kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
two friendly countries two eu eastern neighbours and what happened was that there was a reported abduction from the territory of an independent country.
that is why we all have reason to believe that georgia is conducting a totally transparent and independent investigation into what happened.
we are faced with two completely different stories on what happened and we need to get this right because this should never happen again.
the main thing is that whatever we decide today about voting today or in three weeks' time the commission has to do their utmost to get mr afgan mukhtarli free.
madam president the alleged abduction of azerbaijani citizen afgan mukhtarli on georgian soil is an extremely concerning and serious case particularly given his background as a journalist who has fled there in search of a safe haven from persecution by the azerbaijani authorities. allegations that the georgian security services may have in some way been complicit with these events is also of deep concern and i welcome the calls in the resolution today for a full investigation of these claims.
investigative journalism that seeks to uncover corruption and abuses of justice is vital in all countries but especially so in countries such as azerbaijan which are marked by distinct deficiencies in the democratic processes and the rule of law.
incidents such as this undermine the efforts to encourage journalists such as mukhtarli to continue their work in freedom and to believe that sanctuary can be found if necessary.
i would like to ask my good colleague maria grapini whether she would look into the resolution again because it's precisely asking for an investigation.
we want to have a serious independent transparent investigation on what actually happened and this is the point in the resolution.
for the first time we have postponed an urgency resolution and we are not united.
his abduction allegedly by georgian services is a serious blow to the reputation of that country.
otherwise this partnership will be simply doomed as it proved to be in the cases of russia and turkey among others.
today we have to repeat it once again baku and tbilisi must be partners in the investigation and we have to receive all and final information on this case otherwise there are many doubts about future partnerships.
all the groups negotiated a request.
this is not a political colour question and i find your question to be honest actually very disgraceful.
it is time for action and aggressive action at that.
it can of course be a driver for growth which in turn fuels prosperity and rising living standards but trade is also influenced by and can influence human rights standards labour standards environmental standards and they must be key components of our trade policy not as an alternative to trade liberalisation but as a key component of it.
i welcome the report and the commission's communication on the future of eu trade policy.
the promotion of fair trade is already benefiting around. seven five million people across fifty eight developing countries. i hope the commission will listen to parliament and continue to promote fair trade policies.
unless we put the contents of this report into action in our individual free trade agreements the individual pieces of trade legislation it will end up being a meaningless piece of paper.
the test however is not in creating such a framework the test is in applying that framework to the individual free trade agreements that we are about to debate the individual legislation such as the gsp legislation that is going to come before this parliament.
otherwise no deal is possible.
we also consistently called for deliverables for least developed countries and we have an established excellent track record already.
procurement markets represent a substantial part of national economies but european businesses cannot always get equal or easy access.
of course while it is important to be ambitious it is equally important to understand that european trade policy does not solve all global issues and that global agreements are based on mutual obligations and commitments.
in keeping with our enlightened openness we have no qualms about using all instruments to ensure that all countries and companies comply with wto rules.
the report also states the importance of ensuring that trade works for poverty reduction.
two thousand and six one of the key priorities of our new trade strategy is to ensure stronger and sustainable growth in europe by engaging with other strategic growth poles in the world china russia japan etc. i am sure that members will agree with me that this is a legitimate long term objective and not just a misguided short term vision.
i would also like to stress that the objectives and priorities set in the communication will produce economic effects in the next five to ten years.
we also strive to uphold the value of multilateralism and project our european values in the rest of the world in an ever increasing complex world where global governance and strong leadership seem to be in short supply. unless you believe that multilateralism and our strong engagement with strategic partners will not be objectives worth pursuing by two thousand and thirty or beyond then i find it hard to accept the report's criticism of lack of long term vision.
the other presents an assessment of the global europe strategy adopted by the commission in.
this is an issue that is also important for me and is why the commission will submit to college a communication on trade investment and development by the end of november.
let us talk again when i return to this house to present concluded free trade agreements in the months and years to come.
these gains are long term gains which can only be reaped if we set a strong foundation for our policy today. secondly i notice that we both share the aim of higher growth and consider that we should harness all the growth potential of external trade.
imposing obligations on our partners is only feasible if we ourselves are willing to make commitments which they consider equivalent.
these jobs are important today and they will be as important in decades to come.
the commission has just ended the public consultation is reviewing different options and will put forward a proposal within the coming months.
the eu has a deep commercial and systemic interest in a strong multilateral trading system and the commission has played a proactive role in the doha negotiations throughout two thousand and eleven including by developing a solid compromise proposal in the key area of tariffs on industrial goods.
one initiative the commission is working on is a legislative proposal for an eu instrument that will help secure and increase symmetry in access to public procurement markets in developed countries and large emerging markets.
we are concerned that the commission is seeking liberalisation commitments from developing countries on services intellectual property and the so called singapore issues' that go well beyond what they would agree to in multilateral fora such as the wto.
the introduction of the reciprocity principle regarding public procurement can be extremely harmful for developing countries as it will among other things hamper the development of infant industries and processing.
governments and parliaments must be able to regulate investment both to discriminate in favour of investors that support their country's development and to ensure that obligations and duties fall on all investors including foreign investors.
in particular i draw attention to the first clause of our report which you incorporated in full and which in a way encapsulates our engagement with the issue.
the single market act proposal on regulatory convergence is fully endorsed by this report.
i think nothing could illustrate better the engagement of my committee with the trade process. we have had the pleasure of welcoming the commissioner to come and talk to us because he knows our engagement with that.
we do not exist in isolation.
that is why we have also recently visited both india and china to get an idea about how the impact of the internal market will work there. i want to pick up two points in particular because i think they are important forward looking points.
the first one is the question of standardisation.
we must collaborate more with our trading partners to avoid inventing the new barriers to trade in developing technology areas things like nano technology smart grids and electric cars. why should we be inventing new barriers there?
secondly innovation which is linked to that. there is hardly anything in here about the need for encouraging science technology collaboration in innovative products.
that is a key imperative. i conclude with this point trade for growth unlocking the benefits of trade is indispensible to growth in the european economy.
they don't like the union and they don't like the criticism we are delivering from here but they are laughing all the way to the bank.
the question is what will they do when there is no money in the bank?
we probably have to be more efficient and focus more but it is time to start doing that now.
and then it talks about the future of eu obligations and it talks about a figure of eur. two hundred and thirty eight eight billion but admits it could actually be as high as eur two hundred and sixty two billion.
i was able to do so because if you look at the european court of auditors' report of two thousand and sixteen it highlights all sorts of issues which are best summarised as bloated' running out of control' high levels of financial mismanagement and criminality' and eye watering levels of bureaucratic costs'.
and the detail is there for you to look at yourselves.
mr president i welcome this timely debate and vote on minimum income schemes not least when the british government is making such a hash of universal credit a policy meant to help but which in reality is forcing people further into poverty debt and even homelessness a policy that is disincentivising work. it needs to pause and think again.
in contrast a couple of weeks ago i was delighted to visit rapid drop in peterborough in my constituency.
it cares about the security of its employees too and is proud to be a living wage company paying people enough so that they can really get by.
its subcontractors cleaners and maintenance workers get the same treatment too.
it is good for business good for employees and good for society.
a win win win situation.
since we really need to rethink very comprehensively eu finances so we can more effectively address the emerging crisis in the eu and the eu neighbourhood better match the political goals of the european union and its actual needs a wider debate on the future for the european union budget
and its purpose is still very much needed. although i would like to support the commission's claim reiterated by parliament and the eu budget first and foremost needs to reflect the future of the eu priorities our citizens' priorities having said this i hope that cohesion policy and agricultural policy
will remain among those priorities.
moreover i welcome the claim that the eu budget should be based on such principles as eu value added value transparency and flexibility in addition taking into account the amount of the eu challenges foreseeable future priorities and the uk's withdrawal.
the first victims will be women and already violence against women is on the rise again after a decade of improvements.
the afghan constitution needs to be respected in the peace negotiations.
such is the wish of the vast majority of the afghans.
we have to continue and strengthen our presence with the eupol training mission as the police still lack the skills to act properly when women are confronted with violence most often domestic violence. taliban insurgents are spreading fear and children are now asking their mothers to stop working in order to stay alive.
there are limits to what we can commit to in such an agreement.
and difficult but the eu will continue to respect its commitment to
the eu afghanistan cooperation agreement on partnership and development should also help to establish sustainable structures and institutions. it is a clear sign that we are now ready to deal with afghanistan as an important bilateral partner.
himself. we have also made clear our concern at the delay to the afghan mission
in this regard the european union is fully committed to supporting state building and long term development in afghanistan. in order to establish the appropriate cooperation framework for the years to come a cooperation agreement is needed.
some afghan authorities have tended to treat the eu delegation as the office' of an international organisation not as an embassy which is not acceptable.
issues? the afghan side has been pressing the european union for firmer financial commitments and in particular commitments on funding for infrastructure.
it is important that such an agreement reflects the principles and conditions on which the future partnership will be based.
this is a further blow to the credibility of the process.
yet the latest developments have pushed the possibility of a compromise even further away.
in spite of this the government decided to go ahead with early presidential elections to be held on twenty may.
in the meantime i have been in close contact with several of our partners first of all inside venezuela i will come to that in a minute but also in the region and in the international community where we have coordinated positions and exchanged views on the best way to address this crisis.
there is nothing inevitable about it and this means that a political solution is possible and so is a better future for the people of venezuela.
we asked for an agreed electoral calendar and for guarantees in conformity with international standards.
we call for a revision of the electoral calendar based on an agreed and credible timeline.
we hope for the best for those we care about a peaceful democratic shared political solution for venezuela.
we have clear standards for monitoring and observing elections and obviously in this case these conditions are not in place. last week i met with the president of the national assembly and the representatives of the four main opposition parties.
this is not only a political crisis venezuela is facing huge economic and social challenges.
the european union will provide eur eight million in humanitarian assistance and we are mobilising other financial instruments in support of venezuelan refugees and the host countries and communities.
back in february as you know we agreed with the european union member states' foreign ministers that we would follow the electoral process in venezuela very closely together with our regional and international partners.
the government has the responsibility to create the conditions for free and fair elections based on a consensual calendar and with the participation of all political parties.
i also informed the minister that the european union could not accept the invitation from the venezuelan authorities to monitor these elections because the current conditions of the electoral process do not allow a proper observation to take place.
this crisis is a man made crisis.
on nineteen april we issued a declaration on behalf of the european union calling for free transparent and credible elections.
we never do.
this was first and foremost to show our full support for the national assembly.
i also encouraged the opposition to continue working in a united manner towards a democratic and peaceful solution to the crisis.
the european union is stepping up its humanitarian support for the people of venezuela both inside and outside the country.
thirteen zero the population has to deal with shortages of food medicines water and electricity.
we care about venezuela because we care about the people of that country as friends and as family.
we will reassess the situation with member states after the elections. we will consider the possibility of further appropriate measures to react to actions that would undermine democracy the rule of law and human rights in the country.
as the european union we will continue to monitor any development together with our partners and we will calibrate future actions in the light of the development of the situation.
as these events unfolded we reacted immediately over the bans and difficulties created to prevent the participation of opposition political parties and their leaders including the exclusion of the opposition platform mesa de la unidad democrtica. the national electoral council has also decided to prevent the participation in the regional elections of those parties that do not present candidates for the presidential election.
there was no agreement on the electoral calendar and the current electoral process does not guarantee transparent and credible elections with the participation of all political parties in an equal manner and without obstacles.
the collapse of the santo domingo talks made clear maduro's intentions to avoid any real challenge to his power now as was also demonstrated by the banning of virtually all opposition parties from these elections.
however these remain limited and we must now look to widen their scope.
i fear that these elections may be the first in a long line of staged elections made all the easier by the two thousand and nine constitutional amendments to abolish term limits.
one is the sincere feeling of friendship and support for the country and the people of venezuela.
the different parties inside venezuela back to the negotiating table.
it's never a matter of one day the day of the election;
it's about the preparation of the electoral campaign the participation in elections the transparency the open access opportunities for all the day of the elections and the followup of the electoral results.
as many of you mentioned there is a strong feeling of friendship between europeans and venezuelans.
we know what we are talking about.
this tax must never be allowed to set sail.
for a financial transaction tax to work it would have to be global as its proposer james tobin stated but do we think for one minute that the g twenty would be prepared to follow the lead of the people who inflicted the euro area on the world?
this is a political project. even christian noyer governor of the bank of france stated recently that the ftt posed a very real risk to the economy confirming the observation by sir mervyn king the outgoing governor of the bank of england that even amongst the eleven member states that agreed to press forward there is not unqualified support.
it should be strangled at birth.
tomorrow we will vote on whether to allow latvia to buy the last ticket on the titanic.
today the reading of the commission proposal is being finalised by the relevant council working group. the commission has invited the lithuanian presidency to continue the discussion in the council in order to come to the adoption of the compromise text as soon as possible. it is time for the member states to converge on the ftt to be implemented while also protecting the spirit and purpose of this tax.
it leads to better balanced solutions and facilitates future adoption. for its part the commission will continue to support negotiations in every way possible to facilitate a swift and ambitious compromise on the
ftt. again i wish to thank you for your broad support in moving forward with this initiative.
we are very much looking forward to the vote.
he drives home and stops on the high street for a few articles for the house.
he longs for the day that he can retire but the politicians will not let him go. we must steal his savings must we not through the financial transaction tax?
twenty he calls in for a pint over two thirds of the cost of which goes in tax.
mr president i wonder if you will permit me to gallop through the working day of the average englishman.
he dreams of a family holiday abroad but he cannot afford the airport tax.
mr president i just want to say i think that this is a novel situation for the european union one that i am excited about even though my own country is not involved or in favour in this point in time.
it was ok when we had maybe six nine twelve member states but as of yesterday we are twenty eight and that is going to continue into the future so enhanced cooperation is a way of getting round the unanimity factor. secondly having a financial transaction tax and i compliment the countries that are willing to take it on is going to be very exciting for everybody particularly if it is successful and it does not lead to a flight of finance out of these particular countries.
firstly enhanced cooperation is something which is going to become more and more important within the european union as we continue to grow.
the goals of fair taxation a cohesive single market and a more responsible banking sector are more relevant than ever and we know that the ftt can contribute to all three.
first the commission is ready to examine the suggestions made for an initial introduction of the tax with lower rates for products of specific market segments.
i still believe that for reasons of tax neutrality both government bonds and pension funds should remain in the scope of the directive.
while understanding the spirit of your position the commission needs to examine the issue in more detail.
second the commission is of the opinion that the treatment of some specific actors deserves further analysis and should be treated with caution.
this is why i have presented amendments to achieve various exceptions in order to keep the real economy as unaffected as possible.
this clause could effectively make it a criminal offence for anyone who believes in the reduction of abortion or believes in abortion.
i would therefore ask in respect that the legal team refer to this document and review it once again otherwise millions of people in the european union as a result of this could be deemed a criminal immediately upon this vote.
the accompanying legal paper that is attached to it makes no reference to the potential crime of being an abortion denier.
it was impossible not to think of lear on the heath i will do such things what they are yet i know not but they shall be the terrors of the earth'.
we do not even have the consolation of thinking that lear was mad and unaware of the wretchedness of his circumstances that line of terrible pathos where he admits that to deal plainly i fear i am not in my perfect mind'.
he hates him much that would upon the rack of this tough world stretch him out longer'.
the time has come i think for us to pronounce the verdict on the european union at age fifty five as was pronounced on that poor unhappy king vex not his ghost o let him pass!
there is one ageing entity which is not meeting its end with dignity and that is the european union.
we saw it in the extraordinary press conference yesterday where the president of the commission and the president of the council started blaming the crisis of the euro not on the intrinsic flaws of the single currency but on american rating agencies as though somebody coming up with a better set of figures would solve the problem for them.
they would see that uniquely we concentrate power in an unelected executive of twenty seven appointed commissioners who also bizarrely have substantive legislative powers.
they would see we have a court which repeatedly rules on the basis of what it thinks the law ought to say rather than what the law in fact says.
imagine that there was a delegation coming here from cuba from iran or from syria and reporting on the state of democracy in the european union.
but before going any further i would refer colleagues to the gospel of st luke chapter forty one and why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own?
they would see that we are ready to swat aside referendum results and to treat public opinion as an obstacle to overcome rather than as a reason to change direction.
vague and imprecise in its framework.
under the eu ets aviation provisions they have never applied in their original international scope due to legal challenges by third countries on the applicability of eu legislation to their airlines only intra eea flights are fully covered.