountable.
the effective implementation also requires a coherent and representative opposition.
the first seminar which took place on twenty four and twenty five june in brussels gathered a broad range of opposition figures to discuss issues related to the transition process including supranational and constitutional principles democratic principles economic and social issues and last but not least minority rights.
human rights abuses continue.
on the initiative of the high representative vice president ashton the european union continues to meet with representatives of different groups.
through this process the european union continues to facilitate syrian led inclusive dialogue actions.
humanitarian access remains a concern and the european union continues to monitor the implementation of the agreement between the syrian government and the united nations closely.
these are steps forward and we will have to collectively ensure that they are followed up.
on twenty five june foreign ministers agreed on the sixteenth round of sanctions since may. two thousand and eleven we must now continue to reach out to partners to ensure effective implementation and hope to increase international pressure in the friends of syria meeting.
this week is particularly busy as efforts take place at international level to consolidate unify and strengthen the international community's response to the syrian conflict.
these are issues which you the members of the european parliament have drawn our attention to on several occasions.
the transitional governing body could include members of the present government on the basis of mutual agreement.
the european union's response is not limited to diplomacy and political engagement at all levels.
i want to focus very briefly on the wider implications for regional security.
it has hosted terrorist organisations rejected elsewhere and has promoted terrorism in other countries.
only recently hamas shifted its hq from damascus.
turkey and israel share a strategic interest in the transparency and stability of syria with a view to ensuring that it is no longer a sanctuary for terrorists and other hostile movements and we should give both countries every possible support in the difficulties they face in dealing with the consequences of assad's violence.
i hope that all the members of the action group dedicate their efforts to implementing the final communiqu.
the fighting parties must stop all violence so that negotiations about the future of the people of syria can start.
the syrian opposition parties must have a mutual understanding and a sense of responsibility towards the syrian people in order to be able to start the process of forming a transitional government.
murdered children were considered a tipping point' by many but just like the words never again' this phrase sounds terribly hollow.
even as the assad regime continues its all out war against the syrian population numerous brave syrians are still willing to pay the highest price when protesting peacefully for freedom and respect for their rights and dignity.
we must tell but more importantly show the syrian population we will not forget them.