kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
mr president this parliament is going to debate the situation in the refugee camp in moria on thursday and rightfully so as the situation has dramatically deteriorated after fires broke out last week.
the european parliament is actually ready to act.
under this precondition i believe it is absolutely unacceptable that we debate this situation without the council being present.
mr president this is a very emotional debate but the core issue is that polish justice is european justice and the safety dignity and freedom of all citizens in poland regardless of their gender and sexual orientation is also about essential respect for the rights of all europeans.
independent public broadcasters help democracy thrive. on the other hand state media network as a tool of those in power is a disservice to polish citizens and citizens everywhere.
misusing the media through political power is a departure from democratic ideals we share in this house no matter which member state we come from.
difficult discussion about the quality of justice in poland is a stark reminder that we are in dire need of a more robust approach to the protection of rule of law issues in europe.
this must be a joint priority for the council commission and european parliament.
europe must pay equal attention to rule of law issues across all member states in order to prevent further loss of justice from all europeans.
mr president massive investments in the digital and green transformation through the historic recovery plan should be a crucial growth engine and hope for next generation europe.
in this unprecedented crisis this will not be possible without a credible repayment plan.
this is why the reform of the system of own resources is really a pre condition for the success of the whole package of the whole concept.
a strong message of european solidarity towards those who are most hit by the crisis needs to be followed now by a message of responsibility towards all europeans but especially towards the youth.
a swift ratification so the entrepreneurs workers farmers but also other recipients can benefit from the assistance provided as soon as possible. at the same time we cannot sacrifice our long term priorities and investments.
three decades since the last introduction of a new own resource a levy on plastics is an important first step but it is certainly not enough for the sustainability of the repayment.
we need a clear and fair repayment plan because otherwise cuts to the most important and most successful eu programmes will jeopardise the future of europe's new generation and that is certainly not the case.
madam president today i voted in favour of developing stronger incentives for a more resource efficient economy across europe.
that is indeed a scandal. both the public and private sectors need to do more to reduce waste along the food chain but we almost need more research and innovation in the area of bio waste reuse and recycling.
the report also calls on the commission to introduce modern nutrient management techniques in order to reduce nutrient loss and achieve a sustainable intensification of our agricultural production.
green growth through increased innovation research and development and resource efficient technologies together with the right market incentives have the potential to boost europe's growth and competitiveness.
i have also learned that the country's chief prosecutor has been given direct political orders by the president to pursue their former premier and other government opponents. so i am now calling upon the england football team to consider boycotting all scheduled euro two thousand and twelve fixtures in ukraine in protest and to play the matches instead in co hosting poland ukraine's neighbour.
it is interesting that the us investigators when they prosecuted ex prime minister lazarenko dismissed this allegation regarding tymoshenko and i am very suspicious of this timing.
calls to define minimum standards at european level in the area of employment and social affairs;
the eu must add value to the work already done by member states not duplicate it.
madam president my uk conservative colleagues and i fully agree with the objective of tackling youth unemployment and believe the eu has a role in assisting member states but the best way of tackling this problem is not by micro managing member states.
calls for more ambitious sources of additional financing;
for example the uk has already put in place a series of initiatives in the new youth contract with a commitment of almost gbp one billion over the next three years. the eu should promote best practice ensure proper functioning and completion of the single market and above all remove barriers to growth in the form of the red tape which prevents businesses from taking on young people.
however we have concerns with other aspects including attempts to pre empt the final outcome of the negotiations on the maternity leave directive;
despite this i am convinced that employment law covering pay should be the preserve of the national governments of our member states.
the report very much supports producer organisations and it calls on the commission in its review of the fruit and veg regime which is just coming out to give us some clear and practical rules on the working methods of pos and to adjust the scheme to fit the market conditions in the various member states.
horticulture is a hugely important subject for europe.
we must also be able to export and my report emphasises the need to make it easier for our producers to gain access to third country markets.
if we are going to compete in the global marketplace we must embrace new methods and new techniques.
developments like ipm give us the opportunity to improve the way we do things but we cannot for the moment do without plant protection products various sprays and indeed neonicotinoids.
i would like to pay tribute to organisations such as harper adams university in my own region of the west midlands which are very active in this area.
we must make sure that any decisions we take are based on scientific evidence and are not only hazard based.
the eu is working on different fronts in parallel to advance human rights in syria.
these cases have been raised including by the high representative with the syrian authorities at the appropriate levels.
dmarches were made in the utmost discretion to start with but in the absence of any response from the authorities the high representative issued a statement on twenty seven july recalling syria's commitments under international law and urging the release of political prisoners.
two thousand and nine syria indicates that the assessment of its political and economic impact is not yet finalised. the agreement will undeniably bring several benefits to both parties but for the european union it is also the best way to establish a regular and frank political dialogue with syria including on human rights issues.
the eu has insisted that the very fragile health condition of the eighty year old mr al maleh be taken into account on humanitarian grounds.
despite the lack of a positive response so far eu actions must and will continue.
the european union has taken a number of actions.
two thousand and nine he was held incommunicado and tried before the second military court of damascus despite the fact that military tribunals should not try civilians. on four july two thousand and ten mr al maleh was sentenced to three years in prison on the grounds of transferring false and exaggerated news that weakens national sentiment'.
we have no time to waste he is eighty years old and i hear from his son who has visited parliament that his father's health is deteriorating.
they have no place in the jurisdiction of any modern state.
it is totally unacceptable.
he must be released immediately.
this happened under articles two hundred and eighty five and two hundred and eighty six of the syrian criminal code. such charges are clearly too vague and easy to abuse.
my key message is that there are serious grounds to believe that mr al maleh is a victim of repression by the authorities in response to his human rights work which is extensive and impressive.
mr al maleh has a distinguished history as a human rights defender and jurist and has been a frequent critic of the al assad baathist dictatorship in syria over the years.
he was seeking support for the release of his father.
i ask the commission to raise this issue with the syrian government as a matter of urgency.
last year when i visited damascus i was struck by the potential of the ambitious young syrian generation.
a change towards more openness and adherence to fundamental rights is necessary for the progress of the country itself and its connections to the international community.
however syria's prisons quickly filled again with political prisoners journalists and human rights activists such as recently when two leading human rights lawyers haythan al maleh and muhammad al hasani were sentenced for criticising syria's human rights record.
the prices of essential goods are up by three hundred on a black market;
the road has been blockaded by naga tribespeople and particularly by the all naga students' association.
i hope the house will join me in urging the indian government urgently to seek a negotiated settlement including the repeal of the armed forces special powers act to put an end to a humanitarian crisis which is almost as serious as that in gaza.
this has prevented food and fuel and medical supplies from reaching some two and a half million people; hospitals have been forced to stop all but emergency operations;
and half a million children under the age of eight are among the worst hit.
despite a recent release of eighty one prisoners reportedly four hundred and fifty other prisoners remain in jail often convicted in shameful post election trials.
madam president the mass protests that occurred as a result of the disputed presidential elections in june two thousand and nine have been the pretext for the iranian regime to continue its persecution of human rights activists and its denial of women's rights and religious freedom.
two thousand and ten i join with these communities in demanding that these pools are kept open;
madam president tonight children women and men from three different working class communities in dublin coolock crumlin and sean mcdermott street in the north inner city protested outside dublin city council in a desperate effort to halt the closure of their public swimming pools which the council says it has no finances to run.
these threatened closures reflect savage cuts in public spending by the irish government fully supported by the eu commission.
in these communities already hit by high unemployment recreation facilities are already very scarce and closing these pools would amount to a barbaric act of social vandalism.
mr moffat was gunned down by those believed to be connected with so called loyalist paramilitaries in mid afternoon on belfast's shankhill road while people young and old shopped going about their daily business.
the perpetrators of this cowardly deed whilst few in number believe justice can be administered through murder beatings and intimidation.
in recent days a senior commander in the police service of northern ireland stated that the threat from republican terrorism was at its most severe level for many years.
i am sure members will join with me in saying that this parliament stands with the good people of belfast's shankhill road and the vast majority of the people in northern ireland in expressing disgust at this murder and will stand with them in opposing terrorism in all its forms.
i hope that we will see a swift appeals process that will enable that to be the basis upon which decisions are made by the courts.
i will just echo one which is that we know that it is in the interests of the people of ukraine to move forward with an association agreement with us and to take forward the values which we hold dear and which the members of the ukrainian government claim to wish to see as well. i believe that they should reflect carefully on the very eloquent words of this parliament tonight and i look forward to their reacting positively to your comments and to mine.
that is the basis upon which we need to move forward and the ukrainians need to move forward.
these judicial proceedings have been criticised not just by ukraine's partners but by independent monitors and experts. this is not acceptable for a country which holds the chairmanship of the council of ministers of the council of europe or for a country which claims to share our fundamental values.
governments are accountable to their electorates and their political decisions should be judged through the ballot box not through the courts.
the year two thousand and eleven was to have been one of unparalleled opportunity and development in eu ukraine relations.
ukraine also needs to press ahead with critical reforms to the constitution and adopt an electoral law which reflects a cross party consensus in parliament.
it is clear that this house would not accept such an agreement if it did not have this conviction.
of course we will review the contacts with ukraine including those political dialogues and continue to send the clear messages to the leadership on the systemic problem they need to face in re establishing the rule of law. as friends of the ukrainian people we owe it to them to spare no effort to help ukrainian leaders take the right decisions.
so i believe that we should not walk away from the technical negotiations but continue with the aim of having before us on the table a document which makes it clear to both sides what is possible and also what could be lost.
i believe that the offer of concluding an association agreement should remain on the table. yulia tymoshenko herself asked us to carry on with the technical work on the association agreement. both citizens in the european union and in ukraine stand to benefit and it offers the ukrainian government the roadmap for transformation that the country needs.
i was interested to see that president yanukovych has expressed unhappiness with the criminal code in ukraine and recognises the need for change but frankly that is not enough.
our aim was to sign an association agreement including a deep and comprehensive free trade area by the end of the year. that agreement has been conceived not as a gift to ukraine or a gift to europe but as a mutually beneficial contract sharing our values and standards opening our markets
there is absolute unity among the member states of the european union that the ukrainian authorities must allow for swift and comprehensive appeals without limitations to the right to stand in the parliamentary elections next year.
but we can only sign such an agreement if we are convinced that the ukrainian leadership believes in the values on which it is based and is committed to upholding.
it would have been the first of its kind under the renewed european neighbourhood policy and the reinvigorated eastern partnership whose leaders as honourable members know met only ten days ago in warsaw and reconfirmed their commitment to closer political association based on these common values.
it is clear to us what they are and i believe it is also clear to the people of ukraine what they are.
a level playing field is essential if we are to see credibility and confidence restored in ukraine.
it does not excuse the authorities from the responsibility to guarantee a process which is fully in line with international standards.
this principle is a cornerstone of our democracies.
selective and politically motivated justice is not the european way.
her conviction yesterday followed a trial which did not respect international standards as regards a fair transparent and independent legal process.
several other members of her government have been prosecuted and convicted in the same way.
was the sentence of seven years a shocking abuse of the law or can we simply not imagine the scale of the abuse of power and the damage to the country?
for me the answers to these questions are not self evident.
let us put aside the emotions let us not be too quick in rejecting the eu aspirations of the ukraine.
let us help both the government and ms tymoshenko find a solution so that the rule of law is preserved but the political process and the next elections are not called into question.
if we see miscarriages of justice or we suspect that the laws being used come from the stalinist era then it is our duty and responsibility to point this out to everybody in the world.
the eu should continue to engage with ukraine by telling its government the truth that manipulating the judiciary is totally contrary to our values.
two thousand and eleven now we are in the process of ratification and yes i confirm here that i invest a lot in convincing the member states to ratify this very useful piece of legislation.
the istanbul convention is a very important legislative contribution to enable the member states to investigate prosecute and penalise the perpetrators of violence against women and i want to emphasise that the convention can
post accession practice showed that once their country became an eu member state there were no eu legal provisions and there was no political pressure to guarantee their rights.
the fourth council of europe opinion on the application in romania of the framework convention on the protection of national minorities published a week ago clearly illustrates this unfortunate situation.
the expert opinion describes in detail what i have also repeatedly drawn attention to in this house it expresses serious concerns regarding matters such as hate speech against minorities difficulties regarding education in students' mother tongue the obstruction of the restitution process for properties stolen by the communist regime the prohibition of the use of national symbols and so on.
some colleagues have already mentioned the recent attacks on freedom of speech.
the assassination of journalists is an absolute disaster a tragedy beyond words and my heart reaches out to the people suffering now from the sorrow of the loss. rule of law democracy and respect for fundamental rights must always be upheld because they are the principles and values upon which the european union was founded.
we are lacking this in the union at this moment and we need to ensure that a resilient system is built based on the participation of all member states and the fair sharing of responsibilities as is mentioned in the report.
we have all ratified the geneva convention so it goes without saying that this is imperative.
the revision to the regulation will help close loopholes for example those allowing false declarations of transported goods. detected fraud in the eu was over eur one hundred and seven million in two thousand and eleven and the true losses for member states are likely to be much much more. the changes agreed here should also reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and speed up mechanisms in place for tackling customs fraud. they also safeguard national competences giving member states two weeks to get the information from operators who are subject to investigations before the commission can get involved. the report also includes data protection and data confidentiality parts. in line with the ecr commitment to better regulation i am glad to see the two year revision clause included in this regulation.
however a common approach to customs code is not an indication that i would support common taxation on other matters.
madam president before the customs union existed businesses trading within europe faced a mountain of paperwork and different levies at every border.
the single market through its common customs code has removed costs which has helped to boost trade and drive economic growth.
parliament's approach has been to simplify and speed up mechanisms for combating customs fraud without adding unnecessary and repetitive bureaucracy. member states remain responsible for initial investigations and it is only when that fails that the commission comes in. on that basis i support this report.
information sharing is a key element in that respect.
the first is because we the elected members of this parliament have the duty to be held accountable to our electorate who democratically elected us here to represent them.
i firmly believe that we owe it to our constituents to see how their representatives have voted.
sadly due to the democratic process in the eu this can only be achieved by tabling a complete rejection of the proposal.
the second reason for rejecting the proposal is because we are opposed to this over reaction to customs fraud and to the centralisation of powers and delegation to the commission that this report brings.
do not get me wrong i am absolutely in support of combating customs related fraud but i am wholly against this proposal which serves only to plaster over the cracks and does not address the origins of the customs related fraud.
to deal with customs related fraud issues is not to add bureaucracy and burdens for member states but to question the fundamental pillars of the single market the free movement of goods persons services and capital between member states by establishing and maintaining a database
that will contain detailed information on imports exports and transit of goods including those within a member state.
we are as sovereign nations should of course be encouraging greater mutual assistance and cooperation in the second fight against fraud but i say it once again this does not require a centralised eu database to be established.
the whole approach to combating customs related fraud feels awfully similar to the idea of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
a functioning customs union not only encourages and facilitates the flow of goods in and out of europe but also brings legal certainty to businesses and protects our financial interests. but it cannot function properly if we do not have the proper means for it to do so.
it is important to stress that those like mr van orden and mr tannock of the british conservatives who oppose the move have been proved wrong with now fifty four countries including twenty two of our own european member states offering legal recognition and our own eu rule of law mission has been deployed with the assent of serbia.
yesterday the eu justice mission opened its first war crimes trial in kosovo.
today her royal highness princess anne of britain is visiting a school for disabled children in gjilan kosovo. surely both together demonstrate europe's commitment never to forget past injustices but to work today towards a better future for all.
it. there are many important issues outlined in the resolution such as the preservation of kosovo's cultural heritage the improvement of public administration capacity the better integration of all communities in kosovo the necessity for multi ethnic education and the plight of roma families in lead contaminated refugee camps in the north.
they clarified the issues raised regarding eu funding and the way this has been managed in kosovo. they also informed members on the financial management and control systems that the commission has currently in place.
it has also supported the activities of several local ngos working in the field of gender equality and women's rights through the european instrument for democracy and human rights.
this includes extensive measures to safeguard the future of all communities in kosovo thereby creating a basis for sustainable economic and political development. the commission's progress report of november two thousand and eight was considered by the authorities to be an objective and fair assessment of what was achieved
two thousand and nine the management of this funding is the exclusive responsibility of our commission liaison office in pritina which is now fully operational with all relevant control systems in place and takes over from the european agency for reconstruction.
our financial assistance is comprehensive.
we have stressed with the authorities the urgency of adopting the civil service
in two thousand and eight and two thousand and nine funding is continuing with eur.