unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: Improving the strategic approach to the enforcement of EU Law
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Virginie Joron
Political group: ID
Country: Estonia
Language: FR

C'est aussi l'attitude de l'Agence européenne du médicament et de votre administration de Bruxelles qui comptabilisent 12 000 morts et des millions d'effets secondaires des vaccins contre la COVID-19, Pfizer et autres, sans en tirer les conséquences et qui cachent les informations au public au fond d'un tiroir. L'approche actuelle de la Commission de ne pas donner accès aux documents et aux SMS, d'ignorer les pétitions, d'ignorer les citoyens en renvoyant les pétitions dans les pays, aboutit au blocage des procédures pendant des années dans la phase précontentieuse, sans transmission aux tribunaux et sans accès aux documents essentiels. Face à cette bureaucratie opaque de Bruxelles, la meilleure défense, c'est l'attaque, comme disait l'empereur Napoléon. Parlons du dernier rapport de la Cour des comptes européenne sur les marchés publics en Europe. Chaque année, ce sont quelque 2 000 milliards d'euros qui font l'objet de marchés publics. La Cour conclut que la durée des procédures administratives a doublé en dix ans. Ni Eurostat ni la Commission n'effectuent un suivi des prix des marchés publics. Le niveau de la concurrence a baissé au cours de la dernière décennie. Deux indicateurs clés sont utilisés par la Cour pour mesurer la non-concurrence entre les marchés publics : pas d'appel d'offres et soumissionnaire unique. Cela vous rappelle quelque chose? Moi, ça me rappelle les contrats d'achat des vaccins contre la COVID-19 avec ces prix et ces clauses secrètes.  Pour finir, je vais citer la Cour des comptes: «les marchés publics mettant en jeu de grosses sommes d'argent public, il existe un risque de fraude et de corruption». Dans les marchés publics, la transparence est donc essentielle pour veiller à ce que les décideurs soient tous tenus responsables de leurs actions. La Médiatrice européenne nous a demandé, la semaine dernière, de lutter contre la corruption et elle a raison. Cela doit être une priorité pour nous tous, et le Qatargate ne doit surtout pas cacher le Pfizergate.
Debate: Improving the strategic approach to the enforcement of EU Law
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Tatjana Ždanoka
Political group: NI
Country: Italy
Language: EN

Mr President, Commissioner, colleagues, as a Member who has dedicated many years to the Petitions Committee I am aware of a significant issue eroding the foundations of the European Union from within. When a petitioner alleges a breach of EU law, the Commission often declines to act. According to the recent study requested by the Petitions Committee, in 96 % of petitions, further action was declined because the violations could be better addressed by national authorities. By this way, is the primary responsibility lying on the Commission on guarding EU law is put on the shoulders of ordinary citizens, who often lack the time, money and legal expertise required to such texts.  As a result, we have a dwindling number of petitions, and this decline does not signal an improvement. Rather, it reflects a diminishing face to our liability to address their concerns. And I can see the example of this on petitions concerning national minorities in my country, Latvia.
Debate: Improving the strategic approach to the enforcement of EU Law
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Joachim Kuhs
Political group: ID
Country: Greece
Language: DE

Herr Präsident, Frau Kommissarin, werte Kollegen! Etwas verbessern zu wollen ist ja ehrenwert, aber ich habe den Eindruck, dass hier mal wieder die falschen Schwerpunkte gesetzt werden. Statt Subsidiarität – also weniger EU – gibt es wieder mal mehr EU. Oder man könnte auch sehr grob sagen: Die Kleinen hängt man, und die Großen lässt man laufen. Meine Kollegin Joron hat schon darauf hingewiesen: auf die Dinge, diese Rechtsverstöße, die man eigentlich untersuchen müsste. Warum tun Sie das nicht? Meine Damen und Herren, wir brauchen nicht mehr Instrumente, die die Souveränität der Mitgliedstaaten aushebeln. Wir brauchen mehr Abgeordnete wie unsere leider zu früh verstorbene Kollegin Michèle Rivasi, die die finanziellen Interessen der EU schützen wollen. Und wir brauchen mehr Mitgliedstaaten, die sich für ihr eigenes Volk einsetzen und es vor einer immer übergriffigeren EU bewahren wollen.
Debate: Improving the strategic approach to the enforcement of EU Law
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Clare Daly
Political group: The Left
Country: France
Language: EN

Mr President, I think there is an urgent need to improve the enforcement of EU law, particularly in cases which involve a large amount of European citizens. Since I started in this mandate, I’ve been working with a group of Irish citizens who bought apartments in a complex in Bulgaria, in Sunset Resort in Pomorie, and have had an incredibly difficult time in getting their rights under European law vindicated. They’ve had illegal practices by the management company using its monopoly power to overcharge and disconnect them in terms of energy supplies, without any consumer protection – protection which is guaranteed to them in EU law that they would have a direct connection to the electricity and energy supply. These people have gone everywhere to have their rights under EU law vindicated. They’ve contacted the Bulgarian authorities, the European authorities, initiated numerous legal proceedings in Bulgaria against annual general meetings and so on – there’s even 20 cases now. There’s an urgent need. They were before the PETI Committee this year. The Commission needs to take note and act to protect citizens.
Debate: Improving the strategic approach to the enforcement of EU Law
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Maria Grapini
Political group: S-D
Country: Portugal
Language: RO

Domnule președinte, doamnă comisar, stimați colegi, respectarea dreptului Uniunii Europene cred că nu trebuie s-o mai inventăm, este trecută clar în tratat. Important este să ne uităm la aplicare și este surprinzător, doamnă comisar, să spunem că atunci când sunt petiții individuale, nu le luăm în seamă, pentru că eu cred că nimeni nu trebuie – așa avem noi sloganul – nimeni nu trebuie să fie lăsat în urmă. Fiecare cetățean este important și am să vă dau un singur exemplu: dacă sunt petiții individuale, de exemplu din mai multe state membre, dar pe același subiect, cum ar fi răpirea, că nu pot s-o numesc altfel, a copiilor de la școală pe anumite motive neverificate încă și ani de zile familiile se judecă pentru a-și recupera copiii, nu ar putea atunci Comisia Europeană, gardianul tratatelor, dreptul superior al copilului, să intervină? Eu cred că se pierde încrederea în instituțiile europene atunci când la aceste petiții și, culmea, și la inițiativele cetățenești europene este același mod de acțiune din partea Comisiei și atunci nu o să mai aibă încredere cetățenii nici în Comisia pentru petiții a Parlamentului, nici în Comisia Europeană. De aceea, eu cred că fiecare caz este important și trebuie să îl tratați ca atare.
Debate: Improving the strategic approach to the enforcement of EU Law
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Mick Wallace
Political group: The Left
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Mr President, the right of petition in the European Parliament is the oldest participatory mechanism in the EU. They are a method for citizens to engage directly in democracy on issues such as how the EU governs and enforces laws that affect their lives. As the majority of petitions concern EU law, and as the von der Leyen Commission is the enforcer of EU law, for the petition process to work for citizens, the Commission needs to support it.  Unfortunately, like many of the positive measures that this Parliament can take, petitions have been stifled and made obsolete by the Commission, who view them as irrelevant. It excludes the majority of individual petitions with the blanket reasoning that they do not raise issues of wider principle. The Commission also continuously passes the buck on petitions and enforcement, referring the questions back to Member States and national governments. This defeats the purpose of allowing EU citizens to petition the European Parliament. One of the goals of the Lisbon Treaty was to increase direct participation by EU citizens, with petitions being central to this goal. The Commission has utterly failed to honour its side of the bargain in this regard.
Debate: Improving the strategic approach to the enforcement of EU Law
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Helena Dalli
Language: EN

In recent years, the Commission initiated infringement procedures to protect fundamental values, for instance on equality, rule of law, democracy and citizenship. All these examples show the Commission’s determination and steadfastness in enforcing EU law. The enforcement approach taken by the Commission works. We were able to close 1900 infringement cases in the last three years as Member States achieved compliance. Over 90 % of them were resolved before going to court, which means faster compliance than if litigation in court had been necessary, saving time and taxpayers money in the process.  They explained earlier, the Commission is implementing the findings of the stocktaking exercise, including on transparency. This will make it easier for the public to find existing infringement cases on specific topics, and to verify if there is any linked petition to ongoing investigations. The Commission also intends to link the public infringement register with the Parliament’s petition web portal.
Debate: Jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition of decisions and acceptance of authentic instruments in matters of parenthood and creation of a European Certificate of Parenthood
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Angel Dzhambazki
Political group: ECR
Country: Germany
Language: BG

Г-н Председател, убедено гласувах против този доклад. Това е един от най-важните документи, които приема този Европейски съюз. В него, в този доклад, който абсолютно подменя своето значение – нарича се едва ли не за защита на правата на лицата, които са осиновяващи и осиновявани, всъщност е неприкрита пропаганда на т. нар. семейства на дъгата, еднополови и други подобни. Няма по-яко, по-ярко, по-видимо, по-флагрантно подменяне на наименования и прокарване на пропаганда. В този доклад, в този документ се споменава думата „майка“ три пъти, три пъти, докато думата или определението „лицето, родило детето“ се споменава повече от 16 пъти. Това говори само за себе си и много ясно показва пропагандния характер на документа. За пореден път показва, че Парламентът е използван за трибуна за пропаганда. Дъга, не знам какво, всякакви други такива неща, които нямат нищо общо със заглавието, което е написано горе. По този начин се провежда антисемейна пропаганда, която не може да бъде търпяна.
Debate: Jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition of decisions and acceptance of authentic instruments in matters of parenthood and creation of a European Certificate of Parenthood
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Clare Daly
Political group: The Left
Country: France
Language: EN

Mr President, I voted in favour of this report because I think it’s a really important text that allows for the mutual recognition of judgements relating to parenthood. It simply states that if you are the parent in one Member State, then you’re a parent in all Member States. It puts the rights of the child first, which is as it should be, and it doesn’t change the substantive family law of Member States. This is absolutely critical. It’s not acceptable that children could lose their parents, legally speaking, when they enter another Member State in the European Union. I’m reminded today of Mandy Kelly, an Irish mother who today is before the Petitions Committee in the Irish Parliament because her Egyptian husband abducted her two children in April 2022. She is seeking all during that time to have her parental rights vindicated, to have the rights of those children upheld and the court rulings in Ireland upheld. We need a bilateral arrangement also with countries like Egypt outside of the European Union, but for now, parental rights within the EU must be protected.
Debate: Jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition of decisions and acceptance of authentic instruments in matters of parenthood and creation of a European Certificate of Parenthood
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Tatjana Ždanoka
Political group: NI
Country: Italy
Language: EN

Mr President, I didn’t vote on the draft legislative resolution, although I was present in the vote. Why? I am convinced that the legislation concerning cross-border situations deemed to fill legal gaps and create legal certainty for EU residents must resolve, first of all, the notion of EU citizenship. How can we speak about a European certificate of parenthood if we are not able to issue the European Union passport to EU natives being not the citizens of any state? These people are about 250 000 in Latvia and Estonia. One recent case I dealt with, one Latvian family – two parents and child – had to move urgently to Spain due to sickness of the child, the child being a citizen when there is non-citizen parents, and they are deprived of the right to work, to provide situation to live in Spain, since they don’t have EU-level passports and are not eligible to work. It’s a shame.
Debate: Young researchers
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Angel Dzhambazki
Political group: ECR
Country: Germany
Language: BG

Г-н Председател, гласувах в подкрепа на тази резолюция за младите изследователи, защото действително научните работници във всички държави членки се нуждаят от някаква форма на подкрепа. Така например, в България и в останалите източноевропейски държави подкрепата за млади докторанти категорично не е достатъчна, за да могат те да имат такова качество на живот, което да им позволява да се развиват и да работят научно. Да не говорим колко е важно това за предприемачеството, за бизнесите, за това европейските държави да бъдат конкурентноспособни и да могат да дават отговор на конкуренцията от страна на държавите извън европейския континент такива, каквито са Съединените американски щати и Китай, например. Така че мисля, за разлика от много други резолюции, които се гласуват тук и са нещо просто страшно, тази е стъпка в правилната посока и трябва да бъде насърчавано подобно отношение към млади изследователи, млади докторанти, млади научни работници, които да произвеждат принадена стойност на продукти, правени в ЕС от държавите – членки на Европейския съюз.
Debate: Young researchers
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Mick Wallace
Political group: The Left
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Mr President, there is a postgraduate research crisis in Ireland. Many postgrad researchers can no longer afford basic necessities such as food, rent, heating, due to their lack of funding and working status. Now research and the title of this is Young Research. I mean, we have a secondary school curriculum in Ireland and there’s absolutely no initiative around research. I mean, we need to teach young people to think clearly for themselves, and that requires given them the opportunity to research things for themselves. Only a couple of days ago, a young girl from my own area in Wexford contacted me, a 16 year old, and she was researching the US-China relationship and how important it was to the world. But she was looking into it, and she said that she was really shocked to find out that China hadn’t gone to war with any country in 44 years, whereas the US had been at war most of that time. And she said that China had managed to take over 800 million people out of poverty, while the US has stagnated and promoted inequality. Very great initiative from the young girl.
Debate: Frontex, building on the fact-finding investigation of the LIBE Working Group for Frontex Scrutiny
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Angel Dzhambazki
Political group: ECR
Country: Germany
Language: BG

Г-н Председател, гласувах убедено против тази резолюция, защото тя се стреми да скопи, да унищожи Frontex и да го превърне от служба, която трябва да подкрепя защитата на външните граници, в служба, която трябва да ходи да издирва нелегални имигранти, да ги спасява, да улеснява трафика на крайнолевите организации, на левите НПО, които се занимават с трафик на хора, които се стремят да подменят културно, цивилизационно и всякак населението на европейския континент. Задачата на Frontex, такава, каквато е създадена, е да подпомага държавите членки по външните граници да могат да ги отбраняват. И това именно е причината, поради която държави като Австрия и като Холандия се противопоставят и говорят за Шенген и искат някаква отбрана на външните граници. Това е работата на Frontex – да отбранява външните граници от нелегална миграция. Не е работата на Frontex да се занимава с това да насърчава нелегалната миграция, да насърчава трафика на хора и да се занимава с крайнолява пропаганда и налудни, популистки, леви болшевишки идеи, каквито за съжаление виждаме доста.
Debate: Frontex, building on the fact-finding investigation of the LIBE Working Group for Frontex Scrutiny
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Clare Daly
Political group: The Left
Country: France
Language: EN

Mr President, I abstained on this resolution because, while I appreciate that it certainly does have good points, it doesn’t go far enough on Frontex. At this point, Frontex is less of a border agency, much more like a mafia gang, a mafia gang working hand in glove with all the Member States’ mafiosos, policing Europe’s external borders. Frontex is ignoring Court of Justice rulings, still working with the Lithuanians, who are also ignoring those judgements, where complicity in violent attacks on migrants runs from top to bottom, where crimes are covered up, evidence is destroyed ,where its own fundamental rights officer is sidelined and stonewalled, where OLAF found serious misconduct, failure of leadership and essentially corruption, and where the management board proposes a new executive director and covers up for the fact that he’s been investigated for misconduct. Every step of the way, it’s shielded by the Commission. That is why it does what it does. Europe’s treatment of refugees is a crime against humanity. This lip service is fooling nobody.
Debate: Frontex, building on the fact-finding investigation of the LIBE Working Group for Frontex Scrutiny
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Mick Wallace
Political group: The Left
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Mr President, if ever there was a single entity that symbolises the current state of the European Union, it’s Frontex, the European border and Coastguard Agency. Frontex, currently the EU’s number one funded agency, personifies the direction the European Union has taken since the von der Leyen Commission took over the reins in 2019. It’s an agency with a mission statement that includes being respectful to people, holding high ethical standards and respecting fundamental rights. But in reality it has done the opposite: it has actively engaged in pushback measures in the Aegean Sea for years, resulting in horrendous atrocities. The EU rightly acted quickly to provide protection and reception conditions to millions of Ukrainians fleeing the war in 2021. Contrast this decision with how the EU continues to utilise Frontex to prevent those fleeing from countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Libya. What’s the difference with these migrants? Is it their skin colour? We should welcome people fleeing persecution without distinction and end the racism that we’re exposing.
Debate: Attempt of coup d’Etat in Guatemala
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Clare Daly
Political group: The Left
Country: France
Language: EN

Mr President, I would have really liked to have voted in favour of this text, because for the first time that I can remember, the European Parliament is rightfully condemning a right-wing coup attempt against a democratically elected leader in a Latin American country. The Guatemalan people made their choice earlier this year. They decided on change, and instead of accepting that, entrenched interests in the Guatemalan state have fought the will of the people at every turn, using every means available to overturn a democratic election and cling to power. It’s an absolute disgrace. It has to stop, and it is very right that we recognise that. Unfortunately, however, in an otherwise good resolution, there is, yet again, a call for EU sanctions. And for me, there has to be a conversation about the increasingly reflexive calls for sanctions in this body. It’s not possible to solve every problem in the world with coercion. We need to stop sanctioning at the drop of a hat. If it hadn’t been for this, I would have supported the motion. I had to abstain, but I really hope for an orderly, democratic transition in Guatemala and for the rights of its wonderful people to be upheld.
Debate: Attempt of coup d’Etat in Guatemala
Date: THURSDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2023
Speaker: Mick Wallace
Political group: The Left
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Mr Preisdent, you know, the far-right forces in Guatemala are certainly making fools of themselves when they can’t even get the European Parliament on board. Last year, the EU parliament supported the far right coup against President Pedro Castillo in Peru and his replacement by the unelected Dina Boluarte, whose regime killed at least 57 protesters in a series of massacres. The Parliament supported Jeanine Añez’s far-right coup against the democratically-elected socialist president Morales in 2019, giving backing to two massacres, torture, political persecution, illegal detention and summary executions of those who took to the streets in rejection of the coup. The Parliament supported the repeated coup attempts against Venezuela and, for years, embarrassingly recognised the unelected, far-right US puppet Guaido as president of Venezuela. The list goes on.  The colonial habits die hard. The EU Parliament still views Latin America as a site of unfettered capitalist exploitation and expropriation, and any leftist who stands in the way must go.
Debate: Commemoration of Jacques Delors
Date: MONDAY, 15 JANUARY 2024
Speaker: Roberta Metsola
Country: Poland
Language: FR

Chers collègues, nous sommes réunis ici aujourd'hui pour honorer la vie et l'héritage extraordinaire d'un grand Européen. Le président de la Commission européenne, Jacques Delors, est décédé le 27 décembre 2023 à l'âge de 98 ans. En guise d'introduction à cette commémoration, je vous invite tous à regarder une courte vidéo sur le président Jacques Delors, le père de l'intégration européenne.