kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
in the meantime we must also make sure that we act to shield our industry from unfair trade practices.
when we talk about a prosperity and reform agenda when we talk about promoting a greater opening up of the chinese market to european business this is very much about creating jobs and growth in europe.
second common interests on foreign policy and security;
this is something i have made clear in all my meetings with our chinese counterparts including recently just last month in brussels and we will pass this message very strongly next week in beijing too.
this new attitude has created some frictions and we all know that.
in this moment of history we cannot afford to be a conservative force.
the communication identifies three main areas of cooperation and engagement.
such reforms include the promotion of human rights the rule of law and the role of civil society.
it is a relevant actor in africa and in the middle east. we work together in the international support group for syria and in the un framework obviously cooperation is strong.
we have an interest in an open stable and cooperative china but china too has an interest a huge interest in good relations with europe.
it is first and foremost china's economy which would benefit from economic reform including the elimination of state induced distortions.
so while our union is not taking sides on specific territorial claims in the south china sea we have stated very clearly what our position is and that is based on our expectation of the full compliance with international norms especially the role of unclos and a peaceful solution of any disputes is what we expect especially in the days ahead.
european union engagement with china will be principled practical and pragmatic.
i believe this kind of engagement can make both china and europe stronger richer and safer.
so. a big part of the answer depends on our union on our unity and cohesion. none of our member states has the size nor the power to engage be it in a trade negotiation or in a commercial dispute with china leaving alone stronger diplomatic efforts
as we focus on the opportunities it does not mean that we do not see the risks of this new phase and we all know very well that we are heading towards a delicate moment in our trade relations.
in our fragile world insecurity and instability in east asia can only spread to the rest of the world.
this part of our work internally and externally linking up the work we do inside and outside of the european union within the institutions is part of our work to strengthen and promote the european economy worldwide and china is obviously a key actor in that respect.
what is going on in china now is comparable to the holocaust in nazi germany in its enormity and horror.
unbelievably some operations are done without anaesthetic because this is apparently more effective for a successful transplant.
therefore it has decided to exterminate these people while making a profit at the same time.
madam president we cannot discuss a strategy for china without acknowledging the persecution and slaughter of millions of people that is being perpetrated by the chinese government.
the peoples of our countries must be made aware of this and all diplomatic and economic pressure should be put on the chinese government to end this inhumane industry immediately.
a large proportion of these people are followers of falun gong a traditional form of meditation that teaches truthfulness compassion and tolerance.
falun gong followers christians democracy activists and others are arrested sentenced for concocted crimes against the state and imprisoned.
i am referring to the systematic industrialised murder of prisoners of conscience and the harvesting of their organs for transplants.
what is going on in china would be unbelievable if it were not backed up by voluminous evidence gathered over a long period of time by impeccable sources.
they are democracy activists and followers of peaceful religions and philosophies.
since the year two thousand an estimated one million to.
and independent researchers have concluded that in one year up to one hundred zero organ transplants are carried out.
not only during the summit but also obviously in the meetings and talks we will have around the summit which will also constitute an important part of our work.
i also particularly appreciated the clarity of your comments on the challenges we are facing in our relations with china and in particular when it comes to overcapacity when it comes to human rights and by the way yes i am pleased to be joined by stavros for the incoming debate we are going to have now on human rights
but also as i said on overcapacity on human rights on market access and i would add an issue that few of you if none of you really pointed out the issue of security in asia which is not a minor issue because it affects also somehow global stability and also our own security
and the issue of the south china sea will be an important element of our discussions there.
obviously i also heard again the considerations of many of you on the market economy status as you have seen this is not the main issue it is not the issue of the strategy we discuss tonight i know that you had occasion to exchange with cecila malmstrm very recently in this hemicycle specifically on this and i am sure that you will have soon occasions to do so again.
it is obviously part of our work on china more than with china at this stage but indeed it is central in our considerations. the joint communication aims the strategy at two things. first being very honest and crystal clear on the challenges and difficulties we have in front of us in all these sectors
you all remembered and recalled the numbers and if you look at the word if you take the european union united it is us it is us the chinese and the americans working on the same level in terms of size but on very different
us in now the implementation of this strategy and tackling the challenges in the most useful way for our european citizens and businesses and also helping us get the benefits of a relationship that is strategic
there is no doubt therefore that eu china relations are of key importance but we must not allow this to let us shy away from our differences.
this year for instance we must come to a decision as to whether or not to grant china market economy status a decision that is complicated by issues surrounding intellectual property rights in china the steel dumping crisis and the dominant role that the state continues to play in china's economy and foreign policy.
meanwhile the onecountrytwosystems in hong kong is under pressure from the mainland and the militarisation of the south china sea by the establishment of artificial island platforms are also of great concern.
as negotiations begin on the comprehensive agreement on investment finding a balance between reaping the mutual benefits of trade with our divergent values and human rights concerns and the bigger geopolitical aims will be necessary but by no means easy for the european union.
for strategic and security reasons too it makes sense to engage with china.
however intensifying our engagement must never lead to turning a blind eye to human rights violations.
this week the un human rights council adopted a resolution stressing that human rights must also apply on line.
mass censorship and also the monitoring of internet users and hacking into their systems are ongoing and are unacceptable.
we must join the dots where people are hindered from surfing on line on an open internet eu businesses are effectively banned.
human rights violations and protectionism can be one and the same and a trade off between the two is therefore a race to the bottom.
how are we going to ensure that china will be more constructive when it comes to keeping the internet open for example in internet governance forums?
is this an integral part of the strategy?
we now have eighteen months in which to spend it and i am calling tonight on our local minister in ireland the minister for enterprise coughlan to personally intervene and see that there is a plan in place to spend the money. it is a one off fund for ordinary working people and they will never get this chance again.
the money will be used to re train workers help start businesses and provide people with job placements which are very necessary.
secondly as an irish member i am indeed very pleased that the workers in dell who have been made redundant at least now have an opportunity to look forward and to plan for the future. however as alan kelly has said it is very important to ensure that any programmes or training courses that are put in place are tailor made to respond to the needs of workers and that the possibility of re entering the labour market or setting up one's own business is the clear objective of any assistance.
despite some of the very serious issues that have been raised here this evening we did not hold the workers hostage and we approved the eur.
however the commission must ensure that there is coherence in eu industrial policy and that the eu budget is not used to increase shareholder value in some companies while eu workers pay a price.
finally i want to acknowledge the role of parliament in approving the fund for dell workers.
on a personal level i want to thank the commissioner personally for his active involvement in this not just here in parliament or with me personally but also for going to limerick and meeting the workers.
and if i could say to other colleagues who occasionally try to raise red herrings with regard to other issues that the globalisation fund for all its faults is a positive from the european union and one that we should be encouraging to grow and to prosper and most importantly of all to go back to the old saying give a man a fish you feed him for a day;
they will hold an open debate with a particular focus on the challenges associated with digital taxation.
so altogether the leaders next week will touch upon many aspects that underpin our economic and social future.
the european council will discuss international trade relations following the us announcements.
we will have the opportunity to discuss this tomorrow night.
one essential aspect in order to foster jobs and growth and promote innovation is to unlock the full potential of the single market.
the global environment however remains uncertain and we need to continue to ensure the conditions to support confidence.
as usual for its spring meeting the european council will focus on jobs growth and competitiveness.
the european council will address the different single market strategies including when it comes to the digital single market the capital markets union and the energy union to ensure sustained progress.
policy priorities under the european semester also help create the right conditions for growth.
i know you will discuss this tomorrow and will review ongoing work in the field of trade policy and free trade agreement negotiations. beyond the formal session of the european council leaders will also exchange views on taxation as part of the leaders' agenda.
the european council will provide guidance on the priorities for two thousand and eighteen and will be invited to endorse the recommendation on the economic policy of the euro area.
in keeping with the spirit of the leaders' agenda there will be no conclusions or formal outcome on this point next week.
mr president this european council is taking place at a very special moment where we have polls around the world coming up with a nationalistic tone in russia china and the united states.
yes the digital revolution can change our way of life but we want to make the best of this by framing this revolution.
we still have many inequalities across the union and that is why we in the european parliament really expect a forwardlooking community budget the financial framework to ensure that these promises will be delivered.
of course people there were extremely worried about the measures announced by president trump. i had a very clear message for the people there and i want to repeat it today the commission is working day and night to convince our american partners that there are no grounds for these measures.
nobody can win a trade war. we hope that we can convince president trump of that reality but we will protect our interests if need be and we will help the european steel industry and the european economy to be competitive.
it is a delusion to think that we can protect the steel industry of individual member states if member states act individually on the world scale.
the world is changing at breakneck speed.
this is something that will be discussed at the european council jobs competitiveness growth.
this is what europe has always been great at all european nations and that is why i believe that if we talk about the future of europe we talk about better taxation so that people pay taxes where they make profits and that they do not get away with playing one member state against another.
you can be competitive by lowering your prices but then you will demolish the social fabric which is the very backbone of europe.
how on earth could european steel be a threat to american security? it is simply impossible so there are no grounds for these measures.
i want to thank your parliament madam president for its clear support for my words right now because it will also send a clear message to all those involved and to the european council next week.
first of all i want to say something about the poisoning of people in salisbury.
this should be addressed by all of us and not just left to prime minister may and the british government.
a nerve gas was actively used against civilians in one of our member states.
i believe that the european council should in clear terms express its full solidarity with the british people and the british government in addressing this issue.
are really punished for what they did. we cannot have nerve gas being used in our societies.
we are security partners.
we hope we can convince our american partners of this but if that fails if we cannot convince them and they persist in this the commission will act with the support of the member states to protect our european economy.
we have to make sure that we develop the skills necessary to be able to act on the world stage.
you can also be competitive by being smarter more innovative investing inventing new things.
we will need to be more competitive to keep up but there are different ways of doing this.
yesterday i was at dillinger htte in saarland to meet with representatives of the european steel industry from saarland from lorraine and from luxembourg a very competitive steel industry able to innovate able to create green steel in the future to make sure that steel remains an essential element of the european economy in a way that is sustainable.
further. and she also expressed our concerns to the united states on the tariffs being imposed on national security grounds. exports from the european union are clearly not a threat to the united states' national security. we are long standing and trusted security partners and we work together to keep each other safe and
this gave me a renewed sense of belief and hope that if a region a dramatic region like the western balkans is so determined to reform from top to bottom in order to join our union then we must be a union worth being part of.
each case will be taken on its own merits with no fixed dates or firm deadlines. but i came back from the trip more convinced than ever that it is our shared future.
as i said to all leaders in the region there will be no fast tracking.
each of the western balkan partners must continue their reform path especially when it comes to the rule of law and fundamental freedoms and values.
as we collectively agreed equal pay for equal work in the same place.
i would like to thank this house and the bulgarian presidency for leading the way in recent weeks.
after all if they are all talking about the need to stick together to preserve what we have built then i think also a strong budget is the key to that.
one. two but every other member state needs to do the same because if we are to do the things we want to do in relation to security erasmus development aid the single market migration or climate change it is going to take funding.
i will convey all of them to the president of the european council.
of course i know that you cannot go into detail but not to give us any hint on any of the political issues is i think really a failure.
we are not delivering.
this is the kind of issue we want to debate and the way we want to debate it.
in this context it is essential that we also attract highly skilled third country national students and researchers. this is why having a common set of rules on admission and residence requirements in the european union would greatly contribute to increasing the attractiveness of the eu as a destination for talent.
mr president in the cut throat global competition for highly skilled professionals attracting and keeping talent from outside the eu is an everincreasing challenge. unfortunately thousands of the best researchers and innovators have already chosen to head to the us australia or canada where they are welcomed with more favourable conditions.
i think that the agreement reached on the final text by reducing administrative red tape and allowing increased intraeu mobility and access for students to our labour markets by preventing attempts to abuse that system will bring us one step closer to attracting the best and brightest minds to our economies.
it should be noted that this is actually the first time ever that we have granted protection to au pairs through an eu instrument. before the review unremunerated trainees were optional they are now covered.
this is very important for the attractiveness of european universities when they are competing to attract the best minds from all over the world.
students will be able to move from day one with a simple notification.
before the revision of the directive the entry into the eu of family members of researchers was previously fully discretional upon member states and they had absolutely no right to intra eu mobility and no right to access the labour market.
as for researchers mobility is also improved with the extension of short term mobility up to six months compared with three months before.
we need far more of this in the days to come and i hope that we can continue to be ambitious in this regard.
instead of putting to use the knowledge and experience of these people whom we had helped to educate and had invested a lot of money in we pushed them away and most of them went to other places in the world to the us to canada and to australia and made their contributions to society there. with the directive we are about to vote on tomorrow all masters students as well as researchers will now have the possibility to stay
in doing so they will be the ones to bring economic growth employment and social progress to our economies and societies.
competitiveness is all about attracting excellent intellectuals from all over the world to come to the european union and make their contribution in our different member states.
for far too long this continent has crippled itself completely unnecessarily imposing bureaucracy and hindering creative and productive minds that only want to make their contribution to our societies.
the excellent researchers entrepreneurs and students of the world will help us develop the growing competitive business of tomorrow.
up to nine months in the eu to apply for jobs or start a business after they have concluded their studies or research.
when we started working on this directive my home country sweden had a system where graduate researchers doctors engineers and others who had received a phd from outside europe were given fourteen days to basically leave the country once they had completed their studies or their research projects.
i have had the pleasure of working together with several very competent presidencies also and here a special word of gratitude needs to be expressed to the luxembourg presidency for their enormous efforts on this dossier without which i doubt we would be standing here today.
thank you once again to everyone that has contributed to this great success.
the minimum time that students are allowed to work will also be increased from ten hours to fifteen hours a week.
before they needed a full application.
the present proposals constitute a major step forward by ensuring that family members can easily accompany researchers to europe and they are allowed to work.
the mobility regime for students will be greatly improved by the new directive.
in these days when we talk mostly about migration internal migration policy i think it is especially important that we manage to conclude on a major dossier which promotes legal migration to the eu.
finally the scope of the directive will be increased.
as many of you have insisted on this i will repeat that the commission has insisted together with you that member states' discretionary powers with regard to rejecting an application may only be used when strictly necessary and justified and we will of course be monitoring this. as i mentioned earlier let us not forget that migration and mobility are also about empowerment creativity and socio economic development.
at the same time it provides for a clear legal framework which does not mix up other categories such as asylum seekers or refugees and it does not touch on member states' competences to grant access to the labour market. this agreement
is ambitious and balanced and will allow europe to attract more talented students and researchers in the future who can contribute to our societies and to our economies.
it sends the important signal that the european union is a globally competitive and welcoming destination for muchneeded students and researchers from abroad.
as the context on migration and mobility evolves it is understood that so should our rules and policies.
well although people coming to the uk to study can be a good thing it is also a decision that we should take as the british people ourselves based on common sense and thinking about what we need for our colleges and our universities and what is right for the united kingdom. this eu nonsense expecting us to
if you cannot say yes to all three the bottom line is that by voting to stay in the european union you vote to risk handing over control of our immigration policy to brussels.
quite often this kind of migration actually does have a positive impact on society so i am not going to stand here and argue that international students coming to the uk paying fees to british universities helping some of the top universities in the world to survive is in any way a bad thing.
can add value to what is happening in europe and when or if they go back to their own country they will add huge value back there in due course. so this is a very sensible proposal.
i think this is an important piece of legislation and i think it is important not only for the individuals concerned or for the institutions with which some of them may be studying or working but it is also an important part of a soft foreign policy.
some of the questions raised here today about the difficulties of access about the feeling that you are not actually wanted as a student or a researcher in the european union have been raised with a number of us during many of the delegation trips that we have travelled on to various third countries.
i also want to say that i welcome the commission's statement in terms of its interpretation of transposition about rejection being based on a case by case basis because i think that is really important.
i too on behalf of my group welcome the improvements within this directive in terms of reducing a number of the barriers and the difficulties that people have faced.
while we were working on this report we came across cases of people who had not been able to take up research positions because they had waited so long for various permissions.
that not only affected their lives but the research projects on which they were coming to work.