unimelb-nlp/MultiEup-v2 huggingface dataset:
Debate: Cross-border adoptions from third countries
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Gunnar Beck
Political group: ID
Country: Germany
Language: DE

Internationale Adoption ist einer der vielen Exzesse des Globalismus. Sie missbraucht den legitimen Kinderwunsch europäischer Eltern, um ein vielfältiges Europa zu fördern. Durch die Erleichterung internationaler Adoptionen und damit das Überspringen des Schwangerschaftsurlaubs versucht die EU, Frauen davon zu überzeugen, im Hamsterrad unserer wettbewerbsintensiven Marktwirtschaft nicht der Kinder wegen auszusteigen. Die europäische Demographie befindet sich in einer beispiellosen Krise. Wir brauchen eine Politik, die europäische Familien dabei unterstützt, sich auf natürliche Weise fortzupflanzen. Dies erfordert steuerliche Anreize wie in Ungarn, sowie einen verbesserten Sozialschutz für schwangere Europäerinnen und junge europäische Mütter. Wir brauchen eine Politik, die die natürliche Fortpflanzung fördert, nicht politisch motivierte internationale Adoptionen vorantreibt.
Debate: Cross-border adoptions from third countries
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Ewa Kopacz
Political group: PPE
Country: Bulgaria
Language: PL

Trzeba jasno powiedzieć: nielegalne adopcje są po prostu częścią zjawiska handlu ludźmi. Tym obrzydliwszym, że dotyczącym dzieci. Po pierwsze, przy adopcji dzieci, szczególnie z bardzo odległego i odrębnego kulturowo kraju, wszystkie zaangażowane strony powinny zachować jak największą ostrożność i staranność w przeprowadzaniu tej procedury. Tym bardziej, jeśli dany kraj nie współpracuje w ramach Konwencji Haskiej z 1993r.   Po drugie, tak, jest wielu wspaniałych ludzi, którzy szczerze otwierają swoje serca i domy dla dzieci potrzebujących opieki i miłości. Nie bądźmy jednak naiwni. Są przecież źli ludzie, którzy pod przykrywką adopcji, realizują najgorsze z możliwych zbrodni. Dlatego cieszę się, że Komisja proponuje włączenie nielegalnych adopcji w katalog przestępstw pod dyrektywą o zwalczaniu handlu ludźmi.  Uważam też, że Komisja Europejska i państwa członkowskie powinny wspólnie działać na rzecz przygotowania i udostępniania rzetelnej informacji nt. adopcji międzynarodowych i przeprowadzać regularną ocenę tych krajów i regionów świata, z których adopcja obarczona jest szczególnym ryzykiem.  Tworząc prawo dotyczące adopcji poruszamy się między „cudem kochającego domu” a piekłem dziecięcej niewoli. Pamiętajmy, że dobro dziecka jest najwyższym prawem.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Michal Šimečka
Country: Italy
Language: SK

Ďalším bodom programu je rozprava o týchto bodoch: – otázka na ústne zodpovedanie pre Radu o boji proti diskriminácii v EÚ – dlhoočakávaná horizontálna antidiskriminačná smernica, ktorú predkladá Juan Fernando López Aguilar v mene Výboru pre občianske slobody, spravodlivosť a vnútorné veci ( – otázka na ústne zodpovedanie pre Komisiu o boji proti diskriminácii v EÚ – dlhoočakávaná horizontálna antidiskriminačná smernica, ktorú predkladá Juan Fernando López Aguilar v mene Výboru pre občianske slobody, spravodlivosť a vnútorné veci (
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Jessika Roswall
Language: EN

Beginning with your question regarding the state of play, I will be straightforward and say that almost every single presidency has placed a proposal on its agenda since 2008. And the ministers of the EPSCO Council have been informed at every step of the way, most recently in December. As you are aware, for this file, unanimity is required in the Council, and the Presidency analysis is that a decisive breakthrough is unlikely in the near future. I realise that this message is not the preferred one, but it is in fact the situation. Coming to the timetable and the next concrete steps, the Swedish Presidency intends to place the proposal on the agenda for a technical-level discussion in the coming weeks and with a view to present a progress report at the EPSCO Council in June. You also raised the issue of respect for the right of non-discrimination and equal treatment in the Member States. Here, I am of course very pleased to recall all the legislation at EU level that is already in place. As you know, European equality legislation is especially strong in the field of employment. Member States are responsible for implementing such legislation, and it is the Commission, not the Council, that monitors this process. The Presidency also attaches importance to the continued exchange between Member States and we are organising several conferences to this end, including our own matter of gender equality, racism, antisemitism and LGBTIQ equality. Finally, you also raised the question of involving case-law and how it must be implemented by the Member States and the EU. Here, it is important to bear in mind that it is the Commission who is monitoring the implementation of EU law. Thank you for this opportunity to address this subject and thank you for your attention. I am looking forward to the debate.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Maria Walsh
Political group: PPE
Country: Austria
Language: EN

While we can continue to implement laws gradually, creating separate rules for different grounds of discrimination creates significant barriers for people. A single directive would not only be easier to implement, but it would also ensure that our citizens can clearly understand their rights. If we cannot provide our citizens with a comprehensive framework which protects our citizens against discrimination, how can we ever make progress? Commissioner, colleagues, I put to you: equality and discrimination are two sides of the same coin. Often in this chamber, late at night, we discuss the importance of equality, of fundamental rights, of our European values, and we cannot allow our Member States to continuously put a halt on progress. We’ve three presidencies left under this mandate, three chances for EU leaders to push to unblock this directive. There has been discussion amongst Member States, as already shared, about separating parts of this directive, as they believe some parts will be easier to introduce than others. I call this utter nonsense. All 500 million citizens deserve equality today. All European citizens deserve the same standing and respect within our EU. We need to move. We need to unblock this directive. It is our citizens who are at risk if we don’t get this right. May I use the last ten seconds to acknowledge Commissioner Dalli and her team for continuously calling for this directive to be unblocked, one of the rare few commissioners to do so.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Marc Angel
Political group: S-D
Country: Luxembourg
Language: FR

Pourtant visible et audible, la discrimination à laquelle sont confrontés trop de nos concitoyennes et concitoyens ne semble pas effrayer les gouvernements qui bloquent. Quinze ans d’immobilisme, d’inaction de certains représentants nationaux, c’est le résultat d’un manque de courage politique. Si des législations ont déjà été adoptées par le passé en matière de discrimination sur le marché de l’emploi, il faut quand même rappeler que nous ne passons que huit heures par jour sur notre poste de travail. Or, la protection contre les discriminations doit être garantie 24 heures sur 24, dans la sphère privée comme sur le lieu de travail. Il est donc temps de balayer devant notre porte et de faire appliquer les valeurs d’égalité au sein de notre Union. À cette fin, nous, Socialistes et démocrates, soutenons la Commissaire Dalli pour qu’encore sous ce mandat une solution soit trouvée pour adopter un texte progressiste interdisant toute forme de discrimination dans les différentes sphères de la vie privée de tous ceux qui vivent dans notre Union européenne.  Dear colleagues, to all the far-right populist religious extremists who call us – who fight discrimination, who defend women’s rights, trans rights, LGBT rights, minority rights – ideologists, I just want to recall that they are the ideologists. We are just people who defend fundamental rights, and the far-right ultra-conservative politicians, the ideologists, they are against the Union of equality, a Union of equality which Commission President von der Leyen calls for, where Helena Dalli, the Commissioner for Equality, works so hard. Thank you for having presented all this equality strategy. Thank you for defending the concept of intersectional discrimination; by the way, intersectional discrimination is a term which is banned from Council language, and this is a shame and this can no longer go on like this. So I call on the Swedish Presidency: please do your best to work on this on this important subject, because fighting for equality, equal treatment is not giving more rights to one or the other, it’s just giving the same rights to everybody. And this is what we need in our European Union.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Sophia in 't Veld
Political group: Renew
Country: Poland
Language: EN

This is not funny. That will get them going, I assure you. Two more things; additional proposals. Let’s finally follow the Renew proposal for a Council formation for equality. It cannot be that difficult. If there are ministers for equality, we should have a Council formation. And finally, I call on all Member States to show their colours and join the court case against Hungary in defence of LGBTI rights.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Alice Kuhnke
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Germany
Language: SV

De 14 år som har gått sedan förslaget presenterades visar att EU accepterar att vi har första och andra klassens medborgare. Några av oss kan njuta av lagens rättigheter och skydd och andra kan det inte. De som framför allt ska ställas till svars för detta, för denna uppdelning, det är rådet. Det är de som har styrt och de som styr EU:s medlemsländer.  Nu har äntligen det svenska ordförandeskapet lagt frågan på sin agenda, och det spanska ordförandeskapet har lovat mig att de ska ta vid. Därför är min fråga till rådet: Hur ser tidsplanen ut? När gör vi diskriminering olagligt i hela EU?
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Susanna Ceccardi
Political group: ID
Country: France
Language: IT

Per esempio, alla sigla LGBTQ avete dovuto aggiungere il "plus" perché avevate finito le lettere dell'alfabeto per classificare le diversità. Ma il mondo è formato da diversità, da individui, ognuno differenti dall'altro. E come farete a classificarli tutti nelle vostre tabelle? Inevitabilmente, qualcuno resterà fuori e finirà discriminato. Che cosa dicono la maggioranza delle costituzioni del mondo? Che tutti gli uomini sono uguali?  Ritorniamo a questo principio condivisibile e sacrosanto e cerchiamo di dare a ciascuno pari opportunità, che non significa leggi ad hoc per ciascun individuo del mondo. Le norme, per funzionare, devono essere generali e astratte. Gli Stati hanno bloccato questa direttiva perché i problemi di applicazione sono concreti e quei problemi concreti sono quelli che affrontano i cittadini ogni giorno e di cui la politica dovrebbe occuparsi di più.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Nikolaj Villumsen
Political group: The Left
Country: Germany
Language: EN

But they are today, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 43% of LGBT people in the EU feel discriminated in their daily life, 53% of Muslims feel discriminated because of their name when they look for housing, 60% of transgender people feel discriminated. And the numbers are growing. And still we stand here almost 15 years since the Commission presented the horizontal Anti-Discrimination Directive. Today is a shameful day, a shameful day for the Council because you have blocked the directive and, by doing this, you have prevented better protections against discrimination. Now let’s take action, let’s end discrimination and let’s make sure that the EU fights all forms of discrimination.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Peter Pollák
Political group: PPE
Country: Spain
Language: SK

Vážený pán predsedajúci, téma diskriminácie sa týka mnohých v Európe. Ja dnes budem znova bojovať za rómske deti. Napriek tomu, že máme dobrú legislatívu a dokonca máme aj peniaze, ktoré posielame členským krajinám, produkujú vzdelávacie systémy v niektorých členských krajinách každý rok desaťtisíce detí z rómskych rodín bez dostatočnej kvalifikácie, bez toho, aby boli pripravené na pracovný trh.  Na jednej strane vieme, kde nás topánka tlačí. Veď predsa Európska komisia dokonca spustila  Napriek tomu všetkému nevieme dať rómskym deťom jednoducho budúcnosť. Prax nám ukazuje, že nestačí mať len legislatívu. Dokonca nestačí ani mať peniaze či víziu. Mnohé rómske deti si dnes stále nedokážu plniť svoje sny. Namiesto slov, vážení priatelia, potrebujeme činy či realizáciu.  Chcem Vás, pani komisárka, aj vás, páni kolegovia, vyzvať. Bojujme ešte viac za rómske deti a za ich budúcnosť. Som presvedčený, že keď do nich investujeme, tak sa nám to mnohonásobne vráti.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Irène Tolleret
Political group: Renew
Country: Hungary
Language: FR

Monsieur le Président, Madame la Commissaire, Madame la Ministre, il s'appelait Lucas, il avait treize ans. Il était scolarisé à Golbey, dans les Vosges. Il avait la vie devant lui. Pourtant, le 7 janvier dernier, à cause du harcèlement incessant qu'il subissait, Lucas s'est donné la mort. Il assumait pourtant son homosexualité. Il était moqué par ses camarades. Ses parents en avaient fait part dès septembre à son école lors de réunions entre parents et professeurs.  Pourtant, il a continué à subir. Il était harcelé par rapport à sa tenue, sa façon d'être, ce qu'il dégageait. L'homophobie l'a tué, la discrimination l'a tué. Sachez qu'en retardant l'adoption de la directive horizontale, vous privez plus de 500 millions de personnes de bénéficier d'une protection efficace contre la discrimination. Chaque jour, des centaines de plaintes pour discrimination fondée sur l'âge, la religion, le handicap, l'orientation sexuelle sont déposées dans notre Union. Toutefois, notre capacité de soutenir les victimes de discrimination reste fortement limitée.  Alors, pour tous les Lucas de notre union, soyons courageux, ne laissons pas quelques gouvernements prendre en otage nos droits. Allons de l'avant pour cette directive antidiscrimination horizontale.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Samira Rafaela
Political group: Renew
Country: Germany
Language: EN

Mr President, it’s very important that we discuss the topic today of anti-discrimination legislation. Equality is one of the fundamental values on which the European Union is founded, and it is through legislation that we can protect the fundamental rights of citizens. And it is therefore very important that we continue with implementing anti-discrimination legislation. The numbers don’t lie. We have so many surveys, so many researches, so many statistics and numbers that show that people feel discriminated, that people are still excluded because of who they are, what they look like, what your name is or what your skin colour is, you name it. And therefore we have a responsibility. And I think the European Parliament already took that responsibility to make sure that we have legislation in place. So the request to the Council is to make sure that you make work of it and that you do that as quickly as possible. Because the European Union is also founded to make sure that fundamental rights of citizens are protected. And this is exactly what we can promote in the world.  And if we want to promote human rights in the world, then we need to do the same, and we can do that through legislation.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Katrin Langensiepen
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Poland
Language: DE

Herr Präsident, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Nach 15 Jahren ist es dann, glaube ich, auch mal gut mit  Warum ist das so? Weil der Zugang zu Wahllokalen für die Listenaufstellung, zu Parteiorganisationen nicht barrierefrei ist, selbst wenn es Parteiorganisationen vor Ort noch so sehr wollen. Die Räume sind nicht barrierefrei. Da rede ich nicht von Rollstuhlgerechtigkeit. Häufig wird Barrierefreiheit mit Rollstuhlgerechtigkeit verwechselt. Barrierefreiheit ist das volle Programm! Ich hoffe, dass Sie hoffentlich bald – und dann geben Sie noch die Antwort auf meine Kollegin Frau Kuhnke, die gefragt hat: „Was ist der Plan?“ – sich stark dafür einsetzen, dass wir nächstes Mal, in der nächsten Wahlperiode, 50 % des Parlaments aus Menschen mit Behinderung stellen. Das wäre doch mal mindestens ein Plan. Barrierefreies Parlament – das wäre so meine Vision. Ich hoffe, wir kommen endlich zur Umsetzung der Antidiskriminierungsrichtlinie.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Seán Kelly
Political group: PPE
Country: Greece
Language: EN

Mr President, the European Union is a great project guaranteeing equality for nations and for citizens. But there’s one thing to guarantee it in law, it’s another thing to put it into practice. And this is the nub of the problem. Too many groups in the European Union, be they people with disabilities, minority groups because of sexual orientation, religious beliefs, Travellers, as my colleague Maria Walsh mentioned, in my own country, feel that they’re being discriminated against, and it’s time to stop it. And I compliment the Swedish Presidency for trying to move this forward, unblocking something that has been blocked since 2008. Sweden is a modern, progressive country, and hopefully they can make progress on this. And finally, I would say, as we look to the east, with Putin showing total disregard for human life in Ukraine, we should move in the opposite direction and ensure absolute equality, both in law and in practice, for all our people in the European Union. That would be a great thing to do.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana
Political group: Verts/ALE
Country: Spain
Language: FR

Monsieur le Président, en tant que femme noire, âgée, vivant avec un handicap, qui peut-être ne se voit pas à première vue, le handicap de la vie, je sais ce que c’est de vivre avec et de subir à tout moment non seulement des discriminations, mais aussi des discriminations de personnes de qui on ne s’y attend pas. C’est pour cela que cette directive dont j’entends parler depuis des années – ça fait quinze ans que j’entends parler de cette directive –, pourquoi ne la mettons-nous pas en place? Qu’est-ce qui empêche de la mettre en place? Un État, deux États, trois États peuvent-ils la bloquer sans arrêt? Et pourquoi nous autres, qui sommes ici au Parlement, n’essayons-nous pas de réagir et de dire non, non au racisme, non à la discrimination?  La discrimination sous toutes ses formes, que ce soit la discrimination à cause de l’âge, à cause du handicap, mais aussi à cause de la race. Et c’est une discrimination que l’on subit non seulement dans nos écoles, non seulement au niveau du travail et au niveau du logement, chercher un logement, mais aussi dans nos écoles, dans nos administrations et parfois aussi avec la police comme j’en ai moi-même fait l’expérience. C’est pour cela que je souhaite que Mme Dalli puisse réussir à mettre cette directive en œuvre cette année. Il est temps, Madame, que cette directive soit mise en œuvre au sein de l’Union européenne afin que nous puissions construire un monde sans discrimination. Un monde où toutes les personnes, quelle que soit leur nature, puissent vivre ici en Europe et s’épanouir.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Clare Daly
Political group: The Left
Country: France
Language: EN

Mr President, the protection of EU citizens against discrimination is inadequate and for far too long we’ve failed to improve the discrimination directive. I’m glad that we’ve just had the first UN international day against islamophobia, but sorry that we’ve had to have it because of the appalling rise of crimes against Muslims in our society. The institutional suspicion which has increased since 9/11 and the so-called war on terror, the negative profiling, the stereotyping, make life in Europe very dangerous for Muslims and the actions that some members of our parliaments take makes that even more. In the presence of the Swedish Presidency, we have to say that burning and disrespecting the Koran is absolutely unacceptable. It is a hate crime and passing it off as just freedom of expression, I’m sorry, is just not good enough. We have to put our actions where our words are and stamp out discrimination against Muslims in our society.
Debate: Combating discrimination in the EU - the long-awaited horizontal anti-discrimination directive
Date: WEDNESDAY, 15 MARCH 2023
Speaker: Helena Dalli
Language: EN

The adoption of the 2008 proposal for the equal treatment directive remains a priority for the Commission because it would fill important gaps of EU legislation on non-discrimination by extending protection against discrimination on the basis of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, in relevant fields. But as you know, adoption requires unanimity in Council, and it is always what I speak to every incoming presidency about. So rest assured that it is not because we are not trying to get this done and dusted. I reiterate the Commission’s support to the Council negotiation by all possible means, and I will continue engaging with ministers for as long as necessary. We also call on all Member States for support, of course. So the success is in this key file for a European Union of equality is about political will, determination and constructive spirit. It is about whether in 2023 we are comfortable having second—class citizens. And for those of you coming from Member States still resisting this proposal, I also urge you to push your governments to support this important proposal.