unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Tsvetelina Penkova
Political group: S-D
Country: Croatia
Language: EN

Madam President, Commissioner Hahn, colleagues, the creation of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform is a much welcomed addition to the Net-Zero Industry Act, because we desperately need additional resources for the Member States. We very much welcome the position of Parliament to increase the available resources in STEP from EUR 10 billion to EUR 13 billion. However, we should keep insisting that STEP is just a predecessor to the long-awaited – and promised last year –Sovereignty Fund. The net-zero industry needs these resources to support the development of strategic projects in all Member States and to avoid the disproportionate concentrations of investments in only several big countries. These strategic projects must benefit from the sovereignty seal in order to reassure industry that they should invest in the greater production of net-zero technologies on the EU soil. That’s the only way we can reduce our dependencies, we can reduce the permitting deadlines and we can increase the competitiveness and job creation. We should support STEP and the Net-Zero Industry Act and vote in favour of a coherent EU signal towards industry.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Martin Hlaváček
Political group: Renew
Country: Bulgaria
Language: CS

Paní předsedající, pro prosperitu Evropy jsou zásadní technologie. Konečně se o tom bavíme. Škoda, že nás k tomu musela donutit pandemie COVID-19, válka a podpora USA. Škoda, že vás k tomu donutil až nedostatek součástek, kvůli kterým továrny zastavily výrobu, a nedostatek léků, kvůli kterým se lidé bojí. Teprve hrozba firem, že nové továrny na baterie, léky, chemii, čipy umístí mimo EU, všechny probudila. Přitom stav věcí je dlouhodobě známý. Zkrátka zaostáváme. Vítám proto, že se něco děje. Jenom mám obavu, že se neptáte na zásadní otázku: Proč firmy neinvestují v Evropské unii? Namísto toho, abyste se snažili odstranit příčiny, vymysleli jste opět typické bruselské řešení. Když něco nefunguje, vytvoříme fond a budeme z něho záplatovat to, co nefunguje. Pojďme prosím ty prostředky využít jinak, na zlepšení podmínek pro firmy, aby měly chuť v Evropské unii investovat. Můžeme třeba začít plánem na redukci byrokracie pro podniky.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Rosa D'Amato
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Czechia
Language: IT

Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, troppo poco e troppo tardi: STEP non è la risposta al piano di rilancio americano, non è un fondo di sovranità, ma di sicuro è un furto ai fondi per le regioni meno sviluppate, come il Mezzogiorno d'Italia. La proposta infligge un colpo senza precedenti alla politica di coesione, dando ai governi il potere di riprogrammare a piacimento le risorse dei fondi regionali, in barba al principio di partenariato, sottraendo le poche e preziose risorse del  A decisioni calate dall'alto e investimenti
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Denis Nesci
Political group: ECR
Language: IT

Signora Presidente, signor Commissario, onorevoli colleghi, STEP guarda al futuro perché consentirà all'Europa di indirizzare i finanziamenti verso settori tecnologici che sono cruciali per la sua leadership e per il rafforzamento del mercato unico. È una piattaforma che sosterrà lo sviluppo e la produzione di plusvalore nell'Unione dal punto di vista delle tecnologie innovative digitali e delle biotecnologie, riducendo e prevenendo le dipendenze strategiche dagli altri Stati extra-UE. Nell'attuale contesto geopolitico infatti gli investimenti previsti potranno aiutare l'Europa a sviluppare un approccio globale per identificare, valutare e gestire comunemente i rischi per la sicurezza energetica, la catena di distribuzione e di approvvigionamento e la  Per noi la piattaforma va nella direzione giusta, ossia quella di rendere il tessuto economico europeo più competitivo nei confronti degli Stati  Il nostro auspicio è che STEP possa essere solo il primo passo verso l'istituzione di un fondo sovrano europeo, così come preannunciato dalla Presidente von der Leyen, perché solo attraverso questo strumento potremmo intercettare le risorse adeguate e affrontare le sfide della transizione
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Franc Bogovič
Political group: PPE
Country: Italy
Language: SL

Spoštovani komisar, spoštovana podpredsednica. Na začetku našega mandata smo zelo veliko spregovorili o zelenem dogovoru. Zelo malo je bilo govora o industriji, o konkurenčnosti evropskega gospodarstva.  Covid je pokazal, da nimamo strateške avtonomije. Vojna je dokončno razkrila, kako je tudi na področju gospodarstva veliko protekcionizma, zaščitniških potez različnih velikih držav in kako, kar naenkrat, v Evropi primanjkuje kritičnih materialov in kako nas po levi in desni prehitevajo velike ekonomije. Zato podpiram vsa prizadevanja, ki gredo v smer povečanja konkurenčnosti, preboja na različnih tehnoloških področjih. Vsekakor pa sem trden zagovornik tega, da moramo to narediti s poenostavljanjem postopkov, s tem, da priznavamo princip tehnološke nevtralnosti. Tudi v ameriškem aktu IRA je ta tehnološka nevtralnost zelo upoštevana, podpirajo tudi male modularne reaktorje. Zato mislim, da bomo mi uspeli, v kolikor bomo prisegali na tehnološko nevtralnost, poenostavitev zakonodaje in direktno podporo tistim, ki imajo razvojne projekte.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Margarida Marques
Political group: S-D
Country: Cyprus
Language: PT

Senhora Presidente, Comissário, Colegas, o que é o STEP comparado com o prometido Fundo de Soberania? Muito pouco! Mas um Fundo de Soberania é essencial para o aprofundamento da autonomia estratégica da União Europeia.  À falta de mais ambição, vamos então dar um primeiro passo, mas este passo não pode ser apenas um  Repetimos o que sempre dissemos no debate do orçamento da União Europeia, seja o orçamento anual, seja o orçamento plurianual: novas iniciativas exigem novos financiamentos.  A reprioritização é um recurso de urgência e pontual, não é para programas estruturantes, como o aprofundamento da autonomia estratégica exige.  É tempo de construir soluções duradouras, com uma visão de futuro. É por isso que é preciso rever o Quadro Financeiro Plurianual já e dotá-lo dos financiamentos apropriados com dinheiro novo para novos programas.  E encontrar soluções de flexibilidade adequadas a todos os Estados-Membros da União e preservar o Mercado Único Europeu sem mais distorções.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Anna Júlia Donáth
Political group: Renew
Country: Spain
Language: HU

Tisztelt Biztos Úr! Amellett, hogy támogatom azt a célt, hogy uniós forrásokat fordítsunk az EU ipari függetlenségének és versenyképességének növelésére, nem mehetünk el szó nélkül amellett, hogy Magyarországból éppen most csinál akkumulátorgyarmatot a saját kormánya. A kormány jelentős részben kínai cégeket csábít az országba, amelyek ezután súlyos és egyre nagyobb területen okoznak egyre súlyosabb környezetszennyezést. Azért hívom fel erre a figyelmet, mert az EU éppen úgy készül pénzt fektetni digitális és más kritikus technológiába, hogy nem veszi eléggé kellően komolyan a környezetvédelmi szempontokat.  Ezért arra kérem az Európai Bizottságot, tegyen meg mindent a saját környezetünk védelméért, tegyen meg mindent Magyarország környezetének védelméért, ugyanis a környezetszennyezés nem ismer határokat. Ezért van szükség minél előbb egy európai környezetvédelmi hatóság felállítására, amely ellenőrizheti, büntetheti, és hogyha kell, indokolt esetben be is zárathatja a környezetszennyező cégeket. Európának és benne Magyarországnak erős európai környezetvédelemre van szüksége a stratégiai ipari visszatelepítés mellett is. Azt kérem, hogy cselekedjünk most, mielőtt még késő lenne.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Sara Matthieu
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: France
Language: NL

Voorzitter, collega’s, vorig jaar kondigde Von der Leyen de oprichting van een Europees soevereiniteitsfonds aan. Als reactie natuurlijk op de Amerikaanse wet voor inflatiebestrijding, die de vergroening van de Amerikaanse industrie subsidieert. Maar dit platform is weinig meer dan een lege doos. Met 10 miljard EUR aan nieuwe middelen is het echt ruim onvoldoende om onze industrie te gaan vergroenen. Het zet lidstaten ook tegen elkaar op, want Vlaanderen kan bijvoorbeeld de staatssteun van Duitsland of Frankrijk nooit gaan evenaren.  Dit voorstel kannibaliseert ook bestaande fondsen die net voor meer sociale cohesie en een eerlijke transitie moeten gaan zorgen. Tot slot is er geen enkele sociale voorwaardelijkheid in opgenomen. Gaat Europa echt onder de lat van Amerika wanneer het gaat over eerlijke werkomstandigheden en deftige lonen? Ik pleit voor een echt soevereiniteitsfonds met Europese solidariteit en met sterke sociale regels. Want alleen zo gaan onze economie en ons sociaal beleid er echt op vooruit.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Geert Bourgeois
Political group: ECR
Country: Germany
Language: NL

Voorzitter, collega’s, commissaris, innoveren is geen luxe. Innoveren is een noodzaak en we moeten erin excelleren, want onze globale concurrentiekracht staat sterk onder druk. Deze STEP kon een stap in de goede richting zijn. De intentie is goed, maar de uitwerking niet. Niet de hoogste standaarden hanteren, nivelleren, is slecht voor innovatie, is slecht voor de meest innovatieve deelstaten, is slecht voor de beste projecten en werkt bovendien ook nog eens marktverstorend.  Stop dus met ad hoc investeren in dure initiatieven. Maak integendeel een omslag. Een omslag in het budget, een budget van de 21e eeuw. Meer onderzoek en ontwikkeling. Meer innovatie.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Tom Berendsen
Political group: PPE
Country: Netherlands
Language: NL

Voorzitter, we zijn in de afgelopen jaren met de neus op de feiten gedrukt als het gaat om onze afhankelijkheid van andere delen van de wereld. Paracetamol werd schaars in de coronacrisis. Onze afhankelijkheid van Russisch gas werd tegen ons gebruikt en voor onze economie van de toekomst zijn we voor bijvoorbeeld batterijen en kritieke grondstoffen afhankelijk van China. De 21e eeuw vraagt om een herschikking van onze prioriteiten. Het voorstel dat we vandaag behandelen, het platform voor strategische technologieën, is zo’n nieuwe prioriteit. Voor de door ons gewenste groene industriepolitiek hebben we die nieuwe technologie namelijk hard nodig. We moeten dus ook de middelen vrijmaken om ervoor te zorgen dat we voor deze nieuwe technologie niet afhankelijk worden van anderen. Maar tegen de collega’s die telkens weer een groter Europees budget eisen, zeg ik dit: nieuwe prioriteiten betekent keuzes maken. Nieuwe prioriteiten betekent de bestaande uitgaven tegen het licht houden. Laten we ook daar dus de komende maanden discussie over voeren.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Patrizia Toia
Political group: S-D
Country: Czechia
Language: IT

Signora Presidente, signor Commissario, onorevoli colleghi, penso che questo passaggio, che oggi stiamo votando in Parlamento e che è stato elaborato dalla Commissione, rappresenti un passo in avanti importante nell'individuazione di una politica industriale europea che ci porti davvero a quell'autonomia strategica, a quella sovranità europea che è essenziale per mantenere i livelli di produttività e la competitività della nostra industria europea, ma contemporaneamente essenziale per raggiungere gli obiettivi che ci siamo dati dal punto di vista ambientale. Non raggiungeremo la decarbonizzazione se non faremo un vero salto di qualità, molto significativo, verso le nuove tecnologie, ambientali e digitali, e verso tutto il mondo delle biotecnologie, che pure ha riflessi sulla salute delle persone e sull'ambiente. Quindi, signor Commissario, questa è una strada che dobbiamo perseguire coordinando i diversi fondi, mettendo a sistema gli interventi che oggi abbiamo troppo parcellizzati – il Consiglio europeo per l'innovazione, Horizon, il Fondo per l'innovazione e le politiche di coesione – dando davvero un impulso. L'assetto del modello produttivo europeo ha bisogno di questo passo in avanti, ha bisogno di abbandonare le tecnologie mature, che certo vanno diffuse e vanno tenute in considerazione, e di andare verso le nuove tecnologie. Ci auguriamo però che arrivi il fondo sovrano promesso per dare davvero forza, anche finanziaria, a questa politica industriale.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Eugen Jurzyca
Political group: ECR
Country: Belgium
Language: SK

Vážená pani predsedajúca, ak je cieľom úspešná Únia a rast životnej úrovne Európanov, nemali by sme centrálne a bez zverejnených merateľných kritérií vyberať sektory, ktoré budeme dotovať. Hrozí, že minieme peniaze daňových poplatníkov a ciele nedosiahneme. Snaha vyberať víťazov v Európskej únii nie je nová. Napríklad 15 rokov dozadu sa Francúzsko a Nemecko tak obávali Google vyhľadávača, že dotovali vlastný európsky vyhľadávač Quero – výsledok poznáme. Únia nedokáže konzistentne vyberať sektory, ktoré budú pre nás v budúcnosti kľúčové.  Som presvedčený, že riešením je skôr vytvoriť také podnikateľské prostredie, v ktorom sa presadia firmy s najvyššou pridanou hodnotou. Víťazov by mal primárne vyberať trh, teda občan – iba veľmi výnimočne Európska únia.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Eva Maydell
Political group: PPE
Country: Portugal
Language: EN

Madam President, colleagues, I believe it is not enough to be a powerhouse of production, because Europe needs to be actually a powerhouse of ideas. But for ideas to have impact, we also need investment. We need a level of European funding that translates ambition to action. We need to utilise private investment to the maximum because when we talk about deep tech, it also requires deep pockets. We currently find ourselves in a global tech race. And when we are talking about a race, there is usually winners and those that also lose. If anywhere Europe could have a leading edge, that’s in R&D. This is why I think when it comes to STEP, it must create an effective blueprint for a fully-fledged sovereign fund to emerge and it must do it quickly. I would like to congratulate my colleague Christian Ehler for providing the much needed focus to this proposal, because strategic technology requires strategic thinking and the Parliament has provided a clear value in that regard.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Beatrice Covassi
Political group: S-D
Language: IT

Signora Presidente, signor Commissario, onorevoli colleghi, l'istituzione della piattaforma STEP è una buona notizia. Facciamo, come suggerisce la parola, un primo passo per dare una spinta agli investimenti nelle tecnologie strategiche per l'Europa. In questi ultimi anni, prima con la pandemia e poi con l'aggressione russa all'Ucraina, abbiamo constatato la necessità vitale di rafforzare l'autonomia strategica europea, a partire da energia e farmaci. Ma per ridurre la nostra dipendenza dalle importazioni nei settori tecnologici essenziali alla grande transizione serve una politica industriale europea, con adeguati investimenti per rafforzare le catene del valore, tenerci al passo con ricerca e innovazione e affrontare la sfida delle competenze e della manodopera necessarie. La piattaforma STEP garantirà maggiore flessibilità agli strumenti finanziari europei, creando sinergie e rafforzandone l'efficacia. Si tratta di mobilitare e indirizzare i finanziamenti e dare visibilità ai progetti con un marchio europeo che ne riconosca il valore per l'autonomia strategica: " Ma questo non basta. Resto convinta che le sfide di oggi possano essere vinte solo insieme. E per questo, cari colleghi, serve un vero e proprio fondo sovrano europeo.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Maria Spyraki
Political group: PPE
Country: Romania
Language: EN

Madam President, Commissioner Hahn, dear colleagues, the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform is a facilitator and also an accelerator to enhance Europe’s global competitiveness by positioning us as a key player in the global technology landscape. But STEP should also be ready to serve as a conduit for cross-sectoral cooperation and dialogue among academia, industry, government and other stakeholders to enhance and reinforce the ecosystem for research and innovation. In this regard, it is very important to secure adequate funding. We have to facilitate steps to reinforce, leverage and steer EU funds, existing and new, to investments in strategic technologies and also in human resources, in people who can implement those technologies into the economy. The Commission’s proposal, dear Commissioner, to allocate an additional EUR 10 billion stemming from an MFF revision to target programmes is a very good start point. But it is not enough. In this House, we support to increase this funding by an additional EUR 3 billion without the use of redeployments under Horizon Europe. We need STEP, we have STEP, now we need the Sovereignty Fund.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Riho Terras
Political group: PPE
Country: Italy
Language: EN

Madam President, Commissioner, dear colleagues, the EU needs to clearly define technologies which are of strategic importance to Europe. But ever more importantly, we need to provide EU funding to these technologies. We need to provide these important technologies with the public funding in order not to be left behind compared to the United States or China or others.  We also need to protect ourselves from hostile competition from China and avoid repeating the scenario which happened with 5G. With these important strategic technologies, it is it is the forerunners who get to set the direction: we need to be these forerunners.  We can only do so much with commands and prohibition. Europe needs more carrot and less stick. Now more than ever, it is of crucial importance to invest into the critical technologies in the field of defence, more specifically in both artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Clare Daly
Political group: The Left
Country: France
Language: EN

Madam President, behind yet another cute acronym, STEP, this proposal aims, among other things, to allocate yet another EUR 1.5 billion of public money to the European Defence Fund, now totalling EUR 10 billion. For years, the European Union has been militarising, all the while presenting itself as an actor for peace. And now, at a time where there’s an unfolding and escalating crime against humanity in Gaza, we see this enabled by the reckless and potentially criminal actions and statements from EU leaders, and the world can see that our calls for peace are meaningless. What’s happening in Gaza is where the obsession with military solutions gets us. The indulgence of humanity’s worst impulses and the broken bodies of children laid bare in mass graves. It’s unacceptable that we have yet another proposal here to funnel billions into the pockets of the bloated bank accounts of the arms industry. This proposal should be axed.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Mick Wallace
Political group: The Left
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Madam President, I oppose the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform. It will divert resources from existing EU funds that are desperately needed to finance public services and the green and just transitions. This is a plan to scrape funds from existing EU budgets. It does not propose new funds. Instead, it will plunder three crucial EU funding instruments for climate action and rural development: the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Cohesion Fund and the European Regional Development Fund. Bizarrely, large companies will be eligible for the funds. These companies will have the access their own private finance. Using scarce EU funds for financing large corporations is a bad use of these funds. Most importantly, this platform will allocate an additional 1.5 billion to the European Defence Fund. Decades of neoliberal capitalism in the EU has seen the gutting of public services and rampant inequality. These policies have contributed to crisis in housing, healthcare and the environment. Yet the EU’s priority is defence spending, not making peace, not looking after their own citizens.
Debate: Establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform
Date: MONDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2023
Speaker: Johannes Hahn
Language: EN

There is only one thing I would like to recall or repeat, simply because several times speakers referred to the fact that our President proposed a Sovereignty Fund in her speech last year, and I think it is important to recall that the spirit of the Sovereignty Fund still remains. But what we have done is simply to react to the fact that everybody talks about the urgency we face, and this means we cannot wait till we finally negotiate a new fund with all the rules, the governance structures, etc. So that is why we have quasi-transferred the idea into existing funds which are already there. We indeed propose a reinforcement by asking for additional fresh money, and I understand that Parliament is asking for another top-up, which I fully subscribe to and which is subject, of course, to negotiations. On top of this we have offered – and this has also been discussed and, I understand, also very much supported by this Parliament – to quasi-offer the opportunity by addressing specific existing programmes, funds, etc. that also for the STEP idea can be used and addressed. I think with this package in mind, we are indeed addressing the needs we have jointly agreed where we understand that an urgency is there. Therefore, once again, I thank you for this strong commitment. Thank you for the swift dealing and adoption of a so-to-say EU negotiating mandate. I am looking forward to the negotiations together with my fellow colleague. Once again, I have to recall also that STEP is part of the overall mid-term review. It is one very important element, but not the only one.