18/05/2017

:00:10. > :00:21.any request. Therefore the any request. Therefore the

:00:22. > :00:25.committees may start negotiations. Let us start the meeting and I would

:00:26. > :00:32.also like to inform you that the first point on our agenda is as

:00:33. > :00:41.follows. The joint debate concerning EU cohesion policy. A report. The

:00:42. > :00:46.right funding makes for balancing financial instruments and grants in

:00:47. > :00:54.EU cohesion policy. The second report. Future perspectives for

:00:55. > :01:09.technical assistant in cohesion policy. We will proceed as follows.

:01:10. > :01:16.I will give the floor to the rapporteurs. Four minutes, the floor

:01:17. > :01:27.is yours. I would like to make my contribution

:01:28. > :01:40.in Bulgarian. TRANSLATION: At the outset I would like to thank for the

:01:41. > :01:44.cooperation. I want to thank for the contributions of all colleagues, who

:01:45. > :01:47.helped me a lot. Successes and good results cannot be achieved without

:01:48. > :01:54.the good cooperation with the Commissioner. I am talking about

:01:55. > :02:02.cohesion policy. We need to realise this is not just one of the policies

:02:03. > :02:12.of the European Union. This is not about projects and funds. Cohesion

:02:13. > :02:22.policy and the funded projects are part of our values and beliefs. I

:02:23. > :02:32.want to give you an example. This is the expression of the European

:02:33. > :02:37.solidarity. We express the interests and opinions of the people, and this

:02:38. > :02:45.is why we have to be able to produce this balancing act. I mean that

:02:46. > :02:51.mixture between grants and financial instruments. We have to meets the

:02:52. > :02:58.needs of the people, and together with that, we have to take into

:02:59. > :03:10.consideration the crises and challenges. This is why we need to

:03:11. > :03:13.talk about the percentage of the financial instance, the grants. It

:03:14. > :03:20.is right and proper to talk about that. We should not forget the

:03:21. > :03:26.interests of the municipalities and regions. What is more, to see what

:03:27. > :03:30.will be the result of our intervention. What is the most

:03:31. > :03:39.important priority for the beneficiaries? I have a few

:03:40. > :03:47.proposals. I have thought about the respective resources. The reports

:03:48. > :03:58.are not important. The accountancy is not important. The most important

:03:59. > :04:07.result of our work is the results. We have to facilitate the life of

:04:08. > :04:12.the citizens. Our task is to make the countries of the European Union

:04:13. > :04:20.richer. We have good initiatives in the European Union. Some of them

:04:21. > :04:27.success. -- successful. They meet the challenges. We should not forget

:04:28. > :04:35.that cohesion policy and the grants for the developing regions are not

:04:36. > :04:44.just small. These regions should not have the feeling they are living

:04:45. > :04:59.from the alms basket. We need to reach all regions.

:05:00. > :05:06.Otherwise, it could be detrimental. This is why I think with this report

:05:07. > :05:13.we shall think about preserving grants for regions. And to present

:05:14. > :05:21.financial instruments for the better off regions. All that we present

:05:22. > :05:27.should be equally accessible across the European Union. Everywhere up

:05:28. > :05:33.and down the European Union. Thank you very much. TRANSLATION: Thank

:05:34. > :05:48.you very much, indeed. Thank you you very much, indeed. Thank you

:05:49. > :06:01.very much for your speech. Five minutes. Take the floor, please.

:06:02. > :06:07.TRANSLATION: Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, cohesion

:06:08. > :06:12.policy is perhaps one of the best examples we have of how being a

:06:13. > :06:15.member of the European Union can be a positive experience for number

:06:16. > :06:21.states, particularly the weaker ones. The single market and

:06:22. > :06:24.freedoms, these are things that are wondrous but when there is a

:06:25. > :06:30.discrepancy in development levels between states, there is the feeling

:06:31. > :06:37.somebody is exploiting someone else. The less developed countries are the

:06:38. > :06:41.ones where workers tend to leave to head off to more developed

:06:42. > :06:50.countries, which lowers the cost of labour and leads to discontent in

:06:51. > :06:57.both cases. This tends to provoke a demographic crisis and economic

:06:58. > :07:01.crisis. Stemming the flow of migrants from the less developed

:07:02. > :07:07.countries to the more developed countries is important for the

:07:08. > :07:10.future of the EU. Cohesion policy plays an important role in that and

:07:11. > :07:14.talking about today, is a talking about today, is a

:07:15. > :07:21.high-quality instrument to bring that about. After all, it is

:07:22. > :07:26.important to finance good quality projects in less developed countries

:07:27. > :07:29.through the right means. The lack of administrative capacity in less

:07:30. > :07:37.developed countries of the European Union is a major issue.

:07:38. > :07:42.Post-communist countries have rather a large administration compared to

:07:43. > :07:45.the number of inhabitants but that administration is insufficiently

:07:46. > :07:50.efficient to be able to draw on European funds and it lacks

:07:51. > :07:59.transparency. Changes in cohesion policy post 2020 will in the less

:08:00. > :08:05.developed countries potentially catch them out, but will it

:08:06. > :08:11.ultimately allow them to get onto the same train as the more developed

:08:12. > :08:18.countries? Training is what it comes down to for the upcoming programming

:08:19. > :08:25.period. The new projects must be provided with good information. What

:08:26. > :08:30.is important particularly is good analysis or evaluation of foregoing

:08:31. > :08:35.projects and this would help to create the right conditions for the

:08:36. > :08:43.next programming period. In writing my report, I had discussions with

:08:44. > :08:51.representatives from the less countries and the same problem was

:08:52. > :08:55.alluded to time and again. Cohesion policies, it was said, were rather

:08:56. > :09:02.formal at the level of the state and what was required was a possibility

:09:03. > :09:07.to include local and regional actors at a lower level. In my report I

:09:08. > :09:12.have said member states need to provide better information about the

:09:13. > :09:16.kind of activity that might be financed by technical assistance and

:09:17. > :09:20.also of the outcomes achieved. Time passes, money is spent and yet there

:09:21. > :09:26.is no result and probably because there is a lack of a proper

:09:27. > :09:30.evaluation system. That is why it is important to take into account

:09:31. > :09:35.regular updating databases on the activities the member states are

:09:36. > :09:40.intending to, or have already, accomplish. Hopefully we will learn

:09:41. > :09:46.from the mistakes of the past and be able to set the framework and

:09:47. > :09:49.conditions. The objective is not to use the money but to use the money

:09:50. > :09:56.properly to assist the targeted groups. You could only do that if

:09:57. > :10:02.you are in possession of the right information and that cohesion policy

:10:03. > :10:08.and technical assistance can then really help those that need it.

:10:09. > :10:12.Thank you for respecting the time limit. On behalf of the committee, I

:10:13. > :10:36.give the floor, one minute. Thank you, President. Cohesion

:10:37. > :10:45.policy is one of the big success stories of the EU. Many regions have

:10:46. > :10:46.emerged from poverty, many peripheral regions, but I think we

:10:47. > :10:58.can do more. The time goes by and it can do more. The time goes by and it

:10:59. > :11:08.means we do not get the best out of this extraordinary policy. For

:11:09. > :11:13.example, it can also help to administer to the needs of the

:11:14. > :11:17.regions. As we have seen in the budget committee, with the financial

:11:18. > :11:24.recommendation, it is possible to make targeted modifications to the

:11:25. > :11:28.rules on the funding side which are very beneficial and stand us in good

:11:29. > :11:36.stead for the future of the policy and it greatly helps us in our

:11:37. > :11:37.legislative work. And now on behalf of the European Commission, our

:11:38. > :11:55.former colleague, welcome. TRANSLATION: Ladies and gentlemen,

:11:56. > :11:59.members of the European Parliament, colleagues, good morning. I would

:12:00. > :12:06.like to start today by thanking the regional development committee in

:12:07. > :12:11.the European Parliament. I would also like to thank the two

:12:12. > :12:18.rapporteurs for the reports. I would like to start by talking about the

:12:19. > :12:26.report on balancing financial instruments and grants in the EU

:12:27. > :12:32.cohesion policy. The European Commission welcomes this report. It

:12:33. > :12:40.deals with a very important topic. Pertaining to current discussions.

:12:41. > :12:47.The proposals that you have adopted in the framework of the review is

:12:48. > :12:55.also going to have an important impact on cohesion policy post 2020.

:12:56. > :12:58.The European Commission believes that a proper balance between

:12:59. > :13:04.financial instruments and grants will allow for a proper regional

:13:05. > :13:07.development. I think we all recognise the fact that we have to

:13:08. > :13:15.work together to ensure it is a success. First of all, we have to

:13:16. > :13:19.look at the type of financing, but also the characteristics of each

:13:20. > :13:29.region and each sector. We think a large part of cohesion policy will

:13:30. > :13:37.have to be financed by grants and that cannot be otherwise. There are

:13:38. > :13:46.some areas such as schools, health care, which do not generate any

:13:47. > :13:54.revenue. There are other types of financing which will generate

:13:55. > :14:01.profits. As you know, we encourage all member states to look for

:14:02. > :14:03.technical assistance because all the regions, including the poorest,

:14:04. > :14:13.should have the opportunity to use the financial instruments. The

:14:14. > :14:19.commission therefore supports the use of the financial instruments.

:14:20. > :14:28.The principle of responsibility, I think that this is something that

:14:29. > :14:35.will allow cohesion policy to work on the ground. And to ensure that we

:14:36. > :14:38.are working with the most appropriate partners, without whom

:14:39. > :14:44.we could not carry out our programmes. Local strategic partners

:14:45. > :14:48.have a strategic role in identifying the financial instruments and grants

:14:49. > :14:56.that will be best suited to each region. National and regional banks

:14:57. > :15:04.also have an important role and should help us to consolidate our

:15:05. > :15:17.ability to act and to invest better. But on the bus proposal provides for

:15:18. > :15:22.direct grants and of course we in the commission welcomes the fact

:15:23. > :15:27.that these have been adopted by the Parliament and we hope that council

:15:28. > :15:34.will adopt them as soon as possible as well -- the omnibus proposal. We

:15:35. > :15:45.want to have safe projects that are sustainable and long injuries. On

:15:46. > :15:50.the report on future respective is for future cohesion policy, the

:15:51. > :15:57.commission also welcomes this report of course. There are several

:15:58. > :16:04.initiatives in the commission including the peer to peer

:16:05. > :16:08.initiatives. I carry out visits every week to member states but I

:16:09. > :16:11.get the impression sometimes even ministers do not know all of the

:16:12. > :16:19.tools made available to them through the commission. We created these

:16:20. > :16:29.tools precisely to help member states. We have 250,000 workers on

:16:30. > :16:37.the ground dealing with European firms, to a lesser or higher degree.

:16:38. > :16:40.We have been working in this area for 40 years, since the regional

:16:41. > :16:44.development fund was created. There are some countries which have only

:16:45. > :16:48.been working on it for about ten years. Romania and Bulgaria, four

:16:49. > :16:53.years. These policies are fundamental. They allow us to have

:16:54. > :17:02.contact with local experts and technical experts to have classical

:17:03. > :17:09.Lee McCulloch -- to have close contact. In some member states,

:17:10. > :17:14.there is a low level of demand for these instruments. If a member state

:17:15. > :17:19.tells us they need technical assistance on public procurement,

:17:20. > :17:24.for example, the commission will act within five days, we will go on the

:17:25. > :17:29.ground and employ experts who know the region in greater detail. I

:17:30. > :17:32.would like to encourage greater use of these instruments because the

:17:33. > :17:39.commission makes them available to member states for free. I very much

:17:40. > :17:47.welcome this report because you make clear precise proposals for better

:17:48. > :17:51.take up of technical assistance. This is of course going to be very

:17:52. > :18:01.important in the post 2020 discussions. I would also like to

:18:02. > :18:04.emphasise the fact that the commission would urge member states

:18:05. > :18:11.to have a more targeted approach to how they use financial instruments.

:18:12. > :18:17.For example, using technical assistance in order to finalise

:18:18. > :18:28.implementation of X anti-conditionality is. Also in

:18:29. > :18:30.fighting fraud and corruption. Sometimes member states use

:18:31. > :18:40.technical assistance to cover wage technical assistance to cover wage

:18:41. > :18:46.costs., for instance. -- wage costs for staff. I appreciate the reports

:18:47. > :18:51.and they recognise challenging is such as brain drain, demographic

:18:52. > :18:57.problems for less developed regions. -- they recognise challenges. We are

:18:58. > :19:04.here to provide help. You are right to say that sometimes training and

:19:05. > :19:09.education is more important than the money. I am happy to see that both

:19:10. > :19:19.rapporteurs have emphasised the responsibility of member states.

:19:20. > :19:26.When it comes to implementation, the responsibility lies wholly with

:19:27. > :19:32.member states. Member states have to be able to ensure local authorities

:19:33. > :19:37.can play the full role. I would agree with you in saying we can

:19:38. > :19:42.improve the use of technical assistance. We have to support its

:19:43. > :19:48.development. We are very much at the beginning of the debate on the

:19:49. > :19:55.future of the cohesion policy. We want to work on increasing the use

:19:56. > :19:59.of technical assistance at the very beginning of each period and that it

:20:00. > :20:05.is looked at before projects are selected or launched. That is one of

:20:06. > :20:09.the ideas on the table. It would increase the use of technical

:20:10. > :20:21.assistance but also provide support for local and regional authorities

:20:22. > :20:26.in planning their projects. It is very important for us to learn

:20:27. > :20:31.lessons from the past. And not to repeat the delays that we are seeing

:20:32. > :20:39.at the moment and that we saw seven years ago. We want to also better

:20:40. > :20:42.target technical assistance on beneficiaries and ensure exchange of

:20:43. > :20:58.experience between regions. Thank you very much. It was also

:20:59. > :21:01.emphasised the importance of the funds and how they can be used on

:21:02. > :21:10.the ground and I am happy to answer any questions you have. Thank you.

:21:11. > :21:31.Very interesting speech. Now, on behalf, the committee deputy.

:21:32. > :21:39.TRANSLATION: Thank you very much. The European Union has set off on a

:21:40. > :21:44.rather diverging paths after 2000 between the moor and less developed

:21:45. > :21:49.regions. There has been an ever greater divergence from the average.

:21:50. > :21:53.The financial framework is the reflection of that reality because

:21:54. > :21:58.there has been a reduction in the budget for cohesion and cooperation

:21:59. > :22:05.compared with previous periods. Financial instruments are simply

:22:06. > :22:10.another phase of the choices made in favour of liberalism and against the

:22:11. > :22:19.policies that would favour redistribution. We had hearings and

:22:20. > :22:23.we have proven that the financial instruments cannot under any

:22:24. > :22:28.circumstances replace existing support measures under the second

:22:29. > :22:37.pillar of the CHP and cohesion cannot be a model. It does mean you

:22:38. > :22:41.get appropriations, but there is austerity and there is the

:22:42. > :22:46.imposition via the single currency of limits on the possibility for

:22:47. > :23:01.countries to fully benefit from the structural funds. Now, speeches on

:23:02. > :23:08.behalf of Portugal groups, first, two minutes, please.

:23:09. > :23:13.TRANSLATION: Thank you, president. Commissioner. The targeted provision

:23:14. > :23:19.of technical assistance is a real catalyst and a good thing for the

:23:20. > :23:23.future of cohesion policy. It is very good to see how much money is

:23:24. > :23:28.going into cohesion policy. At the same time, this must be augmented by

:23:29. > :23:34.means of properly delivered technical assistance. It is

:23:35. > :23:40.important to get right down to the question of the project and the

:23:41. > :23:45.beneficiaries. In each ministry, in the universities, and so on, you

:23:46. > :23:49.have very different situations. I believe that technical assistance

:23:50. > :23:54.can be a real contribution in order to provide back up and support for

:23:55. > :24:01.the local authorities. Let us begin by enhancing transparency of the

:24:02. > :24:07.provision of technical assistance. Let us see how technical assistance

:24:08. > :24:11.can be a real driver for cohesion policy so we can get networks and

:24:12. > :24:23.also proper evaluation systems for the next programming period. We have

:24:24. > :24:30.had experience of the task force in Greece, with the assistance from the

:24:31. > :24:34.auditors, the necessary reforms have been put in place. That is very

:24:35. > :24:39.good. It technical assistance can help on the implementation front and

:24:40. > :24:42.it can also help on evaluation. All of these things are so important for

:24:43. > :24:55.sustainable development in the regions. Thank you. Thank you. Now

:24:56. > :25:06.on behalf of another group, two minutes, please.

:25:07. > :25:10.TRANSLATION: Thank you, president. Financial instruments are there to

:25:11. > :25:13.meet our objectives in terms of cohesion policy and they are not an

:25:14. > :25:19.end in themselves. They are an additional tool which can be used

:25:20. > :25:25.when they are more fitting than grants. France should be maintained

:25:26. > :25:33.as the main instrument in cohesion policy -- grants. Particular you for

:25:34. > :25:36.smaller beneficiaries. For us socialists, we need to focus on the

:25:37. > :25:42.needs of European citizens. Investment should be focused on

:25:43. > :25:45.sectors which can have multiplier effects on employment and growth,

:25:46. > :25:50.such as investment in education and sustainable energy.

:25:51. > :26:00.These other drivers love of innovation -- the drivers of

:26:01. > :26:04.innovation. That is why financial instruments should help to

:26:05. > :26:08.strengthen the social pillar of the cohesion policy. We also have to

:26:09. > :26:12.develop financial instruments in the develop financial instruments in the

:26:13. > :26:23.least developed regions. These are the regions with the highest

:26:24. > :26:27.unemployment rates. And who can see the asymmetry reduced through

:26:28. > :26:36.positive discrimination. The cohesion policy should continue to

:26:37. > :26:39.distribute funds but should also be demanding its requirement for

:26:40. > :26:43.responsibility. We have to have clear rules and provide guidelines

:26:44. > :26:49.through technical assistance to administration is responsible for

:26:50. > :26:53.solving these problems. This is something the European Parliament

:26:54. > :26:59.has always defended. I would like to thank everyone who is defending

:27:00. > :27:04.cohesion policy, because it is the best expression of solidarity

:27:05. > :27:19.between different regions of the EU. Thank you. Now the deputy. I do not

:27:20. > :27:27.see him. He is absent, probably. OK, the next Speaker. One and a half

:27:28. > :27:33.minutes, please. TRANSLATION: Thank you, president. I

:27:34. > :27:40.want to thank rapporteurs for the good work. These are good reports.

:27:41. > :27:46.We should have such of announcing system that makes it possible to

:27:47. > :27:50.make use of the budget and its possibility and also attract private

:27:51. > :27:57.investors in such a manner that as a result we don't have this lack of

:27:58. > :28:04.financing any more. I emphasise that loans must not fully replace grants.

:28:05. > :28:08.We need a mix that is useful for regions, local governments and

:28:09. > :28:15.enterprises. When we look at developed and less-developed member

:28:16. > :28:22.states, we can see that they need for financing changes. One thing is

:28:23. > :28:38.clear. In addition to grants, we need other financing channels. The

:28:39. > :28:44.bank was set up with the Rome Treaty but now it needs a better role in

:28:45. > :28:49.the cohesion role. Giving guarantees and loan support. It is functional

:28:50. > :28:59.for public and private sectors. Problems with financing results from

:29:00. > :29:03.a lack of information. We need training so we can find suitable

:29:04. > :29:08.financing sources for different matters. We have to enhance the role

:29:09. > :29:16.of the investment bank for this reason. This is important when we

:29:17. > :29:29.want to have a new cohesion policy. Thank you. And now on -- one and a

:29:30. > :29:38.half minutes, please. TRANSLATION: Thank you very much. In

:29:39. > :29:42.the White Paper in the future, the EU, there is a scenario in which EU

:29:43. > :29:49.cohesion policy would be chucked overboard. We are dealing with no

:29:50. > :29:54.less than solidarity, social levelling, and, if you like, freed

:29:55. > :29:59.in the regions and it should be invested in in a meaningful way. If

:30:00. > :30:08.these are fundamental values which are part of cohesion policy and they

:30:09. > :30:15.would be underlined. This new paper does not want them in the approach

:30:16. > :30:19.to globalisation. If you, madam Commissioner, were to keep saying

:30:20. > :30:26.that cohesion policy is not a financial instrument, but policy

:30:27. > :30:32.with long-term objectives and in particular the creation of equal

:30:33. > :30:38.living conditions throughout the EU, we would support that, and I think

:30:39. > :30:45.it is a nonsense if this mix of instruments in the cohesion policy

:30:46. > :30:56.we were to produce. Cohesion must not just be the poor relation. We

:30:57. > :31:02.need to ensure we should not reduce this to nothing. We need to make it

:31:03. > :31:05.more efficient. We need to encourage local authorities and project

:31:06. > :31:16.supporters to join in with co-financing and to try to bring

:31:17. > :31:18.about long-term benefits and, obviously, cross-border research,

:31:19. > :31:27.training, education, and all of it must be included. And now, on behalf

:31:28. > :31:37.of the Greens. To do half minutes, please.

:31:38. > :31:46.-- to do half minutes. TRANSLATION: Thank you, Mr Chairman. The present

:31:47. > :31:48.Commissioner seems to be relying increasingly on financial

:31:49. > :31:54.instruments in cohesion policy, which concerns us. The aim of

:31:55. > :31:58.cohesion policy is to help regions lagging behind. It is evident that

:31:59. > :32:09.under market conditions the lion's share of funding is recouped by more

:32:10. > :32:13.competitive players, and in the case of regional policy, richer regions

:32:14. > :32:18.get most financing. Therefore more prolific use of financial

:32:19. > :32:24.instruments will not only harm poorer regions, but will reward the

:32:25. > :32:29.richer. I do not want this. Therefore, as a shadow rapporteur

:32:30. > :32:35.for the Greens, I implore you to look in favour of this report. I

:32:36. > :32:38.would like to thank the rapporteur because he has managed to provide a

:32:39. > :32:42.thorough analysis of the threat of financial interests and among them I

:32:43. > :32:49.would like to mention the growing disparity between regions, as well

:32:50. > :32:52.as the lack of transparency, the weakening of the principle of

:32:53. > :32:59.partnership and many other issues. The report has struck the right

:33:00. > :33:05.balance between cohesion policy and philosophy. The rapporteur says the

:33:06. > :33:13.potential of financial instruments should be tapped into when this is

:33:14. > :33:18.appropriate. Colleagues, the report deals with an important subject,

:33:19. > :33:24.which is sometimes overlooked. The EU allocates billions of euros of

:33:25. > :33:34.taxpayers' money for cohesion policy. The EU develops rules on the

:33:35. > :33:42.use of this support. The EU should also make sure member states have

:33:43. > :33:49.adequate capacity to tap into this. Up until now, technical assistance

:33:50. > :33:57.has been financed from the cohesion budget. But this assistance would

:33:58. > :34:03.often stop at the national level and would hardly ever reach regions or

:34:04. > :34:06.local governments. I am not speaking about the lowest administrative

:34:07. > :34:10.level, which is local communities, and we should remember that local

:34:11. > :34:15.communities, there are initiatives are becoming an ever important

:34:16. > :34:29.instrument of cohesion policy. Thank you. Thank you very much, indeed.

:34:30. > :34:42.And now, two minutes, please. TRANSLATION: Thank you, president.

:34:43. > :34:47.Today we are voting on two reports and in the first we talk about

:34:48. > :34:51.balancing financial instruments in grants in EU cohesion policy but the

:34:52. > :34:58.response we are trying to give is a dangerous one. It is a time bomb,

:34:59. > :35:06.because we have lower and lower funding for less and less

:35:07. > :35:10.transparent instruments. We are not sure the results will yield. The

:35:11. > :35:15.banks and intermediaries are using financial tools to promote more

:35:16. > :35:24.investment, but less for European citizens. The market is being filled

:35:25. > :35:32.with products that would lead to a speculative bubble which will have

:35:33. > :35:39.toxic effects on SMEs. We are building a colossus with feet of

:35:40. > :35:45.clay. This will have an impact on the lives of millions of European

:35:46. > :35:53.citizens. In the second report on technical assistance and cohesion

:35:54. > :35:58.policy and we have to avoid repeating the mistakes of waste we

:35:59. > :36:03.have seen in many member states. We do have to emphasise involvement of

:36:04. > :36:06.regional and local authorities, in design and implementation of

:36:07. > :36:12.technical assistance measures, and at the same time we have to ensure

:36:13. > :36:17.we have more transparency in expenditure, which amounts to

:36:18. > :36:22.billions of euros. Technical assistance should allow institutions

:36:23. > :36:33.to strengthen capacity in terms of human resources and when it comes to

:36:34. > :36:50.improving transparency. We will vote in favour. TRANSLATION: Thank you.

:36:51. > :36:58.And now the deputy. Not attached. One and a half minutes.

:36:59. > :37:08.TRANSLATION: Thank you, Mr Chair. The aim of cohesion policy is to

:37:09. > :37:13.increase cohesion and to help poor regions catch up with the rest of

:37:14. > :37:18.Europe. In 2004, ten central and Eastern European countries join the

:37:19. > :37:23.European Union. If you asked people in these countries, do they think

:37:24. > :37:30.they have managed to catch up with Western Europe? They would probably

:37:31. > :37:33.also no. Of course, you can measure indicators in terms of GDP and

:37:34. > :37:38.infrastructure and there might be improvement but the real question

:37:39. > :37:43.for the people is, in the last 13 years, has their quality of life

:37:44. > :37:48.improved? Prices have caught up with those of Western Europe, but not

:37:49. > :37:53.salaries. This is a huge problem we have to deal with at a European

:37:54. > :37:57.level. If you do not do that the population only has one choice left,

:37:58. > :38:08.the European citizens initiative. That is why our party has launched

:38:09. > :38:14.such an initiative will stop we have partners from six other countries.

:38:15. > :38:24.This European citizens' initiative concerns salaries. I think it is our

:38:25. > :38:27.common interests because as long as the difference between salaries and

:38:28. > :38:34.wages are huge, people will continue to migrate to the west, which leads

:38:35. > :38:37.to internal tensions. The European Commission has given green light to

:38:38. > :38:42.this initiative, anchor knowledge we have a lot to do at European level.

:38:43. > :38:51.Once we have the 1 million signatures, on this petition, I hope

:38:52. > :39:01.the European commission will do something about this. Thank you very

:39:02. > :39:10.much indeed. And now, the deputy, one and a half minutes.

:39:11. > :39:14.TRANSLATION: President Commissioner, colleagues. I think with these two

:39:15. > :39:23.reports, we are striking the right balance. The balance between what we

:39:24. > :39:28.can do, instruments, and so on, and what doing in cohesion, social and

:39:29. > :39:31.social and economic and territorial cohesion, seen across all the

:39:32. > :39:39.regions, everywhere across the EU. It is not sufficient to work on the

:39:40. > :39:45.basis of money that is Lent and has to be repaid. We are looking at

:39:46. > :39:50.projects at local level will stop there is no market mechanism which

:39:51. > :39:57.is going to provide funding. I think we have now cast a spotlight on

:39:58. > :40:00.that. There is a feeling that banking, business soul is

:40:01. > :40:06.everything. That is not the case. This is what this demonstrates. When

:40:07. > :40:13.you have instruments, subsidies, public - private, you are now

:40:14. > :40:18.working with revolving funds. There you need technical assistance and

:40:19. > :40:28.the commission has got to make qualitative demands as well. We are

:40:29. > :40:36.talking about a seven year period. Some things are working well. We

:40:37. > :40:44.should let the stars shine. It is easy to be despondent and to say

:40:45. > :40:51.things are terrible. To say the whole thing is being bungled, and so

:40:52. > :40:56.one. We need an action plan on communication, which can reach out,

:40:57. > :40:58.get the message out to member states and regions, so we can be proud of

:40:59. > :41:19.our achievements. TRANSLATION: Thank you. I think we

:41:20. > :41:23.have done good work with these two reports and I think they provide an

:41:24. > :41:37.important contribution to the new chapter we are opening on the new

:41:38. > :41:40.regional policy. I think we've flagged up the risks involved in

:41:41. > :41:43.excessive use of financial instruments but also make a choice

:41:44. > :41:48.and provide guidance as parliament. We want to maintain the use of

:41:49. > :41:53.grants as a strategic part of cohesion policy.

:41:54. > :42:01.This is the choice on which we have to focus our efforts in dialogue

:42:02. > :42:04.with the commission and council. The second report on technical

:42:05. > :42:15.assistance is even more important. We have made a substantive choice,

:42:16. > :42:21.not just in that the main tool to help states and local authorities

:42:22. > :42:25.and make better use of community funds is set out, it is true they

:42:26. > :42:31.need better information, but we have to make sure our choice moves in the

:42:32. > :42:35.right direction. Technical assistance is not just in terms of

:42:36. > :42:43.how to better absorb result is, but to boost quality. -- better absorb

:42:44. > :42:50.resources. To see how community funds could be better used depending

:42:51. > :42:54.on the nature of each region. We are also looking at how structural

:42:55. > :42:57.reforms can be introduced in each country to make them more

:42:58. > :43:04.competitive and to better use public investment. Finally, one point where

:43:05. > :43:08.I think we have to work a bit more and here I would ask for help from

:43:09. > :43:19.the commission as well, we cannot provide technical assistance...

:43:20. > :43:24.Technical assistance cannot be something that is not handled by the

:43:25. > :43:29.state. We have to create leaders who can make better use of European

:43:30. > :43:32.instruments and ensure development through them. That is the main

:43:33. > :43:42.challenge facing the future of cohesion policy. There are many

:43:43. > :43:50.regions where we need to have leaders who can make better use of

:43:51. > :44:04.these instruments. TRANSLATION: And now I give the

:44:05. > :44:08.floor to... One and a half minutes. Thank you very much, dear President,

:44:09. > :44:14.dear colleagues. Today we will be voting on the report concerning the

:44:15. > :44:21.cohesion fund. We are talking about 75 billion euros for the period

:44:22. > :44:28.2014-2020. Quite a large amount. In point six, we underlined the fact we

:44:29. > :44:33.should not cut the funds for the cohesion fund. I work on this

:44:34. > :44:38.approach because it is in line with the solidarity principle which is

:44:39. > :44:42.officially hailed in the EU as the overriding principle. However, we

:44:43. > :44:48.also say financial instruments have some deficits. Point 11. Under point

:44:49. > :44:53.one, we all ready say financial instruments were developed prior to

:44:54. > :44:57.the financial crisis. They were not adequate. We go on to say there are

:44:58. > :45:05.many examples of situations where those funds were not used correctly.

:45:06. > :45:09.However, those funds are directed largely to those member states which

:45:10. > :45:16.are new member states. And even if there are problems, often enough,

:45:17. > :45:21.those funds are the only reason why the public opinion remains in favour

:45:22. > :45:29.of the EU. The example of my region, Poland, people keep expecting that

:45:30. > :45:33.the EU will try to mitigate the differences in the level of

:45:34. > :45:37.development between individual regions. I hope that a potential

:45:38. > :45:46.surplus in the budget will go to poorer regions, such as my region in

:45:47. > :46:03.Poland. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your speech. And

:46:04. > :46:10.now I give the floor... TRANSLATION: Thank you, president.

:46:11. > :46:16.Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. We have two reports and we will be

:46:17. > :46:24.voting on them today and they aim to improve the cohesion policy. Also in

:46:25. > :46:32.this programming period after 2020, this is very good. We need indeed an

:46:33. > :46:41.effective use of the cohesion policy also post 2020. We want that the

:46:42. > :46:53.disparities between regions in the EU are alleviated. We have

:46:54. > :46:56.flexibility, addition a la is our main goals. We want the right mix

:46:57. > :47:01.between financial instruments and grants. We address a major

:47:02. > :47:09.programme, namely the good balance. The good balance between our

:47:10. > :47:15.experience from the lessons learned from the cohesion policy and the

:47:16. > :47:21.balance also between this experience and the future perspective. The

:47:22. > :47:28.financial instruments give us the opportunity to attract additional

:47:29. > :47:35.investments outside the scope of the investments of the European Union.

:47:36. > :47:42.In this way, we can disseminate our experience and we can deepen the

:47:43. > :47:48.technical assistance. We can further develop the financial instruments.

:47:49. > :47:49.And this is the precondition to improving the cohesion policy. Thank

:47:50. > :48:06.you very much. Take the floor, please. Half a

:48:07. > :48:14.minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you very much, Mr

:48:15. > :48:21.President. We are debating technical assistance. And who should technical

:48:22. > :48:28.assistance focus on? Usually governments. Regional and local

:48:29. > :48:37.governments should also benefit from technical assistance. I asked this

:48:38. > :48:46.because to implement the concept, we need local and regional governments

:48:47. > :48:52.to benefit from this. Thank you. Thank you very much for your

:48:53. > :48:57.question. Of course, I agree with the fact that technical assistance

:48:58. > :49:03.should be targeting not only the central level but also all

:49:04. > :49:11.beneficiaries of the operational levels. Of course, this means

:49:12. > :49:15.regional authorities. They need to build capacity within the local

:49:16. > :49:19.authorities and it is a precondition for the preparation and

:49:20. > :49:25.implementation of projects that are really aimed at local communities.

:49:26. > :49:29.But technical assistance should also improve the visibility of the

:49:30. > :49:47.cohesion policy so that citizens know what it is all about. Mr

:49:48. > :49:52.President, thank you. The European Parliament, with the two reports

:49:53. > :49:58.today, is asking for something, it wants a stronger cohesion policy.

:49:59. > :50:03.Now I know that is something you wish and will as well. You want

:50:04. > :50:07.that. But I think around the commission and elsewhere, there are

:50:08. > :50:11.others of your colleagues who are not doing too much to help you and I

:50:12. > :50:18.believe the commission can do more. In terms of social cohesion and

:50:19. > :50:23.regional cohesion. There are imbalances, economic and social,

:50:24. > :50:28.over recent times. That gap has not been narrowing. If anything, it has

:50:29. > :50:31.been widening. It is not something that is the preserve of the South

:50:32. > :50:34.and East of Europe. There are also poor regions within the strongest

:50:35. > :50:43.regions, even in Germany, France, Italy. With millions of poor people

:50:44. > :50:47.living in poverty. And high levels of unemployment as well. There is

:50:48. > :50:54.need for more technical assistance and also for funding and a reduction

:50:55. > :50:58.in the bureaucracy and also more money as an investment in social

:50:59. > :51:04.cohesion. Over recent years, the word cohesion itself has been

:51:05. > :51:08.disappearing, slowly but surely, from the commission's text and

:51:09. > :51:14.documents and in particular also in the councils' publications. I know

:51:15. > :51:19.from Greece that we put this money to very productive use, thanks in

:51:20. > :51:29.large part to your contribution. When the European parliament is

:51:30. > :51:30.there, we are strong ally to get your colleagues going as well. Thank

:51:31. > :52:02.you very much. Mr President... OK. Take the floor, please. 30 seconds

:52:03. > :52:07.only, please. TRANSLATION: I wonder if you would

:52:08. > :52:14.take my question. I wonder if you think that technical assistance is

:52:15. > :52:20.important for cohesion policy? Having said that, the discrepancies

:52:21. > :52:25.between regions have become greater, despite cohesion policy, and you

:52:26. > :52:29.were talking about the discrepancies and they have become even greater

:52:30. > :52:37.within regions within individual countries. That is exactly the point

:52:38. > :52:43.I was trying to make. Over recent years, these discrepancies have been

:52:44. > :52:49.worsening, rather than getting any better. As I was saying, it is not

:52:50. > :52:54.just between countries, it is also between regions in individual

:52:55. > :52:58.countries. If we want a united, prosperous Europe where the benefits

:52:59. > :53:06.are available for everyone, we have got to put an even bigger investment

:53:07. > :53:09.into cohesion, not just for 2020, but more money and more technical

:53:10. > :53:11.assistance, so that the money really gets through to where it is needed

:53:12. > :53:33.most. Thank you. Thank you, Mr Chairman. The European

:53:34. > :53:37.Union's cohesion policy is a crucial tool to bridge the inequalities

:53:38. > :53:43.between the EU's various regions. We have to make sure the entire union

:53:44. > :53:46.is able to benefit from the economic element and the transition to a

:53:47. > :53:52.sustainable society and social equality. The cohesion policy helps

:53:53. > :53:58.promote this. However, a key aspect we believe is lacking is the

:53:59. > :54:02.synergies between the cohesion fund and the non-cohesion funds. Such as

:54:03. > :54:06.the framework programme for research and innovation. It is a programme

:54:07. > :54:12.that helps promote excellent research projects all over Europe.

:54:13. > :54:15.Even though there has been some challenges for some parts of the

:54:16. > :54:21.union to fully participate in this programme. One goal of the cohesion

:54:22. > :54:26.policy is to work as a tool to foster excellence so that the

:54:27. > :54:30.regional fund can become the stairway to excellence and better

:54:31. > :54:35.participation in the research programme. It would benefit the

:54:36. > :54:39.whole of Europe. This is something the commission is trying to promote

:54:40. > :54:44.with a tool for smart strategies. This is a good start and I call on

:54:45. > :54:48.all stakeholders involved to improve the synergies in the next programme

:54:49. > :55:02.period so all the nice talk can become a reality. Thank you. Thank

:55:03. > :55:11.you and now, two and a half minutes, please. This report calls for the

:55:12. > :55:15.commission to raise the profile of the funds investments, I quote, and

:55:16. > :55:19.to make it clearer that EU funding is involved. Let me make this

:55:20. > :55:25.crystal clear from the start of this speech. There is no such thing as EU

:55:26. > :55:29.funding. This money comes from the pockets of citizens of your

:55:30. > :55:32.constituent nations, and for you to even consider throwing more of it

:55:33. > :55:37.away on self-promotion is simply a sign you understand nothing of the

:55:38. > :55:44.issues confronting your voters. We have already seen decades of audits

:55:45. > :55:50.proving the EU is utterly unable to prevent misappropriation, Ms

:55:51. > :55:55.spending and fraud. Giving you tens of billions of euros. Aggrandisement

:55:56. > :56:00.between 2014 and 2020 seems tantamount to financial suicide.

:56:01. > :56:04.This budget is no more than a very expensive carnival parade replete

:56:05. > :56:09.with all of the clowns and sideshows paraded throughout Europe to the

:56:10. > :56:15.music of the dance macabre and the smell of burning money. The

:56:16. > :56:18.profusion of EU spending across Europe following the deluge of

:56:19. > :56:26.taxpayers' money on projects which could have been done, if indeed they

:56:27. > :56:31.should be done, by the nation states, much more cheaply and more

:56:32. > :56:35.effectively. It may indeed prove to be no more than gravestones for your

:56:36. > :56:41.expansionist empire. The concern this report states regarding the

:56:42. > :56:46.backlog of unpaid invoices is extremely valid. Who is going to

:56:47. > :56:51.bail out your vanity schemes when the UK leaves? Many of the nations

:56:52. > :56:55.in the south and east of Europe are already groaning under the weight of

:56:56. > :57:02.supporting the euro and your backing of the banking establishments. This

:57:03. > :57:06.empire building will come to a shuddering halt sooner or later and

:57:07. > :57:08.for the good of your peoples I urge you to make it sooner. Thank you

:57:09. > :57:24.very much. I have a question. Do you accept a

:57:25. > :57:29.blue card? I am sorry. Mr Finch rejects your proposal. OK. The next

:57:30. > :57:54.Speaker. TRANSLATION: It has been

:57:55. > :57:59.demonstrated the combination of technical assistance and financial

:58:00. > :58:03.instruments has not brought the expected results. At a time when

:58:04. > :58:09.there has been mismanagement of funds. The union and member states

:58:10. > :58:15.must apply the rules. Audits for the proper use of money is done on a

:58:16. > :58:21.sampling basis by the commission. It is supposed to be underpinning all

:58:22. > :58:27.of that is the principle of mutual trust and common trust. However,

:58:28. > :58:34.that means the job is being done by the member state governments. We

:58:35. > :58:36.have seen institutional weaknesses and administrative weaknesses,

:58:37. > :58:46.and deficits. The governments have and deficits. The governments have

:58:47. > :58:51.systematically succumbed to cronyism and vested interests at local level

:58:52. > :58:57.which has been good for construction companies, but has failed to bring

:58:58. > :59:02.the expected results. We want to see proper use made of community funds

:59:03. > :59:07.and to maximise the benefit, rather than simply seeing a constant drain

:59:08. > :59:12.on the European budget will stop we need tailor-made responses, which

:59:13. > :59:19.are in line with macro regional projects, which had to do with local

:59:20. > :59:23.requirements on the ground. We need access ability, transparency,

:59:24. > :59:35.meritocracy, and nations scented pro-people governments. Ladies and

:59:36. > :59:45.gentlemen, good morning. I will now give the floor for one minute and a

:59:46. > :59:52.half. TRANSLATION: Thank you, President. Commissioner. Today, once

:59:53. > :00:03.again, the European Parliament is having a debate where we are looking

:00:04. > :00:09.to create solutions to improve cohesion policy which is important,

:00:10. > :00:13.and to provide responses that citizens' requests. We cohesion

:00:14. > :00:24.policy is the biggest expression of Europeans are -- European

:00:25. > :00:31.solidarity. Malaga, for example, the city centre, is one example from our

:00:32. > :00:39.country. Cohesion policy is also the main policy to ensure no one is left

:00:40. > :00:43.behind. It is created over 1 million jobs in times of crisis and help

:00:44. > :00:51.people in vulnerable regions. That is why the policy can... Is

:00:52. > :01:08.absolutely vital and cannot be substituted. Not a single euro

:01:09. > :01:12.should be lost to -- in this policy. We have to defend Europe and

:01:13. > :01:18.negotiating Brexit is important but more important is to ensure public

:01:19. > :01:22.hospitals stay open, water runs and children have access to good

:01:23. > :01:28.schools. That is how we will overcome inequality and ensure

:01:29. > :01:33.opportunities for all citizens and we can only do that with more

:01:34. > :01:39.cohesion. Thank you. Thank you. Next, one minute.

:01:40. > :01:47.TRANSLATION: Thank you very much, president. Ladies and gentlemen,

:01:48. > :01:52.there are discrepancies, a lot of discrepancies. Ten years into our

:01:53. > :02:05.membership now and I want to tell you that there are towns in Bulgaria

:02:06. > :02:12.without sanitary conditions, without access to palatable water. The use

:02:13. > :02:20.of these instruments is limited and this means that we should pull

:02:21. > :02:30.together and step up efforts. The cohesion policy helps the regions

:02:31. > :02:39.flourish. There are close to cycles of production. Systems that require

:02:40. > :02:43.capital which cannot be provided by the municipalities. Here is where

:02:44. > :02:50.cohesion policy comes into play stop this is why I think regions must

:02:51. > :02:55.have a guaranteed access to cohesion policy. Thank you. One minute.

:02:56. > :03:27.TRANSLATION: At a time when Mr when we have seen privatisation in

:03:28. > :03:38.the electricity area and we are looking around at other member

:03:39. > :03:45.states and we have got regional airports and a German consortium is

:03:46. > :03:54.going there and that means the regional airports in places like

:03:55. > :04:09.Crete, and that is in breach of the community laws. I think that this is

:04:10. > :04:22.so typical. One minute. TRANSLATION: These two

:04:23. > :04:27.reports I think speak of the importance of cohesion policy being

:04:28. > :04:31.the expression of solidarity within the European Union, but, more than

:04:32. > :04:38.that, this provides an opportunity for development of those regions

:04:39. > :04:44.that really need funds. I would like to emphasise in particular the

:04:45. > :04:51.importance of the local and regional element. I have been familiar with

:04:52. > :04:57.hundreds of European projects and seen how important the local and

:04:58. > :05:02.regional level is. It can be decisive in the programmes. The mix

:05:03. > :05:05.we are talking about for financing projects is important but who

:05:06. > :05:10.ultimately will be the person to decide whether grants, technical

:05:11. > :05:18.assistance, the FC fund, European investment bank, even the private

:05:19. > :05:21.sector, would be included in the carrying out of the project. It is

:05:22. > :05:27.complicated but we need to carry on down that road.

:05:28. > :05:36.One minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you, president. I think debating on

:05:37. > :05:41.financial instruments and grants and what percentages we should have is

:05:42. > :05:45.not what we should focus on. Same with technical assistance. These

:05:46. > :05:51.debates are necessary but we need to focus on other priorities. We have a

:05:52. > :05:57.Europe very divided between the first and second level regions. Some

:05:58. > :06:02.are capable of managing funds and investment and no these instruments

:06:03. > :06:08.are the best instruments but secondary regions do not know or

:06:09. > :06:15.have technical and financial capacity to ask for funds, let alone

:06:16. > :06:20.manage them properly. These regions cannot have access to a large number

:06:21. > :06:29.of funds because the EU imposes austerity on them which limits

:06:30. > :06:36.public and local administrations, which are the closest to citizens.

:06:37. > :06:40.Therefore, we have to focus attention more on reducing

:06:41. > :06:45.differences between different regions and in order to encourage

:06:46. > :06:52.regions that have been left behind, which is what cohesion funds for.

:06:53. > :06:57.One minute and a half. TRANSLATION: Thank you very much, president.

:06:58. > :07:04.Commissioner, ladies and financial instruments, the current ones, the

:07:05. > :07:08.former ones, have proved they can achieve good results. However, we

:07:09. > :07:15.still have to improve further implementation. The potential is not

:07:16. > :07:17.fully realised yet. I think financial instruments supplement

:07:18. > :07:24.well the grant system because they can attract additional financial

:07:25. > :07:31.support. There is an added value, especially in research and small and

:07:32. > :07:34.medium enterprises. In the new financial perspective, the absolute

:07:35. > :07:40.basis of the cohesion policy should be the grants, because they have

:07:41. > :07:46.proved its usefulness in infrastructure, environment, social

:07:47. > :07:49.investment. For us, in the future, to find a better way to combine both

:07:50. > :07:56.financial instruments and grants, we financial instruments and grants, we

:07:57. > :08:01.have to avoid the top-down approach and we have to keep flexibility

:08:02. > :08:05.principles and make the local governments so they choose the Best

:08:06. > :08:10.support depending on the local circumstances, because local

:08:11. > :08:14.circumstances, should be the decisive element. The decisive

:08:15. > :08:19.factor when we take a decision whether to support or not a project

:08:20. > :08:23.within the policy. The region needs more trusts. We have to remember

:08:24. > :08:29.those who implement projects on the ground, they build up the capacity

:08:30. > :08:36.of the towns, regions and EU in general.

:08:37. > :08:47.Thank you. One minute. TRANSLATION: Mr President, Commissioner. A key

:08:48. > :08:51.challenge before the EU today is the deepening discrepancy in the EU and

:08:52. > :08:56.therefore the cohesion policy, which is a key instrument to fight

:08:57. > :09:04.inequality, is assuming ever greater importance. In the report, it is

:09:05. > :09:11.rightly stressed grants should be predominant in funding key public

:09:12. > :09:15.policies while financial instruments can be used as a top up. Efforts

:09:16. > :09:21.have to be made to attract and combine private and public

:09:22. > :09:24.investment but they should be distinction between areas which will

:09:25. > :09:29.be better served by grants and others by financial instruments.

:09:30. > :09:36.When structural and investment funds are used, what matters most is to

:09:37. > :09:41.achieve the objectives of cohesion, unless there is determined policy in

:09:42. > :09:42.favour of cohesion, it be clear a highly imbalanced union will have no

:09:43. > :09:44.future. Thank you.

:09:45. > :09:59.One minute. EU Commission funding has been vital

:10:00. > :10:03.for Northern Ireland and communities recovering from conflict and

:10:04. > :10:07.neglect. This could work is under threat because of a Brexit most

:10:08. > :10:12.people in the North do not want and did not vote for. By supporting

:10:13. > :10:21.Brexit, the DUP has let the people of the North Down again. As we stand

:10:22. > :10:25.to lose 982 million of much-needed and essential structural funding,

:10:26. > :10:30.North of Ireland and people depend North of Ireland and people depend

:10:31. > :10:35.on for businesses, community projects and for infrastructure.

:10:36. > :10:38.Some projects are already delayed because of fears and uncertainty

:10:39. > :10:43.around Brexit. It is hurting communities now. We spoke about

:10:44. > :10:48.this. It will get worse in the future if we don't have access to

:10:49. > :10:53.such cohesion funding and structural funding for the North because we

:10:54. > :10:58.will see projects collapse. The EU needs to ensure the benefits of

:10:59. > :11:02.decades of cohesion funding for a community that has emerged from

:11:03. > :11:09.conflict is not lost by ensuring that the North is guaranteed ongoing

:11:10. > :11:15.access to cohesion funding in the future, after Brexit, as part of us

:11:16. > :11:17.being afforded designated specialist status within the EU or whatever it

:11:18. > :11:30.is called. Thank you. One minute and a half.

:11:31. > :11:35.TRANSLATION: Thank you. Solidarity is a key value of the European Union

:11:36. > :11:44.implement solidarity in practice. In implement solidarity in practice. In

:11:45. > :11:50.the 1980s and 90s, regions in Ireland, Wales and Spain and

:11:51. > :11:54.Portugal and Greece were able to develop, and also other member

:11:55. > :12:00.states. In this century, we the new member states had an opportunity to

:12:01. > :12:05.implement cohesion funds. I was mayor of a community with 25,000

:12:06. > :12:12.inhabitants and we got more than 40 million European funds. Waterworks.

:12:13. > :12:16.Waste water management plants. All of these are a result of cohesion

:12:17. > :12:24.policy and if cohesion policy requires more money and requires

:12:25. > :12:28.different forms of funding, it also requires good high quality technical

:12:29. > :12:33.assistance, which will be used to train administrations, bring the

:12:34. > :12:37.whole thing closer to local communities and economy and science

:12:38. > :12:44.and research. In the previous financial perspective we had to

:12:45. > :12:48.assume the knowledge and gain the knowledge of how to perhaps build

:12:49. > :12:55.large facilities and now we have to gain the knowledge of bringing new

:12:56. > :12:58.technology through smart specialisation to our member states

:12:59. > :13:03.and that is what we are talking about today and that is why everyone

:13:04. > :13:06.supports both reports and I am convinced cohesion policy has to

:13:07. > :13:07.remain the foundation of a new financial perspective to keep the

:13:08. > :13:20.European Union. One leg, please.

:13:21. > :13:25.TRANSLATION: Thank you. Can I thank the two rapporteurs for the approach

:13:26. > :13:31.they brought the bird? Adhesion policy has demonstrated it can be

:13:32. > :13:38.efficient. -- brought to the? They EU can bring about and finance

:13:39. > :13:42.growth and recovery. In the financial framework, as the

:13:43. > :13:45.commissioner said, it is important for the to be more flexibility built

:13:46. > :13:51.into the system because that is important for the beneficiaries.

:13:52. > :14:05.They need a broad range of different instruments, with co-investment, and

:14:06. > :14:09.know how being applied as well. The investment landscape, it is a very

:14:10. > :14:13.positive thing from the point of view of regional authorities because

:14:14. > :14:18.it means the projects, the quality is being improved and it means that

:14:19. > :14:25.the benefits spread to the weaker regions as well. We are a little bit

:14:26. > :14:30.behind schedule. I have a higher number of persons that would like to

:14:31. > :14:34.speak. I will not be able to give the floor to everyone. I seek your

:14:35. > :14:44.understanding. But I will distribute six speaking times. The first will

:14:45. > :14:50.be for one minute. TRANSLATION: I believe that in

:14:51. > :14:57.cohesion policy, it cannot be driven by profit orientated perspectives.

:14:58. > :15:03.In education or health care, success cannot be measured by financial

:15:04. > :15:09.return. Therefore, beyond increasing financial resources, we should know

:15:10. > :15:12.that they cannot replace grants, they can complement grants, but

:15:13. > :15:17.cannot replace them. Experience so far has shown that in regions with

:15:18. > :15:23.long-term high unemployment and low density of population, they are not

:15:24. > :15:26.attractive to investments. Therefore, grants are needed because

:15:27. > :15:35.they are meant to help these regions to catch up. Therefore, in the

:15:36. > :15:41.post-2020 cohesion policy, we should take into account the increase of

:15:42. > :15:44.resources not coinciding with a decrease in the amount of grants

:15:45. > :15:49.because it would be detrimental to the purpose of cohesion policy, that

:15:50. > :15:57.is to help abolish discrepancies between regions in Europe. One

:15:58. > :16:03.minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you, president.

:16:04. > :16:06.Subsidies and financial instruments all have the specificity is, they

:16:07. > :16:11.are all different and they have benefits for research, the

:16:12. > :16:16.environment, small businesses. We have to optimise the money that is

:16:17. > :16:23.the across the different regions. Anything which is a disincentive

:16:24. > :16:30.must be avoided. For example, excessive bureaucratic cumbersome

:16:31. > :16:35.procedures. That is one area where we can make an agreement.

:16:36. > :16:40.Transparency is essential as well. These are blended funds. We have to

:16:41. > :16:43.be able to see the wood for the trees and understand and allow

:16:44. > :16:50.different instruments to be deployed at the same time. We also must make

:16:51. > :16:55.sure that there is the necessary know-how provided by means of

:16:56. > :16:58.technical assistance. So far, that has not been adequate, it is not

:16:59. > :17:04.getting through insufficient amounts. To the local and regional

:17:05. > :17:08.authorities. They have to be transparent, the pathways. So that

:17:09. > :17:13.the money is can be put to good use. And also increase people's

:17:14. > :17:25.confidence that they EU money is being well used. One minute.

:17:26. > :17:36.TRANSLATION: Thank you. I would also like to welcome the commissioner.

:17:37. > :17:44.Technical aid and financial instruments have to be at the

:17:45. > :17:49.assistance of entrepreneurs and citizens, the population. We are

:17:50. > :18:00.hearing financial instance are too complex. Even the court of auditors

:18:01. > :18:06.has said that this is the case. So we should not be producing hundreds

:18:07. > :18:15.of pages on this, we need to be listening more. The same for

:18:16. > :18:21.technical assistance. This should ensure people can better manage the

:18:22. > :18:31.funds and should also help users. One minute.

:18:32. > :18:36.TRANSLATION: Firstly, we must not underestimate the negative impact of

:18:37. > :18:44.Brexit on deprived areas of the UK. They benefit from regional

:18:45. > :18:50.development funding. Particularly, my region, the north-west of

:18:51. > :18:55.England, and the rural area of Cumbria, specifically. But also,

:18:56. > :19:01.Liverpool, which was regenerated with European money after Margaret

:19:02. > :19:09.Thatcher's government decided to let it rocked. It is crucial, with

:19:10. > :19:14.regard to future cohesion policy, that it is in line with sustainable

:19:15. > :19:19.development goals, encompassing a Broadway job objectives. -- Margaret

:19:20. > :19:26.Thatcher's government decided to let it rocked. We need to have

:19:27. > :19:28.sustainable element of societies and well-being of communities.

:19:29. > :19:34.Structural investment funds must be used for creative, innovative and

:19:35. > :19:37.smart initiatives benefiting a large part of the population, including

:19:38. > :19:42.the most honourable people. Although I welcome the important work done on

:19:43. > :19:47.urban agendas, I'd believe the specific needs of rural areas must

:19:48. > :20:01.receive proper attention. One minute.

:20:02. > :20:09.TRANSLATION: Thank you very much. Generally speaking, I think cohesion

:20:10. > :20:13.policy is the back bowl of that EU because it is based on solidarity --

:20:14. > :20:17.the backbone. It is about trying to reduce differences and that is the

:20:18. > :20:25.key here. It should not be weakened therefore by other instruments or

:20:26. > :20:28.theories, which, for example, purport that cohesion policy is

:20:29. > :20:34.superfluous. I think it has been quite rightly said that when it

:20:35. > :20:40.comes to the disbursement of monies, member states are having issues with

:20:41. > :20:45.the technical side of things and I think that is something we need to

:20:46. > :20:48.ensure member states can get on top of because they are responsible for

:20:49. > :20:57.the drawdown of the money. What about the administration? There are

:20:58. > :21:09.certainly bureaucratic burdens falling on their heads. One minute.

:21:10. > :21:16.TRANSLATION: Thank you very much, president. Cohesion policy should be

:21:17. > :21:24.central to the EU's policy objectives. If we are being honest,

:21:25. > :21:34.we would recognise that from the very start this cohesion policy was

:21:35. > :21:37.intended to reduce the gaps, the imbalances and discrepancies between

:21:38. > :21:45.different regions. It seems to me that we have got to also extend our

:21:46. > :21:50.assistance to the agriculture as well and farmers. Thank you very

:21:51. > :21:53.much, commissioner. What we need is something along these lines in the

:21:54. > :22:04.agricultural area which would be along the lines of the ERDF. We have

:22:05. > :22:06.big differences in infrastructure, transport, health provision, and

:22:07. > :22:19.that is another facet we have to address. The last speaker.

:22:20. > :22:25.TRANSLATION: Thank you, president. I am pleased we have this topic on the

:22:26. > :22:31.agenda. The rapporteurs have assessed the importance of cohesion

:22:32. > :22:39.policy to bridge gaps in Europe. I would also like to thank her for her

:22:40. > :22:43.efforts and also on concentrating resources on the areas for European

:22:44. > :22:49.Union development. That work should continue to be supported. Some

:22:50. > :22:57.colleagues would like to see cohesion policy disappear. However,

:22:58. > :23:05.we do not want to privatise cohesion policy. Or put it in the hands of

:23:06. > :23:17.financial or banking institutions. When it comes to defining the

:23:18. > :23:22.future, we have to ensure... Your closing remarks. Thank you very much

:23:23. > :23:26.for this fruitful and very interesting debate. Thank you for

:23:27. > :23:33.your contribution. I share all of your views that this policy is more

:23:34. > :23:37.important than ever in that I am sad we have so many divisions and of

:23:38. > :23:41.course I think it is very important to show solidarity between member

:23:42. > :23:47.states. This debate shows that we can do together this policy to be

:23:48. > :23:52.stronger. I would like to make some clarifications because there were

:23:53. > :23:57.some misunderstandings, I think. I would like to underline the

:23:58. > :24:01.financial instruments do not do reallocation of funds between member

:24:02. > :24:10.states or regions. When financial instruments are used, we do not

:24:11. > :24:17.support... We transfer resources with strict rules. Synergies, of

:24:18. > :24:23.course, are very important. I would like to thank them for these

:24:24. > :24:33.communications, very elaborate document. I am very grateful that

:24:34. > :24:40.they also put in the Luxembourg meeting, the communication issue on

:24:41. > :24:45.our debate between the ministries for cohesion policy because it is

:24:46. > :24:50.very important. I am very sorry that Mr finch is not here any more

:24:51. > :24:53.because this is the irony of our policy, this policy was created

:24:54. > :25:03.under the pressure of the UK in 75 when the UK said it will not go to

:25:04. > :25:09.the council in Paris if the ERDF solidarity fund will not be created

:25:10. > :25:17.because it was this situation of European funds, ERDF, solidarity

:25:18. > :25:23.fund, they retrain the people, make new activities, I am sorry that I do

:25:24. > :25:29.not know if the people who voted for axel knew that they had jobs because

:25:30. > :25:33.of the EU -- voted for Brexit. He was right, it is the taxpayers'

:25:34. > :25:39.money, but the money was also going to the UK. As you said, in

:25:40. > :25:43.Liverpool, in Cardiff, a lot of big projects. We made the University in

:25:44. > :25:48.Manchester. You mentioned this programme which is very important. I

:25:49. > :25:53.am very worried as well as you about this because it was not London, not

:25:54. > :25:58.Belfast, it was not Dublin, it was Brussels who put the money together

:25:59. > :26:05.for the reconciliation policy and I have full trust in Michel Barnier,

:26:06. > :26:09.our chief negotiator, that he will deal with that because this is a

:26:10. > :26:14.very important programme and it shows this policy has also this role

:26:15. > :26:21.is to heal the wounds that we have on the map of Europe. Thank you very

:26:22. > :26:27.much and now I will say a few words in my native tongue.

:26:28. > :26:32.TRANSLATION: I think that the two rapporteurs have played a very

:26:33. > :26:37.important role here. Because they have stressed how important it is to

:26:38. > :26:45.have the grants and financial instruments. The grants are

:26:46. > :26:48.certainly when it comes to infrastructure, hospitals, schools,

:26:49. > :26:55.roads, they are very useful. They do not generate an immediate profit.

:26:56. > :27:01.And the financial instruments, I agree that they are just as

:27:02. > :27:04.essential. We have to ensure there is this conversation of the two

:27:05. > :27:16.which is set up and balanced in I would encourage everyone

:27:17. > :27:20.interested at a regional, local level, banks, to press ahead,

:27:21. > :27:26.because they need to have the necessary competence to work out

:27:27. > :27:31.where that balance between the grants and financial instruments

:27:32. > :27:35.needs to live. Technical assistance, which was the focus of the report,

:27:36. > :27:40.is equally important. You will be well aware that in the current

:27:41. > :27:50.period the commission has worked closely with member states. In order

:27:51. > :27:55.to try to ensure that the member states can reap the benefits of the

:27:56. > :27:59.current period, but also looking ahead, all member states have

:28:00. > :28:03.strengthened their administrative capacity and have put in place

:28:04. > :28:08.requisite legislation and, as I said at the start, we are now trying to

:28:09. > :28:18.define priorities for technical assistance. We believe that

:28:19. > :28:23.technical assistance needs to be able to run from the start of a

:28:24. > :28:27.programming period throughout the period, so that we don't get the

:28:28. > :28:31.build-up of delays we have experienced in member states. Then

:28:32. > :28:38.we can get an exchange of experience between regions and we can make sure

:28:39. > :28:48.that we are there to help with structural funds reform. In debates

:28:49. > :28:53.on the budget after 2020 that we are going to be having, 500 million

:28:54. > :29:05.Europeans will benefit from this. This will contribute to an

:29:06. > :29:10.improvement to their lives and it is incumbent on all of us, that we and

:29:11. > :29:15.the commissioners do everything to make that come true.

:29:16. > :29:19.You have your final two minutes, please.

:29:20. > :29:25.TRANSLATION: I will continue my intervention in Bulgaria. I would

:29:26. > :29:28.like to thank all who participated in the debate and I'm happy that

:29:29. > :29:34.some criticism was levelled as well but I have to say that until the end

:29:35. > :29:42.of this programming period, the European regions will get investment

:29:43. > :29:47.of almost half E1 trillion. Every day, hundreds of millions are

:29:48. > :29:51.invested in municipalities to resolve issues people face and we

:29:52. > :29:57.cannot neglect that fact. There are issues to be resolved and room for

:29:58. > :30:02.improvement. Whether procedures can be faster, more understandable, of

:30:03. > :30:07.course. Whether the policy can be more visible, I hope we can. I

:30:08. > :30:12.support the commissioner who says that cohesion policy which is

:30:13. > :30:16.people, regions and municipalities more than any other policy of the

:30:17. > :30:23.union, and we have to support this approach. Any project implemented

:30:24. > :30:26.through the European Union, through the European structural and

:30:27. > :30:31.investment funds, weakens the position of populists. This is the

:30:32. > :30:38.difference between the constructive politicians and politicians that

:30:39. > :30:44.first furnish results and second only taught. I'm sure people will

:30:45. > :30:50.realise we have done a good job and will be judged on the of what we

:30:51. > :31:01.have done. I would ask for the final minute...

:31:02. > :31:11.TRANSLATION: Thank you very much. Can I also thank everyone who has

:31:12. > :31:16.contributed to this debate. In particular, my co-reporter. This

:31:17. > :31:21.demonstrates we have a shared objective because, so far, technical

:31:22. > :31:26.assistance has been a little bit like when you buy a washing machine

:31:27. > :31:30.and two years later they send you the instructions for use. Now we

:31:31. > :31:36.have the machine, the leaflet, and we can all work together.

:31:37. > :31:42.Colleagues, I hereby close the joint debate. The vote is scheduled for

:31:43. > :31:47.today. We are behind schedule. This House does not have the best of

:31:48. > :31:52.discipline always shortly before the votes. I would like to keep the

:31:53. > :31:57.will be able to hear the closing will be able to hear the closing

:31:58. > :32:09.remarks at the end of the debate on the urgency and I will ask now the

:32:10. > :32:14.Speaker for one minute. One of the two countries in Africa

:32:15. > :32:20.that has seen peaceful transfers of power. The close elections that saw

:32:21. > :32:27.the incumbent president narrowly beat the opposition party leader has

:32:28. > :32:32.the potential to jeopardise that success. Concerns were raised after

:32:33. > :32:37.the Constitutional Court dismissed his electoral petition, with events

:32:38. > :32:43.coming to a head after the bizarre arrest of him on charges of treason.

:32:44. > :32:47.In response the influential Zambia conference of Catholic Bishops

:32:48. > :32:50.issued a strongly worded letter claiming the country had become a

:32:51. > :32:55.dictatorship in all but name. Despite Zambia's success, it is not

:32:56. > :33:00.the first time the president sought to consolidate his power, as was

:33:01. > :33:05.seen by the former President's unsuccessful attempt to secure an

:33:06. > :33:11.unconstitutional third term. We must support the EU's efforts to see

:33:12. > :33:14.tensions relieved and insure Zambia and its democratic constitution is

:33:15. > :33:25.supported by the European Union. Thank you.

:33:26. > :33:32.One minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you. The president, the opposition

:33:33. > :33:41.leader, was arrested for reasons of treason. It seems incredible but it

:33:42. > :33:49.is true. The political opposition in Zambia has been placed under

:33:50. > :33:53.restrictions. It is not just the question of detention but what

:33:54. > :33:59.happens to people when they are put behind bars, because they are liable

:34:00. > :34:03.to be mistreated, if not tortured. That is very unfortunate if when it

:34:04. > :34:11.is the opposition which brings with it prospects for and improvement in

:34:12. > :34:18.a country's faked. There are other charges levelled such as defamation.

:34:19. > :34:30.In the light of recent -- country's faked. -- fate. Until such time

:34:31. > :34:36.there is full respect for opposition and human rights. Thank you.

:34:37. > :34:41.One minute, please. Zambia has been one of the more promising countries

:34:42. > :34:47.on the African continent. The country has two peaceful transfers

:34:48. > :34:56.of powers. In the last month there has been a backslide. Zambia is now

:34:57. > :35:04.as the conference of Catholic Bishops noted in an unusual strongly

:35:05. > :35:08.worded criticism of the government, all but a dictatorship. The Leader

:35:09. > :35:12.of the Opposition has been arrested on trumped up charges. The

:35:13. > :35:18.government accuses him of treason but has not presented a shred of

:35:19. > :35:25.evidence against him. The arrest is just the tip of the iceberg. Civic

:35:26. > :35:30.Society is attacked. The judiciary and police are politicised.

:35:31. > :35:33.Political pressure needs to be increased and we need to consider

:35:34. > :35:38.Zambia as a country heading for dictatorship will stop the president

:35:39. > :35:53.needs to know we are watching him. Thank you. At and the next, one

:35:54. > :36:00.minute. TRANSLATION: Considering the

:36:01. > :36:03.situation in the country, we would call upon the government and

:36:04. > :36:12.opposition to start a peaceful dialogue in order to soothe current

:36:13. > :36:17.political tensions and to focus on solving the social and economic

:36:18. > :36:26.problems the population are suffering from. Real poverty in 2015

:36:27. > :36:32.in Zambia was 76.6%. It is triple that of urban areas. There has been

:36:33. > :36:38.no drop between 2010 and 2015. Malnutrition is thought to be a

:36:39. > :36:43.factor in 54% of infant deaths. There is a large number of people

:36:44. > :36:48.who do not have access to drinking water or adequate health care

:36:49. > :36:56.services. HIV and Aids pandemic. That is why we ask the government to

:36:57. > :37:02.respect, protect and promote civil and social rights for citizens and

:37:03. > :37:05.guarantee fair access to justice in line with the African Charter and

:37:06. > :37:11.other international charters on human rights. Also to put an end to

:37:12. > :37:16.discriminatory and repressive practices against LGBTQ people. We

:37:17. > :37:23.are behind schedule. Two minutes.

:37:24. > :37:33.TRANSLATION: Thank you very much. To start I would like to thank the

:37:34. > :37:38.other political groups for our fruitful cooperation. I'm glad we

:37:39. > :37:42.have joined the draft resolution. During the election campaign in 2016

:37:43. > :37:47.there was political tension between the party in power and the

:37:48. > :37:51.opposition. For the last 25 years Zambia has achieved a lot. There are

:37:52. > :38:01.many transformations that took place in peace. Now, the main Leader of

:38:02. > :38:05.the Opposition, did not recognise the victory of the incumbent

:38:06. > :38:09.president as a result of which he has been arrested, and detained and

:38:10. > :38:15.is accused of treason, which means the death punishment is a real

:38:16. > :38:20.danger. For 20 years there have been no executions in Zambia. However,

:38:21. > :38:29.theoretically, capital punishment exists. It is possible, where we are

:38:30. > :38:32.talking about treason. There have been many pieces of information

:38:33. > :38:40.about politically motivated charges levelled at against him. The trial

:38:41. > :38:43.will start this week and it is urgent to start a political dialogue

:38:44. > :38:49.between the parties with international support of the EU and

:38:50. > :38:55.regional organisations. The government must provide for a trial

:38:56. > :39:05.which is fair. My apology, you were well in time, I

:39:06. > :39:16.am sorry for that. Extra minutes? After 4pm today.

:39:17. > :39:24.A minute and a half now. TRANSLATION: Thank you. The fight

:39:25. > :39:28.against the infringement of people'sfundamental rights of the

:39:29. > :39:35.kind we are seeing in Zambia requires two kinds of measures and

:39:36. > :39:41.responses. We must see an increase in the powers and competence of

:39:42. > :39:48.International Criminal Court. And the scope must be extended to

:39:49. > :39:57.countries that have not signed up to their own treaty, so no one can

:39:58. > :40:02.enjoy impunity and that is the best protection we can provide for

:40:03. > :40:09.potential victims. This then would be a serious deterrent. The other

:40:10. > :40:15.measures that require to be taken are of a political and economic

:40:16. > :40:19.nature. They require a battle against poverty because where you

:40:20. > :40:26.have poverty you will always have violations of human rights. Poverty

:40:27. > :40:43.in itself is a breach of humanitarian law.

:40:44. > :40:50.One minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you. The European people'sparty group

:40:51. > :40:54.initiated the debate on Zambia. The political climate in the country has

:40:55. > :41:01.been marked by tension since the presidential elections last summer.

:41:02. > :41:05.The arrest of the opposition leader has caused the situation to grow

:41:06. > :41:16.more tense. It is a rather unusual arrest because he has been accused

:41:17. > :41:22.of treason. He has been incarcerated for a minor road offence. And for

:41:23. > :41:28.getting in the way of the presidential motorcade. The

:41:29. > :41:42.president finds this helpful because his opponent in the last elections

:41:43. > :41:46.contested the result. Act of vengeance of this kind did not help

:41:47. > :41:48.to sort things out and the only thing that will is reasonable

:41:49. > :41:53.dialogue between the authorities. One minute.

:41:54. > :42:02.I was able to lead the election observation mission for the EU in

:42:03. > :42:07.Zambia. Let me take this opportunity to thank the representative for

:42:08. > :42:12.foreign policy for the confidence which he placed in me. I accept we

:42:13. > :42:20.had certain difficulties during the election process. Because of the

:42:21. > :42:25.limitations of freedom of expression is an press freedoms, the relatively

:42:26. > :42:30.low participation of women, for example, on voting day, but we felt

:42:31. > :42:37.this was subjective. The President got a small majority. With this

:42:38. > :42:41.resolution, the Parliament acknowledges the efforts made by the

:42:42. > :42:48.people and Parliament of Zambia. It was an unfair trial against Hakainde

:42:49. > :42:52.Hichilema and it will be an opportunity for them to confirm the

:42:53. > :42:58.progress the country has made in terms of governance and it will

:42:59. > :43:06.consolidate democracy and be an example to other countries across

:43:07. > :43:10.Africa. One minute and a half. TRANSLATION: Thank you, colleagues.

:43:11. > :43:14.Of course we have to take an interest in the human rights

:43:15. > :43:22.situation and I think that this is a useful opinion, but I have

:43:23. > :43:29.questions. Treason, attacks on the city of the state, they are things

:43:30. > :43:36.we have seen here as well. We have seen it in the US or even in France.

:43:37. > :43:42.We use this idea of the well-being of the state to undermine

:43:43. > :43:49.politicians. Also, we have to ask questions about our values. We have

:43:50. > :43:57.a double standard. It is very easy to cast blame on others, but what

:43:58. > :44:01.are we doing here? Other countries, China, India, they do not intervene

:44:02. > :44:07.in these areas. When it comes to Zambia and other African countries,

:44:08. > :44:16.there are huge contradictions. They have to deal with the modernisation,

:44:17. > :44:21.the rural exodus, other problems. However, there are international

:44:22. > :44:32.agreements which prevent them from developing the country properly.

:44:33. > :44:38.Zambia is a country which also has to deal with Western countries in

:44:39. > :44:41.its markets. We have to leave it up to the conference of Bishops to

:44:42. > :44:49.allow them to have the own solutions. I will have to ask people

:44:50. > :45:07.to stick to one minute. TRANSLATION: Five weeks ago,

:45:08. > :45:10.Hakainde Hichilema and the Leader of the Opposition was arrested at home

:45:11. > :45:16.in a brutal way and accused of treason. It is a very serious case.

:45:17. > :45:22.Added to that of the impositions of restrictions on freedom of

:45:23. > :45:28.expression and we have seen this since the presidential campaign.

:45:29. > :45:36.Police brutality, conditions of arrest and the risk of either the

:45:37. > :45:41.death penalty or lifetime imprisonment, they are undermining

:45:42. > :45:49.human rights in Zambia and I think any form of intimidation of

:45:50. > :45:53.opposition politicians must be condemned and the united party for

:45:54. > :46:06.the national development patriotic front need to work out how to save

:46:07. > :46:12.democracy in Zambia. One minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you very much,

:46:13. > :46:20.president. The general situation in Zambia requires to be kept under

:46:21. > :46:26.careful attention and we must work with our international partners. I

:46:27. > :46:30.visited Zambia and I have seen for myself the people living in poverty.

:46:31. > :46:35.If we are serious about solidarity, we must work with the institutions

:46:36. > :46:42.at the international level to combat poverty. There is still the death

:46:43. > :46:45.penalty which is unacceptable. There are many restrictions placed on

:46:46. > :46:51.fundamental rights and free speech and we must apply this resolution,

:46:52. > :47:01.not just adopt it. Thank you very much, president. Zambia is a poor

:47:02. > :47:06.African country, huge problems which are compounded by the spread of HIV

:47:07. > :47:15.Aids. The relationship between the government and the opposition has

:47:16. > :47:19.been clearly affected by disagreements about what exactly

:47:20. > :47:24.happened, but with the result of the elections in 2016, Hakainde

:47:25. > :47:31.Hichilema, Leader of the Opposition, he has been arrested and his life is

:47:32. > :47:35.in danger. It seems it is difficult to get a consensus between the

:47:36. > :47:39.government and the opposition and I think the EU and the commission has

:47:40. > :47:46.an important role to play to restore peace and tranquillity in the

:47:47. > :47:49.region, so that the two opposing forces can find a solution. The main

:47:50. > :47:55.problem in Zambia is poverty and I think that if that is the benchmark,

:47:56. > :48:03.it may help them to resolve their differences.

:48:04. > :48:09.TRANSLATION: Thank you, president. Can you be accused of treason for

:48:10. > :48:14.having blocked a presidential convoy? Well, it seems unfortunate

:48:15. > :48:16.that in Gambia the answer is yes. Hakainde Hichilema, Leader of the

:48:17. > :48:20.Opposition and the main challenger to the president in the most recent

:48:21. > :48:30.elections has been arrested together with many of his colleagues. He was

:48:31. > :48:42.refused visits by many of his supporters. Many people have pointed

:48:43. > :48:44.out the huge irregularities in the elections and this shows the

:48:45. > :48:48.opposition were correct to point out a certain number of irregularities

:48:49. > :48:55.and we have not been able to monitor the final results. When the election

:48:56. > :49:01.observation mission was sent to regional centres. I would urge for

:49:02. > :49:08.Hakainde Hichilema and his supporters to be freed and also to

:49:09. > :49:12.put an end to the death penalty. Torture and mistreatment for

:49:13. > :49:17.political acts are never acceptable. We have to remember also the

:49:18. > :49:31.European aid being sent to the country. One minute.

:49:32. > :49:37.TRANSLATION: Mr Chairman, I would like to thank the authors of this

:49:38. > :49:44.resolution motion because I think they have made clear that the

:49:45. > :49:49.progress that we had thought had come about in the country is not

:49:50. > :49:56.pear. If the presidential election is any guide, it would appear that

:49:57. > :50:04.things have not gone according to the way they should have gone. The

:50:05. > :50:10.torture of opposition leaders is unacceptable and Zambia now faces a

:50:11. > :50:16.test whether there will be justice and whether there is an independent

:50:17. > :50:20.judicial. It is important that we should follow the process and make

:50:21. > :50:26.sure that the trial is conducted in a proper, legal manner. And we must

:50:27. > :50:37.make sure that the progress we have previously seen in Zambia is not

:50:38. > :50:42.removed. I am glad to speak on behalf of the representative of the

:50:43. > :50:49.Vice President. Thank you for the time the debate. The European Union

:50:50. > :50:53.highly values its partnership with Zambia and we are proud of our

:50:54. > :50:58.significant contribution to the country's development and we are

:50:59. > :51:01.firmly committed to remain a key partner. The European Union is also

:51:02. > :51:08.aware of the various challenges the country is facing and supports its

:51:09. > :51:13.ambitious economic and governance reform agenda. You may recall EU

:51:14. > :51:18.involvement was a deployment of a new election observation mission led

:51:19. > :51:25.by an honourable member who just took the floor. We are very grateful

:51:26. > :51:28.for her job. We are advocating for the implementation of its

:51:29. > :51:34.recommendation, in particular in response to concerns related to the

:51:35. > :51:40.freedoms of expression and assembly. Zambia has to additionally been a

:51:41. > :51:45.peaceful and democratic nation in a neighbourhood so often marked by

:51:46. > :51:51.political instability and human rights violations. It is therefore

:51:52. > :51:56.all the more of concern that Zambia's democracy is being

:51:57. > :52:03.questioned particular since the highly contested August, 2016,

:52:04. > :52:11.elections which reveal eyes -- which revealed the polarised nature of the

:52:12. > :52:18.country. There was increased political tensions. The EU quickly

:52:19. > :52:22.responded by calling all parties to refrain from any action is likely to

:52:23. > :52:26.aggravate the situation. The EU, in close quarter nation with the EU

:52:27. > :52:34.member states, will further convey tee convey a strong message to the

:52:35. > :52:39.government and the opposition to engage in dialogue to restore trust

:52:40. > :52:44.in support of inclusive political environments -- will further convey.

:52:45. > :52:48.The ongoing legal proceedings against Hakainde Hichilema, the EU

:52:49. > :52:54.calls on the government of Zambia to ensure transparency, judiciary

:52:55. > :52:57.independence and the right to a fair trial and due process according to

:52:58. > :53:03.international human rights law. Making Zambia's institutions

:53:04. > :53:07.accountable and inclusive, it is vital for upholding democratic

:53:08. > :53:11.credentials and stability. The EU will continue to engage with Zambian

:53:12. > :53:17.partners through let go and diplomatic means and calling on the

:53:18. > :53:24.wisdom and sends of responsibility of all parties to avoid further

:53:25. > :53:28.reputational damage to Zambia's strong democratic traditions --

:53:29. > :53:34.sense of responsibility. Thank you. I have by close the debate on Zambia

:53:35. > :53:38.and the case of Hakainde Hichilema. We will vote on the draft today. We

:53:39. > :53:45.will now proceed to the next item on the agenda, Ethiopia, notably the

:53:46. > :53:53.case of Dr Gudina. One minute. I case of Dr Gudina. One minute. I

:53:54. > :53:57.hope that African Union and 80 regional contributor to be peace

:53:58. > :54:09.missions, Ethiopia's rollers strategic. With conflicts in Sudan

:54:10. > :54:12.and other countries, Ethiopia has the largest refugee population in

:54:13. > :54:16.Africa. For one of the poorest countries in the world, such

:54:17. > :54:21.responsibilities placed great strains on the country's resources.

:54:22. > :54:24.I hope today's resolution can be seen in a constructive manner,

:54:25. > :54:28.reminding Ethiopia's government that the EU is here to support its

:54:29. > :54:31.actions but the fundamental human rights to free speech and a right to

:54:32. > :54:35.peaceful process must still be upheld. I welcome the calls on the

:54:36. > :54:38.resolution for a UN led inquiry into the heavy-handed actions taken by

:54:39. > :54:44.the government in response to the protests. This along with the

:54:45. > :54:50.release of political prisoners including Dr Gudina will be vital to

:54:51. > :54:54.improving Ethiopia's record on democracy. A key part also of

:54:55. > :55:05.honouring its obligations under the EU's agreement. Thank you. One

:55:06. > :55:08.minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you, president.

:55:09. > :55:16.When we talk about Ethiopia, this is a key country in balance, integral

:55:17. > :55:30.Libyan, in sub Sahara Africa. It is under certain obligations. Can I

:55:31. > :55:35.welcome Dr Gudina, an opposition figure, he was arrested for simply

:55:36. > :55:41.standing and they have been subject to threats, intimidation and

:55:42. > :55:45.violence against the opposition and they do not have the right to

:55:46. > :55:52.defence and there are four breaches of the penal code, violations of

:55:53. > :55:59.human rights, excessive use of force against ethnic forces and abuse made

:56:00. > :56:03.of the anti-terrorism law. Journalists, bloggers and

:56:04. > :56:09.demonstrators are under pressure. We are calling for the release of all

:56:10. > :56:17.political prisoners, including Dr Gudina, and others. Because we have

:56:18. > :56:20.to have an investigation which is international and independent and we

:56:21. > :56:31.must put an end to the human rights abuses. One minute. Thank you,

:56:32. > :56:35.chair. Ethiopia is a key partner and I hope for economic improvement and

:56:36. > :56:39.stability in the troubled region. The truth is also the country's

:56:40. > :56:45.regime is authoritarian, cracking down on those who voice dissent.

:56:46. > :56:49.Economic growth and enforced political stability are prioritised

:56:50. > :56:51.at the expense of human rights and civil liberties. Especially the

:56:52. > :56:57.fundamental rights of the country's underrepresented groups are being

:56:58. > :57:00.violated on a daily basis. Most of the groups are systematically

:57:01. > :57:05.penalised by the central government. Those living in need regions are

:57:06. > :57:12.most vulnerable to the persecution, as the case of Dr Gudina shows.

:57:13. > :57:18.There is a grateful greater ethnically diverse political

:57:19. > :57:23.groups. Being aware of the groups. Being aware of the

:57:24. > :57:26.importance of Ethiopia for the economic and political stability of

:57:27. > :57:30.the region should not relieve us from the moral obligation of

:57:31. > :57:31.addressing and denouncing the severe human rights violations still taking

:57:32. > :57:43.place. Thank you. Thank you. One minute. Thank you. A

:57:44. > :57:48.decade of strong development in Ethiopia lifted many out of poverty,

:57:49. > :57:55.for which they can be proud. Now this is all that risk. Ethiopia is

:57:56. > :57:58.in its eighth month of emergency rule and the government is

:57:59. > :58:04.systematically repressing freedom. In November the Leader of the

:58:05. > :58:08.Opposition, Professor Merera Gudina was detained after arriving in the

:58:09. > :58:14.capital from Brussels, where he held a speech in this House. Independent

:58:15. > :58:19.media, civil society, are also under attack. If the Ethiopian government

:58:20. > :58:25.values its long-standing cooperation with the EU and great achievements

:58:26. > :58:30.of Ethiopia, it has to start respecting its constitution. The

:58:31. > :58:35.government needs to immediately end emergency rule and let the United

:58:36. > :58:40.Nations in to visit political prisoners. Crucially, it needs to

:58:41. > :58:45.release Professor Merera Gudina from prison.

:58:46. > :58:55.Thank you. Next. For one minute. TRANSLATION: Thank

:58:56. > :58:59.you. Ethiopia is a great country with a rich history and diverse

:59:00. > :59:03.population and is a key country in the region and includes a lot of

:59:04. > :59:07.friends here in Europe stopped respecting a friend been speaking

:59:08. > :59:14.the truth to him or her and the arrest of Merera Gudina is most

:59:15. > :59:20.serious. He has come here and talked about the human rights situation so

:59:21. > :59:25.we cannot remain silent. Apparently EU- Ethiopia relations could have an

:59:26. > :59:36.impact on migration. This is blackmail. For months the situation

:59:37. > :59:41.has deteriorated, deaths, arrests, torture ring in prison. We must

:59:42. > :59:50.demand the Ethiopian authorities look into these allegations. To

:59:51. > :59:52.accept an international enquiry and to release the prisoners who have

:59:53. > :59:57.been arrested, allegedly for terrorism.

:59:58. > :00:08.The co-author. Two minutes. Thank you. There is no doubt about EU

:00:09. > :00:20.sympathy towards Ethiopia. 11 months ago, the EU Ethiopia agreement was

:00:21. > :00:25.signed recognising the role of Ethiopia, especially for providing

:00:26. > :00:32.stability in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia has generously received 1

:00:33. > :00:37.million refugees from neighbouring countries but we are worried the

:00:38. > :00:42.Leader of the Opposition party, Doctor Merera Gudina has been

:00:43. > :00:46.arrested for half a year. Ironically, following his visit to

:00:47. > :00:55.the European Parliament. He is accused of creating pressure against

:00:56. > :00:58.the government. That is the opposition's constitutional role and

:00:59. > :01:04.disrupting the constitutional order. Sadly Dr Gudina is not alone. We

:01:05. > :01:11.have journalists, activists, who are kept in detention. Today, therefore,

:01:12. > :01:15.we urge strongly the Ethiopian government release immediately Dr

:01:16. > :01:22.Gudina and all other political prisoners to allow international

:01:23. > :01:26.investigation of the killings of protesters on government-sponsored

:01:27. > :01:32.land grabs. To start genuine dialogue with the opposition, which

:01:33. > :01:37.is the only way towards a more democratic society and to stop using

:01:38. > :01:46.anti-terrorist laws and states of emergency to repress dissent and to

:01:47. > :01:51.provide unrestricted access for human rights organisations and NGOs.

:01:52. > :01:54.These are criteria for meaningful implementation of the strategic

:01:55. > :01:58.engagement agreement. Thank you very much. The last

:01:59. > :02:04.co-author. A minute and a half. Thank you.

:02:05. > :02:08.Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world and the

:02:09. > :02:15.people suffer from drought and other challenges that leave millions

:02:16. > :02:19.hungry and age-dependent. It is important the EU cooperates to help

:02:20. > :02:22.people and save lives but it would be a grave mistake to only look at

:02:23. > :02:30.the challenges of people in Ethiopia through the lens of quote, managing

:02:31. > :02:34.migration, and not to address the dire human rights violations, and

:02:35. > :02:38.they risk being overshadowed. Counterterrorism laws are being

:02:39. > :02:43.abused and critics silenced and farmland has been expropriated.

:02:44. > :02:49.Hundreds of people have been killed last month according to Ethiopia's

:02:50. > :02:51.human rights commission. Human rights organisations and NGOs

:02:52. > :02:57.claymore were killed in demonstrations. Today we call on the

:02:58. > :03:01.government of Ethiopia to respect the right to freedom of expression,

:03:02. > :03:07.including press freedom, of critics and lift the remaining elements of

:03:08. > :03:13.the emergency and to give access to aid organisations for all areas and

:03:14. > :03:16.people in need of assistance. It is important political prisoners,

:03:17. > :03:22.journalists and human rights defenders are free from detention

:03:23. > :03:28.and for its government to honour commitments made under the Africa

:03:29. > :03:32.Charter and in the context of the agreement, towards democracy and

:03:33. > :03:37.respecting human rights. Thank you. Now we will have speakers

:03:38. > :03:52.on behalf of groups. One minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you.

:03:53. > :04:01.Ethiopia plays a key role in the corner of Africa that it affected by

:04:02. > :04:09.drought, refugees and other burdens. It is important that these

:04:10. > :04:16.challenges be solved according to the law. Also as part of the

:04:17. > :04:28.agreement with the EU. The regime has pacified peaceful

:04:29. > :04:36.demonstrations, arbitrary arrests, etc. We appeal to the government to

:04:37. > :04:46.release Dr Gudina as well as other political prisoners, and, we would

:04:47. > :04:55.also like to appeal to European countries to intervene.

:04:56. > :04:59.For one minute and a half. In Ethiopia two days ago, a

:05:00. > :05:03.spokesperson for the opposition party was sentenced as a terrorist

:05:04. > :05:09.for comments about human rights who made Facebook and in November Merera

:05:10. > :05:15.Gudina, the opposition leader, was arrested for the crime of

:05:16. > :05:18.participating in a public hearing at the European Parliament with another

:05:19. > :05:22.opposition leader, who was democratically elected and then sent

:05:23. > :05:28.to jail, now in exile and also deemed a terrorist. Thousands of

:05:29. > :05:38.political prisoners languish in jail. By government not elected, the

:05:39. > :05:46.last election, putting the ruling party to win by 100% votes.

:05:47. > :05:52.Excessive force. Against demonstrators. Massacres.

:05:53. > :05:57.Brutalising victims last March. Brutal repression in rural

:05:58. > :06:02.communities and other ethnic groups. Torture, killing, terrorist charges

:06:03. > :06:13.against those who dare to dissent. We call on the high representative

:06:14. > :06:16.to mobilise representatives. They must stop the pretence they deal

:06:17. > :06:24.with the legitimate government in Ethiopia, wasting taxpayers' money.

:06:25. > :06:32.They are in fact assisting a corrupt dictatorship that rules by terror,

:06:33. > :06:37.fast fuelling insecurity. Ethiopia is strategic. When Ethiopians

:06:38. > :06:45.revolt, all of Africa will tremble. And cued. Now, on behalf of the

:06:46. > :06:50.Greens. -- thank you. TRANSLATION: Thank you very much. Yesterday I

:06:51. > :07:00.voted in favour of the commission proposal to put Ethiopia on the list

:07:01. > :07:07.for corruption and money laundering. We see the way this situation is

:07:08. > :07:12.worsening in this country. In 2010 there were complaints against

:07:13. > :07:21.corruption in the government, but these were simply brushed aside. A

:07:22. > :07:24.lot of people have been imprisoned because they have different

:07:25. > :07:31.political beliefs. We are talking about a totalitarian system here. A

:07:32. > :07:43.lot of those who have been imprisoned have been given long

:07:44. > :07:50.sentences. They are not always tried with a proper trial. It is a chaotic

:07:51. > :07:59.situation on the ground there. Even in the highest courts, these cases

:08:00. > :08:06.are raised, but these affecting members of the opposition still in

:08:07. > :08:10.TRANSLATION: The situation in TRANSLATION: The situation in

:08:11. > :08:14.Ethiopia is fragile. It is the country in Africa with the highest

:08:15. > :08:19.economic growth but it remains poor. The security position is

:08:20. > :08:21.deteriorating, particularly with regard to interethnic relations

:08:22. > :08:27.between the majority ethnic group and the others. Against that

:08:28. > :08:33.we have guarantees for human rights. we have guarantees for human rights.

:08:34. > :08:39.We have a role to play in ensuring vigilance on human rights but let's

:08:40. > :08:43.try to put our own house in order. Africa has its own multinational

:08:44. > :08:46.institutions and does not lead lessons from us regarding the rights

:08:47. > :08:50.of the opposition. African countries have their own path towards

:08:51. > :08:57.democracy. Let's strengthen the powers of the Africa union, which I

:08:58. > :09:05.hope will be up to this complex task. The United Nations will not

:09:06. > :09:12.ask us to act as human rights police. Thank you.

:09:13. > :09:17.Now, one minute. TRANSLATION: The human rights situation in Ethiopia

:09:18. > :09:24.is something we have been concerned about in this House for a long time.

:09:25. > :09:31.The high representative for human rights expressed concern. The

:09:32. > :09:36.Ethiopian government, despite statements, does not do anything to

:09:37. > :09:41.stop its restrictive politics and particularly we have the arrest of

:09:42. > :09:46.Merera Gudina after he had been to the European Parliament. The

:09:47. > :09:59.Ethiopian government is engaging in self-harm. It is endangering the not

:10:00. > :10:03.inconsiderable sums available for developments cooperation and in

:10:04. > :10:10.doing this it is endangering the economic growth of the country. It

:10:11. > :10:14.seems it is growing. We cannot emphasise strongly enough that

:10:15. > :10:19.limiting human rights and putting aside Democratic structures never

:10:20. > :10:27.ever brings about stability, quite the contrary. It endangers

:10:28. > :10:32.stability. That is something we need to take account of, given the

:10:33. > :10:33.dramatic situation in the Horn of Africa where there are millions of

:10:34. > :10:47.refugees. We will now proceed.

:10:48. > :10:52.I give the floor for one minute. The case of Dr Gudina offers insight

:10:53. > :10:59.into the state of freedom of expression, association and assembly

:11:00. > :11:03.in Ethiopia. I support calls for the Ethiopian authorities to stop

:11:04. > :11:09.discrimination and encourage act in favour of a peaceful dialogue

:11:10. > :11:11.between all communities. I wish to remind the Ethiopian government

:11:12. > :11:15.their obligations to guarantee fundamental rights including access

:11:16. > :11:23.to justice and the right to a fair trial is provided. There can be no

:11:24. > :11:27.denying the political, economic and democratic stability of Ethiopia is

:11:28. > :11:34.crucial to development of the countries in the Horn of Africa. We

:11:35. > :11:37.must be dedicated to a working relationship between the EU and

:11:38. > :11:46.Ethiopian government in order to advance. We have to keep working and

:11:47. > :11:52.that we intend to do. Thank you.

:11:53. > :11:57.One minute, please. Colleagues, I am glad to see the issue of human

:11:58. > :12:04.rights in Ethiopia brought to this agenda. However, I am concerned that

:12:05. > :12:07.the resolution bears no mention of the systematic and widespread sexual

:12:08. > :12:13.violence against women as part of the persecution of ethnic minorities

:12:14. > :12:17.in Ethiopia. We have had testimony in this Parliament from victims,

:12:18. > :12:22.survivors and civil society activists. We heard of mass rape and

:12:23. > :12:28.torture in prisons in camps and of systematic abuse to break up

:12:29. > :12:31.communities. These are horrifying crimes taking place far away from

:12:32. > :12:37.the cameras and gaze of the world media. All of us must give voice to

:12:38. > :12:42.the voiceless and issue a strong call to the Ethiopian government to

:12:43. > :12:50.stop these atrocities immediately. Investigate reports and bring the

:12:51. > :13:14.One. Minute. TRANSLATION: Excuse for imprisoning political opponents.

:13:15. > :13:18.Violence and terror will not solve problems. The European Union cannot

:13:19. > :13:27.tolerate a situation where democratic institutions are failing.

:13:28. > :13:37.To be a witness to the situation in this country is doing his duty. In

:13:38. > :13:42.no circumstances can he be held to that. A democratic country must be

:13:43. > :13:45.characterised by respect for democratically established law and

:13:46. > :13:51.respect the rights of the opposition and ensure there is an independent

:13:52. > :13:55.judiciary. With our partners dates we must and that democracy and

:13:56. > :13:57.freedom of expression are as well of the whole range of human rights. One

:13:58. > :14:14.minutes. TRANSLATION: Ethiopia is an

:14:15. > :14:24.important country for the Horn of Africa. It can play an even more

:14:25. > :14:30.important role. They have signed strategic agreements with the EU. It

:14:31. > :14:39.seems that things have got out of hand because what we have now is a

:14:40. > :14:45.situation of a state of emergency and arbitrary arrests and especially

:14:46. > :14:58.of the opposition, land grabs, the situation is unacceptable. Do not

:14:59. > :15:01.respect the freedom of the press, freedom of expression and arrest

:15:02. > :15:05.journalists and bloggers so we have to send a decisive message to the

:15:06. > :15:14.government that this will no longer be tolerated and they will have to

:15:15. > :15:22.stick to what they have agreed. Can you speak on the half of the

:15:23. > :15:26.President? The European Union watches with great concern is the

:15:27. > :15:34.difficult domestic situation in Ethiopia and follows closely on

:15:35. > :15:43.reports of human rights violations. Ethiopia faces multiple challenges

:15:44. > :15:45.including several votes than cholera outbreaks but also persistent

:15:46. > :15:54.pockets of violence throughout the country. The European Union is aware

:15:55. > :15:57.of the difficult situation and as a key opposition parties face and has

:15:58. > :16:02.repeatedly highlighted these concerns to the government. The

:16:03. > :16:08.delegation in Ethiopia are closely follows the case of a doctor and

:16:09. > :16:16.have regular contact with his lawyers. The delegation monitors

:16:17. > :16:20.trials of other opposition leaders and has regular contact with the

:16:21. > :16:26.remaining leadership. The situation has further deteriorated under the

:16:27. > :16:33.state of -- and the stability of the country. Ethiopia is an important

:16:34. > :16:40.partner and the situation warrants the EU's close attention. Strategic

:16:41. > :16:50.engagement is the right framework to address and follow issues of

:16:51. > :16:55.concern. In March was an opportunity to discuss political developments

:16:56. > :16:59.with the Prime Minister and the imperative to respect human rights

:17:00. > :17:04.and fundamental freedoms under the state of emergency as well for a

:17:05. > :17:12.credible political dialogue with the opposition. She reiterated that

:17:13. > :17:18.Somalia conference in London and was grateful for the continuous

:17:19. > :17:32.engagement. It is important to note that the father strategic engagement

:17:33. > :17:41.with the six to -- sector for human rights jury his visit in April.

:17:42. > :17:46.Topics discussed included no process of law, happy days and conditions

:17:47. > :17:52.and children's rights including Female Genital Mutilation and

:17:53. > :17:59.migrants' writes. Working on concrete follow-up. The

:18:00. > :18:08.establishment of a strong political dialogue and the improvement of

:18:09. > :18:12.conditions in detention centres. This visit has imported to the

:18:13. > :18:19.parliament on its findings on the violence that led to the current

:18:20. > :18:24.state of emergency. We all welcomed the recommendations that security

:18:25. > :18:30.personnel responsible should be held accountable. We have encouraged the

:18:31. > :18:36.Ethiopian human rights commission to work with the independent civil

:18:37. > :18:47.society organisations to publicly sheer all of their reports. The

:18:48. > :18:51.Commissioner for human rights, to the country to encourage Ethiopia to

:18:52. > :19:00.cooperate with UN special procedures. The EU continues to

:19:01. > :19:05.stress a need to encourage tangible changes to laws and practices to

:19:06. > :19:11.ensure more outlets for citizens to express their views and concerns

:19:12. > :19:21.freely and peacefully through political parties and civil society.

:19:22. > :19:28.It is detrimental through a process of dialogue. The leaders of the

:19:29. > :19:31.opposition as well as supported calls for an independent

:19:32. > :19:49.investigations into all acts of violence. Given the enormous task

:19:50. > :19:51.the country faces, regional peace and security, climate change, we

:19:52. > :20:13.must be ready to support them. I close the debate on

:20:14. > :20:16.Ethiopia. We will vote on the motion and proceed to the next item on the

:20:17. > :20:38.agenda, south Sudan. There is a serious risk the conflict

:20:39. > :20:45.will take a full ethnic dimension and it can lead to genocide. Almost

:20:46. > :21:04.half of the population is in bad condition. It is

:21:05. > :21:12.malnutrition. The conflict cannot be solved Milik narrowly. We must come

:21:13. > :21:16.to a ceasefire that brings together all of the actors are not just the

:21:17. > :21:35.partisan conflict and recognise that the country has suffered enough. One

:21:36. > :21:43.minute. TRANSLATION: A week ago in my country, the Netherlands, there

:21:44. > :21:48.was a surprising piece on south Sudan called this pair and hope in

:21:49. > :22:05.south Sudan. What a contradiction. Human despair. Our common resolution

:22:06. > :22:10.mentions the appalling conditions people have suffered for too long

:22:11. > :22:20.but there is still an expression of hope for south Sudan. There

:22:21. > :22:24.definitely is. We have to give hope. If a girl can go to school and that

:22:25. > :22:31.is something that does happen in south Sudan... Treated with respect

:22:32. > :22:37.that is a great game for her and gives her home for the future than

:22:38. > :22:47.for her country. I hope that thanks to European support we can bring

:22:48. > :22:58.hope to the starving in south Sudan. One minute. The situation in south

:22:59. > :23:02.Sudan is a nightmare. Civil war, appalling human rights violations

:23:03. > :23:08.and other developments have caused huge suffering to the population and

:23:09. > :23:12.caused millions of citizens to flee. Famine has been declared in some

:23:13. > :23:18.regions and particularly worrying is the situation for the children who

:23:19. > :23:26.make up 62% of refugees and 17,000 have been used as child soldiers.

:23:27. > :23:32.Trafficking is fuelling the tragedy and arms trafficking networks within

:23:33. > :23:36.the European Union. This is a clear violation of the EU position on

:23:37. > :23:41.exports of arms and dual use goods. I appealed to members states

:23:42. > :23:52.concerned to take their responsibilities. The laxness of at

:23:53. > :24:02.least one of our member states when it comes to arms exports counteracts

:24:03. > :24:06.all of these efforts. One minute. The women and children of south

:24:07. > :24:13.Sudan cannot stand here today to express their desperation so we must

:24:14. > :24:18.speak up for them. Women and girls are systematically raped and

:24:19. > :24:26.abducted as a weapon of war. A UN survey has found that 70% of women

:24:27. > :24:32.living in camps have been raped. The rest majority by police or soldiers.

:24:33. > :24:38.Tens of thousands of children are believed to have been recruited by

:24:39. > :24:42.armed groups. By the end of 2017 half of the country's population

:24:43. > :24:50.will have been displaced or perished. The country is facing

:24:51. > :24:56.famine and economic collapse. The president and former vice president

:24:57. > :25:04.respect their obligations. The president has committed to

:25:05. > :25:07.unilateral implementation and he must implement it and bring that

:25:08. > :25:20.rapists and murderers amongst police and military to justice. The next

:25:21. > :25:35.co-author. TRANSLATION: Since 2013 south Sudan has sunk into an ethnic

:25:36. > :25:38.civil war and the conflict has generated millions of displaced

:25:39. > :25:45.people. They are suffering the worst drought in decades which means those

:25:46. > :25:51.of south Sudanese arabesque of hunger but terrible ethnic violence,

:25:52. > :25:55.cuts in freedoms and climate change are down to human action. It is

:25:56. > :26:03.terrible that external action does nothing other than contribute to the

:26:04. > :26:06.disaster. All we do is try to support our strategic interests and

:26:07. > :26:12.forget the interests of the south Sudanese and strengthen the

:26:13. > :26:19.legitimacy of the government. The process basically externalise his to

:26:20. > :26:24.allow them to prevent immigrants coming to the European Union. The

:26:25. > :26:30.European Union should have criteria for help based on efficiency not for

:26:31. > :26:37.conditionality is with limiting borders close.

:26:38. > :26:48.TRANSLATION: At the outset I would like to thank all political groups.

:26:49. > :26:55.It does not happen often that political groups really agree.

:26:56. > :27:04.Unanimously on this rather, located and very important text. I believe

:27:05. > :27:12.it is important to seek unity and we have to really clearly find our

:27:13. > :27:16.common approach. What happens in South Sudan at the moment is a

:27:17. > :27:27.catastrophe with 40% of people with nothing to eat. Many women were

:27:28. > :27:32.raped, many children are being used as child soldiers. We cannot just

:27:33. > :27:37.turn a blind eye to what is happening in South Sudan. That is

:27:38. > :27:41.why we are calling upon all governments of the European Union,

:27:42. > :27:45.as well as those countries, especially those who have had

:27:46. > :27:54.interest in this country in the past. To do something, be active. We

:27:55. > :27:58.cannot just simply standard active. In the face of suffering of local

:27:59. > :28:04.people. It is scandalous we are not able to provide for security of

:28:05. > :28:11.humanitarian aid workers and many have been killed or kidnapped in the

:28:12. > :28:15.past months. That is why we have to repeatedly call upon member states,

:28:16. > :28:21.as well as other countries of democratic communities in the world

:28:22. > :28:28.to make sure that there is cool and order introduced in South Sudan, so

:28:29. > :28:32.that at least some elements of the international convention on human

:28:33. > :28:37.rights are regained being respected in this country. Otherwise future

:28:38. > :28:41.generations will bear horrible scars and they will know and we will know

:28:42. > :28:54.that we were also partly responsible.

:28:55. > :29:01.One minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you. We hear these condemnations again

:29:02. > :29:06.and again. Just to ease our conscience but it is hypocrisy.

:29:07. > :29:22.Sudan is a tragedy that is completely created by humans. This F

:29:23. > :29:27.no genocide, between two tribes. -- ethno genocide. We need a ceasefire,

:29:28. > :29:37.we need real troops on the ground, not what we have in Congo, in Sudan,

:29:38. > :29:42.they are just tourists, Rooney. If we have -- tourists, really. If we

:29:43. > :29:48.have these troops we can get in aid and a proper court to bring

:29:49. > :29:53.criminals to charge. These criminals from South Sudan. The leader and

:29:54. > :29:58.opposition and also freeze their assets in European banks. This is a

:29:59. > :30:06.consequence of corruption. Different speakers on behalf of the political

:30:07. > :30:10.groups. TRANSLATION: I think this may be the

:30:11. > :30:21.third, fourth time we have had a debate here. About South Sudan. That

:30:22. > :30:25.lovely country. Instead of things improving, they are actually getting

:30:26. > :30:33.worse. The reason is the Civil War. One of the worst kinds of war,

:30:34. > :30:35.because in this, people are ruining their own country and this is what

:30:36. > :30:41.is happening in South Sudan. People are suffering because of this. 2

:30:42. > :30:48.million people have been moved from their homes. Many have become

:30:49. > :30:56.refugees, crossing across the border. It is estimated there might

:30:57. > :31:04.be at least a quarter billion needed to help this country and to give

:31:05. > :31:08.credit to the EU, we are giving a 283 million for this. We only have

:31:09. > :31:20.one answer to this, this civil war must come to an end.

:31:21. > :31:28.The next Speaker. For one minute. TRANSLATION: I would like to thank

:31:29. > :31:34.all the groups for the broad support and consensus behind this motion of

:31:35. > :31:48.resolution. First of all, I want to present a snapshot of the situation

:31:49. > :31:52.there. I have seen how children have to you loll about, they are devoid

:31:53. > :32:01.of the will to live. With swollen eyes, they are living in misery. 90

:32:02. > :32:05.million tonnes of foodstuff are thrown away in Europe and this

:32:06. > :32:10.despite the fact that people are dying of hunger in conflict zones

:32:11. > :32:13.and fleeing from rape. 6 million people fleeing a country and 2

:32:14. > :32:24.million of these are children. That is down to a desire for power of

:32:25. > :32:28.certain individuals. A whole people are suffering. Children are

:32:29. > :32:34.suffering because of a thirst the power of individuals in government.

:32:35. > :32:39.I think this resolution is a good starting point for the EU's further

:32:40. > :32:44.work. For one minute. Mr President five

:32:45. > :32:47.months since our last resolution concerning South Sudan and the

:32:48. > :32:51.situation has worsened and the country is verging on becoming a

:32:52. > :32:57.failed state. Famine was declared in parts of the country in part due to

:32:58. > :33:01.the chaotic political and economic situation and voices are beginning

:33:02. > :33:04.to be raised with concerns the conflict is escalating towards

:33:05. > :33:11.genocide and such grave concerns must be taken seriously and all

:33:12. > :33:18.options considered. Not only is there a humanitarian obligation to

:33:19. > :33:22.act but the impact of further escalation this region would be

:33:23. > :33:26.detrimental. Almost a year since the UN Security Council voted to send a

:33:27. > :33:31.regional military protection force to supplement the existing

:33:32. > :33:36.peacekeeping forces, I am pleased to note the South Sudan authorities

:33:37. > :33:39.have finally allowed for the first time for these troops to arrive and

:33:40. > :33:46.be stationed on their territory. This is a welcome step. The EU must

:33:47. > :33:49.now pressure South Sudan to honour all obligations and bring all war

:33:50. > :33:58.criminals to justice. Thank you, colleague.

:33:59. > :34:05.TRANSLATION: Thank you, president. Last Tuesday in this chamber, the

:34:06. > :34:09.president of the African Union called upon us to strengthen the

:34:10. > :34:21.partnership and build bridges. By fear the bloody regime here, turning

:34:22. > :34:29.thousands of deaths since the conflict began, millions of people

:34:30. > :34:35.being displaced. 600,000 children, and adults severely malnourished. If

:34:36. > :34:44.we are to do anything about this the EU needs to bring all clout to bear

:34:45. > :34:54.to find a solution. We need to take up the offer of the GRC as mediator.

:34:55. > :35:02.The deployment of a regional force under the command of the UN to

:35:03. > :35:05.uphold security on top of the 13,000 blue helmets already there is

:35:06. > :35:18.something we must now recognise the need.

:35:19. > :35:23.For one minute. TRANSLATION: This reminds me of a meeting on South

:35:24. > :35:29.Sudan where we have a special envoy. We talked about the church in

:35:30. > :35:34.distress. We were against the partition of Sudan. We imagined the

:35:35. > :35:40.consequences and what they might be. The international community or the

:35:41. > :35:50.west, supported the partition of Sudan for energy and economic

:35:51. > :35:57.reasons. Since we have seen the inter-ethnic conflicts, we have seen

:35:58. > :36:01.the involvement of Uganda and other Western countries such as the US

:36:02. > :36:06.into fearing that has helped provoke civil war. This is a classic example

:36:07. > :36:12.of what the west does in Africa and we saw it in the Democratic Republic

:36:13. > :36:17.of Congo. We play on ethnic conflict to see territories divided and we

:36:18. > :36:21.have our interests behind this. The only way forward is to let African

:36:22. > :36:31.communities sort out their own ways of organisation in a sovereign way.

:36:32. > :36:35.Thank you. Next for one minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you. The ongoing

:36:36. > :36:43.political conflict and famine has created a massive crisis. 5 million

:36:44. > :36:48.people urgently need help. People are dying of hunger. 3.6 million are

:36:49. > :36:55.displaced and among the many children. The conflict in South

:36:56. > :37:04.Sudan is a concern and it is essential for the EU to see that all

:37:05. > :37:06.parties implement a ceasefire. The flow of arms merely stokes the

:37:07. > :37:14.conflict and there has to be an embargo on arms. And also arms are

:37:15. > :37:24.still being shipped to South Sudan, this through European middlemen.

:37:25. > :37:30.According to the UN, a Ukrainian company sold an attack helicopter

:37:31. > :37:38.worth several million dollars through some kind of Ukrainian state

:37:39. > :37:47.company. That was in 2014, after Ukraine had signed an arms embargo

:37:48. > :37:50.with the EU. Furthermore, Ukraine experts are allegedly in the country

:37:51. > :37:57.to ensure those helicopters can work.

:37:58. > :38:02.TRANSLATION: When South Sudan was created six years ago we had a lot

:38:03. > :38:07.of hope, especially for Christian communities in the south and we

:38:08. > :38:12.hoped they would get more freedom, especially as compared to Saddam as

:38:13. > :38:20.a whole. Unfortunately, in the newly created states, Civil War is happen.

:38:21. > :38:25.They could be projected. It was easy to project it would happen. The same

:38:26. > :38:30.happened in Europe. We did not take enough responsibility for this new

:38:31. > :38:39.states that in this situation needed our help. When I read and hear what

:38:40. > :38:44.you say, I think it is right to say so. They need more solidarity from

:38:45. > :38:50.us. Because what the world needs is not the new Euro civilisation, the

:38:51. > :38:57.world needs responsibility from Europe and the values of European

:38:58. > :39:02.civilisations. Trusted values. And our commitment and not lessons.

:39:03. > :39:07.Thank you. Colleagues we will now proceed.

:39:08. > :39:28.For one minute. We were told about the situation of

:39:29. > :39:36.millions around the world. We need to address these conflicts urgently.

:39:37. > :39:40.It mentioned the conflict in South Sudan. The government is one of the

:39:41. > :39:44.main perpetrators of human rights violations because of large-scale

:39:45. > :39:49.military operations. Without questioning the good auspices of the

:39:50. > :39:58.UN, in 2016, the Security Council, which could have intervened to

:39:59. > :40:04.impose an end to military operations, has not imposed an arms

:40:05. > :40:11.embargo on South Sudan. BET you needs to act immediately, supplying

:40:12. > :40:18.aid to South Sudan while working for a total arms embargo on the country,

:40:19. > :40:26.with strict controls to stop armed exports from European countries to

:40:27. > :40:35.South Sudan. Just for one minute. TRANSLATION: Thank you. The

:40:36. > :40:40.situation in South Sudan is indeed a great challenge for the EU. The

:40:41. > :40:43.population of South Sudan is fighting for their own survival

:40:44. > :40:48.rather than anything else. Even though we must not forget the

:40:49. > :40:53.fundamental human rights. The figures differ but the numbers are

:40:54. > :40:56.in the millions. Most of whom are children. These people seek refuge

:40:57. > :41:03.in the six neighbouring countries, where we are witnessing the

:41:04. > :41:08.fastest-growing refugee crisis in the world. According to UNHCR, we

:41:09. > :41:15.need to secure at least basic aid to these refugees before the end of

:41:16. > :41:24.2017. We will need $1.4 billion for this. The EU therefore must apply

:41:25. > :41:27.its influence and attempt in diplomatic circles to resolve the

:41:28. > :41:30.conflict and support neighbouring countries so that the situation in

:41:31. > :41:41.the region does not deteriorate further. For one minute.

:41:42. > :41:51.TRANSLATION: The situation in south Sudan is indeed hopeless and it is

:41:52. > :41:56.very well described in the text that I support. We have a civil war,

:41:57. > :42:05.those in is, maybe millions of refugees running for their lives.

:42:06. > :42:09.Most of them are children. The rest are facing hunger. What worries me

:42:10. > :42:15.most of all is that children are being recruited into the armed

:42:16. > :42:21.groups in this conflict and that in itself is a war crime. We have rate

:42:22. > :42:28.of women and girls, the Christian communities being wiped out and all

:42:29. > :42:36.of this in the greater framework of tribal conflicts as well I the fact

:42:37. > :42:44.that certain parties are trying to grab the wealth that lies at the

:42:45. > :42:54.ground of this country. We need to have an embargo on Barnes sales.

:42:55. > :43:03.Finally, one minute. TRANSLATION: South Sudan and its civil war

:43:04. > :43:10.started in 2015 and is on the way towards genocide. Internet ethnic

:43:11. > :43:20.conflict and ethnically driven discourse. Mass rape of women and

:43:21. > :43:27.girls, sexual enslavement, techniques used as weapons of war.

:43:28. > :43:32.Government forces, actions on the ground, leading to mass

:43:33. > :43:37.displacement. A quarter of the population are in food insecurity

:43:38. > :43:43.and millions need urgent humanitarian aid while impunity

:43:44. > :43:49.continues. We condemn the current state of play and call firmly for a

:43:50. > :43:52.ceasefire. The European Union and all of its member states must

:43:53. > :43:56.redouble the efforts to stop massacres by both sides and open up

:43:57. > :44:04.humanitarian corridors while ensuring proper co-operation. There

:44:05. > :44:10.is a vital role for the buffer force to ensure that the situation does

:44:11. > :44:14.not otherwise deteriorate into a full-scale genocide which we would

:44:15. > :44:25.be a responsibility for duty to our inertia. Matt Dunne Commissioner to

:44:26. > :44:35.react. I would start with personal remarks. We have discussed so many

:44:36. > :44:55.times the situation in south Sudan. I am sorry that the situation

:44:56. > :44:59.is getting worse when we have discussed so many times the same

:45:00. > :45:06.issue. The situation is one of emergency catastrophe. The country

:45:07. > :45:11.is consumed by humanitarian disorder. Violence is commonplace.

:45:12. > :45:14.Civilians are being deliberately and systematically attacked often with

:45:15. > :45:21.ethnic content by a range of armed opposition groups and large offences

:45:22. > :45:28.of the Sudan People's Army, hundreds die each month. 1.8 million refugees

:45:29. > :45:32.have fled to neighbouring countries while almost 2 million persons are

:45:33. > :45:37.internally displaced. Famine has been declared in parts of the

:45:38. > :45:44.country. The European Union is doing everything possible to encourage

:45:45. > :45:47.peace. The European Union undertake constant political dialogue with the

:45:48. > :45:55.transition government full implementation of the 20 15p is

:45:56. > :46:01.agreement. We are fully engaged with efforts on development to end the

:46:02. > :46:05.conflict. The European Union has provided almost half 1 billion euros

:46:06. > :46:11.of humanitarian assistance to south Sudan since the conflict started in

:46:12. > :46:18.December 20 13. Our support of the region has been in place. The

:46:19. > :46:22.European Union has imposed an arms embargo against south Sudan and is

:46:23. > :46:30.lobbying for the European Security Council to follow it. The European

:46:31. > :46:34.Union fails there is a gross violation of humanitarian law

:46:35. > :46:40.perpetrated by all parties with impunity. The European Union

:46:41. > :46:43.encourages the African Union to establish a chord for south Sudan

:46:44. > :46:49.and implement the peace agreement as soon as possible. Let me reiterate

:46:50. > :46:55.our messages to all parties, that can be no military solution, all

:46:56. > :46:59.parties must observe a ceasefire in school. The United Nations

:47:00. > :47:04.peacekeeping mission in south Sudan must be allowed to exercise its

:47:05. > :47:09.mandate without any control. All parties must allow unfettered

:47:10. > :47:19.humanitarian access to those in need, at tax on aid organisations

:47:20. > :47:23.must stop. It must run an inclusive political process open to all

:47:24. > :47:29.parties which is deemed quite dead -- credible. The lives of mainly

:47:30. > :47:39.south Sudan needs hang in the balance that by brutal violence,

:47:40. > :47:43.famine and the European Union will continue to deploy instruments

:47:44. > :47:46.available, sanctions, development assistance, international justice,

:47:47. > :47:55.with a view to encouraging the parties to replace conflict with

:47:56. > :48:09.dialogue. Thank you. I look forward for good news. Thank you for keeping

:48:10. > :48:15.your voice loud and clear even though there is a lack of discipline

:48:16. > :48:41.before the vote. Next will be votes at 12pm.

:48:42. > :48:47.The Savile inquiry into the Bloody Sunday shootings in Northern Ireland

:48:48. > :48:53.to 12 years, interviewed 500 witnesses that cost around ?200

:48:54. > :48:55.million. My guest argues that not only were the aims of the inquiry

:48:56. > :48:56.something which