kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
the eeas contributed with two major academic seminars on the subject organised in brussels in july two thousand and eleven and in november two thousand and twelve through the eu non proliferation consortium of think tanks.
i can assure you in the meantime that the eu will remain fully committed to supporting however we can the objective of achieving a middle east zone free of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
despite the hopeful changes recently brought about by the emergence of new decision makers and of new social and economic developments in the region the danger remains that scepticism and pessimism might prevent similar improvements in regional security.
it is of course important to remember the broader and often intertwined political and unresolved issues at stake.
finally i want to convey the high representative's personal hope that the conference will be convened as soon as possible and i join her in this hope. we need to stress the absolute need for the main actors in the region conveners with the active contribution of civil society to explore and find ways to keep the process moving forward.
we will spare no effort to assist the facilitator in his important ongoing work to lay the groundwork for a successful conference. members will also be aware of the high representative's engagement with the quartet and in the eu thirty three dialogue with iran.
it is important of course to avoid this.
in one thousand nine hundred and ninety five of course the union and its member states subscribed to the barcelona declaration as did all the members of the euro mediterranean partnership.
there are confidence building measures to be found and offered as the process moves forward.
all wmds in the middle east.
the eu has been committed to the goal of promoting the establishment of a middle east zone free of weapons of mass destruction for some time.
the process towards a zone is no exception. there are issues on which agreement on possible interim steps might be possible if the actors involved can avoid pessimism and leave behind old ideas.
what is needed is a willingness by each party to engage and to look for possible accommodations not just from the other side but from their own. the european parliament has been very active in supporting this process with its own resolutions on the non proliferation treaty including strong language in support of the establishment of a zone free of
the objective of achieving such a zone is now ingrained in the union's strategy against weapons of mass destruction and has its roots in the two thousand and three european security strategy.
pessimism has been allowed to prevail too often in efforts towards a nuclear free zone in the middle east since.
our readiness to assist the facilitator and his team further is absolutely clear.
to borrow the words of john maynard keynes the difficulty lies not in the new ideas but in escaping from the old ones which ramify into every corner of our minds.
the quality of the background papers produced the frankness of the debates the broad participation of high level officials alongside academic experts and civil society representatives including an honourable member of this parliament have certainly helped the facilitator who attended with his team the meeting in brussels
in light of the middle east's history of conflict and tension and given the many serious political and security challenges which still face the region it would be easy for everybody to fall into the trap of pessimism.
what will ultimately determine failure or success is not a single event linked to a stringent deadline but a series of steps that will bring the process forward each time until the time will be ripe for a win win' solution.
confidence and trust amongst the states of the region are crucial.
any attempt to politicise the concept of a zone must be resisted. multilateral consultations among the concerned countries of the region under the auspices of the facilitator must continue.
i would like to commend and support the tireless efforts of ambassador jaakko laajava of finland who as conference facilitator has worked tirelessly for more than a year to lay the groundwork for a successful conference in which all states of the region will participate.
the facilitator was invited on several occasions to debrief the european parliament on the state of play of his consultations.
two thousand and twelve she hopes as we all do that the conference can be convened as soon as possible.
in a highly charged region heavily susceptible to conflict the dangers of nuclear proliferation are self evident.
the iea continues to voice its suspicions and concerns while all the evidence suggests that they are redoubling their efforts to build a nuclear weapon in flagrant contravention of the npt treaty which they are signatories to.
to this end eu sanctions are necessary and show signs of being effective.
it must be an organic process that develops in accordance with regional peace and security concerns more broadly.
we look forward to working with partners to achieve our common objectives and hope that an npt conference convened this year by the un might wield some concrete solutions to this problem.
still the efforts were never given up even in the direst of circumstances.
depending on our mindset we can either dream or paint very rosy pictures of a possible middle east free from weapons of mass destruction in a very near future or we can paint an apocalyptic future.
i believe that both approaches are wrong. we must doggedly pursue the path of preserving the npt and preventing any further spread of weapons of mass destruction.
we must continue to work for the goal of global zero continuing to follow the realistic and gradual path advocated by the architects of the global zero initiative and therefore my group invites and encourages the presidency the high representative and the eeas to continue to pursue the goal of eliminating weapons of mass destruction.
however given the complexity of the exercise there were eight hundred pages of text and thirteen trilogues and given the very tight timescale that the commission required we had no choice but to stagger the dates of introduction or there would have been no reform at all. i want to finish
secondly the commission and i particularly want to thank commissioner oettinger for his generous help and support.
secondly we've accelerated the discharge procedure.
firstly because it is important to remember this is public money and it's important we do not compromise monitoring and control.
on simplification we streamlined the audit process we introduced a number of procedures to make the audit burden more proportionate to the level of risk and we also reduced the burden of multiple auditing.
it will usher in a new culture to eu spending that we welcome but we also need to understand and recognise the potential conflict between measuring performance and achieving simplification.
overall i am happy with the outcome but with such a complex and timeconsuming process there are inevitably some regrets.
this is an omnibus package and bearing in mind the requirements of the different spend committees and the nature of their work the new regulations will come into force on a number of different dates.
i want to thank the staff.
secondly because performance budgeting brings a whole new dimension to financial regulations.
one in particular was the timing of the introduction of regulations.
overall i would have wished to have achieved more by way of simplification but i am happy that we made good progress establishing a performance culture and i hope the commission will keep up that momentum.
madam president at the outset all parties were aiming for simplification particularly for end users but it is important to understand that drawing up financial regulations is inevitably a balancing act.
on performance we set requirements for internal auditors to help measure and monitor performance and we introduced concrete definitions of results and outcomes.
without her limitless appetite for detail her patient persistence and her tireless efforts frankly i don't think we would have reached such a favourable result at all.
by putting on record my thanks to the many people who have been involved in this reform right from the start.
madam president we're told the commission's focus in this proposal is as follows simplification for recipients of eu funds cross reliance on audit assessment for authorisation more flexible budget management and simpler and leaner eu administration.
all very laudable but also all very laughable when you consider point two the cross reliance on audit etcetera.
it takes a correction which it knows has been applied only in certain areas of the budget areas where the commission and various member states had made corrections from their own earlier audits and it applies that percentage correction across the entire commission budget thus presenting a flawed and false figure in the final accounts.
the main objectives of the commission proposal are simplification and flexibility. we support the broad objectives put forward by the commission especially the major priority of simplification for recipients of eu funds.
this is very important in order to ease the work of the beneficiaries and to reduce the delays in implementation of a number of eu key programmes. in this regard we support the commission's aim of creating a single rule book for recipients.
in order to achieve maximum results we need to have impact assessment preceding any future substantial changes of the financial rules as well as increasing cross reliance on audits.
we welcome the measures on budgetary flexibility.
we support the agreement reached during the trilogues. we believe that the simplification of eu financial rules will contribute to reducing the costs and time needed to implement eu funds as well as decreasing the level of errors.
it should also increase the impact of the policies and their results in the process of practical implementation.
behind all that we need the constant imperative to ensure scrutiny and control.
i am happy to think that these regulations incorporating as they do simplification performance flexibility and modernisation will lay foundations for the budget to meet those challenges and to ensure value for money for european taxpayers.
i am proud to have been co rapporteur and i want to thank my colleagues for their very kind comments in that respect.
this will improve the functioning of the scheme and provide a clearer legal framework.
this meets one of the main requests of this report which is to increase the attractiveness of producer organisations by increasing legal certainty and reducing the administrative burden.
the commission will make an assessment of existing national and eu work streams and unfair practices at the end of this year and come to conclusions about where to go from there.
i am examining this issue at the moment to see what can be done to assist producers.
the current cmo regulation offers the tools for strengthening their bargaining position vis vis major retailers as well as through production planning innovation and crisis prevention and management measures.
however we foresee no changes to the basic act this year.
the issue of an increase in the overall level of support to producer organisations and to apos which requires a change in the basic act will not be addressed as part of this simplification exercise where we are concentrating on secondary legislation. unfair trading practices in the food supply chain are also on our agenda as you know.
it also shows the importance of strong producer organisations to collectively deal with such unexpected and adverse situations.
therefore i welcome mr melo's report as a contribution to the debate on how producer organisations can be strengthened even further to become even more efficient and also more attractive to both current and future members.
all food chain representatives agreed on a list of principles of good practice in contractual relations as far back as.
producer organisations have become essential for european cultural policy and should be encouraged to develop at all levels especially in member states where the number of organisations is still low. i believe that pos could be effective tools to combat unfair trading practices in the food chain ensuring better remuneration for
i would suggest that governments should be doing more in that respect.
mr president we are at a turning point in history with our european societies facing many challenges and transitions.
responding to democratic challenges requires collective debate about how we can achieve social justice and guarantee a fair and inclusive model for everyone a model which puts at the forefront not only economic development but more importantly the collective and individual well being of citizens.
touching upon all the key policy areas such as employment poverty reduction urban and rural development connectivity and support for smes cohesion policy is indeed the right tool to address those challenges.
i particularly welcome the focus on women and their role in societies as well as the call to use the fund for refugees' inclusion.
i would add that in a fast changing world characterised by increasing digitisation robotisation and automation a future proof sustainable agenda should be included in a broader reflection on occupational literacy.
the message that you passed on is very powerful and it pushes and puts the issue on the agenda.
the international labour organization included a special paragraph on bangladesh in its report last year on freedom of association and collective bargaining and this is a serious warning.
we can use different instruments to do that we have our trade and investment agreements we have the gsp we have specific partnerships we have different works and we have this compact.
we are exploring the possibility to organise technical workshops in cooperation with the oecd on garment due diligence guidance with specific focus on purchasing practices.
there seems to be a general acceptance that we need to continue the work beyond two thousand and eighteen in one form or another but this of course is not enough.
thank you for this debate thank you for the question and thank you for your engagement on this.
there have been some positive signals from bangladesh on the labour front.
so that is a tool that we have but i hope that that we do not have to use it and that we will see progress in bangladesh.
we should welcome this and recognise it.
that is a positive signal. this tripartite coordination council is a platform for dialogue between social partners.
if sufficient progress is not registered within a reasonable timeframe the commission will need to see what other actions it can take.
it should be a priority to have speedy and efficient trade unions registrations as well as making sure that there is investigation and prosecutions of all acts of discrimination and violence against trade unionists.
furthermore the strategy should facilitate private sector investor initiatives so that they can be more involved as in the accord.
this strategy needs to address freedom of association and collective bargaining.
at the same time we should foresee to revise the bangladesh labour act and the law on the export processing zones in line with ilo conventions.
at the same time there are still questions about the prolongation of the accords mandate.
it seems to have been tasked to review the whole labour law and that is also a positive signal.
we have tools we can use such as the gsp regulation and as you know the gsp regulation in fact foresees temporary withdrawal of trade preferences in case of serious and systematic violation of human and labour rights.
we need to have more and continuous improvement and significant work is still needed.
they include for instance the tripartite agreement of february and the fact that the draft export processing zones law which was not in line with the ilo convention has been taken back.
i hope that the meeting tomorrow will bring some advancement but we will have to monitor this very very closely.
in addition to ensuring the accord mandate and that it can be reviewed and renewed we are also looking for ways to facilitate and to support dialogue among brands and their suppliers on responsible business conduct.
i also welcome that members from this house have visited bangladesh;
i do share your concerns when it comes to labour rights and the lack of respect for them in bangladesh.
it has also created awareness which is very important and it is contributing to some movement by the bangladeshi government.
as you know the commission is fully committed to addressing respect for international labour standards also in eu trade policy.
but if the other party does not live up to expectations i believe some conclusions must be reached.
one side is a matter for which we as the european union and certainly this parliament can feel tremendously proud.
we have played our role in helping development making sure that some of the most disadvantaged people in bangladeshi society today find themselves in a situation where they can earn an honest living with pride and this is something which this house really has invested in greatly.
when one looks at the tremendous achievements that have been made then one has to look at where we are today.
it is not to deal with the details as the commission is dealing with that but it is simply to say to bangladesh that we do not want to see a situation where from the clutches of victory and tremendous achievement you deliver a negative result.
we have done all that we can to make sure that the doors remain open for you. please take that message today and react in a positive way so that we can carry on with our journey of progress.
this was seen by many as a positive innovative response to the problem so brutally exposed by the rana plaza tragedy and indeed has been seen as a potential model for engagement with other governments because i take the point that linda mcavan has just made that bangladesh is not the only country with problems.
i think many of us would welcome the engagement of the bangladeshi government over the years with the compact but we want to see that engagement renewed and regenerated because this gives an opportunity for bangladesh to actually be a leader in terms of sound trades union activity good social dialogue responsible production;
as the chair of the development committee of course i welcome the fact that tens of thousands of workers particularly women are gaining a livelihood and making their lives better because they have access to our market.
but we also met trade unionists and they told us about the difficulties they face trying to organise in the workplace and the serious intimidation.
it is underpinned by our values and that includes respect for rights at work.
i have got a couple of additional questions.
so what reassurances can you give us about the commission's future trade agreements with other countries that they will be similarly tough in making sure people comply with ilo standards and other human rights obligations?
we had the report voted in parliament last month.
it is true that there have been a few positive signals but not enough.
we have made it extremely clear to them that the four ilo recommendations namely to amend the labour act in order to bring it into compliance with ilo conventions; secondly to ensure that the law on export processing zones allows for full freedom of association;
to make sure that all acts of anti trade union discrimination are investigated and prosecuted at a later stage; and to ensure that applications for trade union registrations are acted upon as quickly as possible and not denied unless there are really objective grounds for doing
so. these are the four most urgent recommendations and we fully support ilo in their work there.
so the priority now on a shortterm basis is to make them materialise and to make sure that they work in practice.
there is a lot of diversity and a number of actors all across the world so doing this will be extremely complicated.
this has led to some results.
we will continue to do
them. thank you for your engagement.
i am haunted by some words from that film where the actor looking back to two thousand and nine looking back to now says why knowing what they knew then didn't they act when there was still time? ' in other words why have we failed to galvanise sufficient political will? partly it is because we do not talk enough about the benefits of shifting to a post carbon world the millions of jobs in green energy the better insulated homes the improved public transport.
yet even the most ambitious target the eu is currently proposing a thirty cut by two thousand and twenty will give us only a fifty fifty chance of avoiding the worst of climate change. if you were told that a plane that you were about to get on had a fifty fifty chance of crashing you probably would not get on. and yet the stakes we are playing for in copenhagen are a lot higher than that.
so my message to you is please be more ambitious.
that is the message the eu must champion.
it seems that the british people are onto this because a recent opinion poll in the times newspaper clearly shows that the british people no longer believe in so called man made global warming.
it is being cynically used to raise taxes to exert control and now it is being used by the european union to justify its own existence.
is it perhaps because greenland was once green when the world was hotter?
even the floods which are devastating parts of my region in cockermouth and workington where we have had the highest rainfall on record are nothing special;
it is hard to take the political decisions necessary when there is doubt about whether climate change is taking place. we have to take a step back;
i just wish some of the sceptics would not take such delight in putting forward proposals to delay action proposals which might end up costing the lives of millions.
the question is is it enough?
are we saying that we are prepared to make this gesture even before we get a final agreement?
we need the leaders of the united states and china to be there too but we have an opportunity here to take some major political decisions. i welcome the fact that the european union has given such leadership.
we have sixty five heads of government attending.
before this debate finishes can we hear more from the council and the commission about what room there is for upping our game?
are we strengthening this?
the situation is fluid.
we have to recognise that during the course of one lifetime the human population has quadrupled and our use of fossil fuels our energy consumption has grown enormously.
they cannot be specifically attributed to climate change although they are in line with the science.
we have to take on board the arguments of the sceptics and we have to challenge them.
these new tariffs are just barriers to trade they punish the poor and have no justification whatsoever.
i worry about a drift towards green tariffs justified on the basis of such spurious claims.
madam president in my english constituency this week it was discovered that scientists from the university of east anglia were allegedly manipulating data to try and prove man made global warming.
the eu climate package passed in december two thousand and eight was important in showing the seriousness of our commitment to climate change and what has been agreed in recent months under the swedish presidency has also been important particularly the recast energy performance of buildings directive which will slash the carbon footprint of both new and renovated buildings.
mr president i welcome the positive and determined stance being taken by the swedish presidency and particularly the minister's determination that the agreement in copenhagen should be upgradable and include monitoring mechanisms so that it can be adjusted in the light of new scientific research.
a rollback of the industrial age'.
mr president everyone agrees that climate change is the biggest challenge facing humanity that is the constant claim of the political elite and it is a lie.