unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Kinga Gál
Political group: NI
Country: Spain
Language: HU

Tisztelt Elnök Úr! A nyugat-balkáni régió stabilitása – mi mind jól tudjuk – az EU biztonsági, geopolitikai és gazdasági érdeke. A Bizottság e héten megjelent országjelentései szerint is ezek az országok a nehézségek ellenére értek el előrehaladást számos területen az EU-tagság érdekében. Mégsincs előrelépés konkrét dátummal a bővítés területén, csak bővítési ígéretek vannak az Unió részéről. Ennek negatív hatása már érzékelhető a Nyugat-Balkánon. A térségben nagy a kiábrándultság és ezt a nyugat-balkáni csúcstalálkozó sem volt elég, hogy ellensúlyozza. Ha az Unió nem tesz mielőbb konkrét lépéseket, akkor elveszíthetjük ezen államok bizalmát a tagállamok felé és harmadik országok növelik tovább befolyásukat a térségben. Mi magyarok aktívan részt veszünk a térség stabilitásának fenntartásában, Magyarország épp most vette át a KFOR parancsnokságát. Mi határozottan kiállunk Szerbia és Montenegró mielőbbi felvétele mellett, Albániával és Észak-Macedóniával való tárgyalások megkezdéséért és vízumliberalizációért. Nyugat-Balkán Európa szerves része, a régió országait minden oldalról az EU veszi körül, ezért szükség van a bővítésre mielőbb.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Andrey Kovatchev
Political group: PPE
Country: Poland
Language: BG

Г-н министър, г-жо Комисар, аз и моите колеги от България, както и българската държава, винаги сме подкрепяли интеграцията на Западните Балкани. Това е в наш интерес, европейски интерес. Европейската интеграция обаче е двустранен процес, както ние трябва да сме готови, така и страните от Западните Балкани трябва да положат максимални усилия да преодолеят всичко това, което ги е разделяло и ни е разделяло в миналото. Г-н министър, в останалите няколко месеца от Вашето Председателство нека да положите максимални усилия за нещата, които казаха някои от колегите. Визите за Косово, това трябва да бъде наистина преустановено, тази дискриминация срещу гражданите на Косово. Започването на преговори. Да, когато реално не можем да направим максималното, което искаме, поне с Албания да започнем преговори. Аз не мога да разбера защо щом 27 държави членки казват „да“ за започването на преговори, защо да не се започне поне с Албания, да се даде малко положителен сигнал към нещо добро да се случва на Балканите? И да положим максимални усилия за преодоляване на последните пречки по отношение на добросъседството, намирането на взаимноприемлива пътна карта, която да влезе в преговорната рамка като гаранция за това, че ще се изпълняват и Договорът за добросъседство с България, и всички неща, свързани с основни човешки права на българите, които са дискриминирани изключително тежко, за съжаление го казвам това, в Република Северна Македония. Наследството на комунизма, колкото и да е странно за някои от колегите, но повтарям втори път, наследството на комунизма и диктатурата на Тито (въпреки че Тито е скъсал със Сталин, това не означава, че той е някакъв добър демократ) нямат място в Европейския съюз. Това е въпрос, не билатерален спор, а основен въпрос за човешките права, който трябва да бъде преодолян по пътя на европейската интеграция. Желая от сърце колкото се може по-бързо всички граждани на Западните Балкани да станат и европейски граждани. Това е в наш основен интерес, но по този път трябва да се преодолее миналото и комунизмът. Комунизмът не е добро нещо.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Pedro Marques
Political group: S-D
Country: Czechia
Language: EN

Mr President, the Western Balkans Summit was an opportunity to reaffirm the region’s European perspective. The timing was good: the relevance was enormous. However, the conclusions were, we have to say, disappointing. When it was time to give a clear signal to those countries that are on a positive path to entering the European Union, the Council failed on giving them that sign. Albania and North Macedonia are ready to start accession talks with the EU. It would have been an incentive for them and for the whole region to proceed with the necessary reforms. At the same time, it would deter the growing influence of some democratic powers in the region. The EU must reward the merit of those who did what they were supposed to. For those who did not, there must be a different outcome. The EU cannot bend the rules and, in particular, it must be strong on the rule of law criteria. The rule of law is not a formality; it’s a pillar of democracy. There can be no compromise on it. There is a well-established accession road to the EU, and the EU must stick to it, for better and for worse. Only that way are we credible in the world.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Klemen Grošelj
Political group: Renew
Country: Hungary
Language: SL

Na eni strani imamo del držav članic, ki ne podpira širitve oziroma ima do nje zadržke zaradi notranjepolitičnih razlogov, povzročenih tudi z nespoštovanjem vladavine prava dela držav članic kot tudi z zlorabo migracijskega vprašanja. Na drugi strani je del članic, ki ima težave z vladavino prava in uporablja širitev kot talca oziroma kot sredstvo pritiska in poglabljanja prepada oziroma delitve znotraj Evropske unije.  Potem so tu še voditelji Zahodnega Balkana, ki širitev po potrebi uporabljajo za notranjepolitične potrebe, bodisi da na eni strani zavlačujejo z reformami bodisi to izrabljajo za utrjevanje svoje politične moči, ko jim seveda to ugaja. Ko jim to ne ugaja, seveda, so potem zopet proti sami širitvi.  A tu so še ljudje – prebivalci EU in prebivalci Zahodnega Balkana. Na eni strani prebivalci EU zaradi debat okoli vladavine prava oziroma predvsem zaradi nespoštovanja načel vladavine prava v delu Evropske unije izgubljajo vero v samo EU. Na drugi strani so ljudje v regiji, ki zaradi vsega dogajanja oziroma predvsem nekritične drže Evropske komisije do samega dogajanja v regiji počasi izgubljajo zaupanje v Evropsko unijo.  Zato je zdaj morda čas za deklaracijo in tudi politične odločitve, ne v tem domu, ampak predvsem v Svetu EU, ki bodo nam vsem, tistim v EU kot tistim na Zahodnem Balkanu, nalile vsaj drobec čistega vina in pojasnile, kakšna je pravzaprav prihodnost tako imenovanega širitvenega procesa.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Thomas Waitz
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Denmark
Language: EN

Mr President, yes, we have been talking about Albania and North Macedonia. We, as the European Union, gave them clear conditions which they had to fulfil for us to start negotiation talks, and both countries have fulfilled all the requirements. In terms of Albania, they made very brave justice reforms, and when it comes to North Macedonia, in all of these countries not everything is perfect yet. That’s why we are not negotiating here or debating here about finally accepting them as partners within the European Union. But we’re talking about starting negotiation talks. And what are negotiation talks? They’re about talking about all the problems, all the reforms, all the progress that is still needed. They’re exactly the platform to also talk about bilateral disputes, which several countries may have with several others.  I really call on Bulgaria to lift that deadlock for that region. To Mr Dzhambazki I say, as far as I know, your party has not been re-elected to the Bulgarian parliament twice, so Bulgarian citizens are not supporting your hatred speech, your deepening of the division. As far as I know, they have elected you out of the Bulgarian Parliament. It would be really important for Bulgaria to stand together with the European partners and to lift the deadlock and to start negotiations finally. We still have a majority in the regions that are pro-European, but the majorities are shrinking and we shouldn’t wait all too long, and this is a huge responsibility for all of us, but especially for Bulgaria in that situation.  On Montenegro: Montenegro is still the frontrunner when it comes to the negotiations. They have opened the most chapters of all the countries in the region. Yes, we’re having a very difficult situation and we need European influence, we need honest European brokers that help with the debate within the country between the former leading party of Mr Djukanovic, DPS, and the current coalition because they need two-thirds majorities for the juridical reforms that are urgently needed. We should help out there.  The last word, on Serbia: Serbia is an important partner in the region. Serbia is a great nation. But you know the European Union is about overcoming historical disputes. It’s about overcoming historical claims on land and whatsoever. I’m an Austrian citizen, what  shall I tell you? That’s what the European Union is about, and it’s about looking at the commonalities on what we share and whoever knows the Balkans region knows that the whole Balkans region is sharing a lot: much, much more than divides the different groups, ethnical or religioous, from each other.  So I call on Serbia to use your influence to look at the shared heritage, the shared values, the shared cultural identity in the region, and use your influence for more peace, for better cooperation and for progress towards joining the European Union.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Nicolaus Fest
Political group: ID
Country: Cyprus
Language: DE

Herr Präsident, Herr Minister, Frau Kommissarin! Vor zwei Wochen sprach hier ein Spanier mit einem ähnlichen Slogan und jemand übrigens, der immer für die Unabhängigkeit Kataloniens eintritt. Ich dachte, das ist eine richtige Idee. Natürlich, jedes Volk hat einen Anspruch auf Schutz seiner Traditionen, seiner Sprache, seiner Kultur und seiner Lebensgrundlagen. Und vor allem hat es eben auch einen Anspruch auf Schutz gegenüber dem deutlich rassistischen Projekt einer Massenmigration nach Europa. Damit sind wir auch beim Westbalkan, denn die Völker haben nicht nur einen Anspruch auf Schutz vor Massenmigration, sondern sie haben auch einen Anspruch auf Schutz vor Kriminalität, vor Korruption. Und genau das sind die Hauptprobleme im Westbalkan, ganz abgesehen davon, dass wir überhaupt keine politische Lösung für die dort vorherrschenden Spannungen haben, die sich gerade zwischen Serbien und dem Kosovo wieder gezeigt haben. Aber vor allem ist der Westbalkan eine Ländergruppe, die von der Korruption geradezu zerfressen ist. Kein einziges dieser Länder ist auf dem  Vor allem aber ist in diesen Ländern auch die Mafia extrem aktiv. Albanien gilt inzwischen als eine der Drehscheiben des europäischen Drogenhandels, und nicht wenige bezeichnen Albanien bereits als Narco-Staat, also als einen Staat, in dem das Mafiageld alle staatlichen Strukturen beherrscht, auch die Presse, auch die Jurisdiktion. Diese Staaten wollen Sie tatsächlich jetzt noch nach Europa hineinführen. Das ist übrigens auch ein Bruch des Versprechens, das wir nach dem Brexit hatten. Da hieß es vonseiten der Kommission: Ja, wir haben verstanden, keine weitere Erweiterung. Jetzt hat man das schon wieder vergessen. Auch wirtschaftlich ist der Westbalkan im Übrigen völlig uninteressant. Insofern ist es ein Schwachsinnsprojekt. Und wenn ich jetzt höre, noch einmal 3,3 Milliarden, lieber Herr McAllister, dann kann ich nur sagen: 3,3 Milliarden sind auch hier vergeudet. Und das sind meistens 3,3 Milliarden deutsche Steuergelder.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Othmar Karas
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Meine Damen und Herren, ich darf Sie darüber in Kenntnis setzen – ich möchte das jetzt schon der Ordnung halber sagen –, dass unsere Geschäftsordnung eine sehr klare Regel beinhaltet. Die klare Regel besagt, dass kein Mitglied dieses Hauses innerhalb dieses Hauses und des Plenums Transparente verwendet und ausstellt. Bis zur Stunde wurde diese Regel auch auf Kleidungsstücke angewendet. Nachdem es jetzt zum zweiten Mal zu einer derartigen Vorgangsweise kommt, werde ich dieses Thema, um hier für ein für alle Mal eine Klarstellung herbeizuführen, in der nächsten Sitzung des Präsidiums zur Sprache bringen, um diesen Geschäftsordnungspunkt detaillierter auszuführen. Herzlichen Dank für Ihr Verständis dafür.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Ryszard Czarnecki
Political group: ECR
Country: France
Language: PL

Panie Przewodniczący! Jestem zawiedziony wynikami szczytu na Słowenii, szczytu Unia-Bałkany Zachodnie, ponieważ te kraje zasługują, aby dać im pewną mapę drogową ich przyszłego wejścia do Unii Europejskiej. Pamiętam nasze wizyty, również pan David McAllister je pamięta. Parę lat temu myśmy mówili przedstawicielom tych krajów, że ich akces nastąpi pod koniec lat 20., w tej dekadzie – tak się nie stanie. Pamiętajmy o skutkach politycznych, mianowicie są to kraje, które były nieraz historycznie w orbicie wpływów Rosji i jeżeli będziemy je odpychać od Unii czy też przedłużać tę drogę do Unii, to na tym będzie grała i na tym będzie korzystała Rosja. To warto powiedzieć, choć oczywiście w pierwszym okresie trzeba przyjmować Serbię, Czarnogórę, Macedonię Północną i inne kraje. To jednak jest bardziej skomplikowane.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Dimitrios Papadimoulis
Political group: The Left
Country: France
Language: EL

Κύριε Πρόεδρε, η ευρωπαϊκή προοπτική των Δυτικών Βαλκανίων είναι προς το κοινό μας συμφέρον, αλλά προχωρά πολύ αργά. Αποφασίστηκε το 2003 στη Σύνοδο Κορυφής της Θεσσαλονίκης και από τότε έχουν γίνει ελάχιστα βήματα. Όσο η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση βραδυπορεί να κάνει πράξη τις δεσμεύσεις της, το κενό θα το καλύπτουν άλλοι: η Ρωσία του Πούτιν· η Τουρκία του Ερντογάν και οι εθνικισμοί, όπως οι κραυγές που ακούσαμε από τον κύριο Dzhambazki πριν που, ευτυχώς, απορρίπτονται και από τον λαό της Βουλγαρίας.  Σας ζητώ ταχύτερα βήματα, και από εσάς στην Επιτροπή και από εσάς στο Συμβούλιο, κύριε Logar. Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση πρέπει να καταρτίσει χρονοδιάγραμμα, να αναλάβει δεσμεύσεις, να δώσει κονδύλια και οι χώρες των Δυτικών Βαλκανίων πρέπει να προχωρήσουν ταχύτερα με τις δημοκρατικές μεταρρυθμίσεις και να εναρμονιστούν με τα κριτήρια της Κοπεγχάγης. Και εσείς πρέπει να κινήσετε αμέσως την έναρξη των ενταξιακών διαπραγματεύσεων και για τη Βόρεια Μακεδονία και για την Αλβανία. Γιατί η Βόρεια Μακεδονία έκανε μαζί με τη χώρα μου, την Ελλάδα, ένα σημαντικό βήμα που το χαιρέτισαν εδώ όλες οι πτέρυγες, τη Συμφωνία των Πρεσπών. Δεν μπορείτε, λοιπόν, να λέτε σε αυτούς τους λαούς «τσάι και συμπάθεια», περιμένετε σε ένα αόριστο μέλλον, διότι τότε θα μειώνεται η εμπιστοσύνη τους και προς την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση και προς τη δημοκρατία.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos
Political group: NI
Country: Germany
Language: EL

Κύριε Πρόεδρε, οι εξελίξεις στα Δυτικά Βαλκάνια είναι επικίνδυνες. Παρά τους ανταγωνισμούς στο εσωτερικό της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης κλιμακώνεται η διείσδυση στην περιοχή για τους εμπορικούς διαδρόμους και τους δρόμους μεταφοράς ενέργειας, ενισχύονται οι αμερικανονατοϊκές βάσεις και οξύνεται ο ανταγωνισμός με τη Ρωσία, που προωθεί συμφέροντα δικών της μονοπωλίων και έχει στρατιωτική παρουσία, αλλά και με την Κίνα, που διεισδύει με ισχυρούς οικονομικούς ομίλους στο πλαίσιο της ένταξης των Βαλκανίων στο δρόμο του μεταξιού.  Η αστική τάξη της Ελλάδας παίζει κεντρικό ρόλο σε αυτά τα σχέδια. Στα πλαίσια της γεωστρατηγικής της αναβάθμισης, μετά τη «νατοϊκής κοπής» συμφωνία των Πρεσπών, ανέλαβε την αεροπορική επιτήρηση στη Βόρεια Μακεδονία, την Αλβανία, το Μαυροβούνιο. Παρέχει υποδομές, όπως το λιμάνι της Αλεξανδρούπολης, για πρόβες πολέμου με τη Ρωσία, στοχοποιώντας το λαό μας. Συμμετέχει σε επικίνδυνους ιμπεριαλιστικούς σχεδιασμούς που προωθούν αλλαγές συνόρων και μπορούν να οδηγήσουν σε νέα πολεμική ανάφλεξη.  Η όξυνση των αντιπαραθέσεων ομίλων και ιμπεριαλιστικών κέντρων στα Δυτικά Βαλκάνια προμηνύει και άλλα βάσανα για τους λαούς, που χρειάζεται σήμερα να κλιμακώσουν την κοινή τους πάλη ενάντια στα ιμπεριαλιστικά σχέδια για να κλείσουν οι ξένες βάσεις και για την αποδέσμευση από το ΝΑΤΟ και την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Michael Gahler
Political group: PPE
Country: Spain
Language: EN

Mr President, instead of technocratically confirming already taken decisions and bureaucratically assessing any pre-accession progress, I wonder why the danger of a break-up of Bosnia Herzegovina has not been an issue in this summit. The recent concrete steps towards the secession of the Republika Srpska undertaken by the nationalist leadership under Milorad Dodik should ring all alarm bells. The votes in the Republika Srpska (RS) Assembly foreseen for next week are without precedent and, being illegal and unconstitutional as well as violating the Dayton Agreement, have the potential to generate concrete grounds for the RS leadership to pursue their secessionist agenda and thereby endangering stability and even peace in the whole Western Balkans.  I therefore urge the Office of the High Representative (OHR) and the EU to issue a strong and possibly joint statement condemning the vote in strong terms, as well as declaring it illegal. Further, I trust that in the coming weeks, the EU and the OHR will use all possible diplomatic influence and, finally also, the OHR Bonn powers to bring the nationalist forces in the Republika Srpska leadership to reason. I wonder what concrete measures, including sanctions, or the removal from office of those responsible are being considered in order to maintain the territorial integrity of Bosnia Herzegovina and the peace in the region. You know what happens if we allow Dodik to declare independence? The next day he will be recognised by Putin, who takes revenge for Kosovo, and the green men are probably already on standby somewhere, perhaps in a niche in the Russian information centre. We cannot allow that to happen. Let us react properly and in time.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Marek Belka
Political group: S-D
Country: Poland
Language: EN

Mr President, the future of the Western Balkans region will speak volumes about EU credibility as an economic and political power. We remain the region’s main trading and investment partner, but still have to achieve a lot more in geopolitical terms. It is both our moral duty and our strategic imperative to proceed with the integration process of our partners, even if we stumble into problems along the way. The EU is well prepared in terms of providing funds and good practices, as the declared economic investment plan and the Western Balkans Guarantee Facility prove. However, we have to be certain that it is not money for nothing that we are putting in place. Political commitments agreed during the summit have to be transformed into reality, in which respect for the rule of law, legal certainty, respect for human and social rights, fighting corruption, and independent public institutions are working standards, not recommendations, in our integration dialogue.  We have to demand extra effort from both the candidate countries and ourselves to guarantee that the integration roadmap is being implemented, the acquis adopted and democratic standards are being upheld. Only then may we expect the integration process to be the success which we all wish to see.
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Valter Flego
Political group: Renew
Country: Sweden
Language: HR

Poštovani predsjedavajući, poštovana povjerenice, poštovane kolegice i kolege, pa u stvari mi više od jednog desetljeća slušamo o tome da se Europska unija želi proširiti na zapadni Balkan. I samo slušamo i, u stvari, ništa više od toga. Na žalost, nismo se puno pomakli s početka.  Izgleda zbilja da se Europskoj uniji uopće ne žuri i uvijek dolaze neki novi prioriteti, i novi, i novi, ali bogami ni države u regiji nisu se oznojile od posla. I one znaju što trebaju učiniti, jasne su im reforme, ali, evo, nema žurbe. Dok se, dakle, s jedne strane Europska unija pretvara da je što skorije proširenje jedan od prioriteta Europske unije, zemlje pak iz regije za svoje kozmetičke promjene kažu i tvrde da su to temeljite reforme. Naravno da nisu, a nestabilnost, drage kolegice i kolege, raste, i raste, i vrlo vrlo opasno raste. Na žalost.  Zato shvatimo konačno da smo jedni drugima potrebni i neka čim prije završi ovaj nesretni  Poštovani, vrijeme je za akciju, za konkretnu akciju i konkretna djela za uključivanje tih zemalja u Europsku uniju bez figa u džepu, bez kalkulacija, bez odugovlačenja. Krenimo, razgovarajmo, djelujemo, ali ne da prođe još jedno desetljeće u ovakvom
Debate: The outcome of the Western Balkans summit
Date: THURSDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2021
Speaker: Tineke Strik
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Poland
Language: EN

Mr President, it is awful to conclude, but we must admit that the EU Member States are not committed to the Western Balkan region. Their permissive conclusions of the summit last week made that again painfully clear. The refusal to keep their promise towards countries making progress towards the EU accession criteria has a devastating impact. It hurts their economy, young people leave, Russia, China and Turkey fill the gap that the EU leaves and tensions rise in the whole region. And some tensions are related to resistance against reforms. And we see a big crisis now in Bosnia—Herzegovina with the potential to escalate into another civil war. A vote is scheduled in the Republika Srpska (RS) Assembly to withdraw from the federal infrastructure of Bosnia—Herzegovina. Yesterday, they already took the first step with the RS medical agency. These decisions directly threaten the stability and peace in the region. It will blow up the Dayton agreement and throw the country back in time, far from the path towards succession. And I wonder, do the High Representative and the Commission realise the urgency of this threat? The joint declaration of Mr Borrell and Mr Blinken called upon all parties to respect and protect state institutions. Why not a clear call upon Mr Dodik, who is playing with fire at the moment? We urge you to do everything you can to prevent these votes and also to show the consequences of the adoption of the votes beforehand, because the members of the RS Assembly must realise the impact of their decision before they take it. And we need to be reassured that the EU has prepared an adequate response. So, bring this crisis to the highest level of the Commission and discuss it in the EU Council tomorrow. At the same time, we must keep our promise, start the negotiations talk with North Macedonia and Albania, make unambiguously clear that both countries already meet the criteria. Bilateral disputes are no justified reason to obstruct the start. I hope that the High Representative will affirm this very clearly, and I urge the Bulgarian government to lift the veto as soon as possible. Opening negotiations and granting visa liberalisation to Kosovo is not only deserved but necessary to regain the trust of their citizens and to reassure the people in the whole region that we generally welcome their European aspirations.