21 Amendments of Demetris PAPADAKIS related to 2016/2313(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2
Citation 2
— having regard to the Protocol on the Adaptation of the SAA between the European Communities and its Member States, on the one part, and BiH, on the other part, to take into account the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union, which was initialled on 18 July 2016 and signed on 15 December 2016,
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the EU remains committed to BiH’s EU perspective, to its territorial integrity, sovereignty and unity; whereas the Council asked the Commission to prepare its opinion on BiH’s application for membership; whereas the Commission launched the process and, on 9 December 2016, handed over its questionnaire to the BiH authorities; whereas successfully answering to this comprehensive questionnaire, consisting of 33 chapters and 3242 questions, is a key precondition for obtaining the candidate status;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas with the reform agenda for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2013-2018 the authorities at all levels recognised the urgent need to initiate a process of rehabilitating and modernising the economy with a view of creating new jobs and fostering sustainable, efficient, socially just and steady economic growth; whereas BiH has demonstrated commitment and readiness to embark on further socio-economic reforms;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the consideration of BiH’s EU membership application by the Council and looks forward to the Commission’s opinion on the merits of the application for membership; calls on competent BiH authorities at all levels to cooperate and coordinate in participating in the Commission’s Opinion process by providing a single and coherent set of replies to the Commission’s inquiries; points out that this exercise will also serve as a proof of state functionality that is a key precondition for obtaining the candidate status;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the progress on the implementation of the 2015-2018 Reform Agenda, as well as the country’s determination to pursue further institutional and socio-economic reforms; stresses that harmonisrecalls that the renewed EU approach towards BiH has been triggered from the difficult socio-economic environment in the country and as a reply to the increasing dissatisfaction among the citizens, expressed with the social unrests of February 2014; notes that the situation is now relatively better but stresses that harmonized and balanced implementation of the Reform Agenda is needed to achieve real change across the country and to improvehave tangible improvements to the lives of all BiH citizens; calls for the reform momentum to be maintained in order to transform BiH into a fully effective, inclusive and functional state; regrets that common reform efforts often continue to be hampered by ethnic and political divisions; considers it essential to maintain consensus on EU integration and to advance in a concerted manner on the rule of law, including the fight against corruption and organised crime, the reform of the judiciary and public administration;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Expresses satisfaction for the signature of the Protocol on SAA adaptation that will be provisionally applied as of 1 February 2017, automatically reinstating the autonomous trade measures (trade benefits on the import into the EU of certain agricultural products from BiH, including fruits and vegetables) that were suspended since 1 January 2016; look's forward to a rapid and smooth ratification of the Protocol;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Regrets that the declared political commitment to combat corruption did not translate into tangible results; acknowledges progress in adopting anti- corruption action plans and setting up corruption prevention bodies at various levels of governance; notes with concern that fragmentation and weak inter-agency cooperation hamper the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures; calls for greater professional specialisation within the police and the judiciary by means of appropriate coordination channels; stresses the need to establish a track record of effective scrutiny of political party and electoral campaign financing, to develop transparent employment procedures in the broader public sector, as well as to eliminate corruption in the public procurement cycle;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that the results of the 2013 census are an important basis for providing a satisfactory response to the Commission questionnaireWelcomes the final assessment of the International Monitoring Operation for the 2013 Population and Housing Census in Bosnia and Herzegovina of 16 October 2016 that concluded that the census in Bosnia and Herzegovina was as a whole conducted in compliance with international standards; stresses that the results of the 2013 census are an important basis for providing a satisfactory response to the Commission questionnaire and essential for effective socio-economic planning; calls on the BiH statistical agencies to align their statistics and methodologies with Eurostat standards;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Is concerned about the continued fragmentation and politicisation of public administration and broader public sector, which hampers institutional and legislative reforms and makes the delivery of public service to citizens cumbersome and expensive; calls, as a matter of urgency, for a more harmonised approach to policy development, depolitisation of public sector, and coordination between all levels of government, and better medium-term planning;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Reiterates its concern about the continued fragmentation into four different legal systems; stresses the need to strengthen judicial efficiency and independence, including from political pressure, and to fight corruption in the judiciary; urges the rapid adoption of the action plan for the implementation of the 2014-2018 justice sector reform; welcomes the adoption of the law on free legal aid at state level and the introduction by the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of guidelines on prevention of conflict of interest, the drafting of integrity plans and disciplinary measures; notes the important role of the Structured Dialogue on Justice in addressing the shortcomings in the BiH judiciary;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Regrets that a high number of constitutional court decisions are not being implemented, including in particular the decision on the RS day, which was contested in the referendum held on 25 September 2016; emphasises that nationalistic and populist rhetoric and actions are main obstacles for development and that respect for the rule of law and the country’s constitutional framework is of paramount importance for advancing on the EU path;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes some progress in fighting organised crime; is concerned, however, about the absence of a consistent approach in tackling organised crime owing to the numerous action plans by the various law enforcement agencies at different levels; highlights the need to strengthen the framework for inter-agency cooperation; welcomes joint investigations but calls for more coordinated operations and better exchange of information; calls for enhancing capacities of law enforcement bodies including on counter-terrorism; welcomes the signing of the operational and strategic cooperation agreement with Europol aimed at combating cross-border criminality; encourages the conclusion of a cooperation agreement with Eurojust as well;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls for boosting efforts to combat radicalisation and further measures to identify, prevent and disrupt the flow of foreign fighters, including by close cooperation with relevant services of the Member States and countries in the region; calls for the introduction of programmes on de-radicalisation and preventing youth radicalisation; highlights the important role of religious leaders, teachers and overall of the educational system in this respect;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Deems it essential to enhance public participation in decision-making and to better engage citizens in the EU accession process; notes that civil society is fragmented, institutionally and financially weak; calls for, with impacts on its sustainability and independence; calls for further EU support, better cooperation mechanisms between government and civil society organisations, including the developing of a strategic framework for cooperation, as well as more concrete involvement of civil society organisations in the EU integration process;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls for efforts to increase the participation of women in political life and employment, to improve their socio- economic situation and to strengthen women’s rights on the whole; notes with concern that there is still maternity- related discrimination in employment and that entities and cantons have no harmonised legislation on maternity and parental leave; highlights, furthermore, that the existing active labour market measures intended to support the employment of long-time unemployed people and vulnerable groups, such as persons with disabilities, are not effectively implemented;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Deplores the fact that BiH is still in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights for not implementing the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the Sejdić-Finci, Zornić and Pilav cases; strongly calls for progress to be made in this regard in order to guarantee equal rights for all BiH citizens and advance the country’s EU perspective;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Remains concerned by the continued fragmentation, inefficiency and complexity of the education system; calls for countrywide common core curricula and better coordination between the different levels of education governance; continues to be concerned about the persistently high school-drop-out rates of Roma pupils; regrets the slow progress in addressing and resolving the issue of ‘two schools under one roof’ and other forms of segregation and discrimination in schools, as well as attacks on the proclaimed secularity of the educational system; urges the adoption of concrete measures to improve the efficiency of education system and to eliminate segregating practices, while guaranteeing the right of every community to receive education in its own language;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Notes the infrastructural deficiencies of the country and encourages the full involvement of BiH in the implementation of the EU's connectivity agenda; welcomes the adoption of the BiH Framework Transport Strategy and implementing Action Plans for the period 2016-2030 in July 2016 and the first meeting of the EU- BiH SAA sub-committee on Transport, Energy, Environment and Regional Development on 30 November 2016; calls on the Commission to positively reconsider the allocation of financial support under the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA II), which was stalled since 2013 due to the lack of a such countrywide strategy; urges, at the same time, the adoption of a coherent countrywide strategy for energy development, as well as of an environmental approximation strategy, accompanied by related implementation plans;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Welcomes measures to modernise labour legislation, to improve the business environment and to address weaknesses in the financial sector within the framework of the Reform Agenda; welcomes the 3- year Extended Fund Facility programme agreed with the IMF, which is expected to further improve the business climate, to reduce the size of government and to safeguard the financial sector; continues to regret the absence of a unified single economic area, which hampers the business environment and foreign direct investments; calls, as a matter of urgency, for the competent authorities to outline coordinated measures with a view to strengthening the rule of law, simplifying contract enforcement procedures and, combating corruption in the economy, and reducing the still large informal economy in BiH; in this last respect, highlights the importance of labour inspections and of reliable statistics about the true number of employed and unemployed persons;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Regrets, however, that the labour laws in both entities were adopted through the urgent procedure and without proper dialogue with the social partners, no transparency, and no real possibility of considering amendments, resulting in street protests and the filing of constitutionality check by the FBiH Constitutional court; notes that the Court found the process unconstitutional and recalls that BiH has signed a number of ILO Conventions, which, inter alia, recognise the principles of social dialogue and the importance of cooperation with social partners; points out that trade union and labour rights, including health and safety laws, are still limited, and stresses the importance of further enhancing and harmonising these laws across the country;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the slight reduction in unemployment; remains concerned, however, that income convergence with the EU average lagged and unemployment continues to be largely of a structural nature and that youth unemployment continues to be high, resulting in very high levels of brain drain; calls on the competent authorities to introduce active labour market policies targeting in particular the youth, women and the long- term unemployed as well as reinforcing the capacities of the employment services; highlights that the importance of promoting greater social cohesion, ensuring social protection for the most vulnerable in society and social inclusion;