20 Amendments of Igor ŠOLTES related to 2016/2309(INI)
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas corruption and organised crime remains a serious concern;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas civil society organisations (CSOs) are partly being included in the reform process in Montenegro;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the continued steady progress in the accession negotiations, noting that so far 26 chapters have been opened for negotiations and 2 chapters have been provisionally closed; encourages Montenegro to work on meeting all benchmarks and to continue focusing on the fundamentals of the accession process; recalls that it is essential to deliver concrete results with a strong and sustainable implementation record;
Amendment 49 #
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; 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; expects that political independence of the State Election Commission is to be sustained; 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 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Notes the attempts by Russia to influence developments in Montenegro;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes the attempts by Russia to influence developments in Montenegro; iIs concerned about the serious incidents that occurred on 16 October 2016, and calls on the Vice-President of the European Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR), and on the Commission, to follow closely ongoing investigations by the competent authorities; considers it important that relevant services of the Member States share information pertaining to these incidents among themselves and with the VP/HR and the Commission; calls on relevant authorities to investigate in a politically neutral manner and to objectively inform the wider public about evidence gathered and conclusions generated;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Is deeply concerned about the government's decision to suspend the internet services of Viber and WhatsApp on election day as reported by OSCE/ODIHR and calls on competent authorities to investigate relevant decisions and measure and their compatibility with both national laws, constitutional provisions and EU principles and standards; is deeply concerned about the hacking of the website of the Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) a few days before elections which also hindered the work of civil society organisations in monitoring elections;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Urges both Government and Parliament to introduce the criminal offence of illicit enrichment by public officials in accordance with United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) into the Montenegrin criminal code;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Invites the Government to improve access to public information, especially in relation to large infrastructure projects such as the construction of highways, privatisation, public procurements and judicial operations;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes progress in judiciary reform, including improved institutional capacities; remains concerned about undue influence on judicial independence, especially with regard to the appointment of judges; emphasises the need to strengthen the accountability of the judiciary by developing a track record of implementation of codes of ethics and of the new disciplinary systems for judges and prosecutors; stresses the need to rationalise the judicial network, and to further improve capacities to monitor backlogs at courts and to reduce further the number of pending cases; is concerned about the lack of institutional and individual accountability and responsibility for insufficient results when it comes to processing indictments for corruption, money laundering and organised crime;
Amendment 94 #
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 on the new government to make combating corruption one of its priorities by allocating sufficient human and budgetary resources to the task; emphases the importance of politically impartial, professional and transparent activities of the Anti- Corruption Agency, especially with regard to high-level corruption cases and political party financing;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Remains concerned about the state of media freedom in Montenegro; urges again the competent authorities to resolve the long-pending cases of violence, including the 2004 murder case, against, intimidation of and threats made to journalists, to take measures to protect media professionals and to create a safe environment for free journalism; is also concerned about attacks perpetrated by police forces and about recent cases of pressure and intimidation against journalists, including smear campaigns, physical attacks and threats, as well as cases of interference with media during anti-government demonstrations, including arbitrary arrests and seizure of equipment; is also concernend by continued lack of proper investigation into these attacks and of resolution of these cases, leading to a chilling effect on freedom of expression; insists on transparent state advertising in private media, on the amendment of the Montenegrin criminal code and on the introduction of new criminal offenses aimed at preventing and punishing attacks on journalists discharging their professional duties; acknowledges the legal measures taken to provide greater financial independence and sustainability for the public service broadcaster RTCG, and calls for further steps to ensure its independence, including editorial independence; encourages the EU Delegation and EU Member States to more regularly attend trials against journalists and media professionals;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Express concerns of the continued detention of journalist Jovo Martinovic and the lack of due process of his trial, by the use of civil defamation lawsuits disproportionately targeting critical media outlets and journalists;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Calls on the authorities of Montenegro to release journalist Jovo Martinovic on bail and respect due process standards in his trial;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. WHonours the fact that according to its constitution Montenegro is an ecological state; 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, 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 and national parks; is concerned about significant delays in establishing protection over protected areas which are identified as potential Natura 2000 network areas; calls on Montenegro to introduce legislation implementing the Third Energy Package;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Recognises concerns expressed in the framework of the Ramsar and Bern conventions regarding the development process of the Special Purpose Spatial Plan for Skadar Lake National Park and the infinite opportunities it leaves for the creation of large scale tourist infrastructure development; is deeply concerned about threats to the ecological integrity and eco-touristic value of the potential Natura 2000 site Skadar Lake National Park due to the construction project Porto Skadar Lake; recalls the need for sound and strategic environmental impact assessments in line with the EU acquis and international standards;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17 b. Continues to be deeply concerned about unsustainable hydropower development, especially including hydropower plants development on Morača river and their significant impacts on Skadar lake which is internationally recognized as Ramsar, Emerald site, Important Bird Area (IBA) and Important Plant Area (IPA);
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17 c. Notes the intention of the Montenegrin Government to build around 80 hydropower plants; is concerned about the fact that many of these plants are being planned without sound environmental impact assessment, in particular with regard to the protection of biodiversity and their impact on protected areas as required by EU legislation; calls for strategic planning approach in accordance with the guiding principles for sustainable hydropower development of the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River set under the Danube River Protection Convention to which Montenegro is a signatory state; stresses the need to abandon large scale hydropower projects on the river Morača as these have significant adverse effects on lake Skadar and river Tara, which are protected under international and national legislation; recalls that the Skadar Lake is internationally recognized as Ramsar and Emerald site, as important bird and plant area;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17 d. Stresses the need to implement international commitments in the field of climate change mitigation; is deeply concerned about the Government's plan to develop the Pljevlja II coal-fired power plant which is incompatible with the commitments made under the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. WelcomNotes the fact that Montenegro’'s NATO Accession Protocol was signed in May 2016 and is currently being ratified by NATO members; encourages NATO members within the EU to prioritise the ratification process and to recognise that NATO membership for Montenegro is an important symbolic and strategic part of the country’s Euro- Atlantic integration process;