kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
mr president i would like to say to madam president of the commission that credibility is essential if you want to implement reforms or your ambitious agenda and it is also essential if you want to speak in a single voice in international affairs and show an alternative to democratic opposition in belarus or elsewhere. implementing the rule of law criteria is an issue on which the commission is not credible. i just want to remind you that the mff proposal which was brokered by the commission and the council was rejected by this chamber exactly on that ground and for that reason.
we have so many times heard your words on no compromise on rule of law that we all know it by heart and we are somewhat bored of it.
i'm also happy to hear that the commission is going to compile a report on rule of law and i will be very happy to read it and i will be very glad to come back here and debate it.
but i'm afraid that it will have absolutely nothing new to say to me on my country at least hungary where my country stands on rule of law.
the criteria that you have set out judicial independence press freedom institutional checks and balances corruption i can tell you exactly where hungary stands on this subject and on this issue and you can save your time and energy.
this week i was very happy to come here and listen to the commission vice president vra jourov stand up for linking eu funds to rule of law saying who doesn't understand the talk about values will understand the language of money.
after this i was curious to come here and hear some details and specifics from you about what this will really entail but now i'm a bit suspicious that once again the money talks will work backwards and in another way.
last time we discussed here in this chamber rule of law in hungary and heard from the commission that there will be no compromise a few days later a german minister your successor to the ministry of defence in germany ms kramp karrenbauer arrived in budapest to sign one of the greatest contracts on arms deals in the history of hungary with the hungarian government.
i don't have to be very smart or clever to understand that it's going to be like a huge conflict between the member states.
the problem is that several countries have pushed this idea like german or sweden and have practised their open borders immigration policy.
mr president we like to speak about the union's value driven soft power.
we are proud to be a model a positive force for the world and standing up for the rule of law and fundamental freedoms. but how long can we keep up that image if we fail to apply those standards to ourselves?
how can we speak about protecting human rights when thousands of people many who fled war are now going through the most inhumane misery on the greek islands?
when we hear phrases being used like protecting frontline countries and our borders' i believe we have forgotten who the real victims are here.
how can we speak about supporting the fight for democracy in belarus when we do nothing when our own member states are turning into autocracies?
the next eu budget must have an insurance policy against our own autocrats.
first of all in order to give credibility to all this project and to all this amount of money committed on behalf of europeans i think we have to insist on two main things and you mentioned this in your intervention today.
this is the only way to build a real european project.
we expect very clear results in this direction.
so if the first step in order to rebuild our european credibility was to come with a plan with a vision this is done in my opinion.
they are great words that meet with the approval of this house as you know. unfortunately they also meet with the approval of the government offices in say budapest warsaw and other places and i think that unfortunately corrupt autocratic leaders like viktor orbn and others listen to your speech knowing that they have nothing to worry about because for years now they have been attacking democracy the rule of law and fundamental rights with impunity and they have become an example to others.
others are following because the commission is afraid to speak up to the member states.
it is a profoundly intergovernmental commission.
in poland can the judges and the lgbti people count on you to stand shoulder to shoulder with them as you stand shoulder to shoulder with the protesters in belarus?
can the journalists in bulgaria count on your support?
can the academics in hungary count on your support?
one country two systems' must not be undermined by intervention from beijing or by imposing emergency regulations.
i came back even more convinced than before that this parliament did the right thing when before the summer we declared that we stand with the people of hong kong.
we as greens support the fight for universal suffrage in hong kong.
beijing must keep this promise.
primarily they want an independent inquiry into the violence in particular police violence and they want universal suffrage. universal suffrage was promised to them twenty two years ago in the basic law.
it is not enough to withdraw the rendition bill.
but i think this house also agrees that this prisoner exchange should not come at the detriment of finding justice for the victims of mh.
so i hope this house can send a signal that of course we stand in solidarity with ukraine but we also expect them to live up to the un resolution on finding the perpetrators who are responsible for shooting down mh.
seventeen handing over one of the key suspects mr tsemakh to moscow was very painful not only for the victims but also for their families.
i urge this chamber to live up to its initial purpose of being the democratic light tower of the eu by not only respecting the british people but respecting those beyond the privileged unrepresentative echo chamber of the european parliament.
i come from a background where my father went underground for four years in the second world war and was the voice of liberation on state radio when monty liberated our country.
but why should the people be given a voice?
democracy is only respected when it gives the right answer.
if we asked the peoples of europe whether they want a free trade agreement or a political superstate there would be a massive majority for free trade.
i come from a background where my parents started the danish eurosceptic movement in the one thousand nine hundred and sixty s and i come from a background where i campaigned to halt the oppressive maastricht treaty so i bow to no one in my belief in democracy free speech and self government.
before i give the floor to the next speaker just to clarify for new members of the house that the blue card means a thirty second question and the person to whom you address the question has thirty seconds to answer.
the people of hong kong have marched in unprecedented numbers and these massive demonstrations have shown their determination.
throughout the summer we invited all sides to reject all kinds of violence and to de escalate the situation.
on eighteen july the european parliament discussed the situation in an emergency debate and you adopted the resolution. meanwhile the european external action service published three statements and on seventeen august the high representative made the formal declaration approved by all member states rejecting violence and calling for inclusive dialogue involving all key stakeholders.
since then chief executive carrie lam has announced on four september that the extradition bill which would have allowed extradition from hong kong to mainland china will be formally withdrawn.
for this to happen it seems that first bold steps may be needed to restore trust.
the european union supports the preservation of the rights and freedoms of the citizens of hong kong and its high degree of autonomy.
secondly we see that business confidence and investment sentiment are also being affected.
we witness with concern the rising violence in hong kong. we maintain our expectation that all sides should refrain from violence and seek solutions through genuine and constructive dialogue.
we have a common interest to see the situation evolve positively including through broad based dialogue with all key stakeholders to find a lasting and peaceful solution.
the high representative discussed the situation with several international partners over the summer and released a joint statement with the foreign minister of canada.
this welcome move from the authorities potentially opens up space to work towards a peaceful and enduring solution.
respect for fundamental rights and freedoms and the independence of the judiciary are also vital for the development of hong kong and for the daily lives of its people and should be upheld in line with the basic law and china's international commitments.
now last week i attended a meeting of the bassetlaw food bank trustees where we received reports of demand going up month on month again where we discussed holiday hunger kids not getting enough food in the school summer holidays.
no deal will push more families more kids below the bread line and for the sake of those parents going to the food banks literally to beg for food for their kids no deal cannot be allowed to happen.
not my words but the words from the government's own no deal brexit scenario document.
now prime minister johnson may or may not have enjoyed his lunch in luxembourg today but for families across britain the poorest families those already struggling to make ends meet his prime minister johnson's reckless careering towards a no deal will make it harder for those families to put food on their table.
let us become truly the mother of the free and not by building an empire but by challenging imperial interference.
if britain itself will not challenge china's oppressive response let us in this european union step up.
let us be the ones defending human rights without borders and securing universal suffrage for hong kong.
we must stop celebrating trade deals when they clearly betray even the best of our environmental practices.
for this reason my party colleagues and i have written a letter to the commissioner for trade questioning whether japan's actions comply with the sustainable development chapter of the trade deal.
this parliament has repeatedly called on the commission to engage with japan with a view to abolishing this practice and it is deeply regrettable that the eu japan free trade agreement does not contain any specific provisions on whaling.
madam president after more than thirty years japan has recently resumed its outrageous practice of commercial whaling which is in breach of international law and undermines the protection of biodiversity and marine ecosystems.
if not we call on her to initiate enforcement procedures immediately.
europe does not need factory farm forests and cash crop multicultures.
this plan will essentially double down on ireland's existing commercial forestry policy which violates the basic principles of biodiversity with its complete over dependence on sitka spruce conifers.
at the heart of the problem is the renewable energy directive the crazy and completely unscientific policy of treating biomass as having zero emissions or as being carbon neutral.
we need the right trees in the right places.
their values are our values and they're taking huge risks in endangering their livelihoods and even their lives.
i would like to remind the chinese and hong kong governments of their obligations to the one country two systems' principle to the protection of civil and political rights in hong kong that they signed up to at the time of transfer from the uk in. one thousand nine hundred and ninety seven the eu especially the uk has a special responsibility to the people of hong kong.
madam president over a million people in hong kong have taken to the streets to peacefully exercise their fundamental right to protest.
in response they have been met with brutality tear gas and rubber bullets.
for example should we consider the threat of withdrawal of hong kong's financial status as third country equivalence if the chinese government takes aggressive action against the protesters and their leaders?
their only crime is a struggle for democracy and human rights.
so we expect action from the commission in its climate law to improve the natural carbon sinks and a binding biodiversity strategy for two thousand and thirty in order to improve our forests for climate and biodiversity.
the practical effects of the directive would be seriously compromised if the epo can grant patents for subject matters which the directive excludes from patentability.
now to the first part of your question.
so let me start with the second part of your question and here the answer is rather simple.
the commission has been in close contact both with the european parliament the council of course the member states and also with the industry stakeholders in relation to the issue of the non patentability of these products.
if we do then it is a principle that goes beyond national boundaries.
forget the qing dynasty and the ninety nine year lease forget the nineteenth century politics still impacting the twenty first the answer must be that the people of hong kong should have the same right to self determination as every human being deserves.
mr president this initiative came from the s d group and i am very happy to see that there is a big majority in this house wanting to put this on the agenda.
if it is necessary in order to make sure we are united by setting up a special committee next week we can live with the postponement. but i hope the outcome is not that we suddenly drop the case.
madam president i roundly condemn police violence anywhere by any state force on any continent but i have to say that there is something very selective about this discussion on the protests in hong kong and indeed the blanket coverage that they are being given across europe.
the issue is being portrayed as a simplistic one with authoritarian china on the one hand and people crying out for freedom and democracy on the other.
nothing is ever that simple and there is plenty of evidence of external interference.
much of the anger in hong kong is directed at the fact that the cost of living is astronomical with the highest rents in the world.
but i find it a bit intriguing that we have to go halfway across the world to find a place where we can denounce police repression or where we can back democratic rights.
we will continue to follow the situation very closely including the impact on eu residents and citizens and on eu economic interests in hong kong.
their leadership has close ties to the far right and there has been much foreign interference and disinformation with millions of dollars flown from the us regime change outfit national endowment for democracy into the civil society groups at the heart of this anti china movement.
there are legitimate concerns for many of these young people who are on the streets with their bleak job prospects and rising rents more closely connected to neoliberalism the financialisation of the city and the domination by oligarchs of their economy and the property sector.
let's not wear blinkers on this matter.
these communications could be evidence of a campaign of intimidation coordinated from within the justice ministry against judges resisting government efforts to take control of the polish judiciary.
but the general prosecutor is at the same time the minister of justice and supervises their proceedings.
it is a very sensitive and important topic and we would like to have enough time to work properly on the resolution.
madam president along with other british socialists and democrats labour party members students and democracy activists i signed an open letter to express solidarity with the continuing struggle for democracy in hong kong.
we support the hong kong people's upsurge against the attacks on their democratic rights against oppression and inequality.
we support the immediate five demands of the movement for an end to repression for serious measures to deal with the police state and for democracy including a government elected by universal suffrage. we call on the labour and trade union movement across the world to organise political and practical solidarity with the hong kong struggle for democracy.
we support independent workers' and students' organisations involved in the struggle.
we demand the reinstatement of the cathay pacific airline workers sacked for supporting the democracy movement including their union leader rebecca sy and city legislative council member jeremy tam.
the battle to defend democratic liberties of all workers particularly migrants in the us and uk is inseparable from that of our sisters and brothers in hong kong now.
having lived in poland i know the importance of the polish forest and i want to hear what you think the polish government and poland is doing to protect the original very important forest in poland.
it is a very controversial and sensitive topic and we need to get it right.
so let's have the debate this time and work on the resolution for the next session.
to take a very active role to restore firstly legal certainty because we know how important it is for different stakeholders in the sector;
we have a situation in my own member state of ireland where government policy has ensured that the forestry strategy does none of those things.
secondly commissioner i want you to answer the contradiction that lies at the heart of the commission's position in talking about a forestry strategy while at the same time giving a blank cheque to the brazilian authorities to burn thousands and hundreds of thousands of acres of the most important forestry network in the world.
multinationals already have enough negative impact on our lives. it would be madness to allow them to monopolise natural life putting pressure on farmers and commodifying every aspect of our lives.
they get away with this already with gmos which we should not tolerate either. you should demand that the european patent office respect the european patent convention which excludes natural life from being patented.
our presidency is closely monitoring events on all migratory routes and will continue to do so throughout this semester.
mr president it is the second time under our presidency that we have the possibility to discuss in the plenary the humanitarian situation of refugees at our external borders.
to ensure that the situation is well managed it is also important that our western balkan partners enhance their migration management capacities also in the area of return and particularly assisted voluntary return conclude readmission agreements with third countries and further align their visa policies. we are ready to assist them in these tasks by all means at our disposal.
the overreaching goal of our efforts is to ensure that the migration flows at our borders are well managed and migrants' fundamental rights are always respected. we expect the recent measures taken by the greek government to bring positive change. the new asylum legislation which has recently entered into force in greece
these relevant actions require our further support especially in view of ongoing conflicts in libya.
it. let me also express here our appreciation for the work of all humanitarian partners.
nevertheless this winter the pressure is higher when compared to the previous winter.
iom is funded to carry out voluntary returns to countries of origin and to provide humanitarian emergency assistance and has done so at an impressive level.
the situation in the country remains challenging but in the last weeks there have been some positive developments regarding the increase of adequate reception capacities.
the return rate has been very low for far too long.
our presidency will continue to devote much attention to the migratory situation and increasing migration management capacities in the entire western balkan region with a particular focus on bosnia and herzegovina in order to ensure adequate protection of migrant population where according to unhcr more than eight zero migrants and refugees are currently present mainly in the north west.
unhcr is funded to evacuate persons of concern to either niger or rwanda in view to a settlement in the eu or other receiving countries.
on three february the croatian interior minister boinovi held a meeting with the new bosnian minister of security mr radoni. the ministers agreed to strengthen the cooperation in several key areas implementation of accelerated readmission procedures more intense implementation of mixed border patrols
on the central mediterranean route conditions for migrants in libya have deteriorated due to security issues arising from the internal conflict in the country.
two thousand and eighteen since the beginning of two thousand and twenty the pressure on this route has decreased due also to winter conditions.
to conclude i would like to stress once again that the humanitarian situation at our external borders is a cause of great concern and we have to work closely together with our neighbouring countries and international organisations to improve
the ministers also agreed to strengthen the cooperation in combating smuggling networks which was also a topic of a ministerial debate at the informal meeting of eu interior ministers in zagreb on twenty four january.
effective returns also require the good cooperation of turkey.
the eu will continue to support bosnia and herzegovina in its efforts to guarantee the dignity and safety of all migrants especially the most vulnerable ones while at the same time seeking a more permanent and comprehensive solution.
it is the first time since the implementation of the eu turkey statement that we have reached such a high number. the greek government is taking concrete measures to improve the situation. it has announced a new national strategy designed to protect minors who have arrived and who are resident in greece and it aims to increase the number of transfers to the mainland.
fifty the situation on the greek islands is in particular a source of concern as we all noted during our last debate in the plenary on twenty nine january.
i will set out an ambitious agenda for combating and preventing all forms of violence against women including online violence.
i don't wish for more women to contribute there but less men.
also i want all major eu policy initiatives to be assessed from a gender lens.
we must pay attention to the gender and equality perspective when addressing some of our society's main challenges such as digitalisation and transition to a greener economy as was mentioned also here.
i want to finally get to eu rules adopted to ensure progress on gender balance on company boards because we know that targets work.
the gender gap in poverty is after all the result of the many inequalities women and girls face in all spheres of life.
i will present a legislative proposal to ensure better transparency on pay levels in in european businesses and organisations and take other non legislative measures to close the gender pay gap.
and yes we are targeting the feminisation of poverty.
i reiterate that i count on the strong support of parliament because equality for all its citizens is one of the founding values of the eu and we need to make this a reality all of us together for all of our citizens.
i want to make sure that the work life balance directive is implemented in the member states to help women and men reconcile work and caring responsibilities.
i will ensure that the commission's work on gender mainstreaming is more comprehensive and systematic than has been previously been the case.
i really thank you all for the call also for more men to take part in debates regarding gender equality.
i want to all of us to discuss peace but this is the reality so it's important that we point this out and that we look at gender equality as something for all of us for all of our societies for all of europe
the new gender equality strategy will address the many topics which you have highlighted and what was highlighted in the president's political guidelines.