kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
looking at longer term challenges we also need to do more to improve opportunities in countries of origin so people are not compelled to leave.
but this is not only about additional funds.
we will set up a coordination mechanism to make sure we fully tap the eu's collective influence.
while bottlenecks to investment differ across regions we think we can replicate outside europe the success if not the exact design of our internal european fund for strategic investments so we will shortly propose a new external investment fund aiming to crowd in private investment in developing countries starting with africa and the eu's neighbourhood.
it establishes a result oriented approach to mobilise and focus all eu and member states' tools and resources for that purpose.
this is as much maybe even more about better mobilising the funds we the eu and member states have at our disposal.
three one billion which should trigger total investment of up to thirty one billion and we could even reach sixty two billion if member states and other partners match the eu's contribution.
we will also increase our engagement with tunisia and libya.
apparently we totally trust all african leaders morally and economically.
i agree that africa should receive our increasing political consideration. nevertheless the first ideas proposed on the migration compact do not mention two extremely important points firstly there is no mention of the defence of human rights.
my question is are we going for instance to trust the countries which were mentioned here as we have trusted turkey?
we seem only interested in getting rid of present and future refugees.
we are trying to deal with that in a sort of immediate and also let me use this word that i do not like at all but that is the reality of our policies today emergency mode.
it is something that starts from the fact that with africa we have a common interest in working on the development of the continent with a sense of partnership.
a flow of refugees asylum seekers.
african countries but not only african countries latin american countries were saying this is the right way to go because finally you are not only investing in development which is the right thing to do by the way in itself. and incidentally i am proud to say that the european union is the first donor worldwide it is the first and if you want i can give you the figures for it also being the first donor to africa the
people. this is what we are talking
listen to their stories and then come back to me and say that we are doing deals on their shoulders.
start. so this is what we are proposing
they are two completely different routes and there is no link as of
go and talk with the young girls from nigeria who turn into sex slaves in europe and tell me that the deal we want to strike with nigeria is not to protect their rights and their
sense? developing infrastructures developing security conditions that are good for european investments that are good for african investors as well and
this is also linked to the need for member states to be coherent and do their
sea. you also save their lives at the beginning of the journey.
and here believe me we are very straightforward very much so because there is no other way of changing african societies other than yes investing but also creating together with investments the conditions for investments to flourish which are the rule of law interconnection within the continent if you want to fly or to travel from one african capital to another you have to fly to
sink. we have a human responsibility and our african partners as well have a human responsibility to protect their
listen to those words that tell you that these people are turned into slaves from the very beginning of their journeys. they are in chains crossing the deserts locked in jails in libya locked in the boats that then
no. but sorry if we never start to do the right thing in ten years' time the people who come after us will be facing exactly the same thing and i wish the people that were here ten years ago had made the same choices as we are proposing to you today because maybe today we would have better situations in africa and also in
so we know very well this this proposal is not going to turn the situation upside down in twenty four hours but there is no policy that could do that and we should stop selling illusions to our
first donor internationally with more than half of the official development assistance worldwide eur sixty eight billion in two thousand and fifteen over eur twenty billion oda to africa every year and this is going to stay. i am proud of
today. this goes together with opening regular channels for migration for sure this also is not my direct responsibility.
today. last year through libya to sicily we were facing a major inflow of
lives. i am sorry but you do not protect the lives of people only by saving them at
part. this is also about other actors in the world doing their part and being coherent from asia to latin america to north america and the international organisations to the un system and to our african partners because the only thing that would change africa is not only our compacts it is african leadership.
today. at the moment we are not seeing
please go to ethiopia and talk to the women that came back voluntarily not from europe but from the gulf because they were becoming slaves while we support projects from the ilo to reintegrate them into their communities offering training and job opportunities.
people. but there are good things we can start doing consistently in partnership to change things and we have to
route. let me tell you please have a look at the numbers but most of all at the nationalities.
no. we are protecting their lives and their rights.
people. so yes it can be win
working on education working on social development working also on human rights and protection of the
yesterday i was in new york at the security council.
some of you asked how are the african interlocutors reacting to this?
that falls into one specific international legal framework.
but let us face it the eu has done precisely that linking visa and trade concessions to readmission agreements over many years.
it was understandable that priority was accorded to negotiations with turkey but other more vulnerable countries also need our attention something which was acknowledged today.
i admit that the idea of a grand bargain with third countries to halt refugee flows is distasteful to many.
so if the money is genuinely additional if we recognise that eighty six of refugees are in the global south and not making their way to europe if this new money first and foremost improves the lives and livelihoods of those refugees and of all peoples in the countries to which they have fled if europe honours its promise of safe routes for legal migration then we should give it our support.
finally this communication on first reading does appear to fall into the trap of assuming that europe in its external policy is much more effective as a funder than as a political actor.
but when member states have contributed just eighty million to the.
we have to be open to creating new innovative forms of international finance to meet new international challenges.
you do not bargain over people's lives.
maybe for a migration compact of some sort with a number of select african countries that could work.
that shows the discrepancy between our intentions and what we are ready and willing to put on the table when the worst comes to the worst or when action is called for in order to replace words.
i had in principle the intention of starting with the statement that judging by the number of references to the poor british taxpayers that have been made by right wing british members of this house who so far have not refused any single european subsidy for themselves out of pure humanitarian concerns we should wish for them to vote to leave on twenty three june because after that maybe the british taxpayers will be
madam president it is not always a pleasure to notice to what degrees of surrealism debates in this house can turn.
but for the development of africa for turning african fortunes around or for orienting african dynamism and growth into a different direction?
the eur five hundred million alone that we are supposed to take from the european development fund reserve is much less than the chinese are going to be investing in a single railway line from mombasa to central africa in the coming years.
because for too many years greece and italy were left alone with a problem.
but it is made possible because until now we have not been good enough at making a clear distinction between people who deserve international protection and people who do not.
so now we need to solve it and the only sustainable way of solving it is by doing it in a european way.
is if we make a clear distinction between people who deserve international protection and people who come to europe because they see economic opportunity in europe. all too often and we have heard it again here today people
that is why i passionately believe in this way forward.
but to simply say let everyone into europe' is the shortest way to ending our humanitarian policy the shortest way to ending the reception of refugees in europe and the shortest way to giving populists the opportunity to say that everyone who comes here
let us bring some order into this.
i had a very wonderful experience last week in sweden a country that has taken in per capita more refugees than any other european country more than.
the biggest problem here is not just a lack of finance.
that we create opportunity in african countries so that economic growth does not disappear into the pockets of the elite but goes to everyone with talent and every young person has an opportunity to build a life for themselves in their country of origin.
and communities welcoming new citizens.
one hundred and sixty zero now that they have the impression that we are slowly getting this under control you see the mood in the swedish society shifting towards ok let us make a success of this' companies offering thousands of intern places for refugees schools accommodating many new pupils
if you have a better idea share it with us.
so that is why we believe that as part of a comprehensive long term migration and refugee policy we also need to be able to show that we can return people to their places of origin if they do not have the right to international protection and more importantly
we are talking about people who have dreams like you and me who want a better life for their children and who do not want to be abandoned by the rich part of the world.
we need the member states to contribute.
it is the lack of clear direction of coordinated efforts of doing the same thing from all twenty eight with the european union and its institutions and all doing it in the same vein instead of having individual very often postcolonial ideas of how to have a relationship with individual african countries.
is an opportunist looking for a better future at our expense.
they asked time and time and time again for a european solution and the only answer they got from the rest of europe was that it's not our problem but your problem so take care of it'.
mr president i will make just a few remarks in addition to what high representative mogherini said. it is my deep conviction that the only way we can maintain a humane refugee policy based on our most fundamental values
pretend that everyone arriving on europe's shores is an economic migrant. i have heard some of your members saying it today. this is a cheap way of getting rid of your moral and legal responsibility visvis people who deserve international protection
i hope that when we leave the european union the european union will sort this problem.
unless we set the political messages right billions will not make any difference as the human rights industry is actively working against us.
so my proposal is that instead of having this migration compact we need a real partnership with these countries.
well that cannot be the deal.
if that is the compact i am against it.
for our part we need to establish projects in the transit countries or in the countries of origin to give them a life an expectation and a future in these countries of origin.
there the situation is better than ever because let us not forgot africa today has growth of between four and.
but in addition to that and independently from that what the report is saying is that for the refugees this is certainly not the solution to their problems.
i think there is a better way forward which is to make one blue card like there is one green card in the us one blue card instead of a directive which will lead to twenty eight blue cards in the european union. i think we as the european parliament have the task with you to push the council to accept one system instead of the twenty eight systems that could result from this directive.
five there is a basis for good projects in these transit countries and countries of origin.
that cannot be a compact.
madam president while i acknowledge the concerns that some people have about the impact of migration the standard of debate on this issue during our referendum campaign in the uk has become highly distasteful.
those who argue we should leave the union are deliberately confusing three issues first control of our borders.
leave campaigners know we still control our borders which is why vote leave wrote to the home secretary asking her to refuse permission for marine le pen to enter the uk to help them campaign.
here the uk has rejected our responsibility of acting in solidarity with the countries under most pressure.
we should be working with them to protect those fleeing conflicts for which we are more responsible than most as a result of our disastrous policy interventions in the middle east.
this is a crucial part of the single market on which our economy depends.
and thank you sir for having the courage of your convictions to answer a question.
i wish everyone had the same courage.
do you think they share the zeal of some of our colleagues for throwing money elsewhere rather than in their home countries?
human rights should be accomplished everywhere. if someone does not well that is not my fault.
the current human rights driven agenda merely encourages migration.
the pull factors of an open door the near certainty of remaining once arrived on european soil poor enforcement and repatriation excessively generous welfare payments and a legal straitjacket of international human rights conventions are of far greater significance than the lack of physical barriers to migration and mr verhofstadt's ticket offices are not the answer by the way.
i am also concerned about the effects of visa liberalisation. there are indications that many people from third countries enter the schengen area legally and then overstay.
these people are not effectively recorded net departure is not enforced.
what is the commission going to do about this?
funds must be found from elsewhere within the budget.
there must be former priorities which can be dropped and now there are new priorities.
that is where you find the money from.
we are working with the commission to open our borders.
madam president there is no doubt that we must cooperate better with third countries in our neighbourhood in order to manage the root causes of migration to ensure safe and legal routes to europe as well as a dignified returns policy for those that are not entitled to international protection.
i agree with the commissioner on this but we must get our act together and manage migration flows.
just deporting everybody to so called third countries is a dead end.
it is a no go created to circumvent the democratic scrutiny of this house.
let us instead now focus on the creation of a dignified european asylum system assisting our neighbourhood but never never outsource european responsibility to third countries otherwise this continent this union will be held hostage
because of the economic situation because of the social situation because of the civil wars taking place nowadays in some countries in africa europe is going to see more and more people trying to come to europe in the years ahead especially from africa.
many new jobs could be created for both young people in europe and in the neighbouring countries.
i believe that you should use this argument of jobs new jobs which can come from this initiative to convince member states to put more resources into the initiative because we need more contribution from the member states.
on a radio programme recently on the bbc i actually challenged the red cross and said you turn economic migrants into refugees and he openly admitted that.
i was in the greek migrant camps three weeks ago and the same thing is going on.
as politicians we need to move away from just fire fighting and start to tackle the causes of migration otherwise we risk our actions always being too little too late. our focus must be on preventing these situations from occurring in the first place.
migration is a global phenomenon but one that requires measured compassionate and effective european leadership.
europe needs thinking that goes beyond tomorrow's headline and focuses on tomorrow's generation and this means that the commission and crucially as we have heard the member states must put up the money to help build capacity in third countries.
we need to pump investment into developing countries a form of marshall plan that will give people a chance of a future there without fear.
of course we need better readmission and return tools for those not eligible for protection.
safe third countries must do more to accept their nationals back.
this must be part and parcel of our negotiations and then we can work to build capacity in their law enforcement judicial and crucially asylum systems so that people in need of protection can also find safe haven in states outside of the european union.
in this respect i must say that your package is an essential one.
i do not see anything problematic in linking basically development aid cooperation investment with control of migration flows and i see no problem in linking it with the root of the problems which of course exist.
i would like to say that this is the right approach but it will not work out well or sufficiently well if we do not have a strict vigorous serious return policy.
this is something that we need to work on.
that this was a breach of international law.
may that is just before the summit began asking for freedom of assembly.
the commission is determined to ensure that all fundamental rights encompassed in the charter are duly respected by all eu actions both legislative and non legislative.
the commission's green paper on the free circulation of public documents published on fourteen december two thousand and ten addresses the lack of mutual recognition of adoption decisions as civil status acts between member states and its impact on the freedom of movement
that being said the commission is closely following the issue of international adoption within the european union given the link between adoption and children's rights.
of eu citizens.
two thousand and six the strategy on the rights of the child focuses on the fundamental rights of children including the protection of the best interests of the child as enshrined in the european charter of fundamental rights.
this is and will remain the main objective of the commission as we participate in discussions on this topic both in the context of the hague convention and in our work on the rights of children in europe.
in ireland we come from a past where mothers particularly single mothers had their babies taken from them and given away to others to be adopted.
certainly the birth families are very important in all of this.
i hope that in ireland we will have a referendum on the rights of the child. we talk about it a lot but we are not so effective in actually dealing with it.
the debate tonight reflects the interest that there is in adoption. there are over one two hundred members of that association many have adopted and some wish to adopt.
i am hopeful that the referendum will happen.
mr president in ireland the motto of the international adoption association is that families are made in many ways.
equally we have a duty and a responsibility to give the very best possible home to all our children.
we could not cope country by country at national level with this very vicious practice.
the commission needs to focus further on the competent authorities and ensure that those regulating the adopters' and the adopted children's rights are making sure that basic minimum standards are adhered to and that in the longer term the child is able to maintain a link to its birth country and its culture.
specifically urgent measures must be taken to react to the abuse and trafficking of children which as a report in my own country today shows is alarmingly on the rise both within and across european borders.
child trafficking and child laundering the stealing of children who are subsequently sold to adoptive parents as legitimate orphans is a phenomenon which does not receive adequate attention at an international level. i would call on the commission to play a more active role in the field of international adoption to take concrete steps to improve the convoluted and confused legislative framework which currently governs international adoption in the eu and to protect those most vulnerable young people.
in relation to emissions reductions which are so much part of the european profile at the minute when we are leading the world in relation to cop twenty one and cop.
i could not believe that such reputable businesses would go to such lengths to treat both consumers and the system. especially.
if compensation is given to people in the united states then it is very difficult to say why it should not happen here in europe.
overall. i agree with the views in the emis report on this point. i believe that our proposals meet your recommendations in this area as well. we delivered on laboratory testing co two emissions fuel consumption will become really more realistic with the so
again i appreciate the extremely hard work of the emis committee. this was a massive report. both i and my colleagues welcome your report and the resolution on which you are about to vote. we have a very common interest i kept repeating this to rebuild the trust in our regulatory system to regain the credibility of our automotive industry
points. thank you very much for
good. i welcome the conclusion of the emis report and the european parliament recommendations.
to change. this scandal should be followed by a massive work towards zero
we have done it as you know in three areas better enforcement better market surveillance and better
track. i will ensure a solid follow up together with my colleagues with karmenu vella with vra jourov and with miguel arias
is not true. there is also the failure of member states' authorities to spot this and to react
wltp test. we delivered on the new robust procedure to test co two emissions in real driving conditions the rde packages. and we delivered the guidance for the member states to enforce the ban on defeat devices. most importantly of all as i said we have proposed a much stronger type approval
from today i want member states to carry out proper market surveillance and enforce the law.
our citizens too not only ourselves but especially our citizens clarity and transparency about what has happened and what needs to change.
we want the industry to play by the rules and to truly respect and compensate consumers in europe not just to say they do so.
rules. the work of your committee has been really key in helping us and helping me progress on all three
caete. this follow up will include the allegation of maladministration because there are some issues to which we can already respond and this is because we have acted to remedy this situation as quickly as possible.
appropriately. some member states have taken serious efforts to improve but others are still in denial. the work of the committee and the work of the commission will not be done until attitudes change. let us use this this political momentum