unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Luke Ming Flanagan
Country: Germany
Language: EN

The report comes at a crucial time with the war in Ukraine. Agri—food exports to Africa are valued at EUR 17.6 billion, and imports from Africa are valued at EUR 16.5 billion. That was in 2020. The report supports trade based on agricultural products which show respect for biodiversity, and fighting against overexploitation. It also promotes resilient and sustainable agriculture, recognises the strategic importance of African rangelands and also their massive importance to carbon sequestration. It also looks for a reduction in pesticides and very importantly highlights the inconsistencies of exporting products banned in the EU. This must stop. It also supports stronger policy coherence at EU level in agri—food trade. All of these words are very good, but we’ve actually got to do it: we can’t just be talking about it. This is important. We’ve got to put words into action.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Gabriel Mato
Political group: PPE
Country: Lithuania
Language: ES

África tiene que ser un continente prioritario para la Unión Europea. Todos somos conscientes del enorme potencial de sus mercados y también de su compleja realidad y diversidad. África crece económica y demográficamente y dispone de recursos naturales, promueve cada vez más su integración comercial y tiene una hoja de ruta para acometer reformas en aras de marcos institucionales más estables y mayor seguridad. Pero, sobre todo, debe hacer un esfuerzo para sentar las bases políticas necesarias para el desarrollo. Por su parte, las empresas europeas, y en concreto las pymes, no pueden quedar al margen de estas oportunidades de negocio. Debemos impulsar partenariados público-privados de carácter trilateral y, sin duda alguna, hay que abordar la ordenación de los flujos migratorios. Observar lo que sucede hoy a nuestro alrededor, como la invasión de Ucrania por Rusia o el posicionamiento de China en la zona, nos debe reafirmar en el convencimiento de que no podemos olvidar nuestro compromiso con este continente. Por ellos y por nosotros.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Joachim Schuster
Political group: S-D
Country: Austria
Language: DE

Zentraler Bezugspunkt sollte die von der Afrikanischen Union beschlossene kontinentale Freihandelszone sein. Dabei geht es nicht um Freihandel im herkömmlichen Sinne. Die kontinentale Freihandelszone ist das Bestreben, innerafrikanischen Handel zu stärken, innerregionale Wertschöpfungsketten zwischen verschiedenen afrikanischen Staaten auf- bzw. auszubauen und damit die Wirtschaft auf dem afrikanischen Kontinent umfassend zu unterstützen. Eine Partnerschaft auf Augenhöhe darf sich nicht auf den Handel beschränken. Wir brauchen mehr. Wir brauchen eine viel engere Kooperation in der Landwirtschaft, um Ernährungssicherheit in Afrika dauerhaft gewährleisten zu können. Und dabei dürfen nicht die Absatzinteressen der europäischen Landwirtschaft im Mittelpunkt stehen. Die Stärkung der kleinbäuerlichen Landwirtschaft in Afrika wird dabei übrigens zentral sein. Weiterhin brauchen wir Klimapartnerschaften. Viele afrikanische Staaten leiden unter den dramatischen Auswirkungen des Klimawandels, der aber maßgeblich von den industrialisierten Staaten des Nordens verursacht wurde. Deswegen ist es auch unsere Pflicht, die afrikanischen Staaten bei der Bekämpfung des und der Anpassung an den Klimawandel zu unterstützen. Beides erfordert eine deutliche Steigerung der europäischen Investitionen in den afrikanischen Staaten. Dabei wird es besonders bedeutsam sein, dass Investitionen gemeinsam mit afrikanischen Partnern getätigt werden, um die Wertschöpfung und die Beschäftigung in den afrikanischen Staaten zu steigern. In den nächsten Jahren wird es nun darauf ankommen, diese neue Partnerschaft auf Augenhöhe nicht nur immer wieder rhetorisch auf Gipfeltreffen und in Reden zu beschwören, sondern sie in konkreten Projekten auch umzusetzen.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Samira Rafaela
Political group: Renew
Country: Germany
Language: EN

The current uncertain situation regarding food security underlines another important element of our relationship. As the war in Ukraine demonstrates, food security on the continent is a very urgent question we must answer. And together with our African partners, we must invest in the agricultural sector on the continent to ensure food security. There are a lot of opportunities – a lot of opportunities – to work on an equal partnership, so let’s do so.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Saskia Bricmont
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: France
Language: FR

À l’OMC, l’Union européenne a continué de s’opposer à la levée des droits de propriété intellectuelle sur l’ensemble des dispositifs de lutte contre la pandémie, dont les vaccins, mais aussi les tests et les médicaments, une mesure demandée par les pays en développement, alors que le taux de vaccination n’est toujours que de 18 % en Afrique. La propagande russe anti-occidentale actuelle sème le trouble entre nous en faisant croire que les sanctions européennes menacent la sécurité alimentaire du continent africain et la vie de millions de personnes. Le Togo et le Gabon ont récemment, en tant que deux pays francophones, demandé à rejoindre le Commonwealth et ils ne semblent plus attendre grand-chose de l’Europe. Ces relations doivent fondamentalement changer et partir sur de nouvelles bases. Un réel partenariat, d’égal à égal, demande d’entendre les préoccupations de nos partenaires, de généraliser et d’amplifier le processus décolonial tel qu’engagé en Belgique, de mettre fin aussi aux pratiques coloniales des entreprises européennes qui continuent à exploiter les ressources de ces pays et à faire souffrir les populations locales. Enfin, les accords commerciaux et de partenariat économique doivent tenir compte de l’évolution de l’économie locale, de l’intégration régionale, de la diversification économique et, surtout, des objectifs de développement durable.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Markus Buchheit
Political group: ID
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Nun, die Frage ist doch: Dort, wo früher grimmig dreinschauende Kolonialherren ihre Knute geschwungen haben, da schwingen eben heute Greta Thunberg und Carola Rackete ihre Knuten – das eben in entsprechenden Worthülsen, wie wir sie heute zur Genüge gehört haben. Und es droht gar noch mehr: Es droht ein Bumerang für uns zu werden, und es droht natürlich auch ein Draufzahlgeschäft für die Europäische Union selbst zu werden, wenn wir uns anschauen, dass Massenmigration hier eben Tür und Tor geöffnet werden wird und dass auch der Text in keinem Wort davon spricht, straffällig gewordene Migranten wieder zurückzuführen. In diesem Sinne – es bleibt wie so häufig: Das Gegenteil von gut gemacht ist gut gemeint.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Vincenzo Sofo
Political group: ECR
Country: Poland
Language: IT

Peccato che mentre l'UE dormiva, potenze come la Cina ci abbiano sottratto il ruolo di partner privilegiato, impossessandosi delle terre africane e dotandole di infrastrutture, coprendone i debiti e, in cambio, prendendo il controllo di ricchezze naturali,  La nostra risposta a questa colonizzazione dovrebbe essere un piano di aiuto allo sviluppo capace di restituire agli africani il diritto di vivere nella propria terra, in cambio di una cooperazione geopolitica che renda Europa e Africa i soli protagonisti della stabilità e della prosperità del Mediterraneo.  Invece ciò che proponete loro sono accordi di partenariato vincolati al raggiungimento di obiettivi di transizione ecologica e digitale o di parità di genere, che poco hanno a che vedere con le reali urgenze di un continente sottosviluppato e affamato, dimostrando ancora una volta quanto la strategia dell'Unione europea sia offuscata dall'ideologia e distaccata dalla realtà.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Ernő Schaller-Baross
Political group: NI
Country: Netherlands
Language: HU

Tisztelt Biztos Úr!  Itt az ideje a változásnak, annak, hogy az Európai Unió a helyben maradáshoz szükséges körülmények megteremtésére összpontosítson. Biztosítanunk kell, hogy az afrikai emberek méltó körülmények között, a hazájukban maradhassanak, és saját fejlődésük érdekében, a kölcsönös előnyök szem előtt tartásával válhassanak az európai termékek, szolgáltatások, valamint a tudásalapú gazdaság piacává.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Fulvio Martusciello
Political group: PPE
Country: Bulgaria
Language: IT

Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, non ci potrà mai essere una vera e propria partnership commerciale con l'Africa se non si elimineranno delle sanzioni che sono molto spesso antistoriche nei confronti di alcuni paesi e se non si decide in maniera chiara di combattere il fenomeno dell'insurrezione jihadista. L'insurrezione jihadista, aggravatasi a Cabo Delgado dal 2017, si sta riversando nei paesi vicini, e gli attacchi in Tanzania di sabato scorso lo dimostrano, nonostante l'invio di truppe destinate a fronteggiare il fenomeno jihadista. L'Unione europea non agisce in maniera chiara nei confronti di questo fenomeno, nonostante ci siano alcuni paesi, come ad esempio lo Zimbabwe, che hanno deciso di fare della lotta al jihadismo la loro bandiera. E il presidente Macron questo l'ha capito, tant'è vero che ha incontrato il presidente dello Zimbabwe, e il nostro collega Elmar Brok si recherà in quel paese per esaminare la situazione alla luce delle elezioni presidenziali del 2023, e anche lo European Investment Fund ha destinato oltre 12 milioni e mezzo di euro per gli imprenditori locali. Questo è positivo, ma è giunto il momento di discutere della legittimità del fatto di tenere ancora in piedi sanzioni che bloccano l'economia di questo paese che, ripeto, è l'unico paese che sta facendo davvero una grande lotta nei confronti del jihadismo. Non possiamo aspettare che la situazione degeneri.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Carlos Zorrinho
Political group: S-D
Language: PT

Senhora Presidente, Senhor Comissário, o relatório de iniciativa, hoje em debate, sobre o futuro das relações comerciais entre Europa e a África era uma enorme oportunidade. A União Europeia, a África e os seus povos têm muito a beneficiar de uma parceria entre iguais que afirme uma estratégia multilateral de cooperação, em que a dimensão comercial seja um dos pilares essenciais. A União Europeia e a União Africana afirmaram por diversas vezes o seu compromisso com uma visão conjunta, uma visão baseada numa estratégia que se constitua numa parceria para o desenvolvimento sustentável e inclusivo. As relações comerciais entre a União Europeia e a África têm que ter em conta o novo contexto geopolítico, em que a autonomia estratégica é a base necessária para tornar possível uma saudável cooperação económica e política e desenvolver os laços comerciais, como tem sido a vontade manifestada por ambas as partes. A entrada em vigor da Zona de Comércio Livre Continental Africana reforça o potencial de cooperação entre a União e a África, num momento em que programas como o Global Europe e o Global Gateway estão também na sua fase de lançamento. Por isso, as exaustivas recomendações deste relatório neste contexto são um contributo para mitigar os impactos negativos que a guerra em curso na Ucrânia está já a provocar no desenvolvimento sustentável, na criação de riqueza e no bem-estar dos povos.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Barry Andrews
Political group: Renew
Country: Ireland
Language: EN

Madam President, Commissioner, I agree with the comments earlier of Ms Bricmont and Ms Rafaela that we are embarked on a new era of partnership between the EU and Africa, and it is truly welcome. However, I just want to address my comments very briefly on the trade aspects of the immediate food security issue. We’ve heard, I think all of us, from the World Food Programme and FAO who have outlined many times proposals about how to avert famine and whether that can happen. The European Council in its conclusions last month addressed for the first time this question and reiterated, and I quote, ‘its commitment to keep global trade in food commodities free of unjustified trade barriers’. And Minister Beaune, earlier in his comments here in the Hemicycle, mentioned the urgent need to maximise the export of food commodities. Now there is a debate going on here in the European Parliament, in the institutions more generally, whether the EU should require reciprocity of production standards in agri—food imports from third countries. And my plea is that we must be mindful of the possible impacts of such measures on developing countries, and in particular the message it could send.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Philippe Olivier
Political group: ID
Country: Italy
Language: FR

Madame la Présidente, mes chers collègues, si nous partageons la volonté exprimée dans le rapport de lutter contre la pauvreté et la faim et d’établir avec le continent africain des relations respectueuses et fructueuses, il nous semble que vos présupposés idéologiques vous égarent. Vous raisonnez en termes de grands échanges mondiaux quand la solution réside dans la création de chaînes d’approvisionnement locales – ce que nous appelons le localisme –, dans l’indépendance alimentaire qui allie la recherche et la coopération, dans le droit des peuples à vivre sur leurs terres. Vous n’envisagez les relations que comme l’adhésion à votre modèle économique mondialiste qui est polluant, destructeur des filières locales et même des économies traditionnelles. Et puis vous liez obligatoirement libre circulation des biens et des personnes. Au hasard du texte, vous raccrochez le commerce à une immigration sûre et organisée, comprenez: la poursuite de la submersion de l’Europe. Il est temps de vous départir de votre vision quasi théologique du «sans-frontiérisme» et de la libre circulation érigée en dogme théocratique. Vous prétendez en cela participer à la paix du monde. En réalité, vous préparez l’asservissement des peuples et des gens à des logiques économiques et prédatrices des deux côtés de la Méditerranée.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Karin Karlsbro
Political group: Renew
Country: Poland
Language: EN

Madam President, Commissioner, colleagues, I am happy to see the broad support in Parliament for stronger trade relations between the European Union and Africa.  I hope this means that we are ready for Africa as a true partner, that we are ready to trade with African countries and companies, producers and farmers on their own merits and respective strengths. Because successful trade is a partnership between equals. We know that trade is the base for growth, prosperity and jobs. Without free trade, billions of people all around the world still would be trapped in poverty.  But trade is not only about business. When we trade, we tie bonds with our partners. We set up rules and standards that reflect values important for people, health and the environment – and we are ready!
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

New partnerships on energy supply, access to and sustainable management of critical raw materials, and food security for Africa should be prioritised in this context. The EU grants to many African countries unilateral tariff concessions under the generalised scheme of preferences and notably its everything but arms arrangement for the least developed countries. We will in the future look more closely at the progress countries are making to respect the basic principles of all the underlying international conventions.  But even so, trade and sustainable investment facilitation agreements remain the main platforms of our engagement with African partners. The focus now is on the implementation and modernisation of these instruments. We need to secure better ownership of economic partnership agreements and the support of this Parliament will be crucial in this respect.
Debate: Future of EU-Africa trade relations
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Helmut Scholz
Country: Luxembourg
Language: DE

Auch Spekulation treibt die Nahrungsmittelpreise in dieser Krise hoch, sodass die Hilfswerke für ihre Budgets nicht mehr ausreichend Hilfsgüter erwerben können. Über 80 Millionen Menschen in Ostafrika allein droht eine Hungersnot. Klimawandel könnte man hinzufügen, Umweltzerstörung. Der Krieg in Westafrika verhindert in großen Teilen Malis den Bauern die Möglichkeit, ihre Felder zu bestellen. Es gilt also jetzt, komplex die Fragen in Angriff zu nehmen, zu handeln, kurzfristig sicherlich durch Bereitstellung von Nahrung, mittelfristig aber – auch das empfiehlt unser Bericht – durch die Ermöglichung eines würdevollen Lebens für Afrikas Landbevölkerung und landwirtschaftliche Betriebe. Wir empfehlen, agroökologischen Reformen Raum zu geben. Eine rentable Preisbildung darf nicht durch Dumping von Milchpulver oder Geflügelteilen aus Europa verhindert werden. Letztlich, aber notwendigerweise sicherlich ab sofort durch die Verhinderung des Klimawandels und den Erhalt der Artenvielfalt und gemeinsame intensivste Anstrengungen, dies auf den Weg zu bringen. Denn was und wie wird die  Afrika ist ein Kontinent der Hoffnung, meine ich. Afrika ist der Kontinent der Jugend, und unser europäischer Kontinent altert leider. Für uns beide liegt also die Notwendigkeit und die Chance in einer Zusammenarbeit, in die wir weit mehr investieren sollten als bislang vorgesehen, das heißt die Kohärenz der Politiken, die wir gemeinsam auf den Weg bringen wollen, und vielleicht auch gemeinsam an der Reform der Welthandelsorganisation arbeiten sollten. In dem Sinne, hoffe ich, ist unser Bericht ein wichtiger Wegweiser für diese Arbeit.
Debate: Future of EU international investment policy
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Anna Cavazzini
Country: Netherlands
Language: EN

We saw thousands of citizens protesting in the streets against this perverse system. We saw scholars and judges speaking out for reform. We saw engaged debates in this Parliament. And because of this pressure, the EU’s approach to investment protection and dispute settlement has evolved in the last years. And this is good. The current EU model is better than it used to be and better than that of the Member States. But let me be clear; the Green Deal and the Paris Agreement demand more. They demand we continue to reform, to minimise risks for democracy and to transform our economy towards decarbonisation without a giant price tag.  And this is exactly what we are doing in this report. We, as parliamentarians, are proposing today a new reformed model for the EU’s investment policy. First, we suggest in the report to end the protection of investments in fossil fuels or any other activities that pose significant harm to the environment and human rights – and cases against climate policies keep on piling up, delaying action, and costing millions to taxpayers. Investment must be channelled towards sustainable activities and away from those which are cooking our planet.  Second, we want to stop giving a blank cheque to international investors to just sue states whenever they like. International investors should first need to go through national courts before using arbitration. We must cap the damage that can be awarded so that taxpayers do not risk having to pay billions to corporations. We demand narrower protection standards to limit abusive cases. In short, we must protect our ability to make laws and regulations.  Third, the report takes a clear position on the Energy Charter Treaty. That is such a big problem for our climate policies and today we say, crystal clear, an empty deal cannot satisfy this Parliament, we need to exit this dirty treaty.  I would like to thank the shadow rapporteurs for the excellent cooperation on this report. We reached, I think, an outcome that is balanced but bold, forward-looking, and shows also how relevant the European Parliament is on this topic, where we as parliamentarians unfortunately do not sit at the table during the negotiations on investment agreements. I call on the Commission and the Member States to take the demands of this report very seriously and adopt this as the new EU approach. Our report clearly asks Member States to terminate or modernise their old bilateral investment treaties. So, investment policy can be a very powerful tool. Let us use it for the benefit of all of us.
Debate: Future of EU international investment policy
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Inma Rodríguez-Piñero
Political group: S-D
Country: Netherlands
Language: ES

Señora presidenta, en primer lugar, quiero felicitar a la ponente del informe, por, efectivamente, el trabajo en equipo, y a todos los ponentes alternativos que hemos participado en su elaboración. Y quiero destacar que las prioridades de mi Grupo político, el Grupo S&D, han quedado perfectamente recogidas en el texto del informe y en los compromisos que hemos asumido.  Para nosotros es muy importante defender la competencia de la Unión Europea en política de inversiones y la modernización de esta política, en la que este Parlamento y mi Grupo político hemos tenido un papel destacado, tanto en favor de la transparencia como en favor de terminar con el sistema de resolución de conflictos entre inversores y Estados basado en el arbitraje, que no es aceptable,  y cambiarlo por el nuevo sistema del tribunal multilateral de inversiones, que ha de ser el futuro para resolver los litigios.  Defendemos una reforma en profundidad del Tratado sobre la Carta de la Energía para que, efectivamente, obedezca a los principios del desarrollo sostenible, del Pacto Verde Europeo, de la defensa de los derechos humanos, y permita acabar con la transición de las energías combustibles fósiles. Esperamos que mañana una gran mayoría apoye este informe, como así ha sucedido en la Comisión de Comercio Internacional.
Debate: Future of EU international investment policy
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Maria Grapini
Political group: S-D
Country: Portugal
Language: RO

Doamna președintă, domnule comisar, sincer, eu regret că acest proiect important se dezbate foarte scurt, fără timp alocat și la o oră așa târzie. Eu cred că trebuie să fim interesați de viitorul privind investițiile internaționale, de politica pe care noi o facem privind investițiile internaționale, pentru că da, și în țara mea am întâlnit exact ce spunea aici raportoarea: se plătesc bani grei câteodată din bugetele naționale pentru niște investiții care nu au respectat condițiile de etică și echitate în țara respectivă, în condiții egale cu investitorii autohtoni și nu pot să aibă câștig de cauză statele membre, pentru că, da, se merge la arbitraj înainte de a trece pe la tribunalele naționale.  De aceea consider că, în primul rând Comisia - noi nu avem dreptul de legiferare -, Consiliul, trebuie să ajungă la ... să avem un act legislativ și o nouă politică privind investițiile internaționale. Da, avem nevoie de ele în Uniunea Europeană, dar în condiții de echitate și etică.
Debate: Draft amending budget No : financing reception costs of people fleeing Ukraine
Date: WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Eva Kaili
Country: France
Language: EN

The next item is the short presentation of the report by Karlo Ressler on the Council position on Draft amending budget No 3/2022 of the European Union for the financial year 2022 – financing reception costs of people fleeing Ukraine (09095/2022 - C9-0182/2022 -