misclassified/meps_speeches_with_translation.csv huggingface dataset:
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-06-07
Debate: The EU’s Foreign, Security and Defence Policy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine (debate)

  Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, dear colleagues, dear rapporteurs, on 24 February, when Putin launched the war of aggression against Ukraine, the world changed, and Europe changed with it.
This brutal invasion reminds us of some obvious facts. The peace we have enjoyed in the EU for almost 80 years should not be taken for granted. This, for European history, unprecedented peace was fought hard. It was earned by brave soldiers fighting the German Nazis. Now the Ukrainians are fighting another fascist regime to make sure that people in Europe live in peace. To succeed, they need a strong, reliable and resilient Europe.
The EU is more than just an economic giant. We need to learn to stand up for ourselves instead of depending mainly on our trans—Atlantic partners. We should unite the efforts of every Member State to guarantee our common security, the security of our closest partners and uphold the international rules—based order.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-06-07
Debate: Security in the Eastern Partnership area and the role of the common security and defence policy (debate)

  Viola von Cramon-Taubadel (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues, originally, the Eastern Partnership was created to extend a helping hand to our European neighbours in the East, to share with them European markets, values and prosperity, to shape the Europe of tomorrow together. Fourteen years later, we see that economic prosperity and democratic cooperation are fragile if they are not grounded on the fundamental concept of security. 
While the Russian invasion of Ukraine brings only economic uncertainty to Western Europe, in the Eastern Partnership, it causes fear for its own survival. If Ukraine falls, who will be next? This is the question frequently asked by our eastern neighbours. Russia continues to occupy Moldova and Georgia; it has captured Belarus; it makes sure that Armenia and Azerbaijan remain enemies. Putin’s Russia is the main destabilising factor in the region and beyond. Europe will be only peaceful when every country on this continent can enjoy peace. This is why European security should be designed with the Eastern Partnership in mind.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-05-18
Debate: EU Association Agreement with the Republic of Moldova (debate)

  Viola Von Cramon—Taubadel,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, Moldova is truly European. It has a European government that, in a short time, managed to make significant democratic improvements. It has generous people who have received thousands of Ukrainian fleeing the war.
Despite being a progressive country, Moldova also faces many challenges. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and illegal military presence in Transnistria threaten Moldova. Poverty, corruption and energy dependency make Moldova vulnerable. Even more so, the hybrid operation and disinformation coming from Moscow weaken Moldova’s political stability.
However, today is a historic moment to write a better future for the country. For this, the Moldovan Government needs to navigate through very difficult waters, and the EU will be there to show the way. We already helped to ramp up the pressure from Gazprom, to accommodate thousands of Ukrainians and to support Moldova’s territorial integrity. There is much more that the EU can – and should – do. Most importantly, we need to make sure that the financial help actually arrives in Moldova, speaking not only to President Sandu this morning; they reminded us how much we can help through our financial support. So why hasn’t Moldova received the funds we promised?
Moldova needs to continue pro—democratic reforms, combat corruption and uphold fundamental freedoms, and make sure that democratic development creates a foundation for economic progress so that Moldovans use their talents and skills to generate prosperity in their country. I strongly believe in the European future of Moldova, and for that to happen, we need to secure its European presence now.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-05-18
Debate: Prosecution of the opposition and the detention of trade union leaders in Belarus (debate)

  Viola Von Cramon—Taubadel,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, when we condemn Putin for his cruelty in Ukraine, we should never forget that he is not acting alone.
The missiles on Lviv, Kyiv and Vinnytsia were fired from Belarus. Russian troops entered Bucha and Irpin from Belarus, from Gomel. When the Russians started to retreat from Kyiv, they used places in Belarus to send the looted goods. Russians did all this because the Belarusian dictator, Aleksander Lukashenko, allowed them to do so.
Before he became an accomplice to atrocities in Ukraine, Lukashenko spent 27 years torturing his own people. In 2020 we saw the awakening of the free Belarusian spirit. Hundreds of thousands marched in the streets with flowers and white and red flags. They were brutally crushed by Lukashenko’s militias.
Just because we do not hear the voices of victims does not mean that the violence has stopped. On the contrary, the number of political prisoners in Belarus has reached more than 1 200. Among them are the trade union leaders and many other innocent representatives who were arrested last April. Their crime was the resistance of the violent regime and their demand for fundamental freedoms.
As the sanctions are starting to become effective, and the income of Lukashenko’s regime is drying up, the fall of the regime is inevitable. Our decisive actions now should speed up this fall. Lukashenko belongs in the International Criminal Court, right next to Mr Putin.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-05-05
Debate: State of play of the EU-Moldova cooperation (debate)

  Viola von Cramon-Taubadel,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, ‘Ukraine and Crimea, Belarus and Moldova, that is my country’. These rhymes were chanted on the eighth anniversary of the Crimean annexation in Moscow this year, a month ago. Putin himself addressed this rally in Russia’s biggest stadium packed with war supporters. As the invasion of Ukraine teaches us, the Kremlin’s signals should never be ignored. 
During the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin is already aiming at Moldova as its next target. A land bridge to occupied Transnistria is a tempting consolation prize for Putin to claim some victory and appease his supporters. This is one more reason for the EU to remain vigilant and stand with Moldova’s pro-European Government, and this Government of Moldova is European to the very core, for the first time in many years. In just over a year, Moldova has demonstrated strong commitment to its European future. The quality of democracy and press freedom has improved significantly, while human rights are better protected. Moldova now becomes the leader of the Eastern Partnership. 
Yet many achievements need to be urgently addressed. The so-called Russian peacekeepers still occupy parts of Moldova. The ‘false flag’ operation in this region drastically increased the risk of the war spillover. Meanwhile, Moldova, with its 1.5 million population, is demonstrating unique solidarity by sheltering over 450 000 Ukrainians since the start of the invasion. This puts huge pressure on the infrastructure of this generous country. Increased energy consumption and limited housing options are challenges that Moldova can solve only with the assistance of the EU. 
We cannot abandon Moldova at this decisive moment. As the people of Moldova have proved, the EU is Moldova’s clear choice. Application for candidacy is the first step. Through its dedication and the merit—based process, Moldova will become a full member of the European family.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-05-05
Debate: The impact of the war against Ukraine on women (debate)

  Viola von Cramon-Taubadel (Verts/ALE).   – Frau Präsidentin! Was wir eben gehört haben von der extremen Rechten in diesem Parlament, macht mich nicht nur sprachlos, sondern auch fassungslos. Es beschämt mich. 
Wir haben heute eine Entschließung aufgesetzt, wo es um den Einfluss von Gewalt des Kriegs auf Frauen in der Ukraine geht. Und es geht darum, dass wir gemeinsam hier Lösungen finden für das Leid, das vor allem Frauen im Moment in der Ukraine erfahren. Und dann wird hier so getan, als würden wir uns nicht um die anderen, um die Kämpferinnen und Kämpfer kümmern. Auch viele Frauen sind an der Front, kämpfen als Soldatinnen zusammen. Aber Frauen sind einem besonderen Leid, einer Brutalität der russischen Soldaten ausgesetzt. Rasa hat es erzählt: Die Kadyrowzy, die tschetschenische Spezialeinheit, ist ausgerichtet auf Kriegsverbrechen. Und ja, es ist wichtig, darauf hinzuweisen.
Und was Polen betrifft: Ja, Polen nimmt wahnsinnig viele Geflüchtete auf, und wir würden uns wünschen, sie würden die europäische Hilfe annehmen. Aber sie müssen dafür einen Antrag stellen, und der Antrag wurde bisher nicht gestellt. Warum? Ich weiß es nicht. Ich würde mir sehr wünschen, dass wir besser zusammenarbeiten würden und dass auch die polnische Regierung anerkennt, dass Europa viel tut, gemeinsam mit den Polinnen und Polen, mit allen anderen Ländern, die im Moment sehr viele Geflüchtete aufnehmen.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-05-04
Debate: Discharge 2020 (debate)

  Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, this discharge was conducted under special circumstances. Not only had we had the pandemic, but also, of course, the war in Ukraine. Despite these circumstances, year after year, the exercise on the Commission discharge is more of a dialogue of the deaf rather than a constructive exchange, with a view to improve the oversight on legality and effectiveness of EU taxpayers’ money. 
The error rate is still above the 2% target. Outstanding budgetary commitments continue to rise to a new record of more than EUR 300 billion. Yet not everything is in the numbers and percentages. Key issues for us are transparency and the rule of law. We all have the right to know the list of the biggest beneficiaries for EU funds now. The Commission needs to set up a system that will allow us and the EU citizens to see the complete list. Who gets how much and how often? It is the only way how we can fight conflicts of interest, land grabbing, misuse of agri- and cohesion funds. 
The core of the EU is the rule of law, and it is the Commissioner’s primary task to protect the rule of law, standards and norms. The Commission was reluctant for way too long to use all its tools, but we cannot compromise on the very foundation of the EU.
The first step against Hungary must not become the fig leaf for inaction excuses, but a booster that will strongly demonstrate our willingness and determination to make sure that there is no money if there are no EU standards.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-05-03
Debate: EU preparedness against cyber-attacks following Russia invasion on Ukraine (debate)

  Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel (Verts/ALE).   – Mr President, before Russian bombs fell on Kyiv, Odesa and Mariupol, there were Russian cyber-attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure. Microsoft alone documented over 200 such attacks. In 2015, the Russian military intelligence hacker group, Sandworm, shut down critical infrastructure and triggered a power cut for thousands of Ukrainians. The Kremlin tried to repeat that trick two weeks ago but, thanks to the US, the attack could be prevented. 
In times of hybrid warfare, the EU faces a new threat. We cannot always rely on the help of our allies or on the incompetence of our adversary. As we phase out Russian oil and gas, Putin will only intensify cyber-attacks on our energy sector.
The continent, Europe, of prosperity and highly educated people has all the resources needed to bolster European defence against cyber-attacks. However, we also need more political will and leadership. It is time to grow cyber-capabilities at home and not to outsource the development of hardware and software abroad.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-04-06
Debate: Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 24-25 March 2022: including the latest developments of the war against Ukraine and the EU sanctions against Russia and their implementation (debate)

  Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, over 300 massacred Ukrainians lay in a mass grave in Bucha. Their murderers, Russian soldiers did a sloppy job covering them with earth. Limbs of victims still stick out from the soil. Other bodies, with hands tied and a bullet in the forehead are scattered all around the destructed cities. In another town – Irpin – Russians shot down two girls and ran over their bodies with tanks repeatedly. Near Kyiv, Russian soldiers killed a man and then raped his wife while their son sobbed next door.
These indescribable acts of violence are not isolated events, but part of the systemic war crimes committed by Putin’s regime. Cluster bombs and destructed maternity hospitals were not the worst compared to the horrors committed by Russian soldiers near Kyiv. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. I’m horrified by what else we will uncover as the troops continue to retreat.
The deliberate killings of civilians are no accident. It has an ideological basis deeply ingrained in Russian society and propagated by Putin himself. For the Russian President and his supporters, Ukrainians as a nation should not be allowed to exist. For them, Ukrainians who disagree with that are Nazis and needs to be eliminated. This, coupled with the brutality of Russian soldiers that endure the dedovshchina and other abuses in the army is a deadly recipe for genocide.
Ukrainians have only one choice, either to stand up for themselves or die as a nation. We too have a choice. We either betray Ukraine by watching frozen in fear, or we do everything possible to save this brave nation and also bolster our security. The correct choice should be obvious to everyone.
As Putin is preparing a strike from the East, Ukrainians urgently need all kinds of defensive weapons. Anyone delaying the delivery unintentionally becomes an accomplice of the war crimes. Economic sanctions must escalate. We need to embargo Russian oil, coal, nuclear and also Russian gas. Every cent going to Putin’s bloody regime is a cent too much. We cannot bring back thousands of brutally murdered civilians in Bucha, Irpin or Mariupol, but if we act immediately and decisively, we can save millions from the same horrific fate.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-03-23
Debate: Debriefing of the European Council meeting in Paris on 10 March 2022 - Preparation of the European Council meeting 24-25 March 2022 (debate)

  Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, Russian bombs in Ukraine are falling not only on kindergartens and maternity wards, but also on silos and tractors. In today’s global world, a grain field burnt down by Russia in Sumy spells hunger in Yemen. Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat and other crops. The poorest states in Africa are facing a looming famine because one man in the Kremlin wants to destroy a nation. 
Millions of displaced Ukrainians, among them farmers, who cannot cultivate their land, are also on the verge of a humanitarian calamity. While Russian bombs kill thousands, Russian-caused famine endangers hundreds of millions. China and India contribute to skyrocketing grain prices through excessive hoarding. There’s enough reason to be alarmed. All international donors and organisations, every responsible party, has to act to prevent the catastrophe. 
The EU has a responsibility to decrease meat production, reduce livestock numbers and to scrap mandatory admixture of biofuel. In this way, the EU could at least mitigate a famine and a humanitarian disaster.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-03-10
Debate: Destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh

  Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel,  author. – Madam President, the Caucasus, and particularly Nagorno-Karabakh, is the crossroad of civilisations. For millennia, different cultures, nations and religions have been creating masterpieces here. These masterpieces belong not only to the people of the Caucasus, but also to the world. It is our common obligation to preserve them. 
What took millennia to build in times of peace can be destroyed in a moment by the war. After the second Karabakh war, thousands of Armenian monuments came under Azerbaijani control. Very recently, Aliyev’s government erased Armenian churches, crushed stone tombstones in another Azerbaijan region, Nakhchivan. This provides a dramatic peek into the potential future of Armenian artefacts in Nagorno-Karabakh. 
We cannot allow the cultural devastation of Nakhchivan to repeat in Nagorno-Karabakh too. Attempts to revise history should be condemned, be it the so-called Albanisation or removing the conical dome from the Armenian Holy Saviour Cathedral in Shusha. 
Equally unacceptable is the destruction of Azeri cultural heritage sites left behind by 600 000 IDPs. After the first four, many Azeri religious sites were destroyed and neglected. Cultural heritage is erased not by bulldozers, but by people full of hate. If the two Caucasian nations focus more on what unites them instead of what divides them, they will discover that their cultures are much more similar than they imagined.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-03-09
Debate: Debate with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas - The EU's role in a changing world and the security situation of Europe following the Russian aggression and invasion of Ukraine (debate)

  Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel (Verts/ALE).   – Madam President, dear Prime Minister, High Representative, the world that was is no more. It changed irreversibly when Putin’s troops crossed the Ukrainian border and started killing civilians. Putin did exactly what some of us have been warning you about for years. Yet I don’t feel pleasure for saying I told you so. It’s no time for pointing fingers, it’s time to stand up for Ukraine and bolster our security. 
Putin’s bloody war has shaken us to the core. Now we need to protect our democracy and our Union by all means. Many things we considered unthinkable happened. Nord Stream 2 is stopped. Russia is partly cut off from SWIFT. The EU Member States’ defence budgets have increased significantly. This means that we can act and adapt in the face of danger. Regardless of how the Russian invasion ends, Putin has already lost this war. He turned his country into a pariah state and destroyed its economy. Modern Russia is not the military superpower as claimed by Putin. Its imperial ambitions will be forever buried under the Ukrainian rasputitsa.
It is not a war only against Ukraine. This is Putin’s war against the civilised world. Ukraine, on the front line, is defending us and every democracy. We cannot let Ukraine fall. We need to support our fellow Europeans with all resources they require in their defence war.
Speaker: Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL (Germany — Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Political group: Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance
Date: 2022-03-08
Debate: Foreign interference in all democratic processes in the EU (debate)

  Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel,  on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, first of all, I would like to thank the rapporteur for her very cooperative approach during the course of writing this report.
Putin’s Russia is at war with Ukraine and, with that, Putin is challenging the entire democratic world. The current war is fought not only with guns, but also with disinformation. Eighteen months ago, we decided to combat disinformation. Today, Russia’s actions are the reason for this report’s existence.
Democracy should never be taken for granted and needs to be built, practised and defended. Those who wish to harm us compromise our democracy by interfering in our elections, co—opting our officials, and spreading disinformation. Actors such as Russia and China choose these methods only because they do not fear to be held accountable, because these methods have high profits and still very low cost.
A firm and resolved response is overdue. We need to establish a comprehensive sanctions regime that will deter any foreign interference. For the sanctions to work properly, we need to close the loopholes and take the following actions.
Firstly, coordination among the Member States is paramount: united we stand, divided we fall. We need to strive for unity in the EU, and this requires strengthening our crucial institution. EEAS StratCom must become more independent and a much stronger voice in the EU. Disinformation is best fought by information. We have to provide Russian and Chinese courses, and not the Confucius Institute or any kind of Russky Mir.
Independent, fact—based journalism is the cornerstone of democracy, and we need to protect our critical infrastructure. Digital platforms need to put the credibility of content before profit. The world where disinformation is not countered is dangerous and scary. A very sad example is Putin’s Russia, where propaganda has reached dystopian levels, and where Putin tries to intimidate its population into believing that a democratic Ukraine, led by a President with Jewish roots, is run by a genocidal Nazi regime.
Critical thinking is the best remedy against foreign interference on the continent of enlightenment. Critical thinking is already part of our EU’s DNA. This needs to be further strengthened, all this while safeguarding our fundamental values of freedom of expression, assembly and education. I hope we stay on the right side of history.