Activities of Angel DZHAMBAZKI related to 2016/2311(INI)
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (19)
Amendment 22 #
B. whereas Serbia has taken some important administrative steps towards the normalisation of relations with Kosovo, resulting in the First Agreement on the Principles of Normalisation of Relations of 19 April 2013 and the August 2015 agreements; remarks however, that recent events regarding the first train ride on the direct link between the Serbian capital, Belgrade, and Mitrovica, in northern Kosovo, since 2008, as well as the remarks by the Serbian President, have resulted in a politically precarious situation of military dynamics and which undermine other efforts taken towards a normalisation of the relations between Kosovo and Serbia;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas fighting organised crime and corruption in Serbia remains fundamental to countering criminal infiltration of the political, legal and economic systems and is one of the priorities in the EU accession process;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. WelcomNotes 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; welcomfurther notes the opening of Chapters 32 (Financial Control) and 35 (Other Issues), 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); regrets and underlines, that no progress was made to improve conditions for the full exercise of freedom of expression, which is of particular concern to the protection of minorities, which have not seen an improvement of oppressive actions by the government, as well as being a pre-condition for possible future accession;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. WelcomNotes the continued political engagement of Serbia on the path of integration into the EU and its constructive and well-prepared approach to the negotiations, which is a clear sign of determination and political will; calls on Serbia to actively promote this strategic decision among the Serbian population, without differentiation between minority groups, heritage and nationality; calls on Serbia to further integration and the proper implementation of human rights EU legislation, especially for minority groups in the Republic of Serbia;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the progress made by Serbia in developing a functioning market economy and the improvement of the overall economic situation in the country; stresses that Serbia has made good progress in addressing some of its policy weaknesses, in particular with regard to the budget deficit; highlights that growth prospects have improved and domestic and external imbalances have been reduced; underlines that the restructuring of publicly owned enterprises has advanced; notes the paramount importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to Serbia's economy; regrets however, that no improvement has been seen on the Serbian policy regarding the status of minorities, nor promoting their economic inclusion;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the conduct of the parliamentary elections on 24 April 2016 which were in general assessed positively by the international observers with the exception to noting biased media coverage, undue advantage taken by incumbent parties at official events during the electoral campaign, and a blurring of the distinction between state and party activities; calls on the authorities to fully address these problems and the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission, in particular ensuring transparency of the campaign financing and the registration process;
Amendment 119 #
7. CommendNotes Serbia’s constructive approach in dealing with the migration crisis; takes positive note of the fact that Serbia has made substantial efforts to ensure that third country nationals receive shelter and humanitarian supplies with EU and international support; stresses that Serbia should adopt and implement the new asylum law; calls on the Commission and the Council to provide continued support for Serbia in addressing migration challenges, as well as closely monitor the application of financial subsidies for the organization and handling of migrant flows, in order to avoid abuse of financial subsidies; encourages Serbia to ensure that the downward trend in the number of asylum seekers coming into the EU from Serbia continues;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that, while some progress has been made in the area relating to the judiciary, in particular by taking steps to harmonise jurisprudence and further promoting a merit-based recruitment system, judicial independence is not assured in practice; further efforts are needed to put the legal framework in line with European standards to reduce political influence in the recruitment and appointment of judges and prosecutors; stresses that the quality and efficiency of the judiciary and access to justice remain undermined by an uneven distribution of the workload, a burdensome case backlog and the lack of a free legal aid system;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Is concerned by the lack of progress in the fight against corruption and urges Serbia to show clear political will and commitment in tackling this issue as well as limit the political influence over law enforcement agencies; regrets that corruption remains prevalent in many areas and continues to be a serious problem; calls on Serbia to step up the implementation of the national anti- corruption strategy and action plan, and calls for the establishment of an initial track record on investigations, prosecutions and convictions for high-level corruption; calls on Serbia to swiftly adopt a new law on the Anti-Corruption Agency in order to improve the planning, coordination and monitoring of the implementation of new legislation and policies and ensure adequate capacity and resources of all key institutions fighting corruption; urges Serbia to amend and implement the economic and corruption crimes section of the criminal code with a view to providing a credible and predictable criminal law framework;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the progress made in the fight against organised crime and the adoption of Serbia’s first national serious and organise crime threat assessment (SOCTA); calls on Serbia to step up efforts to investigate wider criminal networks, improve financial investigations and intelligence-led policing and develop a solid track record of final convictions; has taken note of the controversial events in Belgrade’s Savamala district and calls for their swift resolutionurges Serbia to establish a secure platform to exchange intelligence between law enforcement agencies and ensure coherence between the new law on the organisation of the police and the criminal procedure code; has taken note of the controversial events in Belgrade’s Savamala district and calls for their swift resolution; welcomes Serbia's continued good international and regional cooperation in the fight against drugs but further efforts are needed in the fight against other areas of organized crime such as trafficking in human beings and money laundering;
Amendment 167 #
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 and last-minute changes to the parliamentary agenda 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; stresses, that clear rules and division of powers are essential to an efficient and democratic framework; regrets 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 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the adoption of the public financial management reform programme, e-government strategy, a strategy on regulatory reform and policy- making, new laws on general administrative procedures, public salaries and civil servants at provincial and local government level; calls on Serbia to enforce and amend the current civil service framework to guarantee the neutrality and continuity of the public administration and to ensure merit-based recruitment, promotion and dismissal procedures by eradicating exceptions and transitional arrangements in appointments; notes that the implementation of the public administration reform action plan has been slow in some areas, and that no progress has been made in amending the legal framework for central government civil servants;
Amendment 209 #
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 221 #
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; stresses that threats, violence and intimidation against journalists and minority groups remain an issue of concern; calls on the authorities to investigate any cases of attacks against journalists and, media outlets and minority groups; calls for the full implementation of media laws; underlines the need for complete transparency in media ownership and funding of media; calls for guaranteeing the financial viability of media content in minority languages and increasing the role of public broadcasters in this area;
Amendment 236 #
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 and non-discriminate access to the fund; reiterates its call on Serbia to ensure consistent implementation of legislation on protection of minorities, including throughout the entire territory, tackling regional differences, particularly in relation to education, use of languages, representation in public administration and access to media and religious services in minority languages;
Amendment 263 #
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; regrets, however, recent statements by high-level officials that could jeopardize the good neighbourly relations; strongly condemns any form of hateful activity towards neighbouring countries such as conferences, seminars, TV shows and encourages the Serbian authorities to refrain from any direct or indirect sponsoring and supporting such activities; 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 but should be solved as early as prosecutorial strategy; calls for full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY); urges the authorities to continue working on the issue of the fate of missing personsible in the accession process;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Welcomes the adoption of a national strategy for the investigation and prosecution of war crimes; regrets, however, recent actions aiming at rehabilitating war criminals; 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 full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY); urges the authorities to continue working on the issue of the fate of missing persons;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20 b. Calls on enhancing cooperation with neighbouring states in border areas, in particular by developing transport and communication links that will improve cross-border relations, stimulate economic cooperation, and create incentives for direct investments in these areas;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22 a. Is concerned about the recent events regarding the first train ride on the direct link between the Serbian capital, Belgrade, and Mitrovica, in northern Kosovo, since 2008, and resulting tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, going as far as military threats; notes the remarks by Serbian authority figures, stating Kosovo to appertain to Serbia;