lmms-lab-audio/europal-asr huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-04-18
Mr President, High Representative and colleagues. Ten years ago, my first intervention in this plenary addressed the human rights violations in Iran. So it seems only fitting that today my last intervention calls again for more EU leadership to defend human rights. Because if not us, then who will? The newly introduced Sharia laws in Brunei are so extreme that they violate speech rights, women's sexual reproductive health rights and, particularly, the rights of LGBTI. Death penalty by stoning for homosexuality in 2019 is outrageous and barbarian, so we call for targeted Magnitsky-type sanctions for individuals and we can already see that our pressure is rendering results. High Representative, colleagues, everybody, I urge you to continue to build a stronger Europe that is principle-based and that puts human rights first. Thank you.
Date: 2019-07-16
Madam President, Ms von der Leyen, there is a reason why you mentioned in quick succession two of the critical issues, which my Group regards as the key priorities, namely the relaunch of the Dublin process and the support for an additional, comprehensive European rule-of-law mechanism. I quote your words in your letter to our Group. And the reason is that, while these issues may not be the only important ones you mentioned climate change, the social pillar and so on they are issues which could make or break the European Union. We all know this. And for this reason, you are saying the correct words, giving the headlines that we want to hear, but, as you've heard from many Members, we need to have the concrete ideas underneath the words. In the Dublin process, on this so-called Pact for Migration, you and I know that it requires qualified majority voting from the Member States. The fact of this inertia in the Council that there has been nothing on migration, while we see people drowning in the Mediterranean is something that you can do something about. You mentioned QMV on foreign relations issues, but you didn't mention it here. And the criminalisation of NGOs, and the humanitarian corridors: all these things are the detail that we need to hear. On the question of support for the rule of law, again, we need the detail: the Multiannual Financial Framework , the sanctions, Hungary and Poland name the countries, because this is the essence of what we have to do here in order not to break Europe. Ms von der Leyen, I'm a UK Member, and people are tweeting at the moment that you want an extension, come what may. This is not what you said in a letter to us. You said, in quite a dignified way, that should an extension be required for the United Kingdom there would have to be good reasons. And I think you dealt with the Brexit issue here in a dignified and pragmatic way. Pragmatic that is the kind of partnership we want to see, as opposed to the kind of fantasy Brexit that we're hearing about from other people in this Chamber. So, for this reason, pragmatic partnership is the way forward.
Date: 2019-07-16
Mr President, the European Union's Moldova partnership is based on common values, respect for democratic principles, rule of law and fundamental freedoms. In my capacity as standing rapporteur on Moldova, I have always been supporting and strengthening the importance of democratic criteria in our relations with Moldova and its domestic development. I wish to recall the Joint Memorandum that all the EU institutions had reached in July 2017, emphasising the democratic criteria and respect for fundamental freedoms in relation to macro-financial assistance from the European Union. The EU was and remains bound to this Memorandum, and for very good reason. I strongly welcome the so-called silent revolution, which took place in June this year against the policies of the captive state, oligarchisation and state-built corruption system. The new Moldovan Government needs our support and solidarity under the principle of more for more.
Date: 2019-09-16
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. Many have been arrested and injured. Their only crime is a struggle for democracy and human rights. Their values are our values and they're taking huge risks in endangering their livelihoods and even their lives. The Commission and the European External Action Service really need to consider all measures in their power to support the people of Hong Kong, who are looking to us with hope, for support and with their demand for universal suffrage. We have the leverage. 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? 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 1997. The EU especially the UK has a special responsibility to the people of Hong Kong. We need to act to protect them and ensure that they are given refuge in Europe if they continue to be targeted.
Date: 2019-09-17
Madam President, for a moment I invite you to imagine the European Union, which is known for setting global standards of quality of life in democracy, falling into the following situation: less independent and no investigative media, our citizens living in a post-truth society and dangerously exposed to outside manipulation and national populists are generously financed by foreign subjects. As a result, we're living according to the national interest of such countries as Russia, China or probably any extremist group. I am convinced that none of us wants this, and it is high time to review the EU and national legislation in regard to foreign financing of political parties campaigning or individual candidates, and also to install screening mechanisms for strategic foreign investments. This is how I imagine the European way of life can be sustained.
Date: 2019-09-17
Mr President, to those Members who have spoken today of their indignation towards India, I am astonished by your partiality, oversight and lack of any real empathy with the Kashmiris. Why do I say partiality? When Pakistan took the same measures in Gilgit and Baltistan, we didn't speak up. When they gave away territory that wasn't theirs to China we didn't speak up. Or when Sikh and other minority women are abducted and forced to convert, we don't speak up. The fact is that there are human-rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and very many honourable colleagues look the other way. Let me be clear: the solution to Kashmir is not going to be found in this Chamber. The solution to Kashmir will come when state-sponsored terrorism and global misinformation by Pakistan ends, then dialogue will follow. Pakistan may talk the talk, but it does not walk the walk when it comes to human rights, and it beggars belief that it has GSP+ status. And I say to those colleagues concerned about the rescinding of Article 370, you are focusing on one part and ignoring the other issues that are dear to the hearts of many of us. Not only will this improve the rights of LGBT people, women and minorities, it will also improve environmental and other protection measures, and ban the outrageous 'triple talaq' divorce. Why should Kashmiris have fewer rights than those enjoyed by Indians elsewhere?
Date: 2019-09-18
Madam President, well, one thing is clear and that is, from the emollient tone we have heard this morning from Juncker and Barnier, that we are actually very close to the deal on the backstop being agreed at the summit on 17 October. Of course, both sides will try and present this as a negotiating victory. It may be worth reminding ourselves that this treaty even without the backstop is a very bad deal for Britain. It will leave us trapped inside European Union rules, it will leave us under the auspices of the European Court and, having given everything away in the Withdrawal Agreement, the worst part is that any future relationship relies on good faith. We put ourselves entirely in your hands. We put ourselves indeed at your mercy, and I would suggest that events that we've seen across Europe this week do not indicate that good faith exists. I am, of course, referring to the pipsqueak Prime Minister of Luxembourg, who set out to ritually humiliate a British Prime Minister in the most astonishing way, only to be greeted like a hero by President Macron at the Elysée Palace yesterday. And it's very clear to me that keeping us trapped inside this was Barnier's objective from the start, to keep us inside the Customs Union. We've heard from other speakers today that the fear is that the UK breaks out of the Customs Union, breaks out of single market rules and that we become more competitive and we become much wealthier outside the European Union than within it. Mr Verhofstadt, we want no part of your European empire. The only way forward now, to deliver on the referendum, is for a clean-break Brexit. Once we've done that we will have a grown-up conversation about trade and about the way forward.
Date: 2019-09-19
Mr President, since hundreds and thousands of Rohingya were forced out of their homes through mass atrocities and repeated acts of humiliation and violence in Myanmar, nearly one million people are still living in camps in Cox's Bazar, struggling for safety, survival and dignity as refugees in Bangladesh. More than 25 000 children are out of school and 97% of those aged 15 to 18 do not attend any type of educational facility. They need our action and our support now more than ever. Sadly their plight has fallen down our list of priorities, and, as one of the instigators of this resolution, I urge the EU: we must find a solution and end this crisis. Bangladesh cannot be left alone to cope with large numbers of refugees. We have to engage in dialogue with our partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to ensure the Rohingya people's rights are upheld, so they can start living their lives normally, where women and girls are safe and children have access to education.
Date: 2019-10-09
Madam President, on 31 October, the United Kingdom is scheduled to leave the European Union. We must leave as one nation. This means that Northern Ireland will leave the single market and the Customs Union with the rest of the United Kingdom. Prime Minister Johnson's blueprint means that the consent of the elected representatives of Northern Ireland is rightly required to opt into some of the rules, which would make trading with our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland easier for businesses and farmers: a sensible, pragmatic way forward, honouring the UK's referendum result. This has been met with complete negativity by EU leaders. It appears that no proposal other than tying Northern Ireland to the EU's single market and Customs Union is acceptable to this House, the Irish Prime Minister or even the German Chancellor. So let's be clear, again: Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom through the consent of the people of Northern Ireland. We will not be torn out of its internal market and Customs Union, and we are not the EU's bargaining chip in this negotiation.
Date: 2019-10-09
Madam President, the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and our partnership with the Ukraine is delivering positive results, based on the comprehensive framework agreed in 2014. Ms Mogherini, I completely agree with your assessment in this regard. We expect the new Government of Ukraine to embark on an ambitious and timely pace of continuous reforms, especially in large-scale privatisation, land reform, energy, healthcare and, of course, the fight against corruption. The transformation process in Ukraine, as well as in other Eastern Partnership countries, will take time, and it's important to maintain not only their ambition and strategic focus, but also ours. We are entering the next generation partnership with Ukraine, dominated by the principle 'more for more', and it should lead towards a gradual opening of the EU single market to Ukraine's economy. Furthermore, it is of utmost importance to involve Ukraine and other Eastern partners in major EU initiatives on digitalisation, migration, social inclusion, sustainable energy and climate change. Ending Russian aggression and achieving lasting peace is a shared European and Ukrainian hope. We are seeking peace and the EU should not create illusions, especially ones undermining the legitimate interests of Ukraine, and should avoid fake agreements such as the former Budapest Memorandum. Our actions within the soon-to-be-resumed peace negotiations need to be firm and reflect our commitment to a sovereign Ukraine and its people's choice. We should help to achieve the eventual removal of all armed groups from the occupied territories of Ukraine, and Ukraine regaining full control of its border with Russia. Recent rallies in Kiev stand as a reminder that no agreement is possible unless accepted by everyone. I call on the Commission to elaborate and support a package for Ukraine's macro-economic stability, including a social-stability package for the population of the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Date: 2019-10-10
Madam President, I want to make the specific point that we mustn't be complacent about the question of foreign interference and the integrity of our elections. We specifically asked for a special committee of inquiry and this was narrowly defeated today. I very much regret this because colleagues have talked about hard evidence on this issue and that is exactly what we were attempting to do, to ensure that what we do is based on facts and that we protect our elections and the democratic will of our people, both in our Member States and indeed in cross-border elections. So this is an extremely important issue, given the increasing influence of disinformation, electoral fraud and reports of foreign interference in many of our Member States. Despite the fact that we don't have the special committee, let us ensure that this House, the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and our Commission our Security Commissioner who has begun work on this issue continue to do so and that we do not fall into complacency on protecting our elections.
Date: 2019-10-10
Madam President, I was stunned as I'm sure many of you here were to learn about the existence of the fake website of the European Parliament vulgarly named 'EP Today'. According to the EU's East StratCom Task Force which exposed the website, the majority of its content is republished from the Kremlin-based propaganda channel Russia Today, and this is clear evidence and a fact for those who still do not see and miss the propaganda all around. We need to increase our citizens' resilience and their capacity to distinguish fact from fake. In order to achieve this, we must boost our support to such actors as the team of the EU's East StratCom Task Force, which tirelessly work to expose foreign interference and disinformation. Moreover, we must improve civic education and media literacy programmes and enable civil society organisations. With these resolutions we rightly call for greater national and European attention, accompanied by the increased financial support for the activities I just mentioned. We also task the next High Representative of the Union to make the fight against disinformation a central foreign policy objective.
Date: 2019-10-24
Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, recent events in Egypt have shown how little space for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly is left in the country. We witness the disproportionate use of force against protesters, unlawful behaviour against human rights defenders and restrictions on the activities of civil society organisations. What worries me most is that Egypt's leadership is increasingly using the fight against terrorism as an internal policy instrument to stop public criticism and to silence its political opponents. Dialogue between the country's leadership and society is possible only if the former meets citizens' expectations and embarks on reforms in the different sectors so needed in Egypt. From the EU side, we must increase our attention along with financial support for Egypt's human rights defenders and civil society organisations.
Date: 2019-11-13
Madam President, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified of international human rights treaties and, as has been said by the Commission and the Council, this is an extremely important anniversary. It is self-evident. We have 100 million children in the European Union, 20% of the population. In developing countries it is over 40%. But today, what we are talking about is the clear advance we have made since the Convention, but also the huge challenges we have. I heard the Commissioner talking about the strong body of law that we currently have, and I believe that what we should be doing today, in honour of this anniversary and all of the many people from across society who have worked in this area, is to understand that this strong body of law on sexual abuse and exploitation, victims' rights, procedural safeguards I would add the Child Guarantee to fight child poverty all of these things must come alive and they must mean something to the millions of children who face challenges. I would say, in the final seconds of my contribution, that just one example of this is that, globally, at least 30 million children have migrated across borders or have been forcibly displaced. One-third of the refugees and migrants who have arrived in Europe are children, some of them unaccompanied. We need to understand that the guidelines which were grounded in a rights-based approach must also address how they are being treated. There are 4 000 unaccompanied children in Greece right now, enduring unsafe and inhumane and degrading treatment. This is something that is a challenge for the whole of the European Union, both for our children, who are doing well in the European Union, but those who are not doing well. This is truly an internationalist anniversary and an internationalist convention and we should do everything to honour it in the European Union.
Date: 2019-11-14
Madam President, let me address immediately what the Commissioner said, that this was a collective shame for Europe, but Commissioner, you mentioned Europe, not just Greece and last week we were able to question the new Greek Interior Minister on the sharpest, most difficult problem in Moria today, which is the 4 000 unaccompanied minors and he told us that one Member State one had answered positively to his request to take unaccompanied minors. These are, I remind people in this Chamber, minors, some of whom are trying to commit suicide, minors who are fearful when they go to bed at night. That is the shame on all of us, but one Member State stumped up. The Commission later informed us that three Member States agreed to take in some of the minors. I could really stop there, because this tells us all we need to know about the solidarity of the Member States. It tells us all we need to know about the blockage of the package on reception conditions and all the other long-term solutions that we needed to have in this area. So when we have the new pact, let's just remember what the long-term problems are in this area. But let's return to the short-term problems before the winter because the short-term problems are about human beings, not just the children but everyone on Moria, because we've seen what is happening on Moria; we see 17 000 people and only three or four government doctors and we see NGOs telling us it's an emergency. So let's deal with that emergency before the winter but let's be clear, it's a longer-term problem and we need solidarity, real solidarity.
Date: 2019-11-27
Madam President, Mr Lenaers just said that we have just had a resolution, we've just had a debate and now, of course, we're back debating the same thing, but there is a reason for this and the reason is that something is happening. This is not an exaggerated issue; this is an issue on which the Commission Commissioner Jourová and Commissioner King have been working now for months. This is an issue on which we have been working. We wanted a special committee for a reason and the reason is not that some Donald Trump says to Boris Johnson, I like you, I want your NHS, I'd like to buy it. That is not the interference we're talking about. I don't like it, but it is not what we're talking about. It is talking about a growing body of evidence that there is illegal and covert interference, what John F Kennedy would not have liked. Because at least one voter is voting differently because they have been targeted. Cambridge Analytica, the theft of private information for covert and illegal use against a constitution and against a body of jurisprudence and law. So let's just be clear what we are talking about. It is illegal and it is covert. Today it will harm us; maybe tomorrow it will harm you. So, this is what we are talking about and I welcome what my UK colleagues have done in initiating this debate because what they are doing is uncovering the latest element of this in my own country, which is where our Conservative Government is covering up the truth from the public by refusing to release the Intelligence and Security Committee report on the Russian threat to UK politics. One of our big Member States of the European Union. The report has been approved by the UK intelligence agencies, there is no impediment to publication, and yet, they're not publishing. How much more evidence do we need to understand that this evidence is real? Well, the Commission, of course, talked about continued and sustained misinformation during the last May elections, similar to those carried out in the US and France. The report, of course, talks about limited action and I encourage the Commissioner, of course, in her new role, with the new College, to do as much as possible. Because what we're talking about is online and offline safeguards, the banning of profiling for electoral purposes, the content shared by bots, the removal of fake accounts. Neither the private sector nor indeed our governments are doing enough yet. There can be nothing more important than free and fair elections. This is against the law, it's covert, it is illegal and we must do something about it to safeguard our democracies.
Date: 2019-11-27
Madam President, I just want to thank the High Representative for our collaboration over the last five years and to say that we won some, and maybe not so much others, but I really want to wish you all the best for your future endeavours. We have a growing number of concerns in our neighbourhood. I think the signals coming from Chișinău send a worrying message of regression away from reforms for democracy and the rule of law. Some would say that the Commission has been naive by helping broker a deal here, which led to a doomed coalition with President Dodon who then enabled a power grab. Meanwhile, we have already heard in Georgia that people are calling for a more democratic and fair electoral system and they are facing riot police who are using rubber bullets and tear gas against them. And when we look at Baku, the opposition leader who was recently arrested during a rally says he was savagely tortured in police custody. So what is happening in these countries is a growing trend in the world: authoritarians trying to get a stranglehold on fragile democracy. Maybe our policy of softly-softly in the region is not delivering the results we wanted. I wondered what advice the High Representative would have for her successor regarding how they should look at a new strategy.