unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: Humanitarian situation of refugees and migrants at the EU's external borders
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Elena Yoncheva
Political group: S-D
Country: Czechia
Language: BG

Г-жо председател, миграционната политика на Европейския съюз е провал. Опитът да се подмени реформата в областта на убежищата с реформа по границите не доведе до нищо. Резултатът от този опит създаде една абсурдна ситуация.  Тези, които злоупотребяват с правилата на Европейския съюз, продължават да намират пролуки. А тези, които отговарят на условията за защита, слабите, беззащитните, тези, които бягат от войни, са оставени на произвола.  Но днес миграционната ни политика продължава да бъде все още в ръцете на трафикантите.  Преди повече от 5 години, спомняте си, морето изхвърли тялото на тригодишния Айлан Курди, за да ни покаже, че европейската политика трябва да се промени. Но за пет години нито един стълб от нашето законодателство не беше променен. Въпросът ми към Комисията: какво точно ще предприемете по отношение на Фронтекс, който продължава да бъде част от проблема, а не решението?  И въпросът ми към Председателството е: ще завършим ли реформата на новата Агенция по убежищата в рамките на Вашето Председателство или Съветът пак ще бяга от отговорност?
Debate: Humanitarian situation of refugees and migrants at the EU's external borders
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Ylva Johansson
Language: EN

I would like to comment on some borders that I didn’t mention in my first intervention. First, on the Canary Islands, there is a very severe situation. Last year, we saw an increase of 1 000% of irregular arrivals on the Canary Islands. This is of course a very difficult situation. That’s why the Commission has been providing extra money. We have been providing personnel from our agencies. Somebody asked for Frontex to be there. Frontex are on the Canary Islands and they are happy to help the Spanish authorities with whatever kind of help they need.  It’s also important to address their routes. This is absolutely one of the most deadly routes to the European Union and we don’t actually know how many lives have been lost on this route. I think that was rightly pointed out by Mr López Aguilar. I have of course been to the Canary Islands, I have been to Morocco and I’ve been to Mauritania. We also need to work with our external partners to fight the human smugglers and to protect people’s lives.  I was asked questions on how we work on the external aspect of migration. I will be happy to answer that in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) or in a special debate here in the plenary. We have done a lot, but there is also a lot more that we need to do.  Many of you also mentioned Greece and the Greek islands. We also have a serious situation there with a lot of problems still to be addressed, but I must also say that I reacted when I heard that nothing has happened for a year. One year ago, we had 42 000 migrants on the Greek islands. Now there are around 15 000 – still too many of course, but actually things have improved. We have relocated migrants to the mainland, to other Member States, and we also have a programme for voluntary returns. The backlog on Greece assessing their asylum applications is close to zero. This is good, but I’ll be the first to say that a lot more has to be done. We do not of course have a satisfactory situation, but it’s not fair to say that nothing has happened.  Many of you have asked for the sustainable regulations to deal with a proper way of managing migration. We have these proposals on the table and I hope the Pact on Migration and Asylum can be adopted by both Parliament and the Council because we need that. The last thing I would like to say is that, when listening to this debate, I think it’s important to point out one thing. Not everybody that wants to come to the European Union has the right to come here or to stay here. We welcome those in need of international protection and we welcome those regular migrants that come to the European Union, but let me make one thing crystal clear. We are talking about human beings. We are talking about people. All human beings have rights and dignity. Even if they don’t have the right to stay in the European Union, they have the right to be treated in line with their rights and their dignity. That is our obligation to our values and as human beings ourselves.
Debate: Humanitarian situation of refugees and migrants at the EU's external borders
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Ana Paula Zacarias
Language: EN

There is no doubt that the situation in our external border must be addressed, and in an effective and timely manner. As I have already stressed, we are committed to improving migrants’ conditions, especially those of vulnerable groups. All the interventions coincide here today in the rejection of the dire situation where thousands of migrants and asylum seekers are living in our borders. This is not sustainable. We all worry about the fundamental and the humanitarian situation of migrants and refugees. This is what I’ve listened to in this noble assembly. But I also listened to very divisive lines, when it comes to the analysis of the problem, the causes of the situation and the solutions we find.  Unfortunately, it is also difficult to reach consensus at the Council level. Nevertheless, I would like to reiterate that the Portuguese Presidency will look, will continue to reach out for solutions: focusing on implementation, focusing on a comprehensive approach to migration, looking into external relations, the need to find partnerships with other countries, so that we can save lives, so that we can fight the smugglers.  We will look into all these elements with the political will to try to find a consensus. We know that this is a European question, that needs a European coordinated response and we will continue to strive for solutions, always, always having in mind our basic fundamental values — these we need to respect.
Debate: Humanitarian situation of refugees and migrants at the EU's external borders
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Dominique Bilde
Political group: ID
Country: Germany
Language: FR

Il ne s’agit pas de nier la tragédie humaine qui s’est jouée cet hiver dans ce pays. Rappelons simplement que, de l’aveu même d’un représentant de l’Organisation internationale pour les migrations au micro d’Euronews en 2018, 85 % des personnes présentes dans ces camps sont en réalité des migrants économiques. Une proportion notable d’entre eux vient du Pakistan, avec en toile de fond d’ailleurs des allégations de trafic de visas. Du reste, le représentant bosniaque de la présidence tripartite s’est rendu en novembre dans ce pays, confirmant l’ampleur du problème.  L’Union européenne est largement responsable de ce drame, du fait de son incapacité à assurer une protection efficace de ses frontières extérieures, et une fois encore, son action semble s’être bornée à déverser son aide humanitaire à fonds perdu. Par ailleurs, la volonté affichée par la présidence portugaise de mener à bien l’élargissement aux Balkans occidentaux ne fera qu’exacerber cet irrépressible appel d’air.
Debate: Humanitarian situation of refugees and migrants at the EU's external borders
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Joanna Kopcińska
Political group: ECR
Country: Germany
Language: PL

Pomimo wparcia trzeci rok z rzędu mamy do czynienia z kryzysem. Państwo to jest identyfikowane jako potencjalny kandydat do członkostwa w UE, pomimo że raport na temat BiH stwierdza, że BiH „jest na wczesnym etapie przygotowań w dziedzinie ochrony konsumentów i zdrowia publicznego”. Chcę podkreślić konieczność dalszych zdecydowanych działań w obszarze bezpieczeństwa granic zewnętrznych, w tym z udziałem agencji Frontex, oraz podkreślić rolę dalszej współpracy z państwami trzecimi w zakresie walki z przemytem.  W jaki sposób KE zmierza do stworzenia wyraźniejszej synergii wspomnianych inicjatyw oraz dodatkowo przyznanej pomocy, a przez to do skanalizowania jej w taki sposób, aby objąć uchodźców programem ochrony zdrowia, zwłaszcza że BiH przystąpiła do umowy UE w sprawie wspólnych zamówień i otrzymała od JRC materiały do kontroli testów na COVID-19, a także 7 mln euro z funduszy unijnych na zakup pilnie potrzebnego sprzętu medycznego?
Debate: Humanitarian situation of refugees and migrants at the EU's external borders
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Janina Ochojska
Political group: PPE
Country: France
Language: PL

Sytuacja na wyspach greckich również jest niepokojąca. Co prawda liczba migrantów spadła tam z ponad 40 tys. do 15 tys., ale brakuje informacji o warunkach, w jakich przebywają uchodźcy w tzw. obozie Moria II na Lesbos, do którego pracownicy humanitarni mają zakaz wstępu. Nie można dokumentować tego, co w obozie się dzieje, i niewiele wiadomo o sytuacji epidemiologicznej. Ta sytuacja nie tylko godzi w prawa człowieka, ale też w godność poczynań i wagę UE.  Ostatnie lata pokazały, że cała odpowiedzialność za zarządzanie migracjami nie może spoczywać na pojedynczych krajach. Dlatego zadbajmy o to, aby pakt o azylu i migracji opierał się na sprawiedliwym podziale obciążeń i obowiązków między kraje członkowskie. Zadbajmy też o to, aby migranci na równych prawach mieli dostęp do szczepień przeciw COVID-19 w UE.
Debate: Humanitarian situation of refugees and migrants at the EU's external borders
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Bettina Vollath
Political group: S-D
Country: Austria
Language: DE

Ein weiteres Anliegen meinerseits ist die Verwendung von EU-Geldern. Es muss unbedingt sichergestellt werden, dass das Geld bei denjenigen ankommt, für die es gedacht ist. Als Union haben wir die rechtliche und die moralische Verpflichtung, Menschenrechte sowohl innerhalb als auch in unserer Nachbarschafts- und Außenpolitik zu gewährleisten.
Debate: The arrest of Aleksei Navalny
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Roberta Metsola
Country: Poland
Language: MT

Il-punt li jmiss fuq l-aġenda huwa d-dibattitu dwar id-dikjarazzjoni tal-Viċi President tal-Kummissjoni/Rappreżentant Għoli tal-Unjoni għall-Affarijiet Barranin u l-Politika ta' Sigurtà dwar l-arrest ta' Aleksei Navalny ( Nixtieq ninforma lill-onorevoli Membri li, għad-dibattiti kollha ta' din is-sessjoni parzjali, mhux se jkun hemm proċedura "catch-the-eye" u mhux se jiġu aċċettati karti blu.  Barra minn hekk, huma previsti interventi mill-bogħod mill-Uffiċċji ta' Kollegament tal-Parlament fl-Istati Membri.
Debate: The arrest of Aleksei Navalny
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Josep Borrell Fontelles
Language: EN

Yesterday, I issued, on behalf of the European Union, a declaration with a clear message that we condemn the arrest of Mr Navalny, and that we stand in strong solidarity with him. The President of the European Council and the President of the Commission also issued a statement in this sense. Mr Navalny’s rights must be fully and unconditionally respected and enforced, and the politicisation of justice is unacceptable. We call upon the Russian authorities to release Mr Navalny and all the journalists and activists who have been detained in connection with his return. Let me also share how glad I am that Mr Navalny has recovered from the severe poisoning he suffered in August 2020. My biggest recognition goes to all those, especially the medical staff and the team around Mr Navalny, who have been treating and supporting him over the last months.  As I said, in our plenary discussion on the case of Mr Navalny that we had here in September, the EU condemns in the strongest possible terms the assassination attempt, through poisoning, using a military chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group. As a reaction, the European Union, in October 2020, responded by imposing in a strict manner restrictive measures on six individuals and one entity involved in the assassination attempt. These are highly ranked officials in Russia, including the Director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB). As you know, any further decision on sanctions is for the Council to take.  I am looking forward to this very timely discussion about such an important issue.
Debate: The arrest of Aleksei Navalny
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: David McAllister
Political group: PPE
Country: Netherlands
Language: EN

These latest developments further deteriorate the already strained relations between the European Union and Russia. The intimidation and political persecution of government critics in Russia must stop. Dear Josep Borrell, I am thankful for your strong and clear words immediately after the arrest of Mr Navalny, and again this afternoon. Indeed, the politicisation of the Russian judiciary is unacceptable.  The poisoning and the arrest of Mr Navalny are just the latest of many arguments to reassess our relations with Russia. As the European Union, we should be very clear in our response and expand the so far introduced sanctions to individuals implicated in his arrest and those who gave orders to do so. As of December 2020, the EU has the instrument of a global human rights sanctions regime. We shouldn’t hesitate to use this tool when and where necessary.
Debate: The arrest of Aleksei Navalny
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Isabel Santos
Political group: S-D
Country: Hungary
Language: PT

Depois de sobreviver à tentativa de envenenamento e inúmeras perseguições, Navalny foi agora preso por uma pena que, em 2013, denunciei como estando ferida de irregularidades e atentar contra o Estado de Direito, tendo sido também em 2018 declarada pelo Tribunal Europeu de Direitos Humanos como sendo politicamente condicionada. Enquanto os responsáveis do seu envenenamento continuam em liberdade, Navalny encontra-se detido na prisão onde Magnistky morreu. Isto é uma afronta clara à União Europeia e a toda a comunidade internacional. Saúdo o pedido de libertação imediata de Navalny feito pelo Senhor Alto Representante e exigimos que os responsáveis por esta detenção sejam integrados na lista de sanções.
Debate: The arrest of Aleksei Navalny
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Marco Zanni
Political group: ID
Country: Portugal
Language: IT

Non possiamo permettere che vicino a noi ci siano Stati con cui cooperiamo e con cui dialoghiamo che utilizzano l'arma giudiziaria o addirittura, potenzialmente, l'arma dell'attentato per mettere a tacere l'opposizione politica. Il rispetto dei diritti civili, dei diritti umani e dei diritti politici deve sempre essere al centro delle relazioni tra i nostri Stati membri, tra l'Unione europea e i paesi terzi. Bene quindi abbiamo fatto a più livelli e bene ha fatto la comunità internazionale a condannare quanto accaduto e a chiedere chiarezza, per far sì che le autorità russe permettano alla comunità internazionale di fare chiarezza su quanto accaduto a Naval'nyj. Però credo, Commissario Borrell, che per essere completamente credibile in questa sua richiesta l'Unione europea dovrebbe avere un approccio comune con tutti gli Stati terzi con cui ci troviamo a dialogare e a collaborare. Credo che quanto accaduto proprio di recente con la Cina non sia un esempio cristallino di come l'Unione europea, all'unanimità e in maniera uniforme, debba condannare questi comportamenti. Nonostante sappiamo chiaramente che in Cina il rispetto dei diritti umani, dei diritti civili e dei diritti politici non viene garantito – e quanto sta accadendo a Hong Kong ne è una riprova – noi decidiamo di firmare accordi con questo paese chiudendo gli occhi per gli interessi commerciali di qualcuno. Credo che questo atteggiamento vada cambiato, altrimenti l'Unione europea e gli Stati membri non saranno e non potranno essere efficaci nella loro richiesta di rispetto dei diritti umani.
Debate: The arrest of Aleksei Navalny
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Sergey Lagodinsky
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: France
Language: EN

Now we see those people – in Belarus, in Turkey and now we see them also in Russia and have been seeing them for many years. Some of the names were already mentioned, and Navalny is one of them. One of the people whose term and characterisation we forgot to pronounce, one of the heroes – and that’s him, and that’s his family, and that’s his wife, Yulia, who is always on his side. It’s important that we mention that. That we see the human story behind this political story. But Navalny didn’t return for a human story, he returned for political work, and it is our responsibility to make sure that his political work, and the work of his party, of his foundations, of many other opposition parties in the country where he returned, is possible, and we have to call on Putin to allow free space for the upcoming elections – as free as possible under Russian circumstances. It is important that we also pronounce our responsibility and the responsibility of our governments, just like my national government, the government of Germany, and the government of our federal lands, like the government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the responsibility of the prime minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, who is defending, and continues to defend, a project that undermines democracy and solidarity with Russian society, with Ukrainian society, with Polish society and many others. Manuela Schwesig, you have to think about your shameful decisions. Let’s stop Nord Stream 2. (
Debate: The arrest of Aleksei Navalny
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Witold Jan Waszczykowski
Political group: ECR
Country: Romania
Language: PL

Czy nie powinniśmy domagać się większych sankcji, np. wyrzucenia z rozliczeń finansowych SWIFT, zamrożenia aktywów bankowych, wykluczenia rosyjskich towarów z naszych rynków? To są oczywiście kosztowne rozwiązania, ale są i mniej kosztowne. Koszty musi ponosić rosyjskie społeczeństwo, rosyjska klasa średnia – oligarchowie, artyści, sportowcy, naukowcy. Czy oni także nie powinni być wykluczeni z naszego życia? Oligarchowie przecież nie przeniosą swoich aktywów z Londynu do Pekinu, naukowcy rosyjscy nie wyjdą z Harvardu i nie przeniosą się na uniwersytety afrykańskie. Rosyjscy celebryci nie zechcą zrezygnować z zakupów w Paryżu na rzecz bazarów bliskowschodnich, a więc społeczeństwo rosyjskie, a przynajmniej jego część, która popiera Putina, musi poznać koszty tej polityki imperialnej, musi zacząć ponosić cenę tej polityki. Musimy spróbować różnych instrumentów, aby powstrzymać imperialne zapędy Rosji.
Debate: The arrest of Aleksei Navalny
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Idoia Villanueva Ruiz
Political group: The Left
Country: Czechia
Language: ES

Es la segunda vez que debatimos en este Parlamento sobre este caso. Y, ¿qué es lo que buscamos? ¿Estamos buscando nuestro liderazgo en defensa de la democracia, de los derechos humanos, de la política exterior? Rusia no está incluida en la política de vecindad de la Unión Europea, porque es entendida —como deja bien claro esta institución— como una amenaza para la seguridad europea. Dependiendo del interés del país con el que tratamos, la relación la abordamos desde la denuncia de los derechos humanos, de las bonanzas económicas o directamente la silenciamos. Creemos que este Parlamento debe ser un instrumento para construir una política exterior europea que defienda la democracia, los derechos humanos, en nuestro territorio y en el mundo. Condenamos sin ambages la actuación con el señor Navalny en Rusia y pedimos a este Parlamento que también se pronuncie y no se silencien barbaries que hoy ocurren, como la condena saudí de cinco años a Luyain al-Hazlul por defender los derechos de las mujeres, el
Debate: The arrest of Aleksei Navalny
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Fabio Massimo Castaldo
Political group: NI
Country: France
Language: IT

Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, nella giornata di domenica, in un aeroporto cambiato pochi minuti prima dell'atterraggio e blindato per l'occasione, Aleksej Naval'nyj ha mosso i primi passi nel suo paese dopo la lunga degenza ospedaliera in Germania. Questi passi l'hanno condotto però a una centrale di polizia, dove lo attendeva una giuria improvvisata e pronta a firmare l'ordinanza che ne conferma lo stato di arresto per trenta giorni. Adesso il coraggioso Naval'nyj rischia una commutazione della pena, da sospesa a effettiva per tre anni e mezzo, e rischiamo che la storia si ripeta: com'era già accaduto nel 2018 per le presidenziali, una sentenza sotto l'influenza politica potrebbe escluderlo dalle elezioni del 19 settembre prossimo alla Duma. Signor Presidente, colleghi, difendiamo la democrazia e lo Stato di diritto per impedire gli abusi, gli abusi del diritto degli Stati e dei loro governi. Democrazia vuol dire non pretesa delle maggioranze di imporsi a tutti i costi, ma soprattutto tutela dei diritti delle opposizioni. Ecco perché la nostra voce si deve levare forte e chiara verso le autorità russe: no a processi politici, sì al rilascio immediato di Aleksej Naval'nyj.
Debate: The arrest of Aleksei Navalny
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Andrius Kubilius
Political group: PPE
Country: France
Language: EN

Madam President, first of all, we of course express our solidarity with Aleksei Navalny and his family. Obviously we are demanding freedom for Navalny and we are demanding sanctions to punish those who did it. If Putin were not afraid of Navalny and of the Russian people’s demand for change, Navalny would stay free. This is a manifestation of Putin following in the footsteps of dictator Lukashenko. Putin shares with Lukashenko the same fear of real elections. Lukashenko was stealing elections from the Belarusian people by jailing potential candidates Viktar Babaryka, and Sergey Tikhanovski. Putin is doing the same by arresting Aleksei Navalny. Lukashenko has finished the year 2020 with a single question, addressed globally and domestically, namely when and how he will be ousted from power. Putin is starting to move in the same direction, which may have the same outcome at the end of this year. Putin in some ways is a delayed Lukashenko. The people of Belarus have clearly shown that the majority of them are for change. The Russian people are not different and that is why Navalny was arrested. What we saw during those days is an additional reason to repeat what we said last year in September: the EU needs to launch a thorough reassessment of its relations with Russia and to consider that the pursuit of democracy should be the centrepiece of this new EU strategy towards the Russian Federation. Democracy is possible in Ukraine, it is possible in Belarus, and it is also possible in Russia. We are standing together with the Russian people.
Debate: The arrest of Aleksei Navalny
Date: TUESDAY, 19 JANUARY 2021
Speaker: Kati Piri
Political group: S-D
Language: EN

Madam President, colleagues, High Representative, the arrest of Aleksei Navalny upon his return to Moscow is a show of lawlessness and Putin’s utter contempt for the civil rights of his own citizens. Just four months ago, Navalny barely survived an FSB assassination attempt and on Sunday, he returned home defiant, willing to risk his freedom for his cause to display the corruptness of this regime. Putin did not succeed in killing him, so now he jails him. And, this means that the EU must hold the Kremlin accountable, and not with the weak sanctions we imposed on six individuals after Navalny’s poisoning. We need to discuss serious sanctions if Navalny remains in jail. And honestly, anyone who still believes that we should continue with Nord Stream 2 is blind for what kind of regime we are dealing with in Moscow. It is time we as well show some bravery.