unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Željana Zovko
Political group: PPE
Language: EN

Thank you very much. Dear Commissioner, thank you once again for your really good and compassionate behaviour when we were negotiating IPA III. In my last legislature, I was really worried why all this money that was used for migration waves was taken away from Bosnia and Herzegovina, because Bosnia and Herzegovina, at that time, I got the answer, didn’t have the absorption capacity to use the money. Bosnia and Herzegovina got candidate status. Thank you for that. But I recently had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina; he’s a good guy, who will side with European affairs, with European policies, and not with Iran, like the last minister. So I want you to support the new government. I want you to help Bosnia and Herzegovina get this absorption capacity and not lag behind all the other countries in the Western Balkans. Because now we have Ukraine, we have Georgia, we have Moldova, but we do not have a bigger IPA. So until that time, Bosnia and Herzegovina will be like an orphan left alone and be a political tool in this Parliament for the people who do not have a clue what people need in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They need the young people to use this money and to get the country away from the interference of third countries and into the European Union.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

I have also met the new Foreign Minister. I must admit that I appreciated very much the new approach that he presented, which is that Europe is priority number one for this government. And for that reason, I have also offered our support to accelerate the reforms in Bosnia Herzegovina. And it’s not an empty promise; it is a promise also to help them with technical expertise, by sending them people with knowledge who can advise them, and also to help them to get better access to funding.  But it is not enough to have goodwill. We also need the government of Bosnia Herzegovina to deliver on key issues, key issues that would help us also to de-block funding. And this is why we are now at a very important juncture, and this is why we need the whole institutions of the country to work as one. This is why now is the moment for this new administration to use this opportunity and come forward with deliveries.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Željana Zovko
Political group: PPE
Language: EN

Yes, could I just ask Mr Commissioner, are you aware of the knowledge of the constitutional framework of the people who are representing citizens here in this building? And that without cutting the funds – if we cut funds for one part of the country, Bosnia Herzegovina will not receive anything.  So can you just let us know is there any pedagogy that the Commission will try to use in the future?
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

So this is the big dilemma but, as I said, we have a new government in place and we need this new government to change the course of politics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. And I’m hopeful – judging from my first meetings with them – that they can do it and I’m hopeful that they also have the political will and backing of all three constitutive people in the country.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Alessandra Moretti
Political group: S-D
Country: Spain
Language: IT

Grazie Presidente. Gentilissimo Commissario, sono felice di vederla qui oggi. Sono convinta che questi momenti di scambio siano fondamentali per proseguire il percorso che porta la nostra Unione e i paesi balcanici sugli stessi binari. Si è parlato molto della questione dell'allineamento della Serbia alla politica estera e di sicurezza europea, in particolare per quanto riguarda le sanzioni applicate alla Russia. Questo è senz'altro un tema di primaria importanza, ma ci sono altre questioni che riguardano lo Stato di diritto che meritano di essere approfondite. Recentemente la Serbia ha adottato riforme costituzionali nel campo della giustizia. Le chiedo, Commissario, come giudica queste riforme. Sono passi in avanti sufficienti per il paese? E poi, riguardo la libertà di stampa e la scarsissima rappresentazione delle opposizioni nei media serbi, come può l'Unione europea agevolare una narrativa equilibrata, libera dalla disinformazione e dalla propaganda russa, spesso proprio antieuropea?
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

In relation to the media freedom and the media balance, yes, Serbia has still a long list to do and there for that reason we have managed to agree with them on a roadmap for all the reforms. And this roadmap is, I think, directly implemented and supervised by the Prime Minister herself. And of course it is very clear also in Belgrade that this is part and parcel of the fundamentals cluster. So any progress in that cluster will be measured also in relation to the delivery on the media freedom. On media balance, well, we are also helping local independent media. We are providing funding for that. But I think that it should be this roadmap that should bring about the media balance on the Serbian media landscape.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Jean-Lin Lacapelle
Political group: ID
Country: Germany
Language: FR

Monsieur le Commissaire, les résolutions et déclarations de l’Union ne cessent d’appeler de leurs vœux l’adhésion de pays des Balkans à l’Union européenne, y compris le territoire du Kosovo. Dans la continuité de ce souhait, le Conseil européen a accordé à la Bosnie-Herzégovine, le 15 décembre 2022, le statut officiel de pays candidat à l’adhésion. Cela pose un double problème. D’une part, concernant la Bosnie-Herzégovine, l’une de ses deux composantes, la République serbe de Bosnie – dont on parle très peu – témoigne toujours de son hostilité catégorique au principe de l’adhésion. Quelle place la République serbe de Bosnie occupe-t-elle dans les discussions entre la Bosnie et l’Union européenne comme dans le processus d’adhésion? Entendez-vous prendre l’avis de ses dirigeants? D’autre part, concernant le Kosovo, cinq États membres de l’Union européenne lui refusent une reconnaissance officielle. Êtes-vous d’accord que cela s’oppose absolument à toute adhésion de ce territoire à l’Union européenne? Quel est le statut juridique du Kosovo aux yeux de l’Union européenne? Sur quel fondement juridique le lui attribuez—vous?
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
Political group: ECR
Country: Germany
Language: PL

Panie Przewodniczący! Panie Komisarzu! Dzisiaj cywilizowany świat obchodzi święto Świętego Walentego, ale zapominamy, że dla chrześcijańskiej Europy 14 lutego to przede wszystkim święto Cyryla i Metodego. Tych, którzy ponieśli chrześcijaństwo właśnie na Bałkany Zachodnie, ponieśli chrześcijaństwo do Słowian. To ci święci po raz pierwszy przetłumaczyli Pismo Święte na język starocerkiewnosłowiański, ustanowili cyrylicę.  Dlaczego o tym wspominam? Bo dzisiaj współczesna Europa zastanawia się, czy dołączyć do Wspólnoty Europejskiej państwa Bałkanów Zachodnich. A jaka jest alternatywa? Jeżeli tych państw nie dołączymy, to będzie tak jak w dziewiątym wieku, wtedy, kiedy Cyryl i Metody podążali właśnie w kierunku Słowian, czyli oddamy Bałkany Zachodnie wpływom Rosji, wpływom Putina, ale również islamskich wahabitów. Dlaczego jest to tak ważne? Bo dzisiaj pojawia się pytanie, czy wniosek o szybką akcesję do Unii Europejskiej Ukrainy, Mołdawii, Gruzji nie spowolni akcesu do Unii Europejskiej państw Bałkanów Zachodnich. Dlatego chciałbym zapytać, czy Komisja dostrzega ten problem?
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
Political group: ECR
Country: Germany
Language: PL

Bardzo dziękuję Panie Komisarzu za tę odpowiedź, ale mimo wszystko chciałbym zwrócić uwagę na pewną dysproporcję. Otóż pełna zgoda, że Europa to dwa płuca, to płuco wschodnie i płuco zachodnie. Ale czy Komisja nie dostrzega przypadkiem, że pod pretekstem kryteriów, które stawiamy dzisiaj państwom z regionu Bałkanów Zachodnich, tak naprawdę niektóre państwa starej Unii Europejskiej, dbając o swoje partykularne, narodowe interesy, mnożą tego różnego rodzaju wymogi po to tylko, aby te dwa płuca jednak nie oddychały równomiernie, to znaczy kosztem płuca wschodniego, rozszerzamy zdolności płuca zachodniego.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

I think that when we received the mandate, also in this House, it was very clear that the credibility of the whole enlargement process needs strengthening – the credibility and the predictability.  The credibility means for our Member States that they also feel involved. They also feel in charge. And this is not just a mechanical, administrative exercise at the end of which they will have just the automatic ‘yes’ to say.  On the contrary, they also want to be part of this process. This is why it was very important to put this new balance on the table, which means credibility for our Member States and predictability for our candidate countries, meaning that one has to see the reforms are delivered and the other side has to see that if reforms are delivered, then decisions are made here in Europe.  In that, of course, it was also very important that these decisions are coming faster and coming to a Commission which is pro-enlargement, inherited from another Commission, which was not.  So, this is why it takes a bit of time. But now, as I said, last year was a very important development and this year could be even a bigger one.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Valter Flego
Political group: Renew
Country: Sweden
Language: HR

Poštovani predsjedavajući, hvala vam na riječi baš danas kada slavimo sv. Valentina, Valentinovo, kada slavimo ljubav i 33. rođendan mog IDS-a. Poštovani povjereniče, prošlo je već skoro deset godina otkad je Hrvatska kao posljednja zemlja ušla u Europsku uniju. I kada danas pogledamo tu Europsku uniju, ona zbilja izgleda kao jedna velika američka krafna s velikom rupom u sredini.  U tih deset godina svašta se desilo, naravno. Bilo je tu različitih izbora, došle su različite proeuropske vlade, one druge u Europskoj uniji. Isto tako, svašta se desilo - od nove metodologije do, ja bih rekao, jednog usporavanja cijelog tog procesa.  Ali u životu treba biti iskren i pošten pa vas molim iskreno i pošteno da pogledate tih deset godina. Da li ste vi zadovoljni kao povjerenik za proširenje s učinjenim u deset godina? Jer moj je
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

If I look at the agenda of the European Council as of 2019, you see that this topic is back on the agenda of the leaders. It means to me that this is a priority. This is a priority again. And interestingly enough, the Russian aggression against Ukraine only increased the importance of the enlargement towards the Western Balkans.  If you look at the summits, the latest one just a couple of days ago, it is there. If you look at December’s summit, it’s there. So this is now a priority for the European Union. But it’s not enough to say it. It means that we have to translate this into action. And this is why it is very important that the European Union not only focuses on taking all the institutional decisions that it can take because the criteria are met, so to bring further the accession process, but also that we accelerate the real integration of the region into the European Union.  This is why at the beginning of the mandate, we have put a substantial economic and investment plan on the table to not only accelerate this, but also to help the Balkans transform itself much faster, pretty much to the European standards.  This is why it was also very important in the economic and investment plan that we are addressing the key challenges and the key bottlenecks of the region. One of the biggest vulnerabilities of the region is, of course, energy and this is why in the economic investment plan, for us, it was a key priority to find alternative routes, alternative suppliers, and help them to get it in the Western Balkans. This is why from day number one, we’re working very, very hard so that at the end of the mandate of this Commission, you will see that the Western Balkans is developing much faster than ever before.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Valter Flego
Political group: Renew
Country: Sweden
Language: HR

Poštovani predsjedavajući, vrlo kratko. Dakle, drago mi je da sam čuo, ovoga, vaše planove, ambiciozne planove za zapadni Balkan.  Ali, htio bih čuti konkretno, budući da je i vama i nama ostalo oko godinu i pol mandata, s čime biste bili konkretno zadovoljni da u tih godinu i pol dana učinite odnosno s čime da se možete nakon godine i po dana od današnjeg dana pohvaliti da je konkretno učinjeno vezano za napredak tih država prema Europskoj uniji?
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

But, of course, this is one element. The other element is that we should see at least one country at the end of the mandate that is ready to join. It might look like a tall order at this point but, still, I think now we really need to put all efforts into that so that we have at least one country who has a clear opportunity to join.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Franc Bogovič
Political group: PPE
Country: Italy
Language: SL

Spoštovani komisar, ob širitvenem procesu zelo veliko govorimo o teh političnih problemih, kot so spori med državami, po drugi strani tudi spoštovanje vladavine prava.  Sam osebno pa ocenjujem, da je na Zahodnem Balkanu največji problem vedno večji zaostanek v različnih politikah, tudi v infrastrukturi, velik zaostanek v okoljski infrastrukturi, širokopasovni infrastrukturi. Po drugi strani imamo tudi probleme z energetiko. Zelo veliko premoga, ki se uporablja za proizvodnjo elektrike, gretje in temu primerno tudi onesnažuje zrak. [...] In tretji velik problem je slaba perspektiva mladih in odhod mladih iz tega dela širom po svetu.  Ali mislite, da bi bilo povečanje teh vlaganj v to območje po eni strani tudi približevanje tega dela Evrope evropskim standardom, ki jih bodo tako ali tako morali spoštovati, ko bodo člani Evropske unije, po drugi strani pa tudi dvig podpore vstopu teh držav v Evropsko unijo.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

We see now that European investors are looking for new places. So this is the opportunity also for the Western Balkans. But for that, as you have also said, they need their youth to work for their economy. This is why we have also introduced the youth guarantee scheme for the Western Balkans, which is exactly the same way as it is for our European Member States. So we are doing a lot and I do hope that, at the end of the mandate, the Balkans is going to be a much more attractive region. But there are things that need more time than just one mandate. For example, the brain drain, getting back the youth. Judging from experience from Central and Eastern Europe, it takes at least ten years to start to really attract the youth. But we have to put the basics there, meaning that there are jobs. There are economic perspectives, not only short term but long term for the youth and for the whole population of the Western Balkans.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Franc Bogovič
Political group: PPE
Country: Italy
Language: SL

Ali lahko približno rečemo, da bo potem preko tega invest programa toliko vlaganj, kot smo jih bile deležne države, ki smo se pridružile Evropski uniji v zadnjih ... po letu 2004? To je tam med pet in osem tisoč evrov po glavi. In ali bo ta denar tudi deljen na neki način bolj po principih kohezijske politike, kjer je veliko ljudi vključenih v te projekte, ne zgolj veliki nacionalni projekti, ki so vezani na vlade in na ministrstva.  Mislim, da je decentralizacija teh držav in pa to, da s projekti pridemo do konkretnih ljudi na terenu, pomembna zato, da bodo ljudje [...] izrazili večjo pripravljenost in zanesenost k vstopu v Evropsko unijo.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

According to the figures from the World Bank, if the Common Regional Market Project goes ahead, meaning that the countries in the Western Balkans introduce the exact same treatment as we have amongst our Member States in the Single Market and the ‘four freedoms’, they could also raise their GDPs by another third. So, the European contribution could be an increase of the GDP of the entire region by two thirds.  We are here to help and if we have some additional investments coming in from European private investors, this could really make a big difference.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Andor Deli
Political group: NI
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Well, at this moment, I think that the biggest enemy of enlargement is the lack of trust of certain Member States. But also, unfortunately, this House is lately manifesting it, too, in its recent country reports in the enlargement strategy, but also in the reports on foreign and security policy.  If you read these texts of the EP, it is clear that there is no confidence in the official assessment reports, there is criticism against the Commissioner and there is a big deficit of trust concerning the candidate countries, especially those which have conservative governments. And this lack of trust is sensed by the citizens of the candidate countries too. This is not the way to do enlargement policy, especially in times of war and geopolitical battles. These countries need support and need positive messages. In order to rebuild confidence and speed up the process, does the Commission think that setting an accession date for the Western Balkans would be helpful in this situation?
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

So what is necessary here is to work and to deliver on all the criteria. And, on our side, is to work and deliver all the decisions and to base our work on facts and figures that we see on the ground and try to keep up the pace, or even accelerate the pace, of enlargement.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Delara Burkhardt
Political group: S-D
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Herr Präsident! Herr Kommissar, Sie haben vorhin auf die Frage einer Kollegin gesagt, dass Bosnien und Herzegowina Europa braucht, und dem stimme ich auch sehr zu. Bosnien und Herzegowina braucht aber auch die EU‑Kommission als Hüterin der Verträge, die sie auf dem Weg unterstützt, aber auch klar anspricht, wenn das Land vom Weg abkommt. Ich möchte Sie deswegen zur Wahlrechtsreform des Hohen Repräsentanten Christian Schmidt befragen. Das Vorgehen, am Wahltag die Spielregeln des Wählens zu ändern, hat in der bosnischen Gesellschaft zu großer Sorge und aber auch zu großen Vertrauensverlusten in die internationale Gemeinschaft, insbesondere in die Institution des Hohen Repräsentanten geführt. Und da die EU ja zu 54 % auch den Hohen Repräsentanten finanziert, wirft das die Frage auf, wie wir uns dazu verhalten. Ich würde gerne von Ihnen wissen: Wie bewerten Sie die Wahlrechtsänderung gerade mit Blick auf die Notwendigkeit, Diskriminierung von Minderheiten im Wahlrecht zu beseitigen und Bosnien und Herzegowina den Weg in die EU zu eröffnen?
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

When it comes to the financing of the candidates, I’m not sure I understand your question. I’m happy to look into it. If there were any cases or other news, we are ready to look into it. But I think a major overhaul of the electoral law is on the cards anyhow. And I hear also from the political actors in the country that this is considered as part and parcel of the criteria.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Delara Burkhardt
Political group: S-D
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Something has been lost in translation, so I will try to do it in English now because there is the question I was asking about the reform proposed by the High Representative Christian Schmidt on 2 October, which is a white flag, which is also now in front of the constitutional court. And I think it’s a pity and it’s a shame that the High Representative is proposing an electoral reform that needs to be put in front of the court in the first place. So this is a problematic thing. And I was asking you how you react as the guardian of the Treaties.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Olivér Várhelyi
Language: EN

But, politically speaking, one also has to acknowledge that that last—minute amendment carried out by the High Representative allowed for a result and also for an election that we could consider a success. So it did have a contribution in that regard. But, as I said, the solution is an electoral reform done in the parliament by the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Debate: Question Time  - Strengthened EU enlargement policy to the Western Balkans
Date: TUESDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2023
Speaker: Thomas Waitz
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Denmark
Language: EN

Two questions. One, I absolutely share your assessment that after months of a caretaking government in Montenegro, elections are long overdue. You know that there were several tries to get a majority in the parliament for the Constitutional Court members.  My question is, are you also in contact with the current opposition, that at least rhetorically, also supports the path towards accession to gear up their attention and readiness to support the compromise? I also heard the news that they are coming close to it, but it has not yet been decided in parliament. I think we need to back them and put a little bit of pressure there.  And second question, towards North Macedonia. We have a government there that is very pro-European, but only rhetoric will not save the government through the next elections. The government is perceived in the country to not really deliver to citizens. Do you have plans of support – how we can make it more visible that European funds are actually delivering to citizens to back the pro-European notion that we still hope has a majority in North Macedonia?