unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: Further repression against the democratic forces in Venezuela: attacks on presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado
Date: THURSDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Clare Daly
Political group: The Left
Country: France
Language: EN

Mr President, I voted against this file because the situation in Venezuela is very volatile and the EU should stop the situation from escalating rather than engaging in geopolitical games. I mean, let’s remember, Venezuela’s GDP has shrunk 80 % in ten years, forcing 7 million people to flee that country. It’s a disaster humanly, economically and societally. And former US Secretary of State Pompeo boasted that this was what US sanctions had resulted in, a humanitarian crisis, he said, that was increasing by the hour. He seemed to revel in the fact that it was increasing pain and suffering to the Venezuelan people, and the Biden administration is continuing on with these sanctions. The Venezuelan government had reached an agreement that has now broken down, showing how weak trust is. Against that backdrop, the decision of the US to reimpose sanctions is really dangerous. We should be concentrating on a diplomatic resolution of the conflict in Venezuela.
Debate: Further repression against the democratic forces in Venezuela: attacks on presidential candidate Maria Corina Machado
Date: THURSDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Mick Wallace
Political group: The Left
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Mr President, do I think that there’s a healthy democracy in Venezuela? I actually don’t, you know, but I don’t see one anywhere else, either. As my colleague said, over 7 million people have left Venezuela because of the illegal sanctions that have been strangling the country to death since 2017. The Centre for Economic and Policy Research found that in the two years before Trump further tightened the sanctions in 2019, they had killed 40 000 people. The text not only ignores the carnage the sanctions are causing, but calls for more sanctions, this text today. It blames everything on the Government. But have we any humanity? I mean, we actually have blood on our hands. We introduce sanctions to kill the ordinary people. Sanctions hurt the most vulnerable the most, not the leaders and the wealthy in the country. The most vulnerable and women and children suffer more.  Our idea of sanctions is to get the people to bring about regime change. Well, we’ve a terrible way of doing it. You say we want free elections in Venezuela, but the Venezuelan people have been under relentless collective punishment. We’re not going to get a normal election result.  Why doesn’t the European Union abandon their like-minded US partner and have a healthy approach to Venezuela and help them to get on their feet? I don’t understand the reason.
Debate: Statements by the President
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Heléne Fritzon
Political group: S-D
Country: Austria
Language: EN

Madam President, dear colleagues, we miss Erik. He was a member of the Swedish delegation and Erik was well known, both as a politician and as a researcher. We will miss his guidance, his wisdom and his humour, and we will miss his genuine commitment for Europe. During this difficult time, let us honour Erik’s memory by continuing the work he has done for the European growth, for the industry, for the Green Deal, for regional development and remember his last efforts, which was sustainable aviation fuel. And now, as you mentioned, dear President, we keep Erik’s family and loved ones in our thoughts.
Debate: Follow-up to a request for the defence of immunity
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Roberta Metsola
Country: Poland
Language: EN

The JURI Committee has informed me of its conclusion that the request for the defence of the immunity of Clara Ponsatí Obiols announced in plenary on 29 March 2023 is inadmissible, and of its decision to close the procedure.
Debate: Negotiations ahead of Parliament’s first reading
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Roberta Metsola
Country: Poland
Language: EN

Several committees have decided to enter into interinstitutional negotiations pursuant to Rule 71(1) of the Rules of Procedure. The reports which constitute the mandates for the negotiations are available on the plenary webpage and their titles will be published in the minutes of the sitting. Pursuant to Rule 71(2), Members or political groups reaching at least the medium threshold may request in writing by tomorrow, Tuesday 27 February, at midnight, that the decisions be put to the vote. If no request for a vote in Parliament is made before the deadline expires, the committees may start the negotiations.
Debate: Corrigendum
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Roberta Metsola
Country: Poland
Language: EN

The ITRE Committee has transmitted a corrigendum to a text adopted by the Parliament. Pursuant to Rule 241(4), this corrigendum will be deemed approved unless, no later than 24 hours after its announcement, a request is made by a political group or Members reaching at least the low threshold that it be put to the vote. The corrigendum is available on the plenary webpage. Its title will be published in the minutes of this sitting.
Debate: Signing of acts adopted in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Roberta Metsola
Country: Poland
Language: EN

I would like to inform you that, together with the President of the Council, I shall on Wednesday sign four acts adopted under the ordinary legislative procedure in accordance with Rule 79 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure. The titles of the acts will be published in the minutes of this sitting.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Othmar Karas
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Als nächster Punkt der Tagesordnung folgt die Aussprache über den Bericht von Johan Van Overtveldt im Namen des Ausschusses für Wirtschaft und Währung über den Jahresbericht der Europäischen Zentralbank 2023 (
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Johan Van Overtveldt
Country: Spain
Language: NL

Maar de recente daling van de inflatie mag niet als een eindpunt gezien worden. De zogenaamde  Maar de  In de beleidsafwegingen die de centrale banken dienen te maken, spelen kortetermijnelementen – ik heb er net twee aangehaald: de inflatie in de dienstensectoren en de loonkostontwikkeling – maar ook langetermijnafwegingen. We kunnen daarbij niet voorbij aan structurele veranderingen die zich de jongste jaren voltrokken in het globale economische landschap. Tot enkele jaren geleden droegen de stabiele geopolitieke omgeving, globalisering van de productieprocessen en technologische vooruitgang bij tot een heel flexibele aanbodstructuur van onze economieën. Schokken in de vraag konden op die manier zonder noemenswaardige inflatie worden opgevangen. Die technologische vooruitgang is er nog steeds, maar op het vlak van geopolitieke stabiliteit en ook op het vlak van de globalisering hebben we toch wel zeer ingrijpende veranderingen gezien. Neem daarbij ook nog eens de impact van de pandemie op de zogenoemde internationale aanbodketens, en je krijgt toch wel een ander beeld van de aanbodzijde van de economie, die een stuk minder flexibel geworden is en die dus ook een stuk minder puur met outputveranderingen kan inspelen op veranderingen in de vraag. Prijsstijgingen lijken daarom frequenter en ook hardnekkiger te zullen gaan worden. Het maakt de opdracht van centrale bankiers er niet eenvoudiger op. Toch blijft de consequente volbrenging van de opdracht om die inflatie laag te houden van absoluut belang, willen we de nodige groei en de nodige strategische investeringen kunnen realiseren. Lessen trekkend uit het verleden, lijken mij twee overwegingen belangrijk. Ten eerste, inzake monetair beleid: vermijd asymmetrie. Centrale banken schoten in het verleden onmiddellijk in actie wanneer zich financiële commotie en/of economische neergang doorzetten. Terugschroeving van dat soepele monetaire beleid gebeurde al te vaak traag en aarzelend. Ten tweede: misschien toch meer bescheidenheid. Eén: focus op de hoofdopdracht – prijsstabiliteit – en laat andere belangrijke maatschappelijke doelstellingen eerder over aan de geëigende instituties ter zake. Twee: kom los van de modelfocus. De voorspellingskracht van de gebruikte econometrische modellen was en blijft toch wel onthutsend zwak. Deze modellen, het liefst bijgestuurd, blijven hun nut houden, zeker, maar leg ze toch maar even terzijde bij het ultieme beslissingsproces.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Mairead McGuinness
Language: EN

Parliament’s assessment is an important part of the democratic accountability of the ECB, as the President has just referred to, and the Commission shares the general sentiments of the ECON report, including the report’s concerns that high inflation is a threat to macroeconomic stability.  Inflation has hit our households and our companies hard, bringing economic growth to a halt for a good part of last year, so the Commission welcomes the easing of inflationary pressures over the past months. We acknowledge the ECB’s strong commitment to ensuring price stability and its decisive action.  The ECB raised its main policy rate from 0.5 % in July 2022 to 4 % in September 2023, which is the steepest rate increase in the history of economic and monetary union. This strong monetary policy tightening has worked its way through the economy and ensured that high inflation did not become entrenched in households’ and firms’ expectations. In addition, this tightening has been transmitted across the euro area without severe market tensions.  Now looking ahead, both the Commission and the ECB expect inflation to come down towards 2 % by 2025 and as inflation comes down, the economic growth is forecast to gradually pick up over the course of this year. The ECON report points out that expansionary fiscal policies could counteract the ECB’s monetary policy tightening, and the Commission has repeatedly stressed the need for fiscal policy to be consistent with the efforts of monetary policy to fight inflation.  The fiscal stance in the Euro area turned restrictive last year: in the 2024 European Semester autumn package, the Commission recommended a continuing restrictive policy fiscal stance for this year and next, and this is consistent with the need to reduce public debt and deficits, as well as ongoing monetary policy efforts to fight high inflation. At the same time, the Commission shares the ECON report’s conclusion that fiscal efforts should be combined with investments and reforms that support growth. Fiscal adjustment should not come at the expense of public investment. I would add that investment is expected to increase in most Member States, both nationally financed investments and the continued support from the Recovery and Resilience Facility and other EU funds. This is important as it will support sustainable growth.  The need to maintain debt sustainability while promoting reforms and investments was the cornerstone of the economic governance reform proposed by the Commission. I welcomed the provisional political agreement reached between Parliament and Council on the new fiscal rules. The legislative package is likely to be adopted before this Parliament’s recess, and we are now preparing to implement the new framework. This will provide predictability and credibility to the Member States’ fiscal investment and reform strategies for the years ahead.  I will reserve my comments on CMU for my concluding remarks, and I look forward to listening to your contributions.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Sven Simon
Political group: PPE
Country: Italy
Language: EN

Madam President, I was at first doubtful whether this reporting could be true. But after your statement during the monetary dialogue, I grew increasingly concerned. Your answer on this incident was rather ambiguous and I have to say that you have been sometimes ambiguous in that concern in the past two years, even though I always thought we were in agreement. The European Central Bank has a mandate for price stability. That does include, indeed, taking into account climate-change-related risks for the financial sector and evaluating the implications for central bank balance sheets and their own management of risk. Undertaking an active climate policy, however, is not covered by the mandate and this would not only be illegal, but also put our currency at risk. And for that reason, I would like to kindly invite you today to take the opportunity to clearly distance yourself from this statement: ‘if you’re not green, you’re not wanted’, or further explain what was meant with that, and I am sure you can do that.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Pedro Silva Pereira
Political group: S-D
Country: Bulgaria
Language: PT

O BCE demorou cinco meses a reconhecer que esse pico já tinha acontecido e, ao longo do ano, foi surpreendido por uma descida da inflação mais rápida do que o esperado. Isto mostra a dificuldade do BCE em compreender a natureza desta inflação. Em apenas três meses, entre setembro e dezembro de 2023, o BCE teve de rever em baixa a sua previsão de inflação para este ano de 3,2 % para 2,7 %, o que provavelmente não chegará para acertar o passo com a realidade, já que em janeiro a inflação foi de apenas 2,8 %. Mas, apesar das suas previsões pessimistas, o BCE estima agora uma inflação de 2,1 % para 2025 e de apenas 1,9 % para 2026, valores em linha com a meta prevista no seu mandato. Parece evidente, portanto, que chegou a hora de uma mudança de rumo. O BCE diz, é certo, que precisa de estar confortável com a sustentabilidade da descida da inflação, mas não há nada mais desconfortável para o Estado, para as empresas, para as famílias, do que uma política monetária que prejudica a economia mais do que o necessário. Senhora Lagarde, esperamos boas notícias do BCE mais cedo do que tarde.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Engin Eroglu
Political group: Renew
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Nun haben wir es aber erlebt, dass – aus meiner Sicht – politische Entscheidungen der Trigger waren dafür, dass wir auf einen Einlagezins von -0,5 Prozent runter sind – aus meiner Sicht ein historischer Fehler, ein politischer Fehler – und dann diesen Zinsschock hatten auf über 4 Prozent – zu spät und zu langsam die Zinsen erhöht. Das hatte erhebliche Folgen. Wir haben einen gigantischen Wohlstandsverlust in der Europäischen Union. Die Menschen arbeiten hart – 40 Stunden die Woche – und können sich den Alltag nicht mehr finanzieren. Die Antwort ist nicht, dass die Inflation jetzt wieder runtergeht, darüber können wir uns nicht freuen. Die Geldentwertung hat stattgefunden, Frau Lagarde. Deswegen: weniger Politik, mehr Preisstabilität, und alles andere überlassen Sie dem Parlament und der Europäischen Investitionsbank. Dafür wäre ich Ihnen wirklich sehr dankbar. Das ist wirklich enorm wichtig, auch für den Erhalt unserer Demokratie, Frau Lagarde – wirklich sehr wichtig!
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Bas Eickhout
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: France
Language: EN

I think our biggest problem now is the lack of investment and indeed the lack of independence, as you say as well. But that means that we have to look at our current policies and the ECB also has to look at its current policies, and I do think we need to debate now the loosening, because we’ve heard some German hawks here who probably only want to discuss further tightening. But I do think that we have to just be having a rational debate on loosening up some of the policies and then mainly on loosening up the policies that allows for investments in renewables, for example. When you say, Madam Lagarde, that investments in renewables are so important, then we need to start talking about targeted green lending, differentiated lending rates, because that is not the issue of that is not possible right now. There are more and more policymakers speaking for that. There are, in the ECB, people talking about that, because they are knowledgeable on green issues – that apparently is also not allowed anymore, it’s interesting. But I would like to hear from you: are you willing to discuss and to propose that there will be targeted green lending and that there will be loosening for green expenditure? Because that is absolutely needed. And we know that for renewables, we need upfront investment. So stricter rental rates are disproportionately hitting investments in renewables.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Michiel Hoogeveen
Political group: ECR
Country: Sweden
Language: NL

President Lagarde, het is belangrijk dat u zich beperkt tot uw kerntaak. Het is tijd om het beest terug in de kooi te stoppen. Alleen dan kan de ECB het vertrouwen van de mensen terugwinnen.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Angelo Ciocca
Political group: ID
Country: France
Language: IT

Presidente Lagarde, non ci racconti la storiella, la balla dell'inflazione. Questa inflazione non è causata dalla domanda: ci sono più poveri, ci sono meno figli? Questa inflazione è causata dalla carenza di forniture non solo energetiche, anche manifatturiere, anche alimentari, è causata dagli sbagli di questa Europa.  E allora, Presidente Lagarde, le politiche criminali di questa Europa da lei guidata hanno lo stesso effetto di questo cappio, che strangola la gente, che strangola le famiglie, che strangola le imprese e la nostra economia: fermiamo l'aumento dei tassi di interesse; abbassiamo i tassi di interesse.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: João Pimenta Lopes
Political group: The Left
Country: Romania
Language: PT

Famílias que viram duplicar a prestação do crédito, mas não os salários, que estão a pagar mais de juros que pela própria casa, ao mesmo tempo que assistem ao crescimento obsceno dos lucros da banca. A Senhora continua a insistir na falsa retórica de contenção salarial que afirmou, há dias, ser encorajadora, serviu aos grandes grupos económicos para manter políticas de baixos salários e empobrecimento e atacar a contratação coletiva. Em vez de apontar medidas aos lucros galopantes desses grandes grupos económicos, opta por apertar o garrote aos trabalhadores, contribuindo para o agravamento das desigualdades de uma mais injusta distribuição da riqueza. É urgente pôr termo à vossa política, reverter o aumento das taxas de juro, tributar mais quem mais riqueza acumula, aumentar salários, combater as desigualdades. Aqui estamos, cá estaremos neste combate.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Jörg Meuthen
Political group: NI
Country: Spain
Language: DE

Herr Präsident, Frau Präsidentin Lagarde, werte Kollegen! „Wenn Sie nicht grün sind, sind Sie unerwünscht.“ Diese Worte richtete Frank Elderson, einer von sechs Direktoren der EZB, jüngst an seine Belegschaft. Er fügte hinzu: „Warum sollten wir Leute einstellen, die wir umprogrammieren müssen?“ Abseits des geradezu autoritären Charakters dieser Äußerungen sagt Elderson hiermit, dass der freie Geist der Beschäftigten zum Verständnis der grünen EZB-Zielsetzungen nicht ausreiche. Allerdings: Klimapolitik gehört auch definitiv nicht zum Aufgabenbereich der Zentralbank. Deren Mandat lautet nach den Verträgen, Preisstabilität zu gewährleisten. Was also ist von einer Zentralbank zu halten, die in Zeiten anhaltend hoher Inflation – das ist im Kern ihre einzige Aufgabe – den fatalen Eindruck erweckt, Klimarettungspolitik sei ihr Primärmandat? Anstatt sich mit demokratisch nicht legitimierten und kompetenzrechtlich indiskutablen Unterstützungsmaßnahmen zur Klimapolitik zu beschäftigen, muss sich die EZB auf ihr Kernmandat besinnen. Damit hätte sie, wie vor allem die aktuelle Situation zeigt, weiß Gott genug zu tun.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Lídia Pereira
Political group: PPE
Country: Finland
Language: PT

Senhor Presidente, Presidente Lagarde, 2023 foi um ano de combate à inflação que, como sabemos, afeta especialmente as famílias de rendimentos mais baixos. Estamos agora a ver os resultados da política monetária e uma descida da inflação que, esperamos todos, possa continuar e possa estabilizar no objetivo de 2 %, no médio prazo. Boas notícias que, ainda assim, não são suficientes. As famílias continuam a enfrentar grandes dificuldades no cumprimento dos seus créditos, sobretudo nos créditos à habitação, e esperam sinais claros de um alívio desta pressão sobre os seus orçamentos. Ao mesmo tempo, os cidadãos continuam a ver os decisores políticos a arrastarem uma decisão sobre o sistema europeu de seguro dos seus depósitos quase uma década depois da proposta. O que as pessoas esperam de nós, dos políticos, são respostas, são decisões. São essas respostas que estamos aqui a pedir ao Banco Central Europeu, mas que também têm de ser dadas por este Parlamento e pelos governos nacionais.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Irene Tinagli
Political group: S-D
Country: Slovenia
Language: EN

Mr President, among the many things included in the report that we will vote on tomorrow there is a reference to the opinion that the ECB gave on the Commission’s proposal on the reform of economic governance, which President Lagarde earlier also referred to. In the same opinion, the ECB says something very important, which I would like to underline today, namely – and I’m quoting – that further progress on euro-area specific aspects is needed, in particular the development of a framework to monitor and steer the aggregate euro-area fiscal stance to provide a counterpart to monetary policy and the need for a permanent central fiscal capacity. This is something we’ve been discussing many times, also in this room, in the committees, but always postponed. Now, let me say one thing: things halfway means doing them badly because usually the missing half never gets done. So this is why I hope that this Parliament can take a clear commitment on these two elements before the final vote on the governance package in April: it would be a very important signal to our citizens that we can and must give.
Debate: European Central Bank – annual report
Date: MONDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Stéphanie Yon-Courtin
Political group: Renew
Country: Latvia
Language: FR

Madame la Présidente Lagarde, Madame la Commissaire, Monsieur le Président, la solidité financière de notre continent a été testée à plusieurs reprises ces dernières années. De nombreux enjeux et crises ont rythmé notre quotidien: changement climatique, transition numérique, guerre en Ukraine ou défaillances bancaires aux États-Unis.  Après une baisse de l’inflation de 10,6 % en octobre 2022 à 2,8 % en janvier 2024 dans la zone euro, la Banque centrale européenne (BCE) réaffirme son rôle de garant de la stabilité financière européenne face aux défis de demain. La BCE a également une mission décisive pour assurer la transition écologique de notre secteur bancaire et pour renforcer sa cyber résistance, n’en déplaise à certains de nos collègues allemands ici présents. Son rôle s’inscrit aussi dans un contexte plus global pour répondre aux besoins de financement massifs dans la transition écologique et numérique, estimés à plus de 735 milliards d’euros annuellement. Et l’argent public ne suffit pas! Comme vous l’avez rappelé, Madame la Présidente Lagarde, il y a urgence à consolider notre union des marchés de capitaux pour financer cette transition.