37 Amendments of Tamás MESZERICS related to 2015/2081(INI)
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recommends that the EU’'s approach to Turkmenistan strike a balance between the promotion of democracy and the pursuit of EU’'s strategic interests provided that the EU founding values with regard, in particular, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, are not called into question; underlines that the ratification of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) will contribute tocould undermine the achievement of EU objectives in these areas and should not happen without Turkmenistan meeting basic human rights benchmarks set out by the European Parliament in 2009;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Underlines that similar Partnership and Cooperation Agreements with neighbouring countries in the post-Soviet region such as - Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - have not enabled the EU to meaningfully advance reforms in these countries , nor have these countries become more "incentivised" to protect and promote fundamental human rights;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Reminds, in this regard, that the Interim Trade Agreement with Turkmenistan concluded by the Council on 27 July 2009 and currently in force, in spite of the provisions on the respect for human rights and democracy and the expectations of the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament at the time of its adoption, did not bring about any substantial improvement in these fields;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recommends a more ambitious, effective and coherent EU engagement in the country and in Central Asia, as reflected in the current review of the EU Strategy for Central Asia, whilst taking into account the differences between, and the uniqueness of each of, the countries in the region;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Is of the opinion that the establishment of a Cooperation Council and a Cooperation Committee, under Articles77 and 79 of the PCA, respectively, willmight revitalise EU-Turkmen relations in a constructive manner, both at the executive level and in civil society; reminds, however, that the establishment of these bodies in other countries in the region, such as for example Uzbekistan, have not proved to be successful;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. WelcomesTakes note of the fact that the establishment of a Parliamentary Cooperation Committee between the European Parliament and the Turkmen Parliament (the Mejlis) under Article 82 of the PCA, will leading to more regular and structured parliamentary dialogue and scrutiny of the implementation of the agreement; questions, nevertheless, the legitimacy of the Turkmen Parliament that is totally submitted to the president and is the result of blatantly undemocratic consultations;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the reinstatement of the position of EU Special Representative for Central Asia, non-existent since early 2014, provided that his/her action is result-oriented and aimed at addressing coherently and effectively the main problems of the region;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Council and the Vice- President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), to proceed towards the setting up of a full- fledged EU Delegation in Ashgabat; emphasises that the new Delegation could monitor the situationhuman rights violations as well as individual cases of concern in the country and enable diplomacy on the ground, as well as manage projects under the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) in a better way;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Recognises the timid legal, political, social and economic reforms introduced by the current government since 2012 as an encouraging sign of a renewed climate of openness, most notably with regard to prison reform, laws on internet, public assembly and public association; notes that the state of democracy, the rule of law and the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms remain weak in TurkmenistanPoints out that Turkmenistan remains one of the most closed and repressive countries in the world, and that no real progress in human rights has been made in the last 5 years;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Regrets that several laws adopted between 2010 and 2015 which the Turkmen government shows as progress, either have not been implemented (the Criminal Code of 2010, the Criminal Procedural Code of 2011) or establish highly restrictive provisions contradicting international standard (for example, amendments to the Law on Public Organisations of 2014, the Law on Internet of 2015, and the Law on Assemblies, Meetings and Demonstrations of 2015); stresses that all key human rights concerns raised by the European Parliament from 2008 to 2011 remain unaddressed;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Notes that a new Law on Public Association was adopted in May 2014 and a first-ever Law on Assemblies entered into force in July 2015; points out that efforts to develop legislature on freedom of assembly and association are a welcome step, although these laws provide for restrictions that are incompatible with international human rights standards and it is unlikely that any real progress can be achieved in these areas as long as no systemic measures are taken to improve the current repressive civil society climate;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 c (new)
Paragraph 7 c (new)
7c. Underlines that access to information is strictly controlled by the government; points out, in this regard, that Internet penetration is less than 15 per cent of residents, according to the UN specialised agency for information and communication technologies (International Telecommunication Union - ITU) and access to news, social media and other sites is restricted;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 d (new)
Paragraph 7 d (new)
7d. Is concerned that lack of independent media, censorship and the use of media for political purposes in Turkmenistan undermine the freedom to seek, receive and impart information protected by national and international law;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 e (new)
Paragraph 7 e (new)
7e. Expresses its concern at the persistent trend of persecution of journalists working for foreign media, as well as other individuals who are considered "inconvenient" by the authorities; draws the attention, in particular, to the case of Saparmamed Nepeskuliev,- a freelance journalist working with the RFE/RL's Turkmen service and the Netherlands- based Alternative Turkmenistan News (ATN) that was sentenced to three years in prison on spurious narcotics possession charges in August 2015 after being held incommunicado since the summer; underlines that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded that Nepeskuliev's detention was arbitrary and expressed serious concern that he may have been subjected to ill-treatment and torture;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 f (new)
Paragraph 7 f (new)
7f. Underlines that freedom of movement is severely restricted and that the Turkmen authorities continue to arbitrarily restrict foreign travel; stresses that thousands of people are believed to feature on "blacklists" for travelling abroad, and young people have been stopped at the border on the basis of alleged concerns about their safety; underlines at the same time that policies for granting visas to travel to the country are highly restrictive, and among others, international human rights monitors are barred access;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Takes note of the constitutional reform announced for this year, possibly including a strengthening of the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judiciary branches, reinforcing the role of Mejlis, and the creation of an office with the function of Ombudsman; notes, however, that the draft constitution abolishes the previous upper age limit of 70 years for presidential candidates, thus paving the way for President Berdymukhammedov to remain in office for life;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the ratification by Turkmenistan of a number of international treaties on human rights but deplores the fact that most of these treaties have not been implemented;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Underlines the need for the European Parliament to closely follow and monitor developments in Turkmenistan and the implementation of all parts of the PCA in coming years; calls, in this context, on the VP/HR to honour the agreement reached with her predecessor regarding a monitoring mechanism, allowing Parliament to be properly informed by the EEAS about the implementation of the PCA, once it enters into force, and, in particular, of its objectives and of compliance with its Article 2;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls, in this regard, for the postponement of the consent procedure until the monitoring mechanism has not been finalised and agreed between the European Parliament and the EEAS;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Takes the view, furthermore, that the ratification of the PCA should be conditioned upon the Turkmen government meeting concrete, measurable benchmarks based on recommendations made by the UN and the OSCE with regard, in particular, to enforced disappearances, prison access, arbitrary detention, freedom of movement, freedom of expression and access to information, freedom of association and access to the country;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12c. Calls for the sending of an ad hoc EP delegation to Turkmenistan before the ratification of the PCA in order to verify directly the situation on the ground and address the main concerns with the Turkmen authorities;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes that the EU has held seven rounds of Human Rights Dialogue with Turkmenistan since 2008, and that while the last round in SeptemberJuly 20145 was held in a constructive and open atmosphere, ithis and previous rounds of the Dialogue hasve, disappointingly, so far had very scant resultsnot resulted in any meaningful changes as regards the improvement of protection and promotion of human rights in Turkmenistan;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the invitation to Turkmenistan of a UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion in 2008, the first UN special rapporteur to visit the country; calls, at the same time, on the Turkmen authorities to allow entry to the remaining nineother 12 rapporteurs, all of whom have asked to visit the country;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. RecommendsCalls on Turkmenistan to ratify and implement the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Takes note of some limited improvements regarding freedom of the media, including a new law adopted in 2013; calls on the Turkmen authorities to fully guarantee freedom of speech, to lift any state controls on print and electronic media and, to allow foreign media outlets access to the country and to information and to stop the on-going campaign to forcibly dismantle privately owned satellite dishes which provide an alternative to national state-controlled media;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Urges, in this context, the Turkmen Government – as a positive sign of cooperation facilitating Parliament’s consent to the PCA – to adopt the draft National Action Plan on Human Rights, prepared with the assistance of the UNDP in 2013Takes note of the adoption in January 2016 of the National Action Plan on Human Rights, which contains the recommendations made during Turkmenistan’'s appearance before the Universal Periodic Review process at the UN Human Rights Council in 2013; recommends that a constructivcalls for the resolution of the issue of forced disappearances be included in the Plan;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes the mixed results of EU assistance for the period 2011-2013, amounting to EUR 39 million; points out that no substantial changes can be observed in the area of modernisation of the education system, strengthening national capacities to promote and protect human rights, and support to the development and modernisation of the parliament of Turkmenistan – areas to which the EU development assistance was allocated in the previous period; notes that for the period 2014-2017, the EU allocated EUR 37 million, with a primary focus on the development of human capital;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Notes that Turkmenistan will probably be listed as upper-middle income country from 2017 (likely change of the country status from the OECD Development Assistance Committee) and the countries eligibility for DCI funds will be evaluated based on these assessment; calls on European Commission and EEAS to coordinate allocation of the EU development assistance to Turkmenistan and only disburse funds where and when these benefit the whole population;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls on the Turkmen authorities to fully implement the laws banning child labour in a better wayand forced labour; calls, at the same time, on the Commission to assist the Turkmen authorities in developing sustainable ways of cultivating cotton;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Notes that a major component of the PCA is the further development of trade relations; notes, anyhow, that trade and trade-related matters are already covered by the Interim Trade Agreement with Turkmenistan that is still in force;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Stresses that the energy dependence on authoritarian regimes and non- renewable sources of energy deeply undermines the credibility, the effectiveness and the coherence of the EU foreign policy; takes the view, in this regard, that an increased reliance of Turkmen gas would neither help nor strengthen the energy security of the EU;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Underlines that the EU is relying on Turkmenistan for its energy security and diversification; notes that opaque system surrounding gas and oil industry in Turkmenistan does not make it a reliable partner for the EU since Turkmen government fully controls vast hydrocarbon reserves and uses the revenues from it to consolidate its rule by sponsoring security services and patronage networks;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Urges the EU to finalise talks withTakes note of the ongoing talks between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on facilitating an accord on building a trans- Caspian gas pipeline (TCP); urges Turkmenistan to resolve the legal disputes and infrastructural deficiencies with the potential transit countries;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Notes that public investment funds (from international financial institutions) will be needed to build the pipelines and infrastructure across the Caspian, Turkey and the Western part of the route connecting Turkey to Europe; underlines the need to include transparency and accountability issues when pursuing these projects for the European energy diversification;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Is concerned that the disastrous over- use of the scarce water resources in Central Asia has created diplomatic tensions, and calls on the EU to develop efficient water- saving and water management programmes and to engage its water diplomacy more effectively;