kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
you build democracy and you bring out those organisations who can work with people to help them understand their democratic rights what democracy can mean and what it can do the transformation of society. we use that word in the council conclusions for a reason because i believe in transformation not just for today and tomorrow but for the long term.
we are engaged with the quartet.
to build a liberal democracy in these countries with no such traditions the eu the usa and our political think tanks in europe must now place significant resources behind moderate democratic politicians and new parties who must be committed to democratic pluralism and free and fair elections and unlike the muslim brotherhood be prepared to relinquish power if defeated at the ballot box.
we must remember that.
today we see a worrying trend towards violence.
the radicalisation of egyptian politics would be a disaster for that country and for neighbouring israel.
in tunisia ben ali was only the second leader since independence fifty three years ago. when the political landscape offers such little hope of change inevitably frustrations boil over as we now see with the hurricane of change blowing across the region.
the eu's diplomatic efforts in tunisia and egypt must be focused entirely on ensuring stability and order and resisting those who would wish to spread violence and fear as we see today.
there are already good democratic role models in muslim majority countries such as indonesia turkey and bangladesh for egypt and tunisia to emulate.
hopefully in future the choice in the muslim world will not be between secular tyranny and islamist theocracies but instead enduring democracy.
indeed this is also a danger in egypt where the islamist muslim brotherhood is seeking to fill the political vacuum as we speak.
it is hard to see how mubarak can credibly play a role in that transition other than by stepping down. tunisia also remains in ferment and the longer that lasts the greater the danger that islamists will seize the political initiative. tunisia may have been authoritarian and corrupt but it was profoundly secular and pro western;
my group the ecr group calls for a genuinely democratic and peaceful transition in egypt.
this is a huge challenge and of course we may now be witnessing an historic fall of the berlin wall moment' in the muslim world.
the issue basically now is to see an orderly and peaceful transition in these countries and not a breakdown in law and order. we want to see stability peace and of course democracy in our neighbourhood.
madam president this moment has been a long time coming. it is being led by both the old and by those who have known nothing other than mubarak in egypt.
our response has been to say that egypt should not be destabilised any further than it is;
that the people of egypt be delivered a government of their choice through their free will.
well that is right but it is not enough.
and then from the floor of the house today i hear warnings of an islamic tsunami that is waiting to come and destroy us all.
all you do by putting forward those arguments i am afraid is argue for a totalitarian regime thinly disguised by a very thin layer of democracy and you do not place any value on those people who have paid with blood and paid with their lives both in tunisia and egypt.
they paid with their lives fighting for the freedom of their countrymen and they will not value your freedom any less.
those on the streets despite being very large in number are a vocal minority who actually represent an even larger silent majority.
high representative this is not a time for limp wrists.
have strength in your stride send a clear message mubarak must go now.
tunisia like iraq and egypt was a politically repressive regime even by middle eastern standards but it was also by middle eastern standards a secular even socially liberal one.
there is a danger that a socially liberal autocracy might be replaced by a socially repressive autocracy or even a socially repressive democracy.
if we should see civil wars atrocities and the destruction of the economies of these countries we might give good advice and our populations might send aid but i hope that we do not regard it as our job to send our troops there to be killed.
their message is clear their political systems have reached a point of no return and change must come now.
i take this opportunity to express my admiration for their dignity and courage and in the light of what we are seeing now on our television screens from egypt in particular i call for calm and restraint and dialogue.
the changes that have taken place have been remarkable and have paved the way for more democratic development of the country. despite many challenges we can already see the positive developments in tunisia where efforts have been made to meet the demands of the population.
the transitional government has taken some important steps in particular by freeing political prisoners and allowing freedom of expression as well as prosecuting members of former president ben ali's family for corruption.
the government has received the support of the main opposition parties and the main trade union the tunisian general labour union.
peace and stability is important to allow tunisia to put in place democratic and transparent elections and effect vital political economic and social changes.
the european union is there to support the country and its people at this difficult moment of transition and we have responded immediately not in order to impose our views or ideas but to offer our help and to work together. i spoke last week with the new minister of foreign affairs mr ounaies following his appointment
and we met together today in brussels.
we had a substantial discussion here the first place that he has visited since taking office on the best way for the european union to support the transition and assist the tunisian people.
he confirmed today the request for support from the eu in the preparatory phase of the elections and in the observation of future elections.
as for other forms of assistance we have increased the allocation for cooperation with civil society.
this will be combined with a reorientation of our assistance programmes to help the people more directly.
so we are going to review with tunisia our priorities to take account of the new situation and adapt our assistance to their social needs.
governance and transition to democracy;
economic governance and the fight against corruption; economic and social development including support to impoverished areas in the centre and south of tunisia. we are also ready to consider with the member states mobility related measures and increased market access.
i plan to travel to tunisia the week after next.
we accelerated procedures to allow the foreign affairs council on monday to adopt a decision on restrictive measures with a view to imposing an assets freeze on persons under inquiry for embezzlement of state funds in tunisia. the tunisian authorities have communicated to us a list of persons who should be the object of these measures.
we need to strengthen all possible people to people contacts and reach out to civil society and that includes supporting ngos professional associations and student exchanges.
we now have an opportunity to strengthen the partnership between tunisia and the european union on the basis of an affirmation of democracy and economic and social reform.
i hope we can build on the mutual respect and trust among our respective peoples to ensure stability and a democratic and prosperous future for tunisia.
in that context i look forward to the upcoming free and democratic elections and the establishment of the new government.
i have agreed with the tunisian foreign minister to resume negotiations on advanced status shortly with a view to their conclusion once a new democratically elected government is in place.
finally the foreign minister described the atmosphere as an atmosphere of reconciliation.
just over one week ago we witnessed the start of an extraordinary movement there.
anti government protests clearly inspired by the events in tunisia and beyond and organised mainly through social media and word of mouth have i think taken the whole world by surprise.
the great strength of this popular uprising is that it is happening across egypt. hundreds of thousands of people young and old men and women are taking to the streets demanding their legitimate political and socio economic rights.
used. like all the honourable members here i deplore the considerable loss of life during the demonstrations and my thoughts go out to those who have lost their loved ones. the large number of injured and arrested is also a cause of great concern and all parties have to show restraint and stop the violence.
we have prepared for the foreign affairs council on monday with our conclusions calling upon the egyptian authorities to immediately release all peaceful demonstrators who have been detained. freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are fundamental human rights for everybody which the state has a duty to protect.
the imposed restrictions on media including the internet are unacceptable and i urge the egyptian authorities to restore all communication networks without
delay. through nationwide demonstrations the egyptian people are expressing their wish to see
change. hundreds of thousands have gathered in each rally across the country.
dialogue. the egyptian authorities must move forward quickly through a broad based government leading to a genuine process of substantial democratic reform and paving the way for free and fair
elections. we will offer our full support to an egypt that strives for transformation to be more democratic and more
pluralist. we have a shared interest in peace and prosperity in the mediterranean and middle east
region. what we must do now is adapt and reinforce the means at our disposal to support the necessary political economic and social
reforms. our cooperation already has democracy human rights and the rule of law as constituent elements and we have to refocus and strengthen
own lives. across the arab world we are seeing lots of potentially positive change driven by the demands
of people. as the european union our offer to the region and to the people is solidarity and support to put the reforms in place. we are a union of democracies we have a democratic calling so we will back this process of change with creativity and with determination.
nevertheless there is a certain satisfaction to be derived from the prospect of oppressed peoples overthrowing their undemocratic and unrepresentative governments.
and you can repress people for so long and so much but there is always the possibility that they will rebel.
now there is a parallel here with britain where successive governments of all political colours have consistently betrayed our country and surrendered our rights of democratic self determination to the european union.
under magna carta the english have the right of lawful rebellion.
in all our involvement with them we have always advanced the principles of pluralistic democracy freedom of the media of expression and of assembly respect for human rights an independent judiciary and good governance.
the tunisian authorities must respect the will of the people and proceed without delay to a process of democratisation with accountability in cases of corruption or repression by the cronies of ben ali.
beware democracy does not mean elections.
it means much much more than this.
we unequivocally support the people of egypt and call on their current leaders to listen to the wisdom of their people and not to become an obstacle in responding to their aspirations.
but that should not stop us as a european union from engaging with egypt and the arab world to support democracy and human rights and i expect my colleague despite her different views on europe to share this view with me.
mr president this report is a key milestone and we must indeed refocus the delivery of the eu two thousand and twenty objectives of smart sustainable and inclusive growth paying much more attention to social education and employment targets as well as properly recognising the contribution of culture in reaching the so called social triple a for the development and wellbeing of individuals and societies.
children are among the most impacted and remain the group at the highest risk of poverty and social exclusion. if this situation is not properly addressed through decisive political action we risk excluding a great part of the next generation.
so as a member of the intergroup on children's rights i am proud that the report we are about to adopt includes a call for the creation of a child guarantee in line with the investing in children' recommendations that will ensure that every child in europe at risk of poverty including refugees has access to free healthcare free education free childcare decent housing and adequate nutrition.
the european commission has already acknowledged that austerity has increased inequalities social injustice and poverty in europe.
well the market depends on people being able to spend money and if you don't have any money then the markets cannot successfully work.
the market will react'.
so we need to pay people a decent living wage;
a more social europe should not be one that throws money at every problem it identifies or one that stifles competitiveness a precondition for job creation and sustainable social protection.
existing social challenges are not so much a result of missing social policy but mainly of insufficient reforms including to the labour market and the lack of economic growth and job creation.
rather in full respect for subsidiarity it should be one that promotes sound economic policies and encourages national reforms in areas such as education and active labour market policies.
secondly we need to have the appropriate means starting with the means for social investment in education training tackling poverty and providing good social services.
what is at stake is to organise a full process of upward economic and social convergence in the european union and inside the eurozone. in order to do this we need to combine powerful means labour and social law changing the direction of economic governance
without a stronger social dimension there is no future for the european union.
we need to have a new kind of interaction between economic and social policy.
and providing the necessary financial means.
from the hermetically sealed artificially lit chamber that we sit in people decide to make plans and directives and legislation to change the world to achieve socialist utopia fundamental social rights for children women and workers
let's compete strive and struggle to improve ourselves.
a single european social model.
let's not stand in the way of human nature.
it's not for the government or the eu to tell us how free. we're free to compete;
must become a turning point when updating social standards and security and fundamental social rights for all european citizens.
we must put the social dimension at the heart of this roadmap for the future of the european union.
and organising the transition between education and employment in such a way that we make the best of the youngest generation in europe.
finally we must ensure that women and men can reconcile their working life with family life using not only childcare services but all the leave schemes we need to legislate the plan. we want poverty to be tackled with more effective minimumincome schemes all over europe.
and we want all citizens to have a european social security card and a personal account where they will build their rights to social protection.
the skills guarantee must become a new social right for the twenty first century.
we need also to make sure that all workers whatever their jobs can count on a clear contract with social rights decent working conditions and full access to social protection;
this pillar should address the entire european union. first of all by giving children a real guarantee to avoid poverty; delivering a strong youth guarantee;
this european parliament report is based on very long work by our members and also involving many other stakeholders across europe who were extremely active in building up a new vision for the social dimension of the european union. so first of all i would like to thank all of
we must have a vision of a social dimension able to cope with the current challenges which are not only global competition and ageing trends but also a very important digital revolution and internal problems and internal divergences in the eurozone. this report
now is the moment once the report is adopted for the commission to come also with a bold proposal to put it on the table at the council of ministers and finally on the table of the european council.
we need to work towards a situation where social policy is not considered a burden to economic growth but rather that the two are considered to be symbiotic.
it is a chance for the eu to move in the right direction to prove that it is capable of change.
we must stop the subordination of the social to the economic.
therefore i urge the commission to seize this opportunity and to not let the citizens down.
i hope that through the contributions made by parliament social partners and civil society the social pillar can be aligned so as to guarantee social rights in the manner that citizens deserve and in a manner that will address poverty income inequality and other serious social injustices.
we can meet this fear with ignorance by simply denying it exists but in the end we will all lose when right wing populists and those wanting to profit from this fear find scapegoats in the weakest members of our societies.
yes to fight inequality we will need to tackle big macroeconomic issues we will need good regulatory measures and we will need more tax justice.
but we can also meet this fear with the strongest asset that this continent holds solidarity.
but we will also have to start with the reality of the very ordinary people of the romanian child the worker in ireland the unemployed in greece the pensioner in the netherlands.
sixty hours a week without breaks without a pension to prevent poverty without a security net to fall back on.
mr juncker said that we need to do big things big in the european union.
they all contributed to the broader consultation. we have received about sixteen five hundred online replies and nearly two hundred position papers.
i would like to start by congratulating ms rodrigues not only for a very ambitious report but also for her ability to get the support of all political groups in this house for this initiative.
this was the consultation on establishing the european pillar of social rights an initiative already announced by president juncker in the state of the union address in september.
we also expect the new president of the european parliament to be there with us.
i welcome your call to address the issue of work life balance.
me. the pillar must be more than words so we will chart how we move from political commitment to delivery.
following that the commission will adopt its final proposal on the pillar in the spring.
we take note of your recommendation to set up wage floors in the form of a national minimum wage as that is an issue but as you rightly underline with due respect for the competence and practices of each member state.
we will need the commitment of all stakeholders european institutions national governments and parliaments social partners and civil society to achieve these objectives on the ground.
pivotal to this core of rights in my view is that everyone should have a written contract.
you also call upon us to put forward a clear roadmap of concrete measures for the full practical implementation of the european pillar of social rights.
we share your view that we have to consider the new forms of employment relationships.
there is a need to regain the trust of citizens in the european project by reaffirming the commitment to european social values and delivering on this commitment.
this is a key question for the future of work and for the sustainability and relevance of the european social model and that is why the commission has included in its two thousand and seventeen work programme an initiative on access to social protection.
our aim is to present a more holistic approach to addressing the challenges of work life balance not only for parents but for other carers as well and we will propose up to date solutions to meet the real needs of today's families.
we are ready to play our part but the centre of gravity of social and employment policies is and will remain with national and local authorities.
this house has repeatedly called for a better balance between our economic policies and social realities.
in this context your report rightly points out the importance of an adequate income for maintaining human dignity.
the european pillar of social rights is an opportunity we could even say an imperative to address challenges and make the most of opportunities in the changing world of work and society in the twenty first century.
in fact this message also came out from the consultation on the pillar how to ensure that a larger number of people benefit from the coverage of social protection.
i do share your concerns about poverty and the fact that we need further efforts to achieve the poverty reduction and social inclusion target of the europe two thousand and twenty strategy.
the primary responsibility for making social rights a reality lies with national governments and social partners.
this is not only an economic or social imperative but is a political necessity.
i agree that decent living wages are important as a means of avoiding in work poverty.
it is a crucial step towards a shared vision of a more social europe and a union founded on fairness.
in this respect as mentioned in the two thousand and seventeen commission work programme we will consult the social partners on revising the written statement directive. further i take note of your call to ensure adequate social protection for people in all forms of employment standard and nonstandard employment relationships
your report rightly stresses the need to address new forms of employment and working conditions and calls for horizontal legislation on decent working conditions.
this is the approach the commission is following strengthening the european social model and promoting upward social convergence. most importantly your report is a resolute call for action which would make a difference to european citizens. i would like to highlight some of the most important suggestions in your report which we are considering for the implementation of the pillar.
i believe we should not discourage one form or the other but should ensure that a core of rights is available to everybody.
here you can count on
but we cannot turn back the clock.
this will be the occasion to reflect on the results of the consultation and to reflect collectively where we want to go from here.
we have already concluded the consultation of social partners and i am pleased to inform you that we will launch a package of legislative and non legislative measures to support working families and businesses in spring this year.
this is an agenda which needs to fully engage all stakeholders in particular member states in line with the subsidiarity principle.
as regards reinforcing convergence the commission through its coordinating and facilitating role helps member states find ways of achieving upward convergence whilst maintaining competitiveness and a high level of employment and social protection.
during the past year we have consulted widely at european and national level engaging european institutions social partners civil society national governments and parliaments and nationallevel stakeholders. i would like to thank all of you who organised debates here in the european parliament or in your constituencies on the pillar of social rights.
i am convinced more than ever that the debate on social issues should be at the heart of the discussions on what kind of union our citizens want to have.