misclassified/meps_speeches_with_translation.csv huggingface dataset:
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-12-12
Debate: EU-China relations (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, Vice-President / High Representative, colleagues, the recent EU China summit demonstrated that we’re far from out of the woods in our relations with Beijing, and we won’t be anytime soon. Of course, we can hope that at some point in the future, China may again try to become a responsible stakeholder, but presently, let’s not fool ourselves. China is a dictatorial and totalitarian regime with global hegemonic ambitions. 
I want to make just a few remarks on China’s foreign policy and our interests in that regard. Look at what happens in the Philippines neighbourhood. We have to push back hard against China’s efforts to change the facts in the sea. Maybe having multilateral patrols would be a good idea. Look at Taiwan, in January, there will be presidential election. China already threatens to coerce the new newly elected president. We should prepare for pushing back. Look at Hamas. China has not even called them a terrorist organisation. Look at the wave of dumping exports that is coming our way. Josep Borrell spoke a little bit about that. Look about Ukraine, where China supports Russia materially and politically. We have to call a spade a spade. And even as regards climate, you love saying, Vice-President Borrell, that China is a necessary partner. I would say they are necessary alright, but not yet a partner in that regard. So let’s do realistic policy and not pursue pipe dreams.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-11-22
Debate: This is Europe - Debate with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Nikolay Denkov (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, Prime Minister, Commission, colleagues, I want to thank you, Prime Minister Denkov, for talking to us and with us. You dwelt quite extensively on historic issues and you spoke about the European spirit of Bulgaria that your national hero emphasised, and I’m sure all of us loved it. You quoted JFK, and I like that too. So let me ask you this question: what will Bulgaria do for the EU with regard to EU enlargement?
You didn’t mention the name of your neighbouring country, North Macedonia, whose access so far has been blocked by Bulgaria. In vague terms only you seemed to question the real will of candidate countries. Can anybody question the real European will of North Macedonia, a country that even went as far as changing its name in order to open the door to Europe?
After Mr Dzhambazki spewed hate against North Macedonia here, I would like to ask you, Prime Minister, to be more specific. What will you do to help open the door for North Macedonia? I believe Bulgaria must avoid hampering the accession process with overhyped national blockades.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-11-22
Debate: Destruction of judicial independence and the persecution of democrats in Hong Kong (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – President, Commissioner, colleagues, the 25th annual report on recent developments in Hong Kong is a dire, dark, dystopian report. Step by step, all the freedoms guaranteed under the Hong Kong Basic Law are being suffocated in violation of international law, and I join the criticism of colleague Lexmann that the Council has been dodging these developments. We demand on you to speak up.
The freedom of press is denied. The freedom of association, the freedom of speech, and the freedom of the vote. Not a single opposition candidate has been allowed to run for the district elections, because if just one opposition person would be elected, everybody would be able to see through the ruse of the totalitarian measures.
The United Nations Human Rights Council has urged Hong Kong to repeal the national security law, but instead hundreds have been arrested – some in custody since 2021, without trial, even in solitary confinement.
I would say we should focus on five demands in dealing with Hong Kong. First of all, don’t forget the fate of the democratic fighters like courageous Chow Hang-tung, who gave a very good speech in defence of democracy at her trial. So continue and guarantee trial observation.
Second, sanction John Lee. John Lee is one of the main culprits of these measures. Do not normalise the relationship with his regime. Make sure, through a business advisory, that European companies will not inadvertently become complicit and raise these issues and tell the public how you do that at the upcoming China EU summit.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-11-22
Debate: Destruction of judicial independence and the persecution of democrats in Hong Kong (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE),  blue-card question. – Mr Wallace, just hypothetically assuming that you were right and we were all illegitimate in raising human rights issues, why do you, as the self-declared human rights defender, not take up the cause? Why do you keep silent about the crimes that the CCP commits in China?
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-11-08
Debate: EU enlargement policy 2023 (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues. It is indeed a historic date. And there are four clear winners on this historic date. There’s Ukraine and Moldova, where the leadership and the people together are moving in our direction. And there are two nations, the people of Georgia and the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who have upheld the flame of going into the direction of a European orientation. We can congratulate them.
But there’s also a new tone. And I want to highlight that. I share the criticism that my colleagues Picula and Moretti have said about the Serbian case. I think this is also an hour where the whitewashing of Serbia, where the appeasement against Serbia, will begin to end. And I read this in the sentence from the President of the Commission when she said that all countries have to take a choice between going the European direction or going the authoritarian direction. And you, Commissioner, will not hold us back with your appeasement policies.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-10-18
Debate: The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Herr Präsident, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Seit dem Ende der Shoah, die immer mit dem Namen meines Landes verbunden bleiben wird, sind an keinem einzigen Tag mehr Menschen jüdischen Glaubens ermordet worden als am 7.  Oktober bei dem heimtückischen, barbarischen Massaker der Hamas. In ihrem grenzenlosen Vernichtungswillen knüpfen diese Terroristen unmittelbar bei den Nazis an. Gegen diesen Vernichtungswillen verdient Israel unsere unumschränkte Solidarität. Israel verteidigt sich, Israel muss sich verteidigen, und Europa muss das wenigstens verstehen.
Viele weltweit sind vor allem bewegt vom Leid der Palästinenser in Gaza. Ihnen sage ich: Ja! Ja, wir brauchen die Einhaltung des humanitären Völkerrechts, wir brauchen humanitäre Korridore und humanitäre Hilfe. Aber vergessen wir nicht: Es braucht auch den Schritt, der am meisten dazu beitragen könnte, dass diese Eskalation nicht weitergeht, nämlich die Freilassung, die bedingungslose Freilassung der Geiseln, die die Hamas hält.
Und wir sollten eine Warnung aussprechen an Hisbollah und Iran: Die Weltgemeinschaft wird es nicht vergessen, wenn sie jetzt weiter Öl ins Feuer gießen! Der Weg zum Frieden ist lang, aber er ist möglich.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-10-18
Debate: The despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, Israel’s right to defend itself in line with humanitarian and international law and the humanitarian situation in Gaza (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, I have a point of order. The speaker Vilimsky just said that my group sympathises with Hamas. All speakers of our group have said exactly the opposite. It cannot be allowed that such lies are spread in the European Parliament.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-07-12
Debate: India, the situation in Manipur

  Reinhard Bütikofer,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, this human rights emergency should not be used as an occasion to insult India or to voice threats with regard to the trade negotiations that were trying to bring to a successful end as soon as possible.
This is about specific human rights issues. And I think it is right to say that we have common ground with India in that regard and that we should reinforce, as the resolution says, the EU—India human rights dialogue. And, in particular, I would underscore the sentence that says there should be regular dialogue organised between the European Parliament and the Parliament of India.
My colleague Simon has said he doesn’t want to wag his finger at India. He couldn’t do without wagging though, so he wagged his finger at the Greens. I will not retaliate, I will just say we will defend religious freedom wherever it is endangered, be it Christians or otherwise.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-07-11
Debate: Relations with the Palestinian Authority (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, colleagues, Israel is not an apartheid state and it is not like Russia. But some of those that cannot find enough hyperbole in criticising Israel turn quite gingerly when it comes to calling a spade a spade on the Palestinian side. Let me direct your attention to three amendments, namely amendments 45, 47 and 48 that try to deal with the issue of Palestinian terrorism. Several groups in this House seem to be determined to vote them down. I say that would be a very bad mistake.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-07-11
Debate: 2022 Report on Bosnia and Herzegovina (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, earlier today this House came together in an act of commemoration for the more than 8 000 Muslim men and boys that were killed in the Srebrenica massacre 28 years ago. But in this debate, a Member of Parliament from the ID Group thinks it’s adequate to spew anti-Muslim hatred. What a shame!
But the question also goes to ourselves. Do we draw the necessary conclusions? Are we living up to our duty? Dodik is pursuing a blatant secessionist policy. I challenge you, Commissioner, to say it here: ‘blatant secessionist policy’. Call a spade a spade, and then let’s sanction him.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-04-18
Debate: The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, President von der Leyen, HR/VP Borrell, for an organisation that cherishes unity in diversity as we do in the EU, it’s never easy to talk with one voice. All the more grateful we can be that we have heard strong and clear voices recently regarding the EU’s China policy. I want to start by congratulating President von der Leyen for her China speech and for how she conducted her visit in China. That showed leadership.
There are of course, as you have said, Josep Borrell, different interests, but that cannot be an excuse for divergence on the fundamentals. The focus on human rights is not an accessoire for our foreign policy; it’s at the centre and we’re not selling it for a lentil stew.
We’re willing to cooperate with our systemic rival, China. But cooperation cannot be a one-way street. We have to be clear-eyed. China is a revisionist power with hegemonic ambition, aiming at building a Beijing-centric global order. If they would respect the principles of the United Nations, they would have called for Russia to leave Ukraine alone.
We must work together with like-minded partners in our China policy, in particular in cooperation with the US. Whoever splits that front is not serving our own values and interests. Strategic autonomy à la française would be risky for Europe. Mutual solidarity with democracies is basic, and that includes Taiwan’s democracy. In our relations with countries of the Global South, we must strive to be a better partner for them than China. And we must, as has been laid out by the President, de-risk in our economic relations in order to secure our economies. There is no way back, therefore, to the win-win illusion that shaped CAI. At the end, let me say we should never confuse the Chinese people and the great Chinese culture and their successes with the dictatorship of the totalitarian Xi Jinping regime.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-03-15
Debate: Strengthening the EU Defence in the context of the war in Ukraine: speeding up production and deliveries to Ukraine of weapons and ammunitions (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Frau Präsidentin, verehrte Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Es ist in der Tat schlimm, dass wir die Kapazität unserer Rüstungsindustrie hochfahren müssen. Aber wir tun das nicht, weil die EU plötzlich kriegsgeil geworden wäre, sondern wir müssen das tun, weil Russland zum Aggressor geworden ist, der nicht nur die Ukraine von der Landkarte löschen will, sondern die ganze europäische Friedens- und Sicherheitsarchitektur zerstören will. Deswegen müssen wir das tun.
Ich frage mich, wieso Sie eigentlich ihre Forderungen nicht an das faschistische Regime in Moskau richten, wieso Sie die ganze Zeit so tun, als läge es in der Macht der EU, den Krieg zu beenden! Haben Sie schon einmal zur Kenntnis genommen, dass die Ukraine das Recht auf Selbstverteidigung hat, dass die UNO-Charta verlangt, dass Russland sich zurückziehen muss, die nationale Souveränität und die territoriale Integrität der Ukraine akzeptieren muss? Wenn Sie so hochtrabende Worte im Mund führen, warum sagen Sie das nicht ein einziges Mal?
Nach der Logik, die Sie vertreten, hätte man die Anti-Hitler-Koalition verurteilen müssen, weil sie den Aggressor mit Waffen bekämpft? Das hat nichts mit Friedenspolitik zu tun, Frau Demirel; die Lügen, die Sie hier verbreiten, sind die Lügen der fünften Kolonne Moskaus.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-03-14
Debate: Question Time (VPC/HR) - Strengthening the Trans-Atlantic ties in an ever challenging multilateral world

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Mr Borrell, the cooperation on China is a core issue in transatlantic relations. Recent media excitement has focused on some lack of clarity as to where the EU stands. President von der Leyen has been accused of being overly hawkish. Some people even felt the need to say we should not be a vassal of the United States, while President Michel has been dubbed as the person who tries to avoid confrontation. 
Now, where should the EU stand with regard to transatlantic relations on China? And I have three specific questions. President Biden has said yes to all three. What are you saying? Should there be outbound investment screening? Should there be sanctions if China delivers arms to Russia? And should there be a deterrence policy to avoid an attack on Taiwan?
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-03-14
Debate: Deterioration of democracy in Israel and consequences on the occupied territories (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Herr Präsident! In der vorausgegangenen Debatte ist Israel zweimal des Faschismus bezichtigt worden. Ich finde, solche Worte sollten im Europäischen Parlament nicht fallen, und wenn sie fallen, sollten sie gerügt werden.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-03-14
Debate: Situation in Georgia (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, Commissioner, ironically speaking, I must say, I admire Mick Wallace because he again demonstrated that he will sure as hell always position himself on the side of reactionaries, authoritarians and oppressors. But the Georgian citizens have opted for another choice because they know that the so-called Georgian dream has turned into a Georgian nightmare. The Georgian government is paying lip service at best to European values and the European path. We should not let Georgian citizens alone in their fight for the European perspective. That is why we should consider measures beyond what’s been on the table. Will we continue unabated with the development cooperation without conditionality? Will we refuse to consider sanctions? We shouldn’t. And we should fight for the freedom of Saakashvili.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-02-15
Debate: Access to strategic critical raw materials (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, Minister, Commissioner, it has been said several times that the EU’s supply with critical raw materials is not secure. That’s true. But that’s not news. That was true also ten years ago when we experienced the Senkaku crisis. 
But what did we do since? We refused to learn our lessons! Today, we’re more dependent on China than we were at that time. That’s not because China controls all the raw materials, all the rare earths, as rare earths are not really rare, but the processing capacity that China controls, that’s rare and concentrated, and that creates a dependency. 
Even with the greatest realism regarding a max of green mining inside Europe and a max of circularity in the use of raw materials, we will remain a continent depending on critical raw materials imported from other corners of the globe. 
That’s why we must invest in partnerships with other countries, and I’m grateful, Commissioner, that you mentioned the Global Gateway Initiative. That should be the tool that we employ to create the win—win partnerships that help us in overcoming these dependencies.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-01-19
Debate: The Global Gateway Initiative (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, when President von der Leyen, almost a year and a half ago, announced the Global Gateway Initiative, it was welcomed by this House. Because she proposed a plan to revive, to reorient and to enlarge in scope an initiative that had originally been promoted by her predecessor, Juncker, in the waning days of his own presidency. 
The principles of Global Gateway are good. Global Gateway is designed to combine three major thrusts: to invest into international infrastructure development; to promote the green and digital transformation; and to combine that with the geopolitical goals of the European Union. 
But a year and a half later, I’m sometimes tempted to say Global Gateway would be a good idea. Indeed, I agree with the colleagues who have said that it is now time to deliver. When DG INTPA, for instance, last year organised its traditional development days and put the label Global Gateway everywhere but didn’t change a thing on substance, that was not what we expect. That was old wine in new wineskins. Instead of creative geopolitical action, bureaucratic laziness. When one Commissioner says he has 84 lighthouse projects under the label of Global Gateway, he hasn’t understood the idea, obviously. 
The world is waiting for us to put our money where our mouth has been. And Udo Bullmann is right that this is a great opportunity. But Mr Tobé is also right when he says this has to be developed in a mutually beneficial way and we have to develop a real partnership. But that is not going to be successful if we pursue Global Gateway as a kind of Christmas tree project. 
We have to have clear priorities and we have to have the governance right. And what we are still missing is this. We are still missing the Business Advisory Council. We are still missing the civil society dialogue as a permanent exercise. We are still missing the Global Gateway Forum that was proposed in the strategy and that should be organised this autumn. And we will also need – and I think Mrs von der Leyen would be well advised to do that – the nomination of a high-level special envoy to represent Global Gateway for the European Union.
Speaker: Reinhard BÜTIKOFER (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2023-01-17
Debate: Implementation of the common foreign and security policy - annual report 2022 - Implementation of the common security and defence policy - annual report 2022 (debate)

  Reinhard Bütikofer,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, Vice-President, HR/VP, David, colleagues, we do live in a new era. For the EU the next seven years will decide whether we will sit at the table or be on the menu. We have to start with realism, though. Overblown dreams of strategic autonomy can be and must be discarded because we learn in the present situation that without the United States’ support, we would not have been able to hold our own together to support Ukraine. That means we must continue to invest in transatlantic relations, but at the same time, we have to up our own game. We have to increase our capabilities: being an ally is not enough; we must be strong allies.
Second, we must not allow ourselves to be captured by delusions about the nature of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. And that in particular means de-risk our relationship with China. Systemic rivalry is not just between Washington and Beijing. Nostra res agitur.
Third, cooperation with countries of the Global South to promote mutual benefit is not an option anymore, it’s a must – a geopolitical must, and that implies that we have to invest in the Global Gateway initiative.
And finally, the climate crisis has long been a threat—multiplier. This multiplication is getting more dangerous by the year. Fighting climate crisis is not everything, but without effectively fighting climate crisis, everything will come to nought.