unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Angelika Winzig
Political group: PPE
Country: Greece
Language: DE

Frau Präsidentin, Vertreterin des Rates, Herr Kommissar, Herr Präsident! Am Ende des Entlastungszyklus für das Jahr 2021 ist es wichtig, dass wir die Bedeutung der parlamentarischen Haushaltskontrolle hervorheben. Für uns als Mitglied des Haushaltskontrollausschusses hat der Schutz des Haushalts oberste Priorität. Und es stimmt mich zuversichtlich, dass wir mit dem effektiven Einsatz der Rechtsstaatlichkeits-Konditionalität ein weiteres Werkzeug haben, um der missbräuchlichen Verwendung von Steuergeld Einhalt zu gebieten. Danke dafür auch an Kommissar Hahn.  Als Schattenberichterstatterin für die gemeinsamen Unternehmen kann ich berichten, dass die Haushaltsmittel nach den Grundsätzen der Wirtschaftlichkeit, der Effizienz und der Wirksamkeit ausgegeben wurden. Besonders hervorheben möchte ich auch die gute Arbeit bei Frontex. Das neue Management leistet hervorragende Arbeit, und es muss uns allen in diesem Haus klar sein, dass wir nur mit einem effektiven Außengrenzschutz auch unsere Freiheit innerhalb Europas bewahren können. Für unsere Zukunft ist es wichtig, eine effektive Kontrolle der Aufbau- und Resilienzfazilität im Rahmen von NextGenerationEU sicherzustellen. In dieser Hinsicht ist unsere Partnerschaft mit der Europäischen Kommission, dem Europäischen Rechnungshof, OLAF und EUStA von entscheidender Bedeutung und dafür danke für die gute Zusammenarbeit.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Lara Wolters
Political group: S-D
Country: Italy
Language: EN

Madam President, thank you to the Commission and  to the ECA for being here. I’ve got one minute and a half; there’s too much to talk about, but we do absolutely need to talk about Parliament’s own voluntary pension scheme. Closed now, but financed from allowances that were meant for office supplies and reportedly investing in the arms, tobacco, mining and fossil fuel industries. ‘What’s not to like?’, you could say.  Why do we need to talk about that right now? Well, because it’s situation is dramatic financially. We’re talking about a EUR 310 million gap. So, for the translators, yes, I said 310 million. And because the leadership of this Parliament is set to take a decision on the scheme’s future soon, the Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee has repeatedly called on Parliament's bureau to find a feasible, legal and fair solution to the problem that we have here.  Now, the study on this that I commissioned concluded that while Parliament can’t completely get rid of the fund from one day to the next, what it can do is take steps that prioritise taxpayers over scheme members. And that’s what the Bureau needs to do now: stand up to the scheme members, some of them extremely active and vocal behind the scenes. Some of them, ironically, called Nigel Farage and Marine Le Pen.  Now, at the end of the day, we’re talking here about a supplementary extra pension scheme for all of its beneficiaries. Let’s be honest, it’s 2023, and most people in Europe don’t even dare to dream of a steady income when they retire, let alone at the levels that this fund currently guarantees.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Patricia Chagnon
Political group: ID
Country: Italy
Language: FR

Madame la Présidente, l’Union européenne trahit l’esprit de l’agence Frontex. Initialement, cette agence intervenait pour aider les États membres à protéger leurs frontières extérieures. Mais avec le nouveau pacte migration, la commissaire Johansson dévoile son funeste projet de submersion migratoire de l’Europe et de transformation de l’agence Frontex. L’UE avait annoncé vouloir réduire l’immigration clandestine alors qu’en réalité, le pacte migration, c’est la légalisation de l’immigration clandestine. Le pacte élargit la notion de regroupement familial. Le pacte sanctuarise les ONG. Le pacte simplifie les demandes d’asile. Et le pacte rend obligatoire la relocalisation des migrants dans les États membres. L’Agence Frontex, elle aussi, a commencé sa transformation. Avec le pacte migration, c’est la mise sous tutelle par les immigrationnistes bruxellois, qui en font une agence de contrôle des États membres et une agence de voyage pour migrants. Une triste fin pour cette agence que, demain, nous ferons renaître de ses cendres.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Markus Pieper
Political group: PPE
Country: Spain
Language: DE

Frau Präsidentin, Herr Kommissar! Zum Aufbaufonds – Kommissionsentlastung. Für mich ist die Bilanz dieses Fonds eine einzige Enttäuschung. Eine Enttäuschung deshalb, weil ich die Bilanz weder beurteilen noch kontrollieren kann. Uns wurde von der Kommission versprochen, dass die gleichen Maßstäbe angelegt werden wie bei den Strukturfondsverordnungen, sprich die Veröffentlichung der Fördermittelempfänger. Dies ist bis auf die ganz Großen eben nicht geschehen. Stattdessen verlassen wir uns auf ein Berichtswesen der Kommission, das wiederum nur auf die Angaben aus den Mitgliedstaaten angewiesen ist. Wie aber sollen wir die wohlklingenden Milestones und Überschriften kontrollieren, wenn wir nicht in die Bücher schauen dürfen? Und auch der Rechnungshof ist total überfordert. Einer Verdopplung des EU-Haushaltes soll er mit den gleichen Kapazitäten begegnen. Es tut mir leid, aber so besteht die Gefahr von Willkür und Betrug. Das kann aus Sicht der Haushaltskontrolle nur eine Konsequenz haben: keine Fortführung dieser unkontrollierbaren Form der europäischen Schuldenaufnahme, zumal die Finanzierung durch Eigenmittel unklarer ist denn je.  Für die Zukunft heißt das: erst Eigenmittel rechtssicher vereinbaren, dann Finanzierung angehen. Das heißt auch, viel mehr privates Kapital einbinden für die Aufgaben der Zukunft und diese dann mit EU-Geldern hebeln. Ja, und die anstehenden Aufgaben, die sind in der Tat gewaltig, sie sind aber auch attraktiv – von Energienetzen und Wasserstoffprojekten bis zur Erschließung neuer Rohstoffquellen, ja sogar bis zum Wiederaufbau der Ukraine. Wenn wir das solide und mit der Wirtschaft angehen, können wir die Aufgaben der Zukunft nachhaltig finanzieren.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Margarida Marques
Political group: S-D
Country: Cyprus
Language: PT

Senhora Presidente, Senhora Ministra, Senhor Comissário, neste dia em que celebramos o Dia da Europa, não podemos deixar de valorizar a criação daquele que é o instrumento fundamental da resposta europeia à pandemia – o NextGenerationEU. Com o NextGenerationEU, a Europa não está a atravessar uma recessão, como se chegou a prever. As economias começam a crescer, o investimento público reforça—se. O PRR tem sido fundamental para tornar as economias e sociedades europeias mais sustentáveis, resilientes e mais bem preparadas para os desafios e oportunidades das transições ecológica e digital. Nunca é demais lembrar que o PRR é um programa distinto de todos os outros até hoje criados, e não só pelo modelo de financiamento. O PRR é um mecanismo baseado em resultados. Os pagamentos são feitos mediante comprovação de resultados traduzidos em reformas e investimento, marcos e metas. Gestão centralizada pela Comissão, mas a Comissão – fique claro – está a gerir dentro do quadro aprovado pelo Conselho. Ao Parlamento Europeu cabe, e temo—lo feito, garantir que há transparência e integridade na gestão do dinheiro europeu. E, como em todos os programas novos e diferentes, há uma adaptação necessária que a Comissão Europeia tem cumprido. Um bom exemplo é a metodologia de incumprimento parcial por parte de um Estado, publicada em fevereiro. O PRR, temos de o reconhecer, funcionou, em 2021, graças ao esforço de todos.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Dolors Montserrat
Political group: PPE
Country: Germany
Language: ES

Señora presidenta, señor comisario, la aprobación de los fondos europeos por esta Cámara ha sido un éxito. Algo que no podemos decir de la ejecución en nuestro país, en España. Las regiones españolas denuncian falta de cogobernanza. Los autónomos, pymes y trabajadores denuncian que no les llegan los fondos. Y, por tanto, algo falla. Falla el Gobierno. Ya que el Gobierno de España solo acierta cuando copia al Partido Popular —lo hizo con la bajada del IVA, de la luz y del gas, el IVA de los alimentos y ahora con el aval para la vivienda de los jóvenes—, pues que copie también la cogobernanza que pedimos en los fondos europeos, una rápida ejecución y que se endurezcan las penas por malversación, para que nadie robe ni un solo euro de dinero público. Nunca es tarde si la medida copiada es buena. Por tanto, tomen nota los señores socialistas. El Gobierno de España ha rebajado el delito de malversación porque uno de sus socios parlamentarios, con condenados entre sus filas, se lo ha pedido. Algo que sobrepasa cualquier límite político y más que político. Y esto no lo digo yo, sino un líder regional del Partido Socialista Obrero Español en España, el señor García-Page. Mientras Bruselas pide endurecer las penas por malversación, Sánchez las rebaja. Por tanto, rectifiquen, señores socialistas, escuchen a Europa y dejen de mentir a los españoles, pero también a este Parlamento. Así que menos lecciones de lucha contra la corrupción. Más hechos. Que de lo primero andan sobrados y de lo segundo, escasos.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Anna-Michelle Asimakopoulou
Political group: PPE
Country: Greece
Language: EN

Madam President, Commissioner, year after year, a number of us in this House have called for partial conditionality of funding to the Palestinian Authority in order to secure the removal of anti-Semitic content from the school textbooks. Year after year, a majority in this House refuses to do so.  The EU—commissioned Georg Eckert Institute study was very clear that Palestinian textbooks contain anti-Semitic references and incitement to hatred based on international standards, and the EU is very clear that we have a zero tolerance approach to anti-Semitism. So now is the time to join the dots. Zero tolerance means anti-Semitic rhetoric must be removed from the textbooks used by the Palestinian Authority. So the amendment tabled by the S&D to not only delete the reference in the discharge report, but to do so in a way that wilfully misrepresents the results of the Georg Eckert study must be opposed.  In authorising the discharge of EU funds, dear colleagues, as parliamentarians, we are asked to judge their effectiveness. Partial conditionality to ensure the removal of anti-Semitic content in Palestinian textbooks – it’s not just about effectiveness, it is about morality. So please let us do the right thing.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Isabel Benjumea Benjumea
Political group: PPE
Country: Spain
Language: ES

Señora presidenta, señor comisario, el éxito de los fondos de recuperación no se puede medir en solicitudes de pago o en las transferencias hechas por parte de la Comisión. Y tampoco se puede hacer por la calidad estética de las presentaciones de PowerPoint en las que los distintos Estados miembros están presentando sus planes nacionales. Un arte, el de la propaganda, en el que, por cierto, el Gobierno del señor Sánchez es absolutamente un genio.  Ahora bien, el éxito del MRR, el éxito de los fondos de recuperación se va a medir en el éxito del impacto de las reformas que creen más oportunidades para pymes, para empresarios, para aquellos que están buscando trabajo, y también en que los fondos lleguen a los destinatarios finales, en que los fondos lleguen a aquellos proyectos para los que están previstos. Y para poder medir este éxito necesitamos que haya transparencia, que haya una transparencia absoluta. Y es responsabilidad de la Comisión garantizar que haya esa transparencia. Una transparencia que nos permita saber, como en el caso de España, exactamente cuántos pagos se han hecho con cargo a los fondos Next Generation y que podamos conocer finalmente un dato oficial —un dato oficial que no tenemos desde agosto del año 2021— sobre la ejecución de los fondos de recuperación. Y para que los fondos Next Generation sean un éxito, estos fondos, estas medidas, estas reformas, estas inversiones tienen que ser unas reformas pactadas: pactadas con las regiones, pactadas con las entidades locales, pactadas con empresarios, pactadas con la sociedad civil. Y a día de hoy no se ha hecho así. Y apelo a la Comisión a que tenga exigencia máxima con España en la preparación de la adenda que está elaborando el Gobierno español para la solicitud de los préstamos. Solo si es un verdadero plan nacional será un éxito. Y, desde luego, si vuelve a ser un plan de Sánchez, lo que estará abocado es al fracaso, como el actual plan nacional.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Mick Wallace
Political group: The Left
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Madam President, there are a number of EU institutions and bodies not covered by the Parliament’s discharge process. However, what’s particularly concerning, but not surprising, is that the three agencies related to defence – the European Defence Agency, the European Union’s Institute for Security Studies and the European Union Satellite Centre – are not covered. These agencies are audited by independent external auditors and do not depend on the European Parliament’s discharge procedure. In their 2014 report, the Court of Auditors noted ‘although their source of revenue is not the EU budget, the revenue of these entities arises from the exercise of public authority at the EU level and their use of resources has the same public nature as other EU funds’. There is therefore no compelling reason for this different treatment. Yet, nine years on, the different treatment continues. And at a time when defence spend is going off the Richter scale in Europe and promoting war has become a lot more fashionable than promoting peace, it’s about time that these were brought under the remit of the Parliament and the Court of Auditors.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Tony Murphy
Language: EN

I think what has emanated from the debate here today is that it’s important to acknowledge the challenges which were apparent in 2021. It was a very difficult time, as we all know, and it made it difficult in a way for Member States to use all the funding sources which were available to them. They had the MFF, they had the RRF, they had the SURE instrument and we had other different instruments. I think we have to take into account the context. Nonetheless, our role is to make sure that there is proper oversight and accountability for EU funds. I am happy to see the interest of parliamentarians in this process, in the discharge procedure, by the number of interventions, and I think it shows clearly that we all have our own specific roles to play in ensuring the proper financial management of the budget. In that context, I think we are a key component of the institutional framework of the EU. We’ve a role to ensure proper oversight. As the EU’s independent external auditor, our core values are independence, integrity and objectivity. We work based on these values with the aim of improving accountability, transparency and financial management with the objective – and this is the key objective – of enhancing citizens’ trust and also providing assurance to you as legislators so that better informed decisions can be made.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Johannes Hahn
Language: EN

Clear and simple rules remain the best way to guarantee the sound financial management of European Union spending. As we know, 75 % of the errors usually detected are related to different views about what is eligible and what is not eligible.  The Commission has therefore continued its efforts to simplify rules and raise knowledge of beneficiaries with communication campaigns, workshops and guidance. And I expect this is shared by everybody inside and outside the room.  The Commission will also continue working together with its partners, especially Member States and national authorities, on the shared management to address the weaknesses identified and take preventive measures such as sharing good practices, providing guidance and training to the management, control and audit structures in Member States. Whenever necessary, of course, the Commission will not hesitate to have recourse to corrective mechanisms. Concerning the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility in 2021, the Commission will continue to promote a better understanding of this new instrument. It’s a different one in nature and legislation than the traditional ones, such as cohesion policy, and therefore uncharted water still for many. That is why I believe it is too premature to speculate already today about the discharge outcome of 2022.  Moving forward, we will continue to involve all relevant stakeholders and we will also maintain close engagement with the European Parliament and the Council for a successful implementation of the facility. I would like to reassure you of the Commission’s continuous commitment to work together with the European Parliament in ensuring adequate protection of the European Union’s financial interests and values.  So I am grateful for the cooperative, constructive and positive spirit between the institutions involved in the discharge debate. Having said this, this year, I would like to use the opportunity to thank the President of the European Court of Auditors, Tony Murphy, for supporting our engagement with Ukraine in the area of budgetary protection and sound financial management. He was already referring to a joint mission organised by us and accompanied by a member of the court, and I think it was an extremely useful mission also for our joint work in the future because I think we should have every interest to support Ukraine in the future, but also to keep this high level of solidarity we can see still amongst the Member states and their citizens. But for this it is important to reassure them that the financial interests of European taxpayers are also protected in Ukraine, of course, acknowledging the different circumstances they are just living in.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Jessika Roswall
Language: EN

This is a very important exercise. It is about transparency, democratic legitimacy, and being accountable to our citizens. It gives the true measures on the way the European funds are implemented and managed. I will also take this opportunity to thank the Commission, the Court of Auditors and all the management and audit authorities at the national level for their efforts in this sense.  Moreover, I would like to highlight some of Parliament’s and the Council’s common views in this field. First, Parliament and the Council both call on the Court and the Commission to continue the assessment of the EU budget’s performance, which is a measure of the true value delivered to EU citizens.  Second, Parliament and the Council also share the view that complex rules may lead to more errors. Therefore, we support further efforts to identify and simplify burdensome rules and procedures. But of course we cannot lower standards and requirements needed for accountability. Our common goal is to make sure that the EU budget provides added value for our citizens and that EU money is well spent.  Again, I would like to underline, just like many of you have stated today, that this point is vital to maintain the trust and confidence of our citizens for the European project, and especially on this special day, we cannot emphasise this enough.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Jeroen Lenaers
Country: France
Language: EN

I think also the discharge of the Commission that we will vote on tomorrow needs to be read in that light. There are many suggestions, many recommendations; it is our job to scrutinise what the Commission is doing in order to make sure that we end up in that shared commitment to protect the European budget.  And I welcome Commissioner Hahn’s commitment to also, as he expressed today, everything the Commission is doing to bring down the error rate, to simplify rules in order to avoid risks. We, as a European Parliament, will continue to support you in that procedure and to make sure that we can make improvements together.  When it comes to the future, there is one thing that I would like to highlight as well, and I would mention the recast of the financial regulation and the negotiating position adopted in this House. And I hope and I count on the Council to also negotiate with us in a constructive spirit to better protect the EU budget, particularly through increased transparency. It really needs to happen now.  Now the discharge will be voted tomorrow and then it will be concluded. But the process of scrutiny, of course, continues also far beyond that. And I would like to thank once again also President Murphy and everybody at the European Court of Auditors for their very important role and the support to our work here in the European Parliament. It has been much appreciated. I would just like to echo the words that, President Murphy, you concluded your last intervention with, and that is that it is all about improving accountability, transparency and financial management – this is the commitment of everybody I have heard speaking here today and let’s put that into practice also for the upcoming years.
Debate: Discharge
Date: TUESDAY, 9 MAY 2023
Speaker: Monika Hohlmeier
Country: Poland
Language: DE

Erstens: Lieber Herr Kommissar, wir werden auch die Thematik für zukünftige, von der Kommission geplante, ähnlich gelagerte Finanzierungsinstrumente, das Thema  Als Zweites: Wenn man Notfallinstrumente macht, dann werden die Mitgliedstaaten aber auch diese Gelder konsequent ausgeben müssen. Unsere Erfahrungen in Spanien zeigen leider, dass von 41 Milliarden, die dort inzwischen angekommen sind, gerade mal vielleicht irgendwie 4—5 Milliarden im Maximum tatsächlich überhaupt bei den Unternehmen, bei den betroffenen Regionen tatsächlich angekommen sind. Das ist etwas, was die Zeitverzögerung klarmacht. Gleichzeitig haben wir in den Kohäsionsfonds mittlerweile derartig große Verzögerungen, wie wir sie noch nie vorher hatten. Darum werden wir uns darüber schon noch einmal intensiv verständigen müssen. Manchmal habe ich bei diesen Meilensteinen und Targets und Zielwerten auch den Eindruck, dass sie eher wandernden Sanddünen gleichen, als dass sie tatsächlich festgelegte Stationen sind. Ein ganz persönliches Wort noch zu dem, was der Kollege Freund hier gegenüber einfach den Kolleginnen und Kollegen betrieben hat. Einfach nur Frau Le Pen und Herrn Farage zu nennen, ist schlicht und einfach nicht gerechtfertigt. Wir werden bei dem sogenannten Pensionsfonds, der für die Jahre gilt, in denen es noch keinerlei Pensionsberechtigung für Abgeordnete gegeben hat, auf Recht und Gesetz achten und nicht auf Populismus. Das heißt, das Präsidium muss nach Recht und Gesetz handeln und nicht nach dem, wie wir populistisch am besten vorwärtskommen. Ich glaube, so sachlich sollte man das Ganze auch handhaben.