Activities of Igor ŠOLTES related to 2016/2311(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2016 Report on Serbia (debate) SL
Amendments (17)
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas Serbia has taken important 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; whereas further steps are urgently needed in order to deal with, move forward and solve all pending issues between the two countries;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the continued engagement of Serbia on the path of integration into the EUuropean Union 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 amongin the Serbian popublic and to conduct this process in a transparent manner open to all stakeholders and in consultation with civil society organisations;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Underlines that the thorough implementation of reforms and policies remains a key indicator of a successful integration process; calls on Serbia to improve the planning, coordination and monitoring of the implementation of new legislation and policies and to set up, in this respect, an adequate and efficient administrative capacity;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Regrets that Serbia was not able to establish an agency for implementing the Instrument for Pre-Accession in Rural Development (IPARD) programme since due to the lack of staff the Department for Agrarian Payments could get access to all the funds available;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the conduct of the parliamentary elections on 24 April 2016 which were assessed positively by the international observers; calls on the authorities to fully address the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission with regard, in particular, to the public display of voters' lists and the transparency of the financing of political parties and electoral campaigning;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Commends 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; encourages Serbia to ensure that the downward trend sustain the decreasing the numberrend of asylum seekers coming into the EU from Serbia continuesfrom Serbia to the EU and to fully respect the rights of asylum applicants in Serbia;
Amendment 133 #
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 byof judiciary, namely in taking steps to harmonise jurisprudence and by further promoting a merit-based recruitment system, judicial independence is not assured in practice; 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 that needs to be established; calls for the implementation of the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights;
Amendment 147 #
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 resolution;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Points out that corruption and organized crime are widespread in the region and also represent an obstacle to Serbia's democratic, social and economic development; considers that a regional strategy and enhanced cooperation between all the countries in the region are essential to tackle these issues more effectively;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Expresses its concern at the incidents that took place last April concerning the "Savamala" project with regard, in particular, to the demolition of private property by masked people; urges the competent authorities to fully cooperate with the ongoing judicial investigation and calls for the perpetrators to be brought to justice;
Amendment 193 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates the importance of independent regulatory bodies, including the Ombudsman, in ensuring oversight and accountability of the executive; calls on the authorities to provide the Ombudsman with full political and administrative support for his work and to refrain from unfounded political attacks;
Amendment 224 #
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 political interference, threats, violence and, intimidation and physical attacks against journalists remain an issue of concern; calls on the authorities to investigate any cases of attacks against journalists and media outlets and bring perpetrators to justice; calls for the full implementation of media laws; underlines the need for complete transparency in media ownership and funding of media;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Calls on the government of Serbia and high ranking officials to stop smear campaigns and verbal attacks against critical journalists and media outlets, to unequivocally condemn all attacks against journalists and media outlets and make clear that violence and threats against journalists will not be tolerated and to take concrete steps to accelerate the work of the commission established to investigate the murder of prominent journalists and the trial against state security officials suspected of involvement; encourages the EU delegation and the embassies of the Member States to regularly attend and monitor trials against journalists and media professionals;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the factNotes that Serbia remains constructively committed to bilateral relations with othersome enlargement countries and neighbouring EU Member States; has takentook 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; calls on Serbia to promote a climate of respect and tolerance and condemn all forms of hate speech, public approval and denial of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes; 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 prosecutorial strategy; calls for full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (effective investigation of high-profile war crimes cases and for improving regional cooperation in war crime cases; deplores the refusal of the Serbian authorities to act upon the ICTY court order for the arrest of three members of the Radical party issued in 2015 and calls for full cooperation with the ICTY); urges the authorities to continue working on the issue of the fate of missing personsstep up their efforts on the issue of the fate of missing persons; reiterates its support for the initiative to establish the Regional commission for the establishment of facts about war crimes and other serious violations of human rights committed in the former Yugoslavia (RECOM) and urges the government of Serbia to take the lead on its establishment;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Calls on Serbia to fully implement the connectivity reform measures in the energy sector; encourages Serbia to develop competition in the gas market and to take measures to improve the alignment with the acquis in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy, renewable energy and the fight against climate change; calls, in this respect, for the ratification of the Paris Climate agreement; urges the development of a hydropower strategy for the Western Balkans as a whole in line with EU environmental legislation;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Points out that Serbia has yet to adopt formally the Water Management Strategy and has not yet revised the Law on Waters and the National Danube River Basin Management Plan; stresses that these laws are of fundamental importance for further aligning with the EU acquis and for improving the implementation of the EU directives in the water sector;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23 b. Expresses its concern at the reports from the Batut medical institute that have shown that since the NATO bombing in 1999 the number of leukaemia-related deaths and new diagnosis has sharply increased; urges the Commission to support further investigation and research on this problem and to explore the possibility to provide the Serbian authorities with the adequate technical and medical assistance to cope with this emergency situation;