kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
they are needed for competitiveness for investment for a better adjustment capacity and ultimately to create quality jobs and sustain our social market economies.
by this i mean the integrated approach based on three mutuallysupportive pillars investment structural reforms and fiscal responsibility. each of these is a necessary ingredient for reaching our growth and jobs objectives.
areas such as education and research.
this coordination has not always been easy and it still is not.
i refer in particular to improving the investment climate and more generally the business environment in europe.
they also contribute to our collective knowledge on how to prepare reforms in an inclusive way engaging the relevant stakeholders. the pursuit of the european single market is strongly related to structural reforms at national level.
yesterday only two months after the commission presented its proposal the ecofin council adopted a general approach on the european fund for strategic investments proposal.
the great potential of efsi is obvious.
a national education system for example cannot be overhauled within a year.
digitisation should cut across all policy fields from industrial to environmental policies.
obviously the ministers of finance and employment have contributed but we have also debated the annual growth survey in the competitiveness energy and environment councils.
but we also have to ensure the necessary regulatory certainty for economic operators.
to be effective europe should focus on the sectors with highest potential in particular the digital economy energy transport telecommunications and services.
on the capital markets union.
a core process for economic policy coordination in europe.
eur three hundred and fifteen billion is a lot of money but if we can harness synergies between the efsi and other eu programmes structural funds and national funding we will do even better.
what emerges from these council debates is the emphasis on implementation and enforcement of existing single market legislation.
parliament is right to highlight in the resolution that more should be done in that context.
hence the council insists that all member states stay on course with fiscal consolidation but not with any kind of consolidation.
looking at things from the energy policy perspective the european semester is a tool for implementing for example the internal energy market. at the same time the energy union is necessary to generate more growth in europe.
it should be differentiated depending on the fiscal situation of each member state and overall it should be growth friendly. in practice this means for example giving priority to tax reforms that can generate growth and securing public spending in growth
turning now more specifically to this year's semester and the two thousand and fifteen annual growth survey as you may know the latvian presidency has engaged the council in broad discussions on the annual growth survey.
one of the most effective ways to do this is to reduce the regulatory burden at both european and national level.
as called for by the european council.
the european semester was created in two thousand and ten for europe to exit the crisis through better coordination of our economic action.
council debates on the annual growth survey are in fact a great vehicle for exchanging experiences between member states on what works on the ground.
for the presidency it is important to deliver concrete results that can benefit citizens. the presidency is now ready to negotiate with parliament and we will do our utmost to find an agreement by this summer
i see it is also well covered in your resolution.
we look forward to the first trilogue.
we have used the council discussions on the annual growth survey to look too at the potential of the digital economy for the eu growth and jobs agenda. it is clear that europe needs a digital transformation to re establish its status as a leading player in the global digital economy.
on investment as you may know the council is taking forward the investment plan for europe diligently.
this streamlined and reinforced approach aims to simplify the process at the same time as increasing joint ownership of it.
one of the core messages of the two thousand and fifteen annual growth survey is that reforms supporting the sound functioning of labour markets work.
the proposed eur three hundred and fifteen billion investment package channelled through the european fund for strategic investment aims to address the problem of weak demand and to stimulate investment in the real economy where jobs are created.
this commission believes that this agenda and its strong focus on social fairness and on the social dimension of reforms will help to build a solid foundation for sustained growth and greater social and economic convergence.
you can clearly see the increased consideration that the commission is giving to employment and social concerns in the country reports.
the two thousand and fifteen annual growth survey and the aligned economic policy agenda marked a new start one that is based on investment structural reform and fiscal responsibility our famous triangle.
so do reforms improving the effectiveness of social protection systems.
in both the commission's investment initiative and the annual growth survey employment and social concerns feature as crosscutting priorities.
let me also draw your attention to another novelty. the commission has published the countryspecific analysis in a single document for each country three months in advance.
it is so important we create the right environment to enable businesses to grow and create jobs.
we are seeing this in the uk and it can happen right across the eu.
in britain we have seven hundred and sixty zero more small businesses than we had five years ago. the uk is the most entrepreneurial country in europe.
this can help us to accelerate the trend of reshoring bringing jobs back to europe.
there can be no onesizefitsall approach. we do not have a single european social model. effective policy solutions are best devised by the member states.
that is because other countries have control over setting their own interest rates and managing their own exchange rates to suit the needs of their economies.
in britain we have a saying the penny is starting to drop' well the euro has certainly started to drop on the international exchanges and along with quantitative easing that may help in generating some growth this year.
but we all know that once germany has had enough medicine the prescription will be stopped for everyone.
the report clearly welcomes the new approach which focuses on investment and growth in europe as opposed to the policies led by the former barroso commission.
however we do have to admit that the eu single market is not fulfilling its full potential.
it has to be better monitored if we want to promote growth and jobs.
it is very important to develop analytical tools to properly measure the economic and regulatory performance of the single market.
i think that it is very important that the european semester and the countryspecific recommendations reflect the priority sectors in the eu where there is strong potential for growth first of all a digital single market which could generate thousands of jobs;
this morning the president said that the commission has fasttracked the reports on the countryspecific recommendations.
now member states have more time to examine those recommendations.
the most important thing is for member states to better implement eu legislation and international law and commit to structural reforms which are now working.
it is the only way forward.
mr president to get sustainable public finances we need jobs and growth to help our businesses be competitive and to increase trade.
too often in the past european legislation has added extra red tape and cost for consumers and it is good that many in this house are recognising the need to change.
the single market is key businesses need confidence in a level playing field but we also need better laws and they need to be better implemented and to protect against protectionism.
these do not create jobs and i will not support reports that call for them.
the european semester was meant to be a place to share best practice to exchange views and give recommendations.
well let me remind you once again that austerity measures were simply a necessary reaction a necessary adjustment to the excessive spending in the period before the crisis.
nevertheless we have to remember that if wages were growing at a pace much higher than productivity before the crisis then there is a need for those wages to come down.
we tried to use the word austerity just to get rid of our own shortcomings in economic policy.
as politicians are very bad at looking at the complexities.
if you take for instance greece then you see that the balance between export and import is not a very good one and due to globalisation greece portugal and some other countries are gliding down in international competition.
they are gliding down as regards possibilities to get into the market and that is actually the real problem. therefore we need a european investment policy.
we need an investment policy addressing these profound deep problems in our economies.
we have to send a very very clear message.
we do not notice it because gambia is such a small country and so in absolute numbers it is small but relative to the population it is enormous.
i am also concerned about the implications for elections in december against this backdrop can they really be free and fair?
journalists and lgbti people.
therefore i think it is really important that we continue to support those who are taking the lead in standing up for reform but we also need to work closely with the african union on this.
we use every opportunity to address these issues with our gambian interlocutors and to push for improvements.
we are part of a common front as similar statements were issued by the united states the united nations and the united kingdom as well as the economic community of west african states and the african commission on human and peoples' rights. the united nations the african union and ecowas
we think that it is important to remain engaged in dialogue with the authorities as this provides the best possible platform from which to address our concerns and to influence the situation concerning human rights and governance.
deployed a joint highlevel mission to gambia last week which renewed calls on the government to respect freedom of expression assembly and political participation to allow due process of law and to conduct an investigation into the death of the opposition member.
the eu remains committed to supporting the gambian people in strengthening democracy human rights and the rule of law and in building sustainable and inclusive development on the basis of the cotonou agreement.
two thousand and seventeen the eu has issued a statement voicing our concern at the crackdown and demanding an investigation.
thirty seven persons including the leaders of the strongest opposition party the united democratic party are currently on trial on charges including conspiracy to commit a felony.
the hospital was clearly marked and the exact location of the hospital was communicated to all parties to the conflict.
mr president on behalf of my group i extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of all those who have tragically lost their lives in the attack in kunduz.
the afghan government needs to be united and needs to focus on legitimate grievances and community consensus building.
afghanistan must not be forgotten in more pressing crisis.
the eu and the international community should assist in this through diplomacy and negotiations.
they urgently deserve peace.
there always needs to be a strong response from the eu and respect for human rights and the rule of law must prevail.
the taliban successes in and around kunduz are the consequences of corrupt and abusive governance.
afghans have been devastated by over three decades of conflict.
we welcome the help that has been announced this morning for the civilians in the kunduz area.
regional cooperation with the objective of promoting long term peace stability and security in the wider region is essential.
under the rules of international humanitarian law a hospital is a hospital and the people inside are patients and medical staff. to target a medical facility in this way is a violation of that law whatever the circumstances. given the seriousness of the harm and the gravity of the alleged legal violations
we also applaud all other heroic doctors and other medical staff around the world who risk their lives every day trying to save others.
more than twenty two civilians were killed in the attack twelve medical staff and ten patients three of them children and thirty seven more were injured.
but while we commend the courageous and dedicated staff of these organisations we have to be firm and clear in affirming the absolute need to protect their lives and their work and the lives and dignity of those they assist.
take. effective implementation is required and we are ready to accompany the afghan authorities and people in this difficult
i strongly believe that we cannot disregard the overall and unprecedented support which has already been invested in afghanistan's security and development. it should be clear from the outset that we cannot repeat the mistakes of iraq and syria where our actions were inadequate.
however the reasons for this tragedy still remain unclear.
it is fundamental to retain the progress made in afghanistan based on our coordinated strategy both military and developmental among the international regional and local players.
all this is very alarming.
the consequences of our inaction might be unthinkable.
our effective action and determination create the future for afghanistan.
the conscripts are mostly from arab countries and post soviet central asia as far as one can read from the reports.
currently our efforts in afghanistan seem far too weak.
by conquering kunduz the taliban has made the biggest military advance in fourteen years.
mr president as the commissioner has said many of us have encountered msf working in challenging conditions in many parts of the world and we respect their integrity their independence and their policy of making no distinctions based on patients' ethnicity religious beliefs or political affiliation.
we know this can create problems for some regimes but it also means that msf and other medical charities can often gain the trust of local populations.
like others here my group also condemns this bombing and also wishes to extend our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones their friends or their colleagues.
people should feel safe in a place of healing and it is certainly a much needed facility.
i think questions are raised yet again about what is really meant by precision bombing and what the value of such bombing is.
i call on the court to prepare a follow up special report on conflict of interest targeting more agencies.
for instance ex ante verification systems must be upgraded.
the commission just gets a polite slap on the wrist.
like the vast majority of the public i am disgusted that the commission is paying lip service to getting their finances in order.
two thousand and twelve that is over eur six billion of taxpayers' money that cannot be properly accounted for.
however what really bothers my patience in this house is the business as usual' mentality where irregularities are tolerated despite the huge amounts of money involved.
the commission assured us that they would get errors under control.
currently european structural funds payments in the uk are suspended so colleagues in the uk should perhaps point the finger at our own systems and our own government.
for example we need to do more work with problem member states we need to ensure that proper control systems are in place in all those member states and we need to ensure that simplification measures which we all talk about and support are used and do indeed reduce errors in the future. these are all important issues for us in parliament and they all need to be addressed.
however more does need to be done at european level especially as the error rates are still increasing.
what solutions can be put in place?
in my view in relation to agriculture we are going to see an increase in the error rates with the new cap because we have added some environmental measures which will cause some difficulty in terms of controls.
our technology is improving and we are seeing things differently and measuring differently. there is a serious mental health issue on farms in the european union because of the pressure farmers are under not just income wise but because of the fear of the auditors.
mr president i think we should accentuate the positive here because a great deal of the money in fact the vast majority of the money spent is being spent for the purpose to which it is allocated.
i am glad you are taking it into account in your training programmes.
i want to raise a separate issue because i know that some nineteen five hundred irish farmers have received letters about the eligibility of land which they have made claims on and they have claimed in good faith based on maps of the past.
but the system for doing so is complex and the impact of financial corrections on member states and beneficiaries depends on the applicable legislation.
with mounting pressure on public finances at european union and national levels the court recommends a greater focus on the performance of the european spending programmes.
the union needs to address this issue and create a culture of performance if the new generation of spending programmes is to deliver and be seen to deliver added value to european citizens.
that the eu accounts prepared by the european commission are reliable as they have been since.
in fact the court's assessments of supervisory and control systems it examined showed there to be weaknesses at a wide range of national and regional authorities.
so in effect most financial corrections fall on national taxpayers.
the court's overall estimate of the most likely error rate for all areas of operational expenditure showed increases compared to two thousand and eleven leading to an overall rise from.
for example in agriculture most financial corrections do not lead the members states concerned to recover payments from beneficiaries while for cohesion most corrections are flat rate corrections which do not lead to detailed correction at project level.
this means laying down clear objectives relevant indicators and expected results for all spending programmes. currently the court finds that this is not done consistently enough to provide a sufficient basis for managing and reporting on their performance.
we will monitor the implementation of those performance indicators.
and of course we have to address these weaknesses in a proper way. but we also have to work and to act within the legal framework which we have and which was adopted by the co legislators namely the european parliament and the council.
culture. there are lessons to be learned from the previous programming period and i believe that the work the court has done already on the first phase of closing the period two thousand and seven two thousand and thirteen will be updated
it will use all preventive and corrective measures at its disposal. as you know the commission has a strict policy on interruptions of payments and suspensions of programmes;
in two thousand and twelve fourteen member states developed first action plans.
have to protect their national budget and taxpayers.
together with the simplification of eligibility rules and payment schemes and the development of a concrete performance framework the implementation of an effective system of net financial correction is one of our key priorities for the future.
finally a new performance approach is in place to better demonstrate the added value delivered by the eu action to our citizens and businesses.
with more women in elevated positions we can exert influence not just in those positions but at all levels throughout the company.
and realise that we do need to take action right now. we were deeply frustrated by the decision to refit the maternity directive earlier this year and we need to have some change made on the issue of gender.
this directive is not just about directors it is about changing the shape of culture within companies.
the dimension that this eu policy does not address is that endemic through the business community is the aspect of not you know but you know'.
the issues at stake are not about merit experience and qualifications they are about transparency of the recruitment process and the contribution that quality recruitment will and could make.
even the international recruitment sector responsible for people search acknowledges this depressing situation.
it is very important that politicians and well meaning state authorities do not start with this kind of thing closing down freedoms in order to have laudable goals.
what we need to be looking at is equality of opportunity not equality of outcome.
they have very much put it back on the agenda which it should never have left.
i have specifically mentioned non executive directors because that is what this report is about.
as has been said by many speakers companies with more women on their boards tend to perform better than those with fewer.
although the number of women on boards has been going up since the commission draft was published it is still quite simply not enough.
as we all know the conservative government in the uk is part of the blocking minority.
i also believe in subsidiarity and my and indeed my government's objection to this has largely been on the grounds of subsidiarity and that this is a decision that should be made by member states. so i was not expecting to see much in the council position to interest me.
i wish you the best of luck.
the current situation represents clearly that member states are not ready to walk the talk on gender equality.
an electoral promise of having the most feminist government has actually decreased the number of female participants in leadership positions.
while in the european pact for gender equality the council acknowledged that gender equality policies are vital to economic growth prosperity and competitiveness yet this proposal which deals only with a very specific commercial structure and only with non executive positions still today does not seem to have the backing of member states.
member states fail to see the need to reap from their investment in education the aspirations as well as the capabilities of women.
no one today can use the excuse that there are no qualified women nor can they argue that society is against gender equality.
even in malta more female meps were elected to this parliament than male candidates. this is not a debate on favouring women because they are less capable than men but about giving equal chances to qualified women as much as to men.
we do not want to create bureaucracy for these entities but we do need to ensure that this public and social responsibility is taken seriously.
member states are masters of their borders but schengen is a joint european achievement and very much cherished by our citizens.
we are creating a system where there is no real enforcement decision that can be followed up at eu level and it does not equip us to fight abuse or populist movements arising from domestic pressure.
in september last year the commission brought forward such a proposal. it brought forward a proposal on a european based evaluation to enable the commission together with member state experts and their agencies to detect problems early at our borders in order to be able to identify what could be done to propose remedies to activate all our tools and to present an action plan that would be compulsory and that the commission would monitor. this would replace the peer to peer review that we have today and which has proven to be quite useless.
it asked for a european based mechanism.