misclassified/meps_speeches_with_translation.csv huggingface dataset:
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2021-01-20
Debate: Inauguration of the new President of the United States and the current political situation (debate)

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, as the era of ‘America first’ comes to an end, we can begin to look forward to a presidency of ‘Allies first’ from the Biden administration.
Europe has spent the last four years carving out its own strategic autonomy. Now we have an opportunity to make the transatlantic alliance great again. By speaking in unison as Democratic allies, our words and actions can be strengthened in the face of the existential challenges that we face: autocrats like Putin, challenges related to the tech revolution, violent Islamic extremism and the threat of climate change.
I urge the EU to support Biden’s efforts to unite democracy so that we can reinvigorate multilateralism in our own free image.
The recent events in Washington have shown how fragile all of our democracies can be, but I also do we agree with my colleague Danjean that we need to look deep inside the issues and face reality. The free world has the chance to come together in the defence of our common values which have been neglected for too long... 
(The President cut off the speaker)
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2021-01-19
Debate: Humanitarian situation of refugees and migrants at the EU's external borders (debate)

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, Madam Commissioner and Madam Secretary – three women, that’s really cool. 
On this topic, any abuse of the law must be thoroughly and seriously investigated, but today’s discussion cannot take place without looking at the bigger picture. The situation at our external border is complicated and difficult. Frontline Member States are overwhelmed. Others struggle with the consequences of secondary movements and poor integration. 
The EU asylum system is broken. As confidence in this system continues to disintegrate, the more likely it is that people will seek to operate outside the failed legal framework. It’s clear that we need urgent and serious reforms. We must improve the efficiency of processing asylum seekers upon entry, prioritise the expedient return of failed asylum seekers, and work with international partners to stop individuals from being smuggled into the EU in the first place. We need a system that goes back to the founding principles of the Geneva Convention. Only by tackling the heart of the problem can we stop the consequences, which we discuss here today.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2021-01-18
Debate: European Arrest Warrant and surrender procedures between Member States (debate)

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) is a valuable cross-border tool in the fight against terrorism and serious crime. The speed of extradition now, compared to the cumbersome processes of the past, is greatly improved.
However, many will remember a time when this House repeatedly expressed concern regarding its use for petty crimes, or the system errors which destroyed the lives of unlucky individuals.
This Parliament pushed therefore for actions and consequently its implementation has greatly been improved. Yet we were recently reminded of the pitfalls when the Spanish Government used the EAW for its own political agenda. It reminded us that instruments can be used, abused and stretched if there isn’t careful monitoring and protection in place.
Rather than seeking to create new powers and widening the scope of the EAW, we must first build back trust between the Member States and increase transparency and judicial independence. This is the only way we can help.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-12-17
Debate: Forced labour and the situation of the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

  Assita Kanko,  author. – Madam President, can you imagine what it must be like to be forced to be sterilised, to be forced to undergo abortion, to be tortured, to be used as a slave, to have your children taken away from you? Because that is the reality for so many Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Twenty percent of the world’s cotton production originates from Xinjiang, often harvested with the use of forced labour. The supply chain for textile products, including masks sold in our pharmacies here in Europe, are part of an economy that is based on forced labour and a lot of exploitation and suffering.
Our companies cannot simply turn a blind eye and claim ignorance. They have a duty to better monitor their supply chains. China is not simply an economic partner; it is a country edging towards the definition of carrying out genocide. The EU and Member States must put in place effective controls and place an import ban on Chinese products made using forced labour. The EU should enforce targeted sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for overseeing these shocking crimes. It’s time to stop talking and practice what we actually believe.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-12-16
Debate: EU Security Union Strategy (debate)

  Assita Kanko,  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, the threats around us evolve very fast, but our response is way too slow. The terror attacks of recent months and years were mostly perpetrated by Islamic extremists acting alone. We need, of course, a stronger role for Europol and more effective cross-border information sharing but this is not enough. It must be matched with measures that tackle the heart of a dangerous ideology that permeates our society – radical Islam. This is why the Commission and Member States are right to strengthen their efforts to tackle radicalisation. We must take steps to root out those who use religion and ideology to incite acts of violence. In order to do that we must cast aside political correctness and understand that defending our values must be central to any action. We need the resources, political will and policies, but above all, we need courage – the courage to be proud of who we are, the courage to defend our society and way of life. This renewed security union must deliver that.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-12-15
Debate: Deterioration of the situation in Mozambique (debate)

  Assita Kanko,  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Madam President, Islamic militants linked to ISIS in Mozambique’s gas-rich northern province Cabo Delgado are becoming bolder. The extrajudicial executions, burning and looting and destruction of schools and hospitals is also extending to Tanzania. Since 2017, this Islamic terrorism has killed more than 2 200 people in this country. There are almost half a million internally-displaced people depending on international aid for food and basic needs. 
This humanitarian catastrophe must come to an end. The civilian population must be protected – urgently – and human rights violations must be investigated and punished. Gas resources should be used for the development of the region and to create the much-needed employment. The EU must contribute to humanitarian aid and the de-escalation of this conflict. We should also seriously consider why the EU so often underestimates this type of geopolitical threat – the proliferation of jihadist violence is deliberately disrupting African societies and becoming a push factor for migration. 
If the EU is serious about its geopolitical role then regional crises with a potential global impact, such as this, must be at the top of our EU-Africa agenda.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-12-14
Debate: European Citizens’ Initiative – Minority SafePack (continuation of debate)

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Voorzitter, de culturele en taalkundige verscheidenheid van Europa is belangrijk. De voorliggende resoluties belichten enige problemen bij de bescherming van deze verscheidenheid, waaronder de definitie van “nationale minderheid”. De ervaring van mijn lidstaat België, waarin twee volkeren leven, leert dat het begrip “nationale minderheid” geen louter numerieke notie is die slaat op het bevolkingsaantal.
Dit zuiver rekenkundig element wordt genuanceerd door het al dan niet innemen van een dominante positie. Ingevolge het institutionele machtsevenwicht binnen de Belgische federale overheid en het grondwettelijk kader inzake taalwetgeving is er in België sprake van codominantie van de twee grote gemeenschappen.
De Nederlandstaligen en Franstaligen kunnen noch op het gehele grondgebied van België noch op een deel ervan als een nationale minderheid worden beschouwd, in de zin van het Kaderverdrag inzake de bescherming van nationale minderheden van de Raad van Europa. De kleinere Duitstalige Gemeenschap kan als zij dat wil wel als zodanig beschouwd worden. 
In de voorstellen van rechtshandeling die de Commissie eventueel zou indienen in opvolging van het Europees burgerinitiatief “Minority Safepack”, moet er rekening mee worden gehouden dat de casus van de Nederlands- en Franstaligen in België buiten het toepassingsveld van beschermingsregels voor traditionele nationale minderheden valt.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-11-26
Debate: Elimination of customs duties on certain products (debate)

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, I would like to raise a point of order under Rule 39, given that under Rule 144 it was not possible to raise this urgent matter. In the last couple of days, there have been alarming reports that EU citizen Ahmad Reza Jalali has been transferred to solitary confinement by the Iranian authorities in preparation for his execution in the coming week. This deserves the urgent and utmost attention of the European Union. 
I call upon the European Parliament President, on High Representative Borrell and EU Foreign Ministers to urge the Iranian authorities to review this decision, not to execute Doctor Jalali, and to agree to his release. If Iran does not agree to this, then the EU must look to sanctions. This is very urgent.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-11-26
Debate: Situation in Ethiopia

  Assita Kanko,  author. – Mr President, the situation in Ethiopia is urgent. The country’s grip on peace is slipping with every passing day. Its leader, Abiy Ahmed, has a Nobel Peace Prize but is refusing to pursue peace in his own country. I believe he should give that back. He has been a wolf in sheep’s clothing; a reformer turned authoritarian. 
In the Tigray region, hundreds are already dead, with ethnic targeted violence and violations of human rights. Buildings and homes are shelled and roads are blocked to humanitarian assistance. There are no telecoms, no internet or electricity and millions face the threat of famine in a country that once was a stabilising factor, an influence in a fragile region and a pivotal force in the fight against the spread of Islamic terrorism. Tens of thousands of Ethiopians now cross the border to eastern Sudan to seek safety. 
Progress and development in Ethiopia was hard won. We must do all we can to help prevent that progress from being lost forever. A looming civil war could destabilise the whole region and trigger another humanitarian crisis that could reach the shores of Europe. We must continue to call for international mediation and a ceasefire, as you have done this week, Mr Borrell, but I would also stress that rarely does a crocodile yield to the roar of a toothless tiger. The EU provides large amounts of development assistance to Ethiopia and we should consider using this, and all available leverages, to help de—escalate the conflict. 
Time is running out to salvage the situation and forge a path to free, fair and transparent elections and ultimately to democracy. Nothing short of our most determined and resolute effort is needed.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-11-24
Debate: The fight against impunity for crimes committed against journalists around the world (debate)

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, Thomas Jefferson said: where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe. But today, in too many countries, including in European countries, the press is not free and journalists therefore are not always safe when they express what they think. Hate speech online, intimidation, the spread of disinformation, arbitrary detention and sexual violence towards female journalists all create a shrinking space for free speech. In the past 15 years, close to 200 hundred journalists have been killed. In nine out of ten of these cases, there is no conviction. Impunity emboldens perpetrators. It also points to a bigger problem within our societies and justice systems. A free press speaks truth to power. It criticises, satirises and holds us to account. It sheds light where others have sought to shore up corruption, wrongdoing and mistruth in darkness. A free press is one of the great pillars that hold us up and our democracy safe, and by protecting journalists we help protect the path to truth and freedom.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-10-20
Debate: Police brutality within the EU (debate)

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, good policing is a consequence of understanding the moral responsibility that comes with holding power. The legitimacy of policing is based upon consent, integrity and accountability. 2020 has brought an appetite for change and self—examination. We should not miss this opportunity to renew our social contract and better ourselves as a society, not only to ensure we stamp out any abuses of power or acts of brutality within our police forces, but also to bring to an end the growing threat of violence to police officers on our streets.
These are difficult discussions to have but they are necessary. When our institutions and those within it fail, which at times they do, we must not hesitate to hold our own feet to the fire. Acknowledging the wrongdoing of the few does not undermine the integrity of the many, it only strengthens it.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-10-19
Debate: Digital Services Act: Improving the functioning of the Single Market - Digital Services Act: adapting commercial and civil law rules for commercial entities operating online - Digital Services Act and fundamental rights issues posed - Framework of ethical aspects of artificial intelligence, robotics and related technologies - Civil liability regime for artificial intelligence - Intellectual property rights for the development of artificial intelligence technologies (debate)

  Assita Kanko,  rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. – Madam President, we are in the midst of a global tech race. Technology should empower us all, but we see everyday how it can be deployed for malign purposes, from deep-fake videos undermining democracy to the challenge of fully autonomous weapon systems.
The EU is a regulatory power, but we must also be a tech superpower, not only for regulation but also for promoting technology and supporting it. That means developing metadata skills and partnerships with like-minded allies. The only way to ensure ethical development of AI is for the world’s democracies to win the global tech race and set the global standards. If China comes first, our ethical frameworks will be nothing more than well-intentioned empty words, and that cannot be.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-10-07
Debate: The resumption of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan in relation to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (debate)

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Voorzitter, de regio Nagorno-Karabach staat op een breekpunt. Mijn hart bloedt als ik het zie. De levens van gewone burgers gaan verloren. Dit escalerende geweld is een weg naar nergens. Geen enkele militaire oplossing zal vrede brengen, alleen dialoog. Zoals de Armeense premier zei: “een staakt-het-vuren kan alleen worden ingesteld als Turkije wordt verwijderd uit de zuidelijke Kaukasus.” 
We kunnen hier wel allemaal zeggen dat Turkije een belangrijke bondgenoot van de EU en een waardevol NAVO-lid is, maar hoeveel conflicten, urgenties en spanningen zijn er niet erger geworden door het handelen van Erdoğan? Hoelang zal het duren voordat de EU de moed vindt om eerlijk te spreken en Turkije laat zien dat zijn acties consequenties hebben? Turkije had een keuze. Het had zijn aanzienlijke invloed kunnen gebruiken om de spanningen te kalmeren. In plaats daarvan stuurt het strijders uit Syrië om de vlammen van het conflict verder aan te wakkeren. 
De EU denkt misschien dat ze pragmatisme aan de dag legt wat Turkije betreft. In plaats daarvan toont ze alleen zwakte.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-10-05
Debate: The establishment of an EU Mechanism on Democracy, the Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights (debate)

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Madam President, the deeper our challenges, the more our values matter. Times of crisis can erode freedom and fairness. As we all know, no country is immune to this. Protecting human rights, promoting free speech and free media, passing legislation that increases freedom and does not discriminate, and ensuring court systems that do not allow political interference or bias – this is the only true path to stability and prosperity. The rule of law is not the enemy of great government – the belief that our values are extinguishable is! The rule of law was not designed to protect governments and elites, but to protect people. For those that seek to stray from our shared values, I hope they reach the conclusion that by respecting democracy and the rule of law, there is much to be gained and far less to lose.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-09-17
Debate: Combatting the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children (debate)

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Mr President, the measure of a society is how it protects the most vulnerable. Right now, Europe is letting its children down. Interpol, Europol, the Internet Watch Foundation and many others have highlighted the shocking and vast extent of the sexual abuse of children online in Europe.
Our aims are clear: that more victims need to be identified and protected that more criminals need to be brought to justice and that we will do all we can to create a world free from child sexual exploitation. To achieve this, the EU needs to lead the world on creating effective partnerships between governments, industry, law enforcement and NGOs.
The EU must give the necessary political will, expertise and resources needed to end this horrific pattern of criminality once and for all, and also in how we show children on television and in the media.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-09-17
Debate: The case of Dr. Denis Mukwege in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

  Assita Kanko,  author. – Madam President, years ago I was honoured to interview Dr Mukwege for a book I wrote on women’s rights. He inspired me with his simple belief that we all have a duty to do the right thing. He is not a man who thinks women’s rights is an issue for women. He just jumps in and fights. He said, ‘I became a feminist because, in the face of the atrocity I witnessed, I had a choice: to go away or to act. I couldn’t just leave’.
The EU must do all it can to protect the points of light that shine through darkness. For the many thousands of victims of sexual violence in the Congo, Dr Mukwege is that light. We must call for a deep and impartial investigation into the threats made against him, and the EU must urge the Congolese authorities to adopt the draft law which protects human rights defenders and installs transitional justice. By defending Dr Mukwege’s life, we also defend the lives and dignity of those that every day rely upon his bravery. We must do all we can to help him continue to fight for the change he has spent a lifetime trying to achieve: the delivery of justice, truth and the empowerment of women.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-09-15
Debate: Preparation of the Special European Council, focusing on the dangerous escalation and the role of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean (debate)

  Assita Kanko (ECR).   – Mr President, Turkey is an important strategic partner for the EU, both economically and geopolitically, but that does not negate its many misdemeanours: backsliding democracy and human rights; devastating actions in Syria and Libya; disregard of international law with regard to Greece and Cyprus; lack of respect for Christian communities. And this is not the first, second, third or even fourth time we’ve had this exact same debate in this Parliament.
Turkey has not presented itself as a worthy candidate country for years. We need a fundamental strategic rethink of our relationship. It’s time the EU accepts that at best we can only have a business relationship with Turkey. Accession negotiations should be stopped and the budget allocation also for this process should be put to better use. We need the money for other things. Trying to turn Erdoğan into a reliable and cooperative partner is like trying to flog a dead horse. I don’t want to do that.
Speaker: Assita KANKO (Belgium — Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie)
Political group: European Conservatives and Reformists Group
Date: 2020-07-09
Debate: The 2019 Human Rights Annual report - Stability and Security in the Mediterranean and the negative role of Turkey - Situation in Belarus (debate)

  Assita Kanko,  on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, gas drilling in Cyprus, belligerence in the eastern Mediterranean, annihilating Christian communities, buying a Russian—made S—400 missile system, threatening French ships, transferring Jihadi fighters from Syria to Libya, blackmailing Europe with migrants if we do not support their actions in Syria. Colleagues, I have to ask, with friends like these who needs enemies?
The past few months have shown that Turkey under Erdoğan cannot be a close and trusted ally of Europe. This is the behaviour of an autocrat and we cannot continue to entertain autocrats on Tuesday and then on Wednesday claim we are a continent based on democratic values. The time has come to admit that the current framework for our talks with Turkey, the membership framework, is completely out of touch with reality. It’s time for a fundamental strategic rethink of EU—Turkey relations. We can have a relationship that is built on trade, but we should not be naive to the fact that both our values and interests are not converging, they are diverging. Friends do not behave in the way that Turkey has been behaving. So, if we cannot be friends, let’s take the Turkish approach and have more transactional relationships. Maybe we cannot be friends, but Turkey needs to be a better neighbour and you can do that.