unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: A WTO-compatible EU carbon border adjustment mechanism
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Seán Kelly
Political group: PPE
Country: Greece
Language: EN

Madam President, the EU, and particularly this House, have been very active and ambitious in terms of climate change action, and we have already substantially reduced our domestic greenhouse gas emissions. However, emissions from imports have been rising, which affects any effort we make to reduce our global GHG footprint.  Most countries claim to have a serious plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but the EU actually has one: a one trillion euro European Green Deal that aims to make us carbon neutral by 2050.  This brings us to the introduction of the carbon border adjustment mechanism at our external borders. European leadership in climate action – leadership that benefits citizens across the globe – should not be to the detriment of our competitiveness. The CBAM seeks to protect European companies from unfair competition from non-European climate polluters who operate in countries with less stringent standards. However, the transition must not destabilise our economy by reducing our competitiveness, leading to carbon leakage.  Finally, I believe that we must remain very cautious when phasing out current measures of the ETS that prevent CO2-intensive industries from relocating their production to outside the EU. The EU system of free allowances and CBAM must work simultaneously. That’s what we have to do.
Debate: A WTO-compatible EU carbon border adjustment mechanism
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Massimiliano Salini
Political group: PPE
Country: Finland
Language: IT

Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, Commissario Gentiloni, la decisione di introdurre il meccanismo alla frontiera è una decisione che correttamente affonda le sue radici dentro l'esigenza di tutelare le imprese europee in un mercato che non sempre si manifesta come corretto. Abbiamo partner commerciali che si rifiutano di rispettare quelle regole di tutela ambientale che noi abbiamo continuato a rispettare, nonostante la grave crisi indotta dalla pandemia. Oggi il più grande produttore di acciaio al mondo, cioè la Cina, nel corso dell'anno 2020 ha aumentato di un altro 6 % la propria quota di mercato dell'acciaio. L'Europa ha perso il 17 % della propria quota e, nel frattempo, le quote di carbonio costano dai 22 euro alla tonnellata di un anno e mezzo fa a 40 euro oggi e nel giro di un anno, un anno e mezzo, andranno a 60 euro. È corretto definire questa come una misura di tutela ambientale, ma è corretto considerare che stiamo perdendo centinaia di migliaia di posti di lavoro. E quindi è vero, parlare da questo podio, come facciamo da quando c'è il Covid che non parliamo più da là ma parliamo da qua, ha aumentato un po' il tasso di retorica degli interventi, signor Commissario. Tuttavia il ruolo che abbiamo è la responsabilità nei confronti dei più deboli e nei confronti dei più deboli noi dobbiamo ribadire che l'Europa è il continente che produce meglio e con le migliori performance ambientali. Non denigriamo questo modello di sviluppo.
Debate: A WTO-compatible EU carbon border adjustment mechanism
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Tom Berendsen
Political group: PPE
Country: Netherlands
Language: NL

Voorzitter, de doorrekeningen van de verkiezingsprogramma’s in Nederland laten zien dat bij de twee partijen die zich het groenst en duurzaamst noemen, de concurrentiepositie van de industrie verslechtert en de productie verplaatst zal worden naar het buitenland. Dat is niet goed voor het klimaat.  De Europese industrie levert 30 miljoen banen en produceert tegelijkertijd ook de materialen die wij nodig hebben voor onze economie van de toekomst. Daarvoor willen wij niet afhankelijk worden van andere delen van de wereld.  Ja, wij willen in Europa de schoonste en duurzaamste industrie. Maar tegelijkertijd moeten onze bedrijven wel overleven op wereldniveau, in concurrentie met partijen die zich niet aan dezelfde strenge regels hoeven te houden.  Daarom is deze CO2-heffing aan de grens, mits we die goed uitvoeren, een prima idee in combinatie met slim industriebeleid. Alleen dan houden we de banen van de toekomst in Europa, zorgen we ervoor dat we niet afhankelijk worden van anderen en doen we daadwerkelijk iets voor het klimaat.
Debate: A WTO-compatible EU carbon border adjustment mechanism
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Paolo Gentiloni
Language: EN

I am quite confident that the impact assessment that is ongoing will help us on the fine-tuning of the design of the mechanism – which is, of course, a new mechanism, on the sectors that will be involved gradually since the beginning and then enlarging in the next years, and also on the timing of the introduction of the new rules and on the phasing-out of aspects of existing rules. We know that we have a target which is 2023 in the interinstitutional agreement. So I think that we have a good basis on the fact that this issue is now on the global agenda. It was not the case one year ago. It was completely unthinkable to have some of the main trade powers discussing a carbon border mechanism or carbon tax or other things, and in this global debate the European Union has the advantage of the early movers, which is the advantage of trying to give a contribution to set new standards. I think that we will give this contribution and this will help us on this historic challenge of the climate transition.
Debate: A WTO-compatible EU carbon border adjustment mechanism
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: András Gyürk
Political group: NI
Country: Germany
Language: HU

Ez a méltányos átállás alappillére. Szintén elengedhetetlen, hogy az új mechanizmus az EU kibocsátás-kereskedelmi rendszerével párhuzamosan működő struktúra formájában, a meglévő eszközök kiegészítésével, erősítésével kerüljön kialakításra. A mechanizmus nem befolyásolhatja az ingyenes kibocsátási egységek rendszerét. A kereskedelmi konfliktusok elkerülése érdekében az új eszköznek összhangban kell lennie a Kereskedelmi Világszervezet szabályaival, valamint az Európai Unió nemzetközi kötelezettségvállalásaival is. Végül a mechanizmus kidolgozása során kellő óvatosságra és körültekintésre van szükség. Az Európai Bizottságnak ezért alapos, iparágakra lebontott hatástanulmányokat kell készítenie, valamint konzultálnia kell az iparági szereplőkkel. Egy, az európai baloldal nyomására, elsietett szabályozás vállalkozások százait és munkahelyek ezreit tenné kockára, ami a katasztrofális gazdasági hatásokon túl a zöld átállás társadalmi elfogadottságát is aláásná.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Roberta Metsola
Country: Poland
Language: MT

Il-punt li jmiss fuq l-aġenda huwa d-dibattitu dwar ir-rapport ta’ Sven Giegold, f’isem il-Kumitat għall-Affarijiet Ekonomiċi u Monetarji, dwar il-proposta għal direttiva tal-Kunsill li temenda d-Direttiva 2011/16/UE dwar il-kooperazzjoni amministrattiva fil-qasam tat-tassazzjoni ( 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, bħal fis-sessjonijiet parzjali preċedenti, huma previsti interventi mill-bogħod mill-Uffiċċji ta' Kollegament tal-Parlament fl-Istati Membri.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Paolo Gentiloni
Language: EN

The amendments you propose touch upon important issues for the Commission. We share their principles and their objectives. And you know that we will address them in the coming steps, or will try to. I think with your support we can do this. Allow me to say a few words on this proposal at the beginning of the debate. We agree on the importance of automatic exchange of information in as many categories as possible. At the same time, we know that Member States may not all collect information on all categories of income at the moment. They should thus be given sufficient time to adjust to the expanded categories of income. The proposal to add an obligation for a financial institution to report information on the ultimate beneficial owner of the account would increase the usefulness of the information reported and help to identify the beneficial ownership. It is a very significant amendment. I think it could be addressed in a future amendment of the directive. We agree with you on the need for an adequate level of investment in IT, digital infrastructure and professional training. Member States should ensure that they provide the necessary IT, financial and human resources, and the Commission stands ready to support Member States with their needs. Let me underline that many of the amendments proposed by Parliament could also be taken into account in a possible future legislative proposal amending the DAC. The Commission will especially look into further improvements in the exchange of information with respect to financial accounts, cross-border ruling and advanced pricing arrangements, and penalties and compliance measures. With respect to the penalties and compliance measures, my services are preparing a comprehensive framework that will ensure the effective application of DAC7 that will be proposed as part of the next amendment, DAC8, which is scheduled to be proposed towards the end of this year. We are also counting on the support of the European Parliament in view of this future revision of the directive.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Lídia Pereira
Political group: PPE
Country: Finland
Language: PT

O pacote legislativo da Comissão para uma tributação mais justa e simples, de que resulta esta Diretiva, é um passo importante, mas precisa de ser consequente. É ao Conselho da União, presidido este semestre por Portugal, que cabe decidir e, aparentemente, prepara-se para ignorar o contributo deste Parlamento. Se a posição era expectável, não deixa de ser reprovável. Ainda está a tempo de reconsiderar e esse é o primeiro apelo que aqui deixo. À Comissão, que a semana passada questionei sobre esta matéria, deixo um segundo apelo: que trabalhe numa revisão mais profunda da Diretiva. Decidimos esta semana sobre a DAC 7 e já está anunciada uma DAC 8. Está na hora de fazer um trabalho mais detalhado e estável. Sucessivas alterações legislativas perturbam o trabalho das administrações fiscais e geram incerteza nas empresas. Temos muito para fazer: melhorar o sistema de troca de informações entre autoridades tributárias, aumentar os recursos para as administrações fiscais, proteger os direitos dos contribuintes, evitar os custos burocráticos para as empresas e garantir a proteção dos dados para todos. As propostas que aprovamos esta semana vão nesse sentido, mas não decidimos sozinhos nem sobre tudo. Esperamos ter essa oportunidade num futuro próximo.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Aurore Lalucq
Political group: S-D
Country: France
Language: FR

Alors, certes, le chemin est encore long, mais on peut saluer le travail qui est fait au niveau européen en ce moment et qui va continuer à se faire sur la question de la transparence fiscale, de la coopération fiscale et à terme, nous l’espérons, de la justice fiscale. Les Européens nous attendent et ils le méritent.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Monica Semedo
Political group: Renew
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Of course, maintaining our attractiveness must be done in conjunction with a robust, compliance and transparency rule. This will also help to prevent dirty money being washed through our banking systems by criminals. This proposal enhances cooperation between EU tax authorities. It is another important step forward in our fight against tax fraud, tax evasion and tax avoidance. Renew Europe is striving for a fair tax system. Online platforms have been making huge profits, especially during the current pandemic. However, they are not necessarily paying their fair tax share. These new tax transparency rules will help to change this imbalance. Accordingly, Renew Europe supports this proposal. But I have a comment on the process that was followed for this file. A particularly disappointing aspect was that the Council apparently did not wish to consider the views of the European Parliament. They reached an agreement at the technical level last November, before we, the European Parliament, adopted our position. Furthermore, they decided on a position that weakens the proposal in certain areas. The principle of sincere cooperation between institutions, and the European Parliament’s role in a consultative process, has seemingly been lost. These attempts to bypass procedures entrenched in our Treaties must stop.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Gunnar Beck
Political group: ID
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Was fordert der grüne Berichterstatter im Parlament? Mit Recht, dass Amazon und andere Corona-Profiteure nicht beliebig Steuern vermeiden. Doch wahrhaben, dass das auch eine Folge des EU-Binnenmarktes ist, das will er nicht. Und dann fordert er noch „weitestgehenden Informationsaustausch“ statt nur in begründeten Fällen und ein  Seien wir ehrlich: Es geht gar nicht um bessere Zusammenarbeit, sondern um immer höhere Steuern und perfekte Bürgervollüberwachung zur Finanzierung von Euro, Klimarettung und Migration – keine Investitionen, sondern Linksstaatlichkeit, die jährlich hunderte Milliarden verschlingt.  EU-Bürger zahlen jetzt schon die höchsten Steuern, wir haben weltweit das niedrigste Wachstum, verlieren rasant an Wettbewerbsfähigkeit, und Weltmeister sind wir bei der Verschuldung.  Auch wir sind gegen Steuerflucht und Trockenlegung von Steueroasen. Aber bitte auf Basis von Rechtsstaatlichkeit und Realitätssinn, nicht linksstaatlicher Missachtung von Privatsphäre und Datenschutz.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Bogdan Rzońca
Political group: ECR
Country: Portugal
Language: PL

Bardzo jednak się dziwię, że przy analizie dyrektywy o współpracy administracji w zakresie podatków wprowadza się kwestię praworządności, doszukując się jakichś problemów w tej materii. Moim zdaniem nie jest to trafne. Nasi wyborcy oczekują realnej dyskusji i skutecznych, technicznych rozwiązań, a nie politycznej agendy.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Paul Tang
Political group: S-D
Country: Spain
Language: EN

Madam President, more and more people generate their income online via Uber, Airbnb and other online platforms. With the latest DAC revisions, the EU rules have caught up, finally, and have closed a tax gap worth billions of euros each year. But how long has Uber benefited, and how long Airbnb, and what damage did that do to those taxi companies and hotels that do pay taxes? We should not allow unfair competition, clear inequalities and missing revenue but we do, because when fighting tax avoidance, the Council takes baby steps. Every Member State can block or delay proposals. Moreover, decisions are made behind closed doors and the Council is uncooperative since it refuses even to take into account Parliament’s position, and it refuses to share data that is needed to monitor the status quo, so Parliament is frustrated in doing its job. It’s time that the Council realised that fighting tax avoidance requires public transparency. It’s about transparency towards taxpayers, sharing data with tax administrations and in public records, but also about the transparency of tax policies, showing who proposes what and who opposes what, so that national and European parliaments can fulfil their democratic duty. With public transparency and accountability, it will become very clear that baby steps are just not enough, and it’s time to grow up and leap forward to a fairer economy.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Eugen Jurzyca
Political group: ECR
Country: Belgium
Language: SK

Vážená pani predsedajúca, nech sa páči mojich 5 signálov k tejto téme. Po prvé, nezamieňajme si spoluprácu v daňovej oblasti s harmonizáciou daní. Po druhé, daňová konkurencia je dobrá, je pozitívna pre konkurencieschopnosť Európskej únie a rast ekonomiky. Po tretie, daňové úniky treba obmedzovať. keďže narúšajú férovú súťaž firiem na jednotnom trhu. Po štvrté, členské štáty by mali zvýšiť kvalitu a presnosť daňových informácií, ktoré si vymieňajú, aby boli praktickejšie na využitie ostatnými členskými štátmi. Bez dostatočnej kvality dát nebude efektívna ani ich využiteľnosť pre znižovanie daňových únikov. A po piate, tu presne je priestor pre Komisiu, ktorá by mala proaktívnejšie vstupovať do koordinačného procesu výmeny informácií.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: José Gusmão
Political group: The Left
Country: Finland
Language: PT

Senhora Presidente, o mercado interno da União Europeia foi construído com livre circulação de capitais, mas sem os mecanismos necessários para que essa livre circulação de capitais fosse utilizada para iludir a tributação das grandes empresas multinacionais, no setor digital e não só no setor digital, gerando uma corrida para o fundo que é má para os cidadãos, mas não é má para todos, como é moda dizer-se nestes debates. É boa para essas empresas multinacionais e é boa para todos os territórios, incluindo Estados-Membros que assentam os seus modelos de economia e de contas públicas na predação de receitas fiscais alheias. Os cidadãos estão fartos desta realidade, que enfraquece os serviços públicos e aumenta a tributação dos rendimentos do trabalho. A cooperação administrativa fiscal e a transparência fiscal têm que ser um passo para criar regras de tributação mínima dos rendimentos de capital dentro da União Europeia, tornando transparente a corrida para o fundo a que temos assistido na União Europeia e no mundo.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Evelyn Regner
Political group: S-D
Country: Netherlands
Language: DE

Frau Präsidentin! FinCEN-Files, OpenLux – all diese Steuerskandale – zeigen uns auf, wie dringend wir ein zeitgemäßes, ein transparentes Steuersystem brauchen. Denn in einer Welt, in der Unternehmen global wirtschaften, können nationale Steuersysteme allein nicht die Antwort sein. Besonders jetzt benötigen Staaten enorm viel öffentliches Geld, um ein krisensicheres Gesundheitssystem zu finanzieren, um die Wirtschaft für Frauen wie für Männer, also gendergerecht, wiederaufzubauen. Und dieses Geld können wir uns holen – natürlich von großen Unternehmen, die den Staaten Steuern in Milliardenhöhe schuldig bleiben. Ich bin fest davon überzeugt, ein solches Steuersystem ist möglich, wenn Staaten besser zusammenarbeiten. Und deshalb ist es so wichtig, beim Austausch von Steuerinformationen eben auch die digitalen Plattformen wie Uber, Google und Netflix mit zu inkludieren. Aber – darauf möchte ich hinweisen – es braucht geeignete Daten, es braucht geschultes Personal, also große und keine Babyschritte. Gestalten wir aktiv diese zeitgemäße, transparente, effiziente und faire europäische Steuerpolitik.
Debate: Administrative cooperation in the field of taxation
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Paolo Gentiloni
Language: EN

But we know very well that, at the same time, tax avoidance is ever more sophisticated at global level and also in Europe. And so while declaring my personal satisfaction with this debate and with the support for the directive, I am absolutely sure that we need further steps, and I think that with your support these further steps will be possible.
Debate: Corporate due diligence and corporate accountability
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Roberta Metsola
Country: Poland
Language: MT

Il-punt li jmiss fuq l-aġenda huwa d-dibattitu dwar ir-rapport ta’ Lara Wolters, f’isem il-Kumitat għall-Affarijiet Legali, dwar diliġenza dovuta korporattiva u obbligu ta' rendikont korporattiv. ( 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, bħal fis-sessjonijiet parzjali preċedenti, huma previsti interventi mill-bogħod mill-Uffiċċji ta' Kollegament tal-Parlament fl-Istati Membri.
Debate: Corporate due diligence and corporate accountability
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Raphaël Glucksmann
Country: Romania
Language: FR

Chers collègues, le texte que nous allons voter ici répond à leur colère. Il initie une véritable révolution juridique. Une législation européenne sur le devoir de vigilance des entreprises répond à une idée simple, basique: les multinationales doivent être juridiquement responsables de l’ensemble de leurs chaînes de production. Jusqu’ici, ce n’est pas le cas. Aujourd’hui, Zara ou Nike ne sont responsables de rien car elles ne produisent rien elles-mêmes. Leurs fournisseurs peuvent allègrement violer les droits humains ou détruire l’environnement sans qu’elles n’aient de comptes à rendre à personne. Cela doit cesser et cela cessera le jour où ces mastodontes devront faire face à la justice en Europe pour des crimes commis sur leurs chaînes de production en Afrique ou en Asie. Chers collègues, nous devons nous demander ce que nous faisons là. Pourquoi sommes-nous là? Sommes-nous là pour servir les intérêts de Volkswagen ou de Sanofi, ou sommes-nous là pour servir l’intérêt général et les droits humains? L’Europe est le premier marché du monde, la première puissance commerciale du monde, nous avons ici les moyens de changer la donne à l’échelle du globe. Si nous le décidons, nous le pouvons. Alors ensemble, c’est le moment de le décider.
Debate: Corporate due diligence and corporate accountability
Date: MONDAY, 8 MARCH 2021
Speaker: Bernd Lange
Country: Portugal
Language: DE

Handelspolitik ist ein Instrument, um Globalisierung fair und nachhaltig zu gestalten. Deswegen ist es wichtig, genau zu schauen, wo sich Handel zurzeit hauptsächlich realisiert, und das ist in globalen Lieferketten: Über 70 % des globalen Handels werden in Lieferketten realisiert. Da müssen wir ran und sicherstellen, dass die fundamentalen Arbeitnehmerrechte, dass die Frage der Umweltstandards, die Frage des Pariser Klimaschutzabkommens wirklich zum Maßstab unternehmerischen Handelns in der gesamten Lieferkette wird.  Das, was jetzt auf dem Tisch liegt, gemeinsam von mehreren Ausschüssen und von vielen Fraktionen erarbeitet, respektiert genau das. Ich gehe davon aus, dass wir das auch mit einer großen Mehrheit so verabschieden können, weil das die Verantwortung ist – ich möchte nämlich nicht mehr, dass die Schokolade für die Kinder mit Kinderarbeit hergestellt wird oder dass der Christbaumschmuck von Zwangsarbeit trieft.  Bei Zwangsarbeit, Herr Kommissar, müssen wir noch mal darüber nachdenken, ob wir jenseits der Sorgfaltspflicht – in Bereichen, in denen Sorgfaltspflicht nicht garantiert werden kann – auch über ein Verbot des Zugangs von Produkten mit Zwangsarbeit zum europäischen Markt nachdenken müssen; denn es kann nicht sein, dass es hier unterschiedliche Standards für Unternehmen mit Sorgfaltspflicht und Unternehmen ohne Sorgfaltspflicht gibt. Insofern glaube ich, dass hier eine entsprechende Ergänzung notwendig ist.  Ich bin der festen Überzeugung, dass wir in der Tat jetzt darangehen müssen, Globalisierung gerecht zu gestalten, und das machen wir mit einem Lieferkettengesetz.