unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Fabio Massimo Castaldo
Political group: NI
Country: France
Language: EN

Madam President, thank you very much, dear colleagues, despite the initial scepticism of some Eurosceptical governments, the Conference on the Future of Europe turned out to be a success, empowering participative democracy at its outmost and putting long-sighted proposals on the table. Now it is time to move forward, to achieve citizens’ goals and hopes, turning them into concrete actions. And there is only one way to do so. We must open a new convention for discussing the much-needed deep revision of the Treaties towards a federal Europe. And as this would be a clear divide in the history of the European integration, there would be no better place than Ventotene Island, where everything began, to do so. We are in front of a crossroads. We can move towards a genuine political union, a strategically autonomous union, moving to qualified majority, and thus growing into a real player at the global stage. Or we can remain divided, becoming the chessboard where other actors play their geopolitical games as is happening with the criminal aggression of Ukraine. Only a new treaty of Ventotene can allow us to pursue the first option. And if the main road is the convention, we must also be prepared to cope with certain national reluctances or blockages, thus foreseeing back-up solutions, including the possibility to set up new forms of reinforced cooperations. Let’s finally sit around the negotiation table. There will be an understanding of who wants to be on the right side of history and who does not. We stand for a Treaty of Ventotene, for a free, democratic, sovereign and federal Europe.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Fabio Massimo Castaldo
Political group: NI
Country: France
Language: EN

As is happening right now with the criminal invasion of Ukraine, as happened many times also with the multiple crisis we were experiencing in the last decades. And I must, of course, underline the fact that we did not always have all the tools we needed to face and tackle these crisis. Sometimes we have been a bit original and creative, we found an ambitious solution, like Next Generation EU, but I am calling for a permanent structural common European debt and a real federal budget to tackle the global challenges in front of us. So, for me, this is the main road that I am going to stand for and defend as well as you. But I also hope that it will be the outcome of the Conference and the Convention, because the citizens were very clear in that regard and their voice must be listened to. Otherwise, we will just fuel and foster frustration instead of more commitment towards European integration.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Daniel Buda
Political group: PPE
Country: Germany
Language: RO

Doamna președintă, Jean Monet spunea „Nu coalizăm state, noi unim oameni”. Conferința privind viitorul Europei a demonstrat că Uniunea Europeană este formată din oameni care împărtășesc aceleași valori. Dezbaterea a primit o perspectivă clară ca urmare a experiențelor din ultimele decenii. Din păcate percepția cetățenilor cu privire la  Dezbaterea privind reformele necesare a fost consistentă. Dincolo, însă, de aceste dezbateri, avem preocupări ferme legate de ceea ce înseamnă accesul la un sistem de sănătate eficient care să crească speranța de viață a cetățenilor europeni sau la educație, care pot fi definite ca fiind priorități imediate pentru aceștia: combaterea schimbărilor climatice folosind în mod eficient resursele și ținând cont de particularitățile din fiecare țară ori accesul la alimente de calitate și la prețuri accesibile reprezintă, de asemenea, preocupări ferme ale cetățenilor. Realitățile din jurul nostru s-au schimbat, însă, de la începutul dezbaterilor și până astăzi. Cu toții suntem martorii agresiunii Rusiei, iar Europa trăiește cea mai mare provocare la adresa securității și păcii de la încheierea celui de-al Doilea Război Mondial. În același timp, cetățenii noștri au nevoie de garanții de securitate care pot fi oferite doar de către o Europă puternică. Această conferință a demonstrat că Europa de mâine are viitor. În toată Europa, cetățenii și-au făcut auzită vocea despre cum poate deveni Uniunea Europeană un loc mai bun pentru toți. Obiectivul nostru major este acela de a consolida o Europă a valorilor în care nimeni să nu fie lăsat în urmă. Acest lucru stă în mâna noastră, a tuturor, iar Conferința privind viitorul Europei ne-a arătat calea de urmat. Dincolo de orice dispută, stimați colegi, nu uitați să iubiți Europa în fiecare zi.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Marc Angel
Political group: S-D
Country: Luxembourg
Language: EN

Madam President, in the beginning the Conference on the Future of Europe was very abstract and very slow, and it only gained momentum because of the fantastic dynamic in the nine working groups, where finally all components came together to debate. Citizens from the European and national panels, colleagues from the national parliaments, MEPs, representatives of civil society, social partners, regional authorities, Council and Commission Members, all were able to join forces to reach compromise, to make Europe stronger, more resilient, more sustainable, and more social.  Yes, and these citizens represented all the citizens because there was a recent Eurobarometer poll where nine out of ten Europeans said they want a more social Europe, so they were representative of these citizens.  The dynamic of the working groups also translated later into the plenary and last Saturday we concluded this unique democratic process with this fantastic 56-page document containing 325 concrete proposals endorsed by all components.  Now action is needed. Of course, we must deliver on the citizens’ requests, and this requires, of course, policy change, legislative acts and in a few cases also treaty change. And therefore we need to convene the Convention as this excellent joint resolution with debate suggests.  To conclude, I think we proved during one year that representative democracy and participatory democracy can go hand-in-hand, and we must continue this exercise.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Ilhan Kyuchyuk
Political group: Renew
Country: Netherlands
Language: EN

Madam President, Madam Vice-President of the European Commission, dear colleagues, I echo those colleagues, saying that the Conference was an enriching exercise of democracy. I couldn’t agree more with that.  But a bigger question is what is next? What kind of change? Because we all mentioned the need for change. First of all, we would like to start with implementing the citizens’ proposals. Certainly, we have to implement what the citizens have proposed us. There must be no excuses, otherwise we are simply leaving it to those on the extreme right and left to do it for us, and we don’t want that.  Secondly, I think the Conference was clear: we need a change. We need a change on health union, on energy union. We have to abolish the unanimity rule. And for that, we need a new Convention.  Thirdly, the Conference was a model and should be a model – perhaps not at the same scale, but a continuous exercise involving citizens, bringing them together with the European institutions. What happens at European level has tremendous impact on people’s lives. So for that reason, we need pan-European solutions for pan-European challenges.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Niklas Nienaß
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Bulgaria
Language: EN

Madam President, first of all, when I go to my constituency, yes, I agree. Not all of the citizens tell me we want to get rid of unanimity. Of course not. This is a highly technical question. The majority is just asking me: why is Europe not doing anything on this? Why don’t we solve the migration crisis? Why aren’t we helping people on the borders? Why aren’t we getting support for the low income regions? Why aren’t we getting help for everybody to have the same pension and the same minimal income? And then I have to explain to them – and maybe that’s also a job for my colleagues as well – that there are a lot of proposals on the table, but they’re just not being voted on because there’s the rule of unanimity and that we need to get rid of it in order to be a more concrete European Union.  I think this has been the exercise that we did here. We asked citizens who were, some of them not at all involved in politics, to come here and make up their mind and propose ideas, what they think about the problems, where they see topics to be improved and everything. And then the outcome was, well, we need Treaty change.  One last sentence about this; I will make it brief. Just because we have a convention doesn’t mean that everything that is proposed will come into law. I mean, the important thing is to bring people together and to talk about the society that we want to live in in the future. And that is what the Convention is there for. And if we stop this process from the start, then I think our society has no future.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Niklas Nienaß
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Bulgaria
Language: EN

And the same thing is true also for this question as regards unanimity. Of course, I do see the point that smaller Member States need representation and that they need a certain amount of power through the use of unanimity. However, at a certain point it gets  So I think that we cannot continue with the prospect of unanimity, because it will not solve any problems, because every time your citizens say, for example, you say for your citizens, we want a stronger minimum wage. And then, I don’t know, maybe Malta says, no, this is okay for us, but we want fishing rights here and there, and therefore we block everything on the question of? This is unfair.  So I think what we can come up with in the Convention is also a solution to that. So figure out what is the possible solution that gives the right to the smaller member states to be part of the discussion, but also that enables us to act. That is the strength that we need. Democracies can act, but we are just too slow because we are having too much unanimity.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Radosław Sikorski
Political group: PPE
Country: Sweden
Language: EN

Madam President, I would grant the nationalist side of this debate that the process of the conference has not been perfectly democratic. But I’d just like to remind you that the whole idea of the conference was to open up the process to unelected people, to the kind of people that we don’t normally talk to. So that was deliberate. And if your supporters were less active or less persuasive in that process, well, that is your mistake and your failure. But don’t blame the process.  We’ve been through a lot as the European Union in recent years – the financial crisis, the refugee crisis, Brexit, the pandemic and now war. And some of you have argued – correctly, in my view, that we need to take a strong stance. We need energy transformation and financial help for energy transformation. We need strong sanctions on an aggressive power, on Mr Putin. That we need energy security, including a gas Union, purchasing of gas together.  And at the same time, you say the EU should go back to being a Union of fatherlands, a free trade area – some of your supporters have even asked for abolishing this Parliament. I have to tell you, these ideas are not compatible. You have to choose, if you will the ends you have to will the means.  Personally, I want a Union strong enough that can not only stand up to Putin, but send him to hell. And therefore, I believe we need not a superstate, but a super power. And therefore, these proposals should be considered seriously.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Bogdan Rzońca
Political group: ECR
Country: Portugal
Language: PL

Mam pytanie zatem do Pana: Czy po tej reformie, którą Państwo proponują po tej Konferencji, nie ma Pan obaw, że ta Unia będzie popełniać takie same błędy, jakie popełniła? Bo mamy wojnę, z tym się zgodzimy wszyscy. Mamy wielki dramat wojenny. Ktoś jest winny tej wojnie. Czy nie ma Pan takich obaw? Albo niech Pan wskaże jakiś mechanizm, który pozwoli zapobiec tego typu dramatycznym błędom.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Domènec Ruiz Devesa
Political group: S-D
Country: Malta
Language: EN

Madam President, thank you, Vice-President, for your presence in the debate and also for what you have done by co-chairing this conference with these very good outcomes. They are clearly pointing to the need to improve the competencies, the capabilities of the European Union to act in very important fields, but also to improve the degree of democratic legitimacy, and the participation of  citizens in the European project. Many things have been said. I made them my own. Also, what Prime Minister Draghi said this morning about pragmatic and ideal federalism. Now, I would like to address you directly, because you have been saying, and I understand that as a positive thing, that you believe that the Commission should play an honest broker role in this process. But I believe that maybe the Commission can also join Parliament. Parliament has made clear the position in this resolution about the next step, the convention and the reform of the treaties. And also, by the way, as you very well know, we approved today with a large majority the electoral law, including the union-wide constituency. Why doesn’t the Commission and the Parliament join together? Because we know the Council, they are good guys, but not particularly the vanguard of the European Union. So, the Commission and Parliament working together, what do you think?
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Claudia Gamon
Political group: Renew
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Frau Präsidentin! Die Konferenz kommt jetzt zu einem Ende, und das sollte der Start sein für echte Reformen in der Europäischen Union. Ich spreche hoffentlich für alle, wenn ich einmal Danke sage: allen Bürgerinnen und Bürgern, die hier teilgenommen haben, die sich dafür Zeit genommen haben und wirklich sehr leidenschaftlich diskutiert haben und – was ich gemerkt habe – bei vielen Kollegen auch etwas bewegt haben, bei ihnen etwas ausgelöst haben, nachdem man wirklich spüren konnte – was lange schon meine Vermutung war –, dass die Bürgerinnen und Bürger der Union oft schon viel weiter voraus sind, als es ihnen manche Politikerinnen und Politiker zutrauen würden.  Ich denke, dass man das auch jetzt ein wenig gehört und gespürt hat, dass doch sehr viele der extremen Rechten in diesem Haus, die immer sagen: „Wir sind das Volk“ jetzt ein bisschen schockiert sind, wenn das Volk herkommt und auf einmal etwas anderes sagt, als man eigentlich gemeint hat. Es muss wirklich frustrierend, enttäuschend sein. Okay, aber es ist nun einmal so. Die Bürgerinnen und Bürger wollen nämlich ein Europa, das funktioniert, das für sie funktioniert. Und dafür muss Europa stark sein. Und dafür muss auch die Europäische Union gestärkt sein. Und dafür werden wir neue Verträge brauchen.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: François Alfonsi
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: France
Language: FR

Madame la Présidente, la conférence sur l’avenir de l’Europe devait être l’événement marquant de la mandature de ce Parlement. Elle est restée malheureusement trop ignorée du grand public, car elle a été étouffée à la fois par la pandémie et par la faible implication des gouvernements et des partis politiques. Elle a été affectée aussi, malheureusement, par une certaine volonté d’en limiter le contenu. Cependant, un débat est lancé, et il doit continuer. C’est essentiel pour l’avenir de l’Europe. Parmi les questions cruciales ignorées dans les conclusions adoptées, il y a le droit des peuples à décider démocratiquement de leur avenir. Cette question est posée par exemple en Catalogne ou en Écosse. Elle se pose aussi de façon dramatique en Ukraine, depuis les dernières semaines. Sur la plateforme numérique qui permettait l’expression libre des citoyens, la proposition de débattre d’un mécanisme européen de clarté démocratique pour contribuer à la résolution d’éventuels conflits de souveraineté a été la deuxième proposition la plus soutenue, mais elle a été écartée des conclusions de la conférence finalement publiées. Si l’Europe n’a pas le courage de formuler des propositions démocratiques pour résoudre les conflits de souveraineté, y compris contre la volonté d’États membres nostalgiques du siècle dernier, elle prend le risque d’être affectée par des crises politiques graves à l’avenir. Pour ce qui nous concerne, nous continuerons à soutenir une telle proposition. L’Europe doit faire en sorte de contribuer à l’avenir de tous ses citoyens et de contribuer à l’avenir aussi de tous les peuples qui la composent, en leur assurant la possibilité d’exercer leur droit à l’autodétermination, qui est un droit fondamental. Ce droit ne peut être bafoué par le veto opposé par les États membres. Il doit être ouvert à tous les peuples d’Europe qui le désirent.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Danuta Maria Hübner
Political group: PPE
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Madam President, I hope we all remember that before the conference started, at the beginning, we committed ourselves to deeply engage in it and also to deliver on its outcome. And now we simply need a good plan to transform its conclusions into a real change. And I have two major takeaways from this unprecedented public dialogue, which might be useful.  First, on the value of the process itself, let me say that the more citizens are engaging also emotionally, the more ambitious, courageous and future-oriented were the ideas about the future of Europe. One can also say that the long awaited European demos has been born and it must not be lost. I think participatory democracy worked.  And my second takeaway is that during this conference, citizens have called for ‘more’ Europe. And I read it as a demonstration of the trust and faith in us, as an expectation that the Union that was brought closer to them, thanks to the conference, will remain close and caring. The conference, through well-structured, thoughtful conclusions, prepared a core of reform packages. And European institutions, Parliament, I hope the Commission, Madam Commissioner, also the Council will work now on their implementation. We could see during the last plenary the commitment of all institutions in this regard.  The conference, through the way it worked and the conclusions it provided, paved the way towards European Convention in the meaning of Article 48. And that implies that we need to take the conclusions and start working on potential treaty change content and do what is our right and duty within Article 48. So I trust we learned from this conference how to build the future of Europe in the most participatory way possible.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Victor Negrescu
Political group: S-D
Country: Finland
Language: EN

Madam President, I have attended the Conference on the Future of Europe and citizens have clearly underlined that they want to contribute more to the European project. Contrary to what has been said, their ideas and proposals are valuable. And also we have to acknowledge the fact that important parts of them go beyond the current treaty framework.  I am particularly happy to see that citizens want the European Union to help them get access to quality education and health services and several of our proposals, even of my proposals, have been included in the conclusions. The pandemic and the war in Ukraine show that we need a European Union that protects its citizens and its Member States, and for that it needs the means and the instruments to act by including even a stronger social dimension.  We therefore call for a convention and the activation of the procedure for the revision of the treaties according to Article 48 of the Treaty of the European Union. And as a member of the Constitutional Affairs Committee, I support the need to start working on this immediately.  Dear colleagues, in these uncertain times, we need to revise the Treaties in order to build a Europe that offers certainty, security and the perspective of a sustainable future for everyone.
Debate: The follow up of the Conference on the Future of Europe
Date: TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2022
Speaker: Pascal Arimont
Political group: PPE
Country: Belgium
Language: DE

Sehr geehrte Frau Präsidentin, sehr geehrte Frau Kommissarin! Zukunft wird aus Mut gemacht. Diese 56 Seiten, diese 353 Schlussfolgerungen der Konferenz haben Stärken und Schwächen. Sie haben aber eine Stärke, und diese Stärke ist, dass sie bestehen und dass sie von ganz vielen Leuten zusammen ausgearbeitet worden sind. Das ist die ursprünglichste Idee der Europäischen Union. Ich stelle daher drei Fragen an die Vertreter der Mitgliedstaaten, die leider heute hier nicht vertreten sind – aber ich stelle sie dennoch. Erstens: Wollen Sie ein Europa, das seine Bürger zum Beispiel im Gesundheitsbereich besser schützt? Zweitens: Wollen Sie erreichen, dass Europa auf internationaler Ebene ernster genommen wird? Drittens: Wollen Sie ein demokratischeres Europa, in dem dieses Parlament stärker wird, zum Beispiel mit einem Initiativrecht? Wenn Sie das möchten, dann müssen Sie Veränderungen von Verträgen zustimmen, zum Beispiel im Gesundheitsbereich. Ohne eine Änderung der EU-Verträge bleibt es so, dass die EU nahezu keine Möglichkeit hat, zum Beispiel eine Pandemie effektiv und effizient zu bekämpfen. Glauben Sie mir: Ich komme aus einer Grenzregion und habe dort sehr eigenartige und fast schwachsinnige Situationen erlebt, wenn das eine Land die eine Regel macht und das andere Land genau die entgegengesetzte. Oder die immer noch notwendige Einstimmigkeit der Mitgliedstaaten in bestimmten Politikbereichen: Sie trägt wesentlich dazu bei, dass wir in ganz wichtigen strategischen Fragen, wie zum Beispiel der Außen- oder der internationalen Steuerpolitik, einfach nicht vorankommen. Diese 56 Seiten geben uns einen ganz klaren Auftrag: Wir müssen jetzt die Verträge in einigen wichtigen Punkten ändern. Liebe Mitgliedstaaten, seien Sie für einen Konvent, seien Sie für gezielte Vertragsänderungen, seien Sie mutig!