unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Marco Campomenosi
Political group: ID
Country: Portugal
Language: IT

Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, il fascicolo Cina lo conosciamo tutti, è molto complesso, e devo dire che la risoluzione, rispetto a un atteggiamento che il Parlamento aveva in passato un po' più timoroso, credo abbia come novità il fatto di essere più ambiziosa. Sicuramente è merito della relatrice, di chi ha lavorato su questo fascicolo, ma anche perché la situazione è molto deteriorata: la situazione nel Mar Cinese meridionale; le provocazioni a Taiwan; le ingerenze in aree molto delicate, come l'Afghanistan; l'Africa che è depredata dalla Cina; i paesi che sono anche indebitati. Poi nella commissione per il commercio internazionale (INTA) parliamo molto di alcuni aspetti: l'impatto che ha la Cina sul mercato delle materie prime, le restrizioni all'export, la ripartenza delle imprese europee a rischio a causa anche di alcune situazioni. Ecco, tutto questo però non vale più se nei confronti e sui temi dei diritti umani, Hong Kong ma non solo, non siamo abbastanza coraggiosi e forti, per farci rispettare oltre che per difendere cittadini inermi.
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Assita Kanko
Political group: ECR
Country: France
Language: NL

Voorzitter, eerst en vooral wil ik de rapporteur, mevrouw Vautmans, bedanken voor haar werk. Dit is een zeer belangrijk dossier. Ik kan mij vinden in de grote lijnen en de kritische ondertoon van dit verslag over een EU-strategie ten aanzien van China, waarin rekening wordt gehouden met het veelzijdige karakter van de betrekkingen van de EU met China. Het is daarom noodzakelijk dat in deze strategie actiemiddelen worden voorgesteld om te reageren op de verschillende rollen van China: samenwerkings- en onderhandelingspartner, economische concurrent en systemische rivaal. Samenwerking mag niet uitsluiten dat er kritische noten worden geplaatst bij de situatie van de mensenrechten in China, de mensenrechten in Hongkong, de behandeling van onze bedrijven, Chinese cyberaanvallen en pogingen tot culturele onderdrukking en de moderne kolonisatie van Afrika. Ik denk en ik vrees eigenlijk dat we hier weer heel streng zullen zijn met woorden, maar niet actief genoeg met wat we daarna moeten doen. Daarmee moeten we opletten.
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Karlo Ressler
Political group: PPE
Country: Germany
Language: HR

Poštovana predsjedavajuća, kolegice i kolege, kao drugo najveće svjetsko gospodarstvo Kina je danas globalni akter kojeg je nemoguće zaobići. Kina je ogroman trgovinski partner, a kineske tvrtke investiraju u brojne projekte diljem Europe.  Međutim, jasno je i da Kina nije dio našeg kulturnog civilizacijskog kruga. I ne samo to, nego je jasno i da imamo radikalno različita poimanja o uređenju društva i zato u našim odnosima moramo inzistirati na poštivanju međunarodnih obveza, na poštivanju ljudskih prava i na pravilima koja vrijede za sve. Europske kompanije moraju imati pristup tržištu i natjecati se pod ravnopravnim uvjetima. To će biti ključno u definiranju naših budućih odnosa. No, i više od toga naše odnose, naš važan, a ne i uvijek i jednostavan odnos, odredit će i imperativ principijelne suradnje u ključnim globalnim pitanjima, što svakako uključuje i suočavanje s klimatskim promjenama.
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Bernd Lange
Political group: S-D
Country: Portugal
Language: DE

Frau Vorsitzende, Frau Kommissarin! Erst einmal herzlichen Dank an die Berichterstatterin, Frau Vautmans, für den guten Bericht und für die gute Kooperation mit dem Handelsausschuss, weil natürlich in den Beziehungen zu China die Handelspolitik eine ganz entscheidende Rolle spielt. Ein chinesisches Sprichwort sagt: „Lieber auf einem neuen Weg etwas stolpern, als auf dem alten Weg auf der Stelle treten.“ Und das ist genau das, worum es gehen muss. Wir wissen alle ob der Situation in China. Aber wir wissen auch, dass wir in bestimmten Bereichen kooperieren müssen. Insofern ist es richtig, dass wir hier über die Frage eines Instrumentes zur Absicherung der öffentlichen Beschaffung nachdenken, dass wir klarmachen, dass illegale Subventionen nicht akzeptabel sind auf dem Binnenmarkt, dass wir ein Lieferkettengesetz haben wollen. Wir wissen aber auch, dass wir China im Rahmen der WTO und beim Klimaschutz brauchen. Insofern: Beide Elemente sind hier mit drin. Und das ist genau richtig so. Neues Denken – ja, aber auch mit dem klaren Selbstbewusstsein unserer Interessen. Deswegen: klare Kante, aber eben kein engstirniges Denken.
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Charlie Weimers
Political group: ECR
Country: Luxembourg
Language: EN

Madam President, I congratulate rapporteur Vautmans on a good report. Now, the EU funded the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The purpose? A European virus archive, expressly aimed at, and I quote, ‘the production of viruses’. That is a fact. Those EU funds may have contributed to the dangerous gain-of-function research that could be the source of COVID-19.  If the pandemic was indeed caused by a lab leak, ensuring this never ever happens again must be at the heart of our EU-China strategy. No more cover-ups. A full investigation. That is why this House should launch a special committee to examine the origins of COVID-19 and whether any EU funding provided to the Wuhan Institute directly or indirectly contributed to, or enabled, gain-of-function research.
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Rasa Juknevičienė
Political group: PPE
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Madam President, I will talk about the part of the Chinese nation that is called Taiwan. This country is probably the most important today when we think about China’s future, not to mention Hong Kong, whose democracy-preserving leaders are already in jail. The government of my country has already announced that a Taiwanese Representative Office will be established in Lithuania. Many in the EU support it. The US has already expressed strong support to Lithuania. I urge the Commission and the Council to support Lithuania and Taiwan in developing cultural, economic and diplomatic relations, and to condemn China’s economic sanctions against Lithuania over this issue.  Lithuania and Taiwan setting up representative offices did not violate the EU’s ‘One China’ policy.  I call for a real action to contribute to a safer EU, a safer world.  Only by supporting democracies can we contribute to that.
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Raphaël Glucksmann
Political group: S-D
Country: Romania
Language: FR

Madame la Présidente, Madame la Commissaire, chers collègues, nous sommes le 14 septembre 2021 et des millions de Ouïghours sont toujours parqués dans des camps de concentration en Chine; non pour ce qu’ils font, mais pour ce qu’ils sont. Je vous lasse, sans doute, à sans cesse revenir sur ce crime contre l’humanité, mais cela fait cinq ans que ces camps existent. Cinq ans que des multinationales cupides bénéficient de l’esclavage d’un peuple. Cinq ans que nos dirigeants refusent d’agir pour que cesse l’horreur. Nous savons pourtant les mesures qu’il nous faudrait prendre: bannissement des produits de l’esclavage de nos marchés. Ce n’est toujours pas fait. Alors, faisons-le. Sanctions des plus hauts responsables de la répression, comme Chen Quanguo, l’architecte de la déportation des Ouïgours après avoir été celui de la répression des Tibétains. Ce n’est toujours pas fait. Alors, faisons-le. Chers collègues, des centaines de milliers de jeunes partout en Europe se mobilisent pour briser le silence qui entoure la disparition d’un peuple. Je ne suis aujourd’hui que leur écho dans cette enceinte. Écoutez-les. Ils sont l’honneur de l’Europe. Ils nous conjurent d’agir. Alors agissons!
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Bert-Jan Ruissen
Political group: ECR
Country: France
Language: NL

Voorzitter, ook van mijn kant dank aan de rapporteur, mevrouw Vautmans, voor haar uitstekende verslag. Ik ben het met haar eens dat we vanavond heel erg duidelijk moeten zijn. Zolang China doorgaat met het schenden van mensenrechten, het opsluiten van Oeigoeren, het vervolgen van christenen en het vernietigen van de democratie in Hongkong, kan van een investeringsovereenkomst met de EU geen sprake zijn.  China moet ook niet denken dat de problemen wel zijn op te lossen door alleen maar de sancties op te heffen en in de marge wat aan te passen. Nee, er zijn echt fundamentele aanpassingen nodig, zeker op het vlak van de bescherming van christenen en andere religieuze minderheden.  Wat dan niet helpt – en dan kijk ik naar de vertegenwoordiger van de Commissie –, is dat de EU-gezant voor godsdienstvrijheid, Christos Stylianides, na vier maanden alweer vertrekt. Zo wordt het natuurlijk nooit wat met de broodnodige diplomatie op dit terrein.  Mijn vraag aan de Commissie is dan ook heel concreet: kunt u garanderen dat er snel een volwaardige opvolger komt die wel bereid is zich langere tijd en met hart en ziel in te zetten voor hen die worden vervolgd?
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Ivan Štefanec
Political group: PPE
Country: Netherlands
Language: EN

Madam President, first, while recognising the importance of dialogue with China, the EU has every interest in an open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.  I am looking forward to seeing the Joint Communication on the EU Strategy for Cooperation in this region, because I do hope that this timely initiative will allow us to boost cooperation with other like-minded democracies. Speaking of this, I would like to underline the necessity of focusing our attention on important regional partners willing to work with us, such as Taiwan.  I do believe that Taiwan, being a like-minded partner to the EU, can contribute its experience and expertise in many areas, including on matters relating to trade, technology, critical supplies, or the fight against disinformation, and therefore can be an excellent partner for us. This is also the moment to urge the Commission and the Council to further demonstrate solidarity with Lithuania over its sovereign decision to conduct cultural, economic and diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and to condemn China’s economic sanctions on Lithuania over this issue.
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Kathleen Van Brempt
Political group: S-D
Country: Germany
Language: NL

Voorzitter, eerst en vooral een dikke proficiat aan Hilde voor dit verslag. Ze is erin geslaagd een duidelijk standpunt te verwoorden met een kamerbrede meerderheid. Dat is fantastisch. Tegelijkertijd moeten we ook toegeven dat we misschien een beetje te laat zijn met dit duidelijke standpunt. Veel te lang zijn we gewoon heel erg naïef geweest. We hebben lang gedacht dat China wel zou democratiseren en volgens de regels zou spelen. Niets is minder waar. Daarom, mevrouw de commissaris, wil ik vandaag de nadruk leggen op onze eigen initiatieven en alles wat we doen rond handelsbescherming, buitenlandse investeringen en buitenlandse subsidies. We moeten oneerlijke praktijken heel hard aanpakken en tegelijkertijd de link leggen met de mensenrechten, de Oeigoeren en dwangarbeid. Het moet mij van het hart, mevrouw de commissaris, dat het initiatief inzake zorgvuldigheid te lang op zich laat wachten. We moeten er nu aan beginnen. Ten slotte is het ook tijd dat we aan Taiwan een duidelijk signaal geven dat we achter hen staan en dat we willen beginnen met de onderhandelingen over de investeringsovereenkomst.
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Isabel Santos
Political group: S-D
Country: Hungary
Language: PT

Senhora Presidente, é impossível discutir uma nova Estratégia UE-China sem falar de Xinjiang, do Tibete, de Hong Kong, mas também sobre Macau e os constantes atropelos à Declaração Conjunta Portugal-China e aos direitos liberdades e garantias aí consagrados.  Não podemos ficar indiferentes à utilização abusiva da pandemia para suprimir liberdades de reunião e manifestação, aos condicionamentos da imprensa, como as instruções dadas aos jornalistas da TDM para que não fizessem notícias consideradas negativas para a China, à proibição da vigília em memória das vítimas de Tiananmen e não podemos tolerar a desqualificação arbitrária e persecutória dos diversos candidatos pró-democracia nas eleições legislativas de Macau no passado domingo, contrariando o apelo da União Europeia em defesa, cito, dos direitos e liberdades garantidos.  Os pacíficos cidadãos de Macau responderam com um aumento de 13 % da abstenção e um crescimento exponencial do número de votos brancos e nulos. A União Europeia não pode ficar sem reação. Não haverá qualquer acordo com a China enquanto continuar a violar os acordos estabelecidos com países da União Europeia.
Debate: A new EU-China strategy
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Jutta Urpilainen
Language: EN

Let me stress once again the need to maintain a multifaceted approach to China. This means remaining open for dialogue and engagement to pursue the ambitions of global public goods and the Sustainable Development Goals, defending our values and citizens in a spirit of unity and solidarity, stepping up our efforts to continue closing loopholes and beefing up our resilience. I trust in the support of this House for the pursuit of this strategy.
Debate: EU Blue Card Directive
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Fabio Massimo Castaldo
Country: France
Language: IT

L'ordine del giorno reca la relazione di Javier Moreno Sánchez, a nome della commissione per le libertà civili, la giustizia e gli affari interni, sulla proposta di direttiva del Parlamento europeo e del Consiglio sulle condizioni di ingresso e soggiorno dei cittadini di paesi terzi che intendano svolgere lavori altamente specializzati (
Debate: EU Blue Card Directive
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Tatjana Ždanoka
Country: Italy
Language: EN

Cardholders have equal treatment with nationals as regards working conditions, education, social security and recognition of diplomas. Also, family life is more protected. Family members of card-holders have immediate access to the labour market, and residence permits for family members will be issued at the same time as the Blue Card itself. Regarding the scope of the Directive, it now fully and immediately applies to refugees and no longer excludes seasonal workers. But unfortunately, asylum seekers still remain outside the scope of the directive. We are also concerned that Member States remain permitted to adopt parallel national schemes. However, several safeguard clauses were introduced to ensure equality between the EU and national schemes.
Debate: EU Blue Card Directive
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Seán Kelly
Political group: PPE
Country: Greece
Language: EN

In order to reaffirm and implement our commitment to a green and digital future, we are investing in educating children and upskilling adults in these areas to ensure that we have a competitive workforce. Attracting third-country nationals who are highly-skilled in ICT and other areas, as the Commissioner pointed out, in which we currently have a skills gap, will complement our efforts.  This proposal marks a positive step forward in making the Blue Card scheme more attractive for a number of reasons. An important one is that the criteria for admission and the procedures to follow have been clarified and therefore made much more user-friendly. This makes it easier for third—country nationals to learn about the scheme and for EU employers to recruit through it.  The EU’s ageing population poses a risk that skill shortages will increase in the future. Let’s act now and ensure that the EU retains its top class workforce so that the EU remains competitive as a great location for talented and ambitious people, male and female, to find exciting and rewarding careers in a continent devoid of warfare and perpetual danger, and richer in diversity than any area in the world.
Debate: EU Blue Card Directive
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Sylvie Guillaume
Political group: S-D
Country: Slovakia
Language: FR

Mais cette étape est bienvenue dans la construction d’une politique européenne respectueuse des droits individuels et ouverte aux défis du présent en matière de migrations de travail, vous l’avez rappelé, Madame la Commissaire. Car la migration, bien que combattue violemment, caricaturée et manipulée dans certaines formations politiques, est une réalité démographique, économique et humaine incontestable. Nous devons garder également à l’esprit qu’avoir plus de voies légales, c’est casser le  Chers collègues, j’en appelle à vous pour montrer le même soutien aujourd’hui à cette directive dont les débats ont été conclus avec talent par Javier Moreno Sánchez. C’est une question de bon sens et d’humanité. C’est aussi une question économique et sociale pour protéger tous les travailleurs, européens ou non, moins bien rémunérés et plus exposés aux risques d’exploitation.
Debate: EU Blue Card Directive
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Ramona Strugariu
Political group: Renew
Country: Italy
Language: EN

Yes, the revised Blue Card will bring more harmonised, more attractive and less bureaucratic rules, and it will therefore encourage the access of highly skilled third country workers to the EU labour market. But this will also help lower the skills mismatch within the EU and I believe it is essential for us to understand the benefits of the legal labour migration.  The new instrument will allow access to highly qualified workers, as well as highly skilled workers with proven work experience of at least three years in the IT area and beneficiaries of international protection with an employment contract of only six months. EU Blue Card holders will no longer be subject to a labour market test if they want to change jobs after one year. Even when their family members want to reunite within the Union, they will no longer be restricted from accessing a job. And Member States will also make sure that Blue Card holders and their family members do not enjoy a lower level of procedural safeguards and rights than those holders of national residence permits.  This is not, however, a perfect piece of legislation. I see it as an important step forward, but my wish is that we are more ambitious for the future, a lot more ambitious for the future. This was also clearly expressed in the position of the European Parliament that we defended, and I wish it had been the ambition of the Member States as well.  Let us be clear upon one thing. Illegal migration can be, and should be, countered with safe and legal pathways, and the exchange of valuable human resources is a win for both the Union and the third countries. I’m confident that we will be able to understand and proceed further with this common understanding of a political, but also labour market-related, social and economic reality. It is for the benefit of us all.
Debate: EU Blue Card Directive
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Damian Boeselager
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Slovenia
Language: EN

If you want to attract talent to Europe, you need to be attractive, and that’s why I’m super happy that today we can celebrate the agreement on the new Blue Card with you from the Commission as well, because finally, people can move from one Member State to the next within one month. Finally, people can take with them the years they agglomerated on long-term residence from one country to the next, making it much more attractive to come to Europe in the first place. And finally, IT professionals can apply for the Blue Card even without a university degree, making this Blue Card the ultimate European tech visa. So today is a day of celebration, and tomorrow we should put our heads together again to ensure that it comes into effect as fast as possible and to tackle, one by one, all pathways for labour migration so that people don’t have to wait one and a half years if they have a job offer in Europe.
Debate: EU Blue Card Directive
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Nicolaus Fest
Political group: ID
Country: Cyprus
Language: DE

Aber wenn die Ehepartner eben nicht hochqualifiziert sind, dann verstehe ich nicht, wie Sie behaupten können, es würde dadurch kein Sozialdumping entstehen. Natürlich wird dies den Druck auf die gering qualifizierten europäischen Arbeitnehmer noch erhöhen. Wir haben im Augenblick knapp 15 Millionen Arbeitslose. Die aber sind Ihnen egal, statt etwas für die zu tun, geht es Ihnen nur darum, die Wege der legalen Migration noch auszuweiten und auf jede mögliche Weise die Migration zu fördern. Mit anderen Worten: Die Arbeitnehmer, vor allem die Arbeitslosen Europas, sehr geehrter Herr Sánchez, sind Ihnen, mit Verlaub gesagt, scheißegal, und das ist sehr traurig.
Debate: EU Blue Card Directive
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Assita Kanko
Political group: ECR
Country: France
Language: EN

It’s also a balanced agreement so my party is also going to vote for this. It’s a good way to enable legal migration and to also show that the EU can be attractive for highly—qualified people who want to work here. Our EU is in danger of missing the boat when it comes to attracting these highly talented and educated people, so we need to be innovative and this European Blue Card can do that. This reform can do that. I am pleased that the Blue Card will provide faster, easier and more inclusive access for these highly qualified people that, otherwise, the US, Canada and the UK would take away from us. In addition, Member States will still be able to retain their national systems for labour migration, and this is important because it will still allow each Member State to take into account the reality of their own labour market. They will also use mechanisms that ensure that highly skilled non—EU workers are admitted only after the national database has been exhausted. The EU could not stay behind. The revision was very much needed and, of course, we have to thank our Commissioner for speeding up the process. It has been a huge teamwork. At the beginning of a long road, we never know where we are going to end, but we can say that, when we work together and listen to each other, we can achieve bigger things.