31 Amendments of Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS related to 2022/2199(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7
Citation 7
— having regard to the outcomes of the first intergovernmental conference with Albania of 19 July 2022 and to the opening of accession negotiations with Albania,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15
Citation 15
— having regard to the declarations of the EU-Western Balkans summits, held in Sofia on 17 May 2018, Zagreb on 6 May 2020, Brdo pri Kranju on 6 October 2021 and Tirana on 6 December 2022,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the rules and values based enlargement is the most effective EU foreign policy instrument and represents a geostrategic investment in long-term peace, democracy, stability and security throughout the continent;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas each country should be judged on its own merits and the conditionality-based accession process should not be misused to settle bilateral disputes;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the EU is a community of cultural and linguistic diversity, based on solidarity and mutual respect among its peoples;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas malign foreign direct and proxy interference and disinformation aim to sow discord, violence, inter-ethnic tensions and to destabilise the whole region;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine highlights the critical importance of EU enlargement and exposes the need to increase resilience to malign foreign interference into democratic processes, aiming to destabilise the region by sowing discord and provoking tensions and violence;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas democratic transformation, the rule of law and reconciliation play a central role in the EU accession process and each accession country should demonstrate robust irreversible results in democratic resilience and socio-economic transformation;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas accession negotiations are a clear recognition of the progress achieved and mark a new phase in EU- Albania relations and demand a united commitment in order to prepare for EU membership;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the EU remains fully committed to support Albania’s strategic choice for EU integration; whereas Albania remains an important geopolitical ally and a trustworthy foreign policy partner, thanks to its efforts to advance regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the EU remains the main political and economic partner of the Western Balkan countries; , mobilising an unprecedented cross-cutting additional support in the wake of the pandemics and Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine; ;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas Albania has been heavily targeted by Russian disinformation and other hybrid attacks, and should strengthen protection of its critical infrastructure, cyber-security, counter- disinformation and energy transition measures;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes Albania’s steadfast commitment to EU integration, reflecting the consensus among political parties and overwhelming support among citizens; commends its solidarity, good neighbourly relations, regional cooperation and consistent, full alignment with the EU’s foreign and security policy, including its clear-cut response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes Albania’s steadfast strategic commitment to EU integration, reflecting the consensus among political parties and overwhelming support among citizens; commends its solidarity and consistent, full alignment with the EU’s foreign and security policy, including its clear-cut response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Welcomes the support measure for the Balkan Medical Task Force amounting to EUR 6 million under the European Peace Facility, which procures the necessary equipment and materiel for the medical units of the Armed Forces of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Encourages its policymakers to accelerate the reforms that enabled the first long overdue intergovernmental conference and a successful start to the screening process, and to demonstrate steady progress in guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights; urges decision-makers to work jointly towards meeting the membership criteria by 2030; stresses the need to strengthen the transparency, accountability and inclusiveness of the accession process by the government, including its parliamentary dimension;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Encourages the Commission to speed up cross-cutting integration with enlargement countries in the fields of economy and single market, energy and transport, social policy, education, digitalisation, research and innovation, agriculture and rural development, justice and home affairs, civil protection, foreign affairs, security and defence, including cybersecurity;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Commends Albania’s commitment to completing its comprehensive justice reform and looks forward to its implementation; encourages the country to intensify steps aimed at finalising the vetting process and ensuring universal justice through cross-cutting measures;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Albanian authorities to urgently address the outstanding electoral and party financing recommendations well ahead of the 2025 parliamentary elections;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Insists on adequate funding for and the effective and impartial functioning of independent bodies and agencies; recognises the contribution of independent civil society and the media in the fight against corruption and stresses the importance of their effective involvement on EU integration and other consultative mechanisms, as legitimate partners in the process;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Insists on adequate funding for and the effective and impartial functioning of independent bodies and agencies; recognises the contribution of independent civil society and the media in the fight against corruption;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes the ongoing progress and looks forward to systematic improvements and concrete results in the prevention, proactive investigation and prosecution of and non-selective final convictions for cases involving corruption and organised crime; calls for further progress in establishing a comprehensive, efficient, soundly coordinated and accountable public administration;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Expresses its concern with the aspects of the draft law on fiscal amnesty and the proposed citizenship by investment scheme that are incompatible with EU norms and its visa policy and would pose risks as regards security, money laundering, tax evasion, terrorist financing, corruption and infiltration by organised crime ; welcomes Prime Minister Rama’s announcement to suspend the golden passport project;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for continued action to reduce unfounded asylum claims by Albanian nationals, while tackling criminal trafficking networks and increasing cooperation with the EU’s justice and home affairs agencies; welcomes successful international investigations and police operations to combat the trafficking of people, narcotics and firearms, and online fraud; stresses that countering cybercrime, trafficking in human beings and money laundering remain areas in which additional results are needed; calls on the authorities to step up its fight against child sexual abuse online which remains a concern;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Condemns malign foreign interference and hybrid attacks, including disinformation, espionage, incitement to all forms of radicalisation and cyberattacks against Albanian citizens and critical infrastructure; invitescondemns the irresponsible use of the private data of citizens by one political party; calls on the authorities to take measures to prevent data leaks by considerably strengthening cybersecurity and accelerate efforts to align its legislation with the EU acquis on personal data protection;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes the legal steps taken to eliminate discrimination against minorities, and calls for practical steps in order to ensure their inclusion, namely the inclusion of LGBTI+, Roma and Egyptian minorities; recalls the need to combat gender-based violence, step up child protection, adopt and implement legislation on minority rights, strengthen property rights and conduct a population census according to European standards; underlines the importance of removing barriers to the socioeconomic inclusion of persons with disabilities;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Notes the legal steps taken to eliminate discrimination against minorities, and calls for practical steps in order to ensure their inclusion, namely the inclusion of LGBTI+, Roma and Egyptian minorities; recalls the needurges the authorities to step up their work to combat gender-based violence, step up child protection, adopt and implement legislation on minority rights, strengthen property rights and conduct a population census; underlines the importance of removing barriers to the socioeconomic inclusion of persons with disabilities;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls on the authorities to engage in dialogue with civil society organisations working on the rights of the LGBTI+ community and ensure the legal framework and the implementation of legislation guarantee the inclusion and protection of members of the community; calls on the authorities to continue cooperating with organisations representing the Roma and Egyptian community to ensure their well-being and integration into society;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Expresses its concern with the lack of progress on achieving institutional transparency, freedom of expression and media freedom and stresses the role of political leaders in creating an enabling environment for the pursuit of these freedoms; condemns attempts to discredit reporters and arbitrarily withhold public information, as well as the failure to ensure the safety of journalists; urges the authorities to take immediate action against political and economic interference in the media and intimidation against reporters; welcomes the withdrawal of the draft anti- defamation legislationcondemns any regulatory attempts aiming at increasing the political control over media institutions; welcomes in this context the withdrawal of the draft anti- defamation legislation; deplores the fact that only a minority of Albanian media have a sustainable business model and transparent funding; urges the government to ensure the independence of the public broadcaster and media regulator and the transparency of media ownership, financing and public advertising;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Urges the authorities to counter disinformation and manipulative narratives by promoting media literacy and improving the working conditions of journalists; welcomes the work of the Alliance for Ethical Media of Albania aiming at rigorously implementing the Code of Ethics of Journalists; calls on the Association of Professional Journalists of Albania and its members to adhere to the highest industry standards, in particular by adopting the Journalism Trust Initiative set up by Reporters Without Borders, to maintain trust and fight against disinformation;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Underlines the importance of an inclusive framework for meaningful civil society engagement in decision-making processes; calls on the authorities to build trust and ensure they are given opportunities of involvement, at both national and local governmental level, to actively participate in the EU integration processes through effectively functioning of the mechanisms in place;