Activities of Marijana PETIR related to 2016/2311(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2016 Report on Serbia (debate) HR
Amendments (33)
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13
Citation 13
— having regard to the third meeting of the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Council held on 163 December 2016;,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
- having regards to the address of ICTY President Carmel Agius to the United Nations Security Council in June 2016,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 b (new)
Citation 16 b (new)
- having regards to the Agreement on Normalization of Relations between the then-Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro, and the Republic of Croatia, signed in 1996,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 c (new)
Citation 16 c (new)
- having regard to the European Parliament's resolution on Serbia: the case of accused war criminal Šešelj of 27 November 2014,
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas bilateral issues should be addressed as early as possible in the accession process in accordance with the negotiating framework, in a constructive and neighbourly spirit, taking account of the EU's overall interests and values;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas Serbia and Russia held joint military exercises on Serbian territory close to the Croatian border in August 2016;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas the implementation of the legal framework on the protection of minorities needs to be fully ensured, notably in the areas of education, use of language, access to media and religious services in minority language, and adequate political representation of national minorities at local, regional and national levels;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
C c. whereas the application of Article 2 and Article 3 of the Law on Organization and Competences of State Authorities in War Crimes Proceedings of Republic of Serbia represents violation of commonly accepted principles of international criminal law;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
C d. whereas since January 2016 Serbia refuses to extradite three wanted Serbian Radical Party members to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for trial on witness intimidation charges;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
C e. whereas the ICTY President Carmel Agius stressed that Serbia is violating cooperation agreements and undermining justice efforts by not arresting three Serbian Radical Party members accused of interfering with witnesses and expressed the view that this development is a grave step backwards in matters of cooperation with the Tribunal and an unacceptable disregard of the primacy of Tribunal law over the domestic law;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C f (new)
Recital C f (new)
C f. whereas in January 2017 of ex- Kosovo prime minister Ramush Haradinaj was arrested in France based on the international arrest warrant issued by Serbia for alleged war crimes on the territory of Kosovo, based on the Law on Organization and Competences of State Authorities in War Crimes Proceedings that allows Serbia to assume the role of a „little Hague";
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C g (new)
Recital C g (new)
C g. whereas a Serbian train with inscription „Kosovo is Serbian" took off on January 14th from Belgrade to Northern Kosovo and was eventually stopped close to border with Kosovo;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the opening of negotiations on Chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security) as the key chapters in the EU approach to enlargement based on the rule of law; welcomes the opening of Chapters 32 (Financial Control) and 35 (Other Issues), as the progress in these chapters remains essential for the overall pace of the negotiationg process in line with the Negotiating Framework; as well as the opening of negotiations on Chapter 5 (Public Procurement) and the opening and provisional closure of Chapter 25 (Science and Research); calls on the Council to open Chapter 26 (Education and Culture); notes that the application of the Law on Organization and Competences of State Authorities in War Crimes Proceedings (Article 2 and 3) violates the generally accepted principles of criminal and international law - the principle of legal certainty and the principle of non- intervention in the internal affairs of other states, and hinders the process of reconciliation in South Eastern Europe; calls on the Serbian authorities to immediately repeal the relevant articles and abandon a concept of quasi-universal jurisdiction for war crimes in neighbouring countries;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines that the thorough implementation of reforms and policies remains a key icondicator oftion for a successful integration process; calls on Serbia to improve the planning, coordination and monitoring of the implementation of new legislation and policies; with the Action Plans and the interim benchmarks for Chapters 23 and 24 guiding future reforms leading to a solid track record
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on Serbia to align its foreign and security policy with that of the EU, including its policy on Russia and recalls the importance of strategic communication and responsibility of addressing misinformation in this context, bearing in mind recent military exercise with Russia; calls on Serbia to clearly define its European path distance itself from the secessionist attitudes; stresses that Serbia, influenced by the Russian military, would not be able to finalize the agreement with the EU on chapter 31: foreign, security and defence policy; welcomes Serbia’s important contribution to and continued participation in international peacekeeping operations;
Amendment 100 #
6. Calls on Serbia to align its foreign and security policy with that of the EU, including its policy on Russia; stresses that the alignment of foreign and security policy is the precondition to join the EU and regrets the continued refusal of Serbian authorities to align its policy towards Russia with the pro-European orientation of the country; welcomes Serbia’'s important contribution to and continued participation in international peacekeeping operations;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. CReiterates its calls on Serbia to progressively align its foreign and security policy with that of the EU, including on restrictive measures and on its policy on Russia; welcomes Serbia’s important contribution to and continued participation in international peacekeeping operations;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Notes that the application of the Law on Organization and Competences of State Authorities in War Crimes Proceedings violates the generally accepted principles of criminal and international law - the principle of legal certainty and the principle of non- intervention in the internal affairs of other states, and hinders the process of reconciliation in South Eastern Europe; calls on the Serbian authorities to immediately repeal the relevant articles and abandon a concept of quasi-universal jurisdiction for war crimes in neighbouring countries; in this regards, calls on the European Commission and Member States to invest additional efforts in addressing this issue in the process of EU-Serbia negotiations, particularly within the scope of Chapter 23;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the measures taken to improve transparency and the consultation process within the parliament, including public hearings and regular meetings and consultations with the National Convent on European Integration; remains concerned about the extensive use of urgent procedures in adopting legislation; stresses that the frequent use of urgent procedures undermines parliamentary effectiveness; underlines that the parliament’s oversight of the executive needs to be strengthened; calls for the adoption of parliament’s code of conduct; regretsnotes with concern that, due to disruption, the EU Delegation was not able to present the Commission’s report in the European Integrations Committee of the Serbian Parliament;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that the constitution needs to be revised so as to fully reflect the recommendations of the Venice Commission, notablyincluding with regard to the parliament’s role in judicial appointments, the control of political parties over the mandate of Members of Parliament, the independence of key institutions and the protection of fundamental rights;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Underlines that the legislative and institutional framework for observance of international human rights law is in place; stresses that consistent implementation across the whole country is needed; notes that further sustained efforts are needed to improve the situation of persons belonging to vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, and persons with HIV/AIDS and LGBTI persons;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Reiterates its concern that no progress has been made to improve the situation regarding freedom of expression and of the media where the Serbian authorities hold crucial responsibility in actively contributing to the unimpeded exercise of freedom of expression; stresses that threats, violence and intimidation against journalists remain an issue of concern; calls on the authorities to investigate any cases of attacks against journalists and media outlets; calls for the full implementation of media laws; underlines the need for complete transparency in media ownership and funding of media; as well as the viability of media in minority languages;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the adoption of an action plan for the realisation of the rights of national minorities, and the adoption of a decree establishing a fund for national minorities which now needs to be made operational; calls for the full implementation of the action plan in a comprehensive, timely inclusive and transparent manner, with the constructive engagement of all sides; reiterates its call on Serbia to ensure consistent implementation of legislation on protection of minorities, including in relation to education, use of languages, adequate representation in public administration and access to media and religious services in minority language, local and regional bodies, as well as in the national parliament and access to media and religious services in minority languages; calls for the effective application of Serbia's domestic and international obligations;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the adoption of an action plan for the realisation of the rights of national minorities, and the adoption of a decree establishing a fund for national minorities; calls for the full implementation of the action plan; reiterates its call on Serbia to ensure consistent implementation of legislation on protection of minorities across the entire territory, including in relation to education, use of languages, representation in public administration and access to media and religious services in minority languages;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Stresses that the progress in the field of ensuring rights of national minorities is not satisfactory and reiterates that the promotion and protection of human rights, including rights of national minorities is the basic precondition for joining the EU;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the fact that Serbia remains constructively committed to bilateral relationsUnderlines the importance of improving bilateral issues in the accession process in accordance with other enlargement countries and neighbouring EU Member Stat negotiating framework, in a constructive and neighbourly spirit, taking account of the EU's overall interests and values; has taken positive note of the fact that Serbia has shown an increasingly constructive engagement in regional cooperation initiatives such as the South- East Europe Cooperation Process, the Regional Cooperation Council, the Central European Free Trade Agreement, the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative, the Brdo-Brijuni process, the Western Balkan Six initiative and its connectivity agenda and the Berlin process; calls on Serbia to implement the connectivity reform measures associated with the connectivity agenda; underlines that outstanding bilateral disputes should not have a detrimental effcalls on Serbia to promote good-neighbourly relations and the peaceful settlement of disputes, which includes promoting a climate of tolerance and condemning all forms of hate speecth on the accession process;r war-time rhetoric and refraining from gestures such as publicly welcomesing the adoption of a national strategy for the investigation and prosecution of war crimes; notes that the mandate of the freturn of individuals convicted of war crimes; notes that outstanding disputes and issues, in particular issues of bormder War Crimes Prosecutor expired in December 2015; stresses that the appointment of his successor is a matter of serious concern; calls for the implementation of this strategy and the adoption of an operational prosecutorial strategy; calls for full cooperationdemarcation, succession, return of cultural goods and disclosure of Yugoslavian archives should be resolved in line with international law and established principles, including through implementation of legally binding agreements, inter alia the agreement on succession issues, and that bilateral disputes should be addressed in the early stages of the accession process in accordance with the Iinternational Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY); urges the authorities to continue working on the issuelaw; underlines that outstanding bilateral disputes should not have a detrimental effect ofn the fate of missing personaccession process;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the fact that Serbia remains constructively committed to bilateral relations with other enlargement countries and neighbouring EU Member States; has taken positive note of the fact that Serbia has shown an increasingly constructive engagement in regional cooperation initiatives such as the South- East Europe Cooperation Process, the Regional Cooperation Council, the Central European Free Trade Agreement, the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative, the Brdo process, the Western Balkan Six initiative and its connectivity agenda and the Berlin process; calls on Serbia to implement the connectivity reform measures associated with the connectivity agenda; underlines that outstanding bilateral disputes should not have a detrimental effect on the accession process; welcomes the adoption of a national strategy for the investigation and prosecution of war crimes; notes that the mandate of the former War Crimes Prosecutor expired in December 2015; stresses that the appointment of his successor is a matter of serious concern; calls for the implementation of this strategy and the adoption of an operational prosecutorial strategy; calls for fulldeeply regrets the lack of cooperation of Serbia with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and reminds that this is Serbia's basic obligation within the process of accession negotiations; urges the authorities to continue working on the issue of the fate of missing persons;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Notes that the mandate of the former War Crimes Prosecutor expired in December 2015; stresses that the delayed appointment of his successor is a matter of serious concern; calls for a necessary revision of the national strategy for an investigation and prosecution of war crimes and the adoption of an operational prosecutorial strategy in line with generally accepted international standards and principles and rules of international law; noting with concern repeated reports of Serbia's non- cooperation with the ICTY; calls for full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) which remains essential; calls for handling war crimes without any discrimination, addressing impurity and insuring accountability and fully and unequivocally accepting and implementing the ICTY's ruling and decisions, as well as insuring proportionality of sentences and a sentencing policy in line with international criminal law standards;
Amendment 284 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20 b. Calls on Serbia to engage in meaningful regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations in handling of war crimes by avoiding conflicts of jurisdictions and ensuring that war crimes are prosecuted without any discrimination and ensuring that all outstanding issues in that regard be fully resolved, urges the authorities for strengthening efforts in finding and identifying missing persons and locating mass graves from the wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo as well as ensuring the right of victims' families to know the fate of their missing family members; to resolve the issue of the fate of missing persons, including through swift information sharing and opening of archives, as well as on preparing a reparation scheme for victims and their families as an important precondition for reconciliation; points out that a law on civilian victims should be adopted without any undue delay bearing in mind that the existing legislation does not recognise several groups of war crime victims; notes that controversies still occur, particularly in the context of different interpretations of recent history;
Amendment 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Reiterates the crucial importance of reconciliation and resolution of the bilateral issues with neighbouring countries; in this sense calls on Serbia to intensify efforts in implementing all bilateral agreements with neighbouring countries, including the Agreement on Normalization of Relations between the then-Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro, and the Republic of Croatia, signed in 1996; Urges Serbia to promote Bosnia and Herzegovina's territorial integrity and to condemn, openly and strongly, any separatist notions, particularly within the Republika Srpska;
Amendment 299 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. WelcomesCalls on Serbia’s to continued engagement in the normalisation process with Kosovo, and its commitment to the through dialogue, cooperation and implementation of the agreements reached in the EU- facilitated dialogue; reiterates its call to move forward with the full implementation, in good faith and in a timely manner, of all the agreements already reached and to determinedly continue the normalisation process and expresses concern with the delays in implementing Agreement on freedom of movement with respect to removal of the wall in Mitrovica; encourages Serbia and Kosovo to identify new areas of discussion for the dialogue, with the aim of improving the lives of people and comprehensively normalising relations; reiterates its call on the EEAS to carry out an evaluation of the performance of the sides in fulfilling their obligations;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. calls on Serbia to intensify efforts in implementing all bilateral agreements with neighbouring countries, including the Agreement on Normalization of Relations between the then-Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro, and the Republic of Croatia, signed in 1996;
Amendment 314 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)
Paragraph 22 b (new)
22 b. Strongly condemns the act of sending a Serbian nationalist train from Belgrade to Northern Kosovo; interprets this as an act of provocation and a step back in Serbia-Kosovo relations; calls on Serbian authorities to refrain from using the rhetorics resembling that of Milošević which includes using minorities in sovereign states as a tool for manipulation;