15 Amendments of Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS related to 2016/2309(INI)
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas organized crime and widespread corruption remains a serious concerns;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Commends the competent authorities for holding parliamentary elections on 16 October 2016 in an orderly manner in which fundamental freedoms were generally respected; however, notes reports of irregularities and incidents, as well as the temporary closure of two mobile communication platforms; hopes that the relevant authorities will swiftly and transparently investigate the reported irregularities; welcomes the revised legal framework under which the elections took place, but notes the persistence of some administrative deficiencies, including on the part of the State Election Commission (SEC), as well as concerns about the accuracy of the electoral register and politicisation; expects that the alleged procedural irregularities, including alleged abuses of state funds and abuse of office, and any other reported shortcomings, will be investigated fully and addressed effectively by the competent authorities; is of the opinion that an improvement of the electoral process is needed in order to build full confidence in the electoral process; notes with regret that part of the opposition has not recognised the results of the elections; recognises the attempts by external actors to discredit the electoral process and the difficulties this has caused;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the new public administration reform strategy (PAR) 2016-2020, the public financial management reform programme, the entry into force of the new law on salaries and the simplification of administrative procedures; calls for measures to allocate the appropriate budgetary resources for PAR’s implementation, as well as for consistent political will to rationalise public administration, also in view of accession preparations; notes that limited progress towards strengthening administrative capacity is often due to weak commitment to reform by the authorities and a lack of clear requirements in IPA-funded projects for the authorities to follow up and capitalise on; encourages further depoliticisation of the public administration, and considers it essential to adhere to the principles of merit, accountability and transparency, and to ensure the citizens’ right to good administration, free of corruption;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Calls on Montenegrin authorities to take a more proactive approach in following up on outstanding allegations of war crimes as well as to fight impunity; emphasises the need to effectively investigate, prosecute, try and punish war crimes in line with international standards; is concerned that no charges have been brought against officials at the top of command chain, and in regard to crimes of co-perpetration and aiding and abetting; stresses the need to effectively ensure that victims of war crimes have equal access to justice and reparations and calls for the full protection of witnesses;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the further strengthening of the anti-corruption framework, inter alia by making the Anti-Corruption Agency fully operational and by appointing special anti-corruption prosecutors; considers it essential to ensure their independence in investigations; stresses repeatedly the need to establish a track record on successful investigations and convictions, in particular in high-level corruption cases, and on measures to prevent corruption; calls for criminalising illicit enrichment; calls on the new government to make combating corruption one of its priorities by allocating sufficient human and budgetary resources to the task; regrets that sectorial action plans for areas particularly vulnerable to corruption, such as public procurement, privatisation, urban planning, education, health care, local government and police, has had very limited impact;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes the adoption of an action plan for fighting money laundering and terrorism financing, and the signing of the Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism; stresses the need to continue to develop the track record in organised crime cases, especially as regards trafficking in human beings and drugs, cigarette smuggling and money laundering, to ensure stronger inter-agency cooperation and to further intensify regional and international cooperation in the fight against organised crime; is concerned about the lack of identification and protection of victims of trafficking as well as a general lack of understanding of international human rights standards and case-law which affect the performance of the judiciary;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. While acknowledging CSOs’ involvement in the accession preparations, calls on the competent authorities to further improve CSOs’ access to EU-related information and to ensure that consultations with CSOs are held in a meaningful way, where possible; is deeply concerned that smear campaigns and intimidation attempts have continued against certain CSO activistof the opinion that authorities need to develop a more supportive and inclusive approach to facilitate grassroots activities by civil society, as well as to constructively accept criticism of state institutions, and to increase CSO's level of consultation in policy-making and theirs access to information; calls on authorities to encourage CSOs to actively participate in the overview of the whole electoral process and have observers in all bodies for conducting elections; is deeply concerned that smear campaigns and intimidation attempts have continued against certain CSO activists; urges authorities to establish a sustainable and efficient system of public funding for CSOs and an appropriate institutional and legal framework; insists on proper implementation, in line with legal requirements, of the law on gaming that is the largest source of public financing for CSOs;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes some progress in improving the situation of minorities; is concerned about the vulnerable position of women and girls in the Roma community including forced child marriages; welcomes the adoption of a 2016-2020 strategy and action plan for the social inclusion of Roma and Egyptians; calls for an appropriate budget to be allocated so that the action plan may be implemented properly; is concerned about persistent attacks against LGBTI community members and activists; encourages the competent authorities to continue to strengthen efforts to safeguard the rights of LGBTI people, notwithstanding the difficulties in acceptance of sexual diversity within Montenegrin society; calls on authorities to make further efforts on raising awareness about anti- discrimination among general public; remains concerned that most public buildings, including medical centres and university faculties, are still not accessible to people with disabilities;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Calls for a further strengthening of human rights institutions, including the Ombudsperson and the Ministry of Human Rights and Minorities, and is of opinion that their knowledge of international and European human rights law and standards should be increased; is concerned about the lack of a uniform approach and low levels of penalties for human rights violations;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Remains concerned about continued gender-based violencedomestic and sexual violence, as well as prevalence of femicide, widespread gender-selective abortions on the detriment of female sex, the lack of prosecutions and the inefficient support to, and protection of, victims; calls for measures to establish adequate protection services, enhance relevant inter- institutional coordination, make effective use of the new unified database of cases of domestic violence, and implement the 2016-2020 strategy on combating domestic violence; underlines the importance to educate and train employees in state institutions to work with victims; stresses the importance of encouraging women’s representation in politics, including in key decision-making positions, as well as their access to the labour market; notes the continued implementation of the 2013- 2017 action plan on gender equality; urges the competent authorities to make sufficient budget allocations for its implementation;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Notes with concern that some IPA- funded capacity-building outputs were not fully used or followed up by the authorities; stresses that for positive outcomes authorities need to ensure adequate staff availability, adopt the necessary legislation to allow the output to be used and grant the necessary independence to newly created institutions;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the new law on the environment, as well as the national strategy for the transposition and implementation of the EU acquis on the environment and climate change and its 2016-2020 action plan; stresses the need to reinforce implementation efforts, in particular in water quality, nature protection and waste management, as well as related administrative capacities at all levels; is concerned about the significant delay in establishing protection over the potential Natura 2000 site of Ulcinj Salina; calls for further efforts to preserve the biodiversity of the Salina and the sustainable development of the coastline; notes the awarding of six concession contracts for the exploration of offshore oil and gas blocks in the Adriatic Sea, and calls on authorities to keep vigilant oversight over the operations and to implement all protective measures in accordance with adopted legislation, regulations and EU acquis; calls on Montenegro to introduce legislation implementing the Third Energy Package, particularly Renewable Energy Directive;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes Montenegro’s proactive participation and constructive role in regional and international cooperation; commends Montenegro for continuing fully to align its foreign policy with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy; encourages it to continue to address, in a constructive and neighbourly spirit, outstanding bilateral issues with its neighbours, including the unresolved border demarcation issues with Serbia and Croatia; urges Montenegro to comply with the EU common positions on the integrity of the Rome Statute and related EU guiding principles on bilateral immunity agreements;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Calls on the Commission to continue the work on migration related issues with all the countries of the Western Balkans, in order to make sure that European and international norms and standards are followed, welcomes the work done so far and underlines that adequate IPA funding should be set aside to this end;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Welcomes the active participation of Montenegro in the 2016 Paris summit on Western Balkans, notably on the connectivity agenda; calls on the authorities to implement newly signed border crossing agreement with Albania and to implement the Trans-European Network Regulation with regard to licensing and permitting the open access to railway market; notes that even railway market in Montenegro has been open to competition since 2014, to date, no private operators have shown interest in entering the market; calls on new government to provide an open railway market, with transparent track access charges and capacity allocation that are fully aligned with the acquis;