Activities of Ivan JAKOVČIĆ related to 2018/2147(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2018 Report on Albania (debate) HR
Amendments (21)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3 a (new)
Citation 3 a (new)
- having regard to the General Affairs Council decision of 25 June 2018,
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Fully supports the Commission’s recommendation that accession negotiations be opened in recognition of the reform efforts made by Albania; calls on the Council to open accession talks without delay in order to sustain the reform momentum; considers that the opening of negotiations would provide further incentives for the reform process and enhance its scrutiny; calls on the Albanian Government and other political actors to make all possible efforts to enable the Council open the Accession talks in June 2019 at the latest;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Reiterates that constructive political dialogue, willingness to compromise and the maintenance of is vital; stresses that the lack of confidence and radicalisation of the situation could be detrimental to the reforms, in particular in the judicial field; therefore, calls both the majority and opposition parties to maintain an unwavering commitment to the implementation and consolidation of the reforms across all five key priorities are essential to the effort to advanceof the EU accession process;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Urges the Albanian authorities to complete as soon as possible the establishment of the new judicial bodies; underlines the need to back effective functioning of these institutions by means of adequate human resources and funding;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the continued progress made towards establishing a more citizen- friendly, transparent, professional and de- politicised public administration, including at local level; urges the full implementation of the oversight institutions’ recommendations as well as Ombudsperson’s recommendations; notes as well the progress made with regard to territorial reform and the establishment of the Consultative Council to improve coordination between central and local governments; welcomes the setting up of local EU Desks and EU co-ordinators;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Commends the significant improvements made in the legal and institutional framework with a view to preventing and eradicating corruption in public institutions, as corruption is still a major point of concern; calls for additional efforts to reduce the corruption affecting the daily life of Albania’s citizens;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Commends the significant improvements made in the legal and institutional framework with a view to preventing and eradicating corruption in public institutions; calls for additional efforts to reduce the corruption affecting the daily life of Albania’s citizens, starting with revision of shortcomings in the legal framework of Law on the Right to Information;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the recent updates to the country’s anti-corruption legislation; stresses the need to complete the establishment of the National Bureau of Investigation, the Special Tribunal and the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime; reiterates the crucial importance of the implementation of an all-inclusive and impartial vetting process; notes that the correct implementation has a positive impact on the reliability of the process and ensure the trust of the people in the judicial bodies; calls on the Government to take actions against former high officials who did not submit their criminal records; calls for further improvement of the inter- institutional cooperation and exchange of information between police and prosecution; welcomes the re-evaluation of the law enforcement personnel under the police vetting law;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls for increased attention to be given to political and public-private corruption, and stresses that a convincing track record can only be attained through proactive investigations, prosecutions and final convictions in corruption cases at all levels, including high-level cases related to the so-called 'big fish';
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Reiterates that Private and Public Partnership (PPP) has become a sensitive issue in Albania, as stressed by the European Commission and the US State Department; therefore calls on the Government to seriously review the PPP practices to date, restrict their scope of application, increase public transparency, take into consideration their efficiency and avert corruption cases;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the progress made in the fight against organised crime, including the substantial progress made in seizures of illicit drugs and the reduction of cannabis cultivation; notes Albania’s intensified international police cooperation – leading to effective operations against criminal networks – including in joint working groups with Member States;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the progress made by the Government in the fight against corruption and organised crime, including the substantial progress made in seizures of illicit drugs and the reduction ofreducing cannabis cultivation; reiterates that these matters constitute the most serious barrier for the opening of the negotiation; welcomes that the Albanian Police is becoming more active in the fight against organized crime and cannabis cultivation; noteswelcomes hence Albania’s intensified international police cooperation – leading to effective operations against criminal networks – including in joint working groups with Member States, such as the Italian 'Guardia di Finanza';
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Welcomes the equal representation of women in the new government and increased percentage of women parliamentarians; commends adoption of resolution on the fight against gender- based violence and establishment of parliamentary sub-committee on gender equality; urges further efforts to ensure that all strategies and policies are gender mainstreamed; is concerned about still existing gender-discriminatory provisions in a number of laws, lagging access to justice for women, and proportion of women in the informal labour market, especially the textile and shoe industries, without adequate labour and social protection;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the Albanian authorities to enhance cooperation with civil society organisations, ensuring effective public participation and consultation throughout the decision-making process, including at local level; urges the authorities to make significant developments in the legal and regulatory framework of the tax regime for CSOs as well as public funding;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Welcomes Albania’s commitment to implement the Connectivity Agenda in the framework of the Berlin Process; supports the proposal to reduce roaming fees in the Western Balkans and the adoption of IPA 2018 package that includes the strategically important infrastructure project the reconstruction of Durrës Port, which is strengthening Albania's connections with Croatia and Italy and providing Albania’s landlocked neighbours, Kosovo and Macedonia access to maritime transport routes; supports the proposal to reduce roaming fees in the Western Balkans; notes that rural areas represent 40% of the population but only 1% out of this is connected to the internet;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Expresses concern over economic activity that has led to environmental damage in protected areas, such as the hydropower plants along the Vjosa river; urges the authorities to step up environmental impact assessments and public consultations on such projects; calls for stronger efforts in energy efficiency, and in this regard encourages Albanian authorities to fully align its Energy Efficiency Law with the acquis; notes that Albania has to remove legal and contractual obstacles for integrating energy markets, and the unbundling of energy companies should be finalized;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Expresses concern that Albania remains the Western Balkan country from which are made the highest number of illegal entries and stays, and unfounded asylum claims, in Member States; notes that a high percentage of young people and students are leaving the country because of the lack of jobs and decent living conditions; calls on the Government to address with priority this growing concern; recommends a shorthand medium term plan of action with concrete measures on boosting employment, education, living conditions and health;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Expresses concern that Albania remains the Western Balkan country from which are made the highest number of illegal entries and stays, and unfounded asylum claims, in Member States; urges Albania to apply the return procedures which are compliant with the Law on Foreigners and to ensure its return mechanism for irregular migrants is in line with the EU acquis;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29 a. Reiterates the importance of freedom of movement of Albanian citizens among the EU countries; calls on the Government to ensure that Albanian citizens born in Greece, holding valid Albanian passport, cross the Greek- Albanian border without any restriction; calls hence on the Government to update the passports of those citizens replacing as place of birth the name of the village/city with the name of the country;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)
Paragraph 29 b (new)
29 b. Calls on the Albanian Government to abide by the provisions of the Art.3 of the European Convention on extradition, issued by the Council on Europe, and of the Art.19 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and not to allow any extradition for political offences, or when the person may be subject to torture or inhuman treatment in the country soliciting extradition, having particular regard to the situation of Turkish citizens residing in the Republic of Albania;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Commends Albania’s success in stemming the outflow of foreign fighters; welcomes the regional cooperation that has been achieved in countering potential terrorist threats; calls for further measures to disrupt financial flows aimed at financing terrorism and to address online radicalisation, to strengthen the prevention and monitoring mechanisms involving civil society and religious communities, and to address online radicalisation; calls on the government to improve programmes to reintegrate returnees and their families and to prevent radicalisation in prisons;