Activities of Sofia SAKORAFA related to 2016/2310(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2016 Report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia EL
Amendments (30)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4
Citation 4
— having regard to the European Council’s decision of 16 December 2005 to grant the country the status of candidate for EU membership,; having regard to the European Council conclusions of June 2008, to the General Affairs and External Relations Council conclusions of December 2008 and the General Affairs Council conclusions of December 2014, as well as, to the General Affairs Council conclusions of 15 December 2015, and to the conclusions of 13 December 2016, which received the support of the overwhelming majority of delegations,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11
Citation 11
— having regard to UN Security Council resolutions 817 (1993) and 845 (1993), as well as to UN General Assembly resolution 47/225 and the Interim Accord of 13 September 1995,
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12
Citation 12
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
- replace "Macedonia" and "Macedonian" with "the country('s)" (Horizontal amendment applying throughout the text)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas the crisis was aggravated by revelations concerning telephone tapping with the involvement of senior government officials, alleged wrongdoing, human rights infringements, interference with the judiciary, freedom of the media and the electoral process, political encroachment and corruption in various sectors; whereas the crisis further exacerbated by the President's attempt to pardon individuals charged or allegedly involved in the wiretaps; whereas the Pržino agreement is partially implemented and limited progress was made in terms of concrete implementation of the 'Urgent Reform Priorities';
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A a (new)
Recital -A a (new)
-A a. whereas the country experienced the continuation of its worst political crisis since 2001; whereas the divisive political mentality, the lack of compromise and the collapse of dialogue took the form of a protracted political crisis which led to the boycott of Parliament by the major opposition parties, as well as, the two unsuccessful attempts to hold early parliamentary elections, further undermined confidence in public institutions; whereas it is the shared responsibility of all political forces in the country to overcome the divisive political mentality and the lack of compromise by ensuring sustainable political dialogue and cooperation, which are essential for the country's democratic development and stability, the safeguard of Rule of Law, the pursuit of the European agenda and the common good of its citizens;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas after two unsuccessful attempts to hold early parliamentary elections, the main political forces agreed to dissolve the Parliament for the second time in 2016 and called for early parliamentary elections on 11 December; whereas early parliamentary elections held in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia had a very high turnout;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas a serious commitment by all political forces is required for the country to return to its EU integration path; whereas a new government needs to adopt and implement robust reformtake ownership and to honour its undertaking to fully adopt and implement robust reforms in order to address systemic failures in the areas of rule of law, justice, corruption, fundamental rights, and home affairs;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas candidate countries are judged on their own merits and the quality of the necessary reforms determines the timetable for accession; whereas accession negotiations should be opened upon the fulfilmentl and constructive implementation of required conditions; whereas the country has been consideredan EU candidate for many years as one of the most advanced countries in termsnd has a relatively good level of alignment with the acquis;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas bilateral disputopen issues should be duly addressed in compliance with EU and UN standards and should not represent an obstacle to the opening of accession negotiationsa constructive spirit as early as possible and preferably before the opening of accession negotiations taking into account the principles and values of the UN and EU;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
F a. whereas regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations are essential elements of the enlargement process and the Stabilisation and Association Process;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
F b. whereas during the first visit of the Greek Foreign Minister to Skopje in 11 years and following this initiative, eleven Confidence-Building Measures were agreed between the two countries, mainly in the fields of political and EU affairs, education and culture, trade and economic cooperation, connectivity, justice and home affairs, as well as health cooperation; whereas the Confidence Building Measures have already started to produce tangible results;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the respect for fundamental freedoms shown at the elections of 11 December 2016; urges all political parties to accept its results in the interest of domestic stability and underlines their responsibility to ensure that there is no backsliding into political crisis; calls for a swift formation of a new government in order to make use of the mandate to carry on with necessary reforms; considers cross-party cooperationfully implement the agreements under the so- called Pržino Agreement and to carry on with necessary reforms; considers that intensive cooperation beyond the borders of the four major parties including civil society and representatives of the various minorities of the country is essential for addressing pressing social, domestic and EU- related challenges; points out, that the solution of these challenges are closely interlinked with the elaboration of a viable basic consensus by all political parties as well as social and ethnic parts of the society as regards the fundamental direction of the development of the country;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that OSCE/ODIHR considers that the early parliamentary elections were competitive, but took place in an environment characterised by widespread public mistrust in institutions and the political establishment; notes that the electoral process has improved, including the legal framework, voters’ lists and the media environment; hopes that the alleged irregularities and shortcomings, including voter intimidation, vote buying, abuse of public resources, political pressure on media, as well as, inflammatory language and verbal attacks on journalists will also be addressed effectively by the competent authorities in view of the local elections in May 2017; calls on the competent authorities to establish a cretible track record of effective scrutiny of political party and electoral campaign financing; stresses the need for a de-politicisation of the electoral administration and media in order to increase the public’s trust in future elections;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Expects the new government, in cooperation with other parties, to accelerate EU-related reforms; reiteratestake ownership and to honour its undertaking to accelerate and implement EU-related reforms; notes that the Commission its support for the opening ofprepared to extend its recommendation to open accession negotiations, conditional on the progress of the implementation of the Przhino Agreement and substantial progress in the Urgent Reform Priorities; continues to be convinced that negotiations can generate much-needed reforms and positively influence the resolution of bilateral disputes, including measures to strengthen good neighbourly relations, in line with previous Council Conclusions and established conditionality;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges once again that the political will be shown to fully implement the Urgent Reform Priorities and the Przhino Agreement; calls on the Commission to assess, at its earliest convenience but before the end of 2017when appropriate, the country’s progress on implementation and to report back to Parliament; while recalling that long overdue reforms need to be launched and implemented,encourages the country to further consolidate reforms, to reverse policies and practices which could still constitute obstacles for its European future and to secure progress in the implementation of EU-related reform priorities; supports the continuation of the High Level Accession Dialogue (HLAD) for systematically assisting the country in this endeavour; draws attention to the potential negative consequences of further delays in the country’s accession process;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Urges all parties to demonstrate the political will and responsibility to overcome the divisive political environment and re-engage in dialoguethe lack of capacity for compromise by re-engaging in sustainable political dialogue and cooperation, which are essential for the country's democratic development and stability, the safeguard of Rule of Law, the pursuit of the European agenda and the common good of its citizens; emphasises again the key role of parliament in the democratic development of the country and as the forum for political dialogue and representation; calls for its oversight functions to be strengthened; urges the smooth operation of the parliamentary committees on the interception of communications and on security and counterintelligence, their unhindered access to the necessary data and testimonies in order to provide credible parliamentary control over relevant services;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes some progress, although limited, in reforming public administration including the steps to implement the new legal framework on human resources management; remains concerned abouthat the politicisation ofcountry's public administration remains fragmented and politicised and that civil servants are subject to political pressure and intimidation; urges the new government to enhance professionalism, neutrality and independence at all levelsdemonstrate a strong political commitment in order to enhance professionalism, transparency, accountability, meritocracy, equal representation, neutrality and independence at all levels; calls in this context for the suspension and review of the implementation of the law on transformation of temporary positions into permanent contracts until the principle of merit is fully observed; stresses the need to complete the 2017- 2022 public administration reform strategy, including by making sufficient budget allocations for its implementation, and to strengthen relevant administrative capacity;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets the backsliding in the reform of the judiciary; deplores recurrent political interference in its work including in the appointment and promotion of judges and prosecutors, as well as the cases of selective justiceremains concerned that the competent authorities failed to demonstrate necessary political will to address effectively the underlying issues as identified in the 'Urgent Reform Priorities; strongly believes that the adoption and implementation of a new judicial reform strategy is key to preventing further setbacks and addressing remaining systemic shortcomings; deplores recurrent political interference in its work including in the appointment and promotion of judges and prosecutors, as well as the lack of independence and accountability, and the cases of selective justice; strongly deplores, in this context, President Ivanov's attempt to pardon individuals charged or allegedly involved in the wiretaps; stresses that, decisions of this type, only serve to deteriorate the divisive political environment and the lack of capacity for compromise, and to further undermine peoples confidence in country's institutions; urges once again that the political will be demonstrated to progress in judicial reform including by improving , in law and in practice,transparency in the appointment and promotion procedures and by reducing the length of court proceedings; calls on the relevant authorities to work on the establishment of a solid framework in order to protect judges against external pressure; calls on the authorities to ensure the professionalism of the Judicial Council;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the Special Prosecutor has raised the first criminal indictments concerning wrongdoings arising from the wiretaps; is concerned about attacks and obstruction against her work and the lack of cooperation from other institutions; considers it essential for the democratic process to fully support and enable the Special Prosecutor’s Office to carry out thorough investigations in full autonomy and independence without hindrance, of the allegations of wrong-doing brought to the fore by the wiretaps, and the related failures of oversight; strongly believes that the outcomes of the investigations constitute an important step towards restoring trust in national institutions;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Remains concerned that combating corruption is being undermined by political interference; regrets the lack of progress over the past years with respect to the outstanding issues of corruption that had been identified; stresses the need to strengthen the independence of the police, the prosecution and the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (SCPC); calls for improving transparency in the selection and appointment of SCPC members; calls, as a matter of urgency, for efforts to be made to ensure the effective prevention and punishment of conflicts of interest and to establish a credible track record on high- level corruption; encourages once again independent CSOs and the media to bring to light corruption and support independent and impartial investigations and trials; calls on the competent authorities to implement an effective legal framework for the protection of whistle-blowers, in line with European standards, 'Urgent Reform Priorities', and Venice Commission recommendations; underlines the need to re-evaluate and enhance the EU mechanism for monitoring and assessing the use of funds in the country and their potential susceptibility to feeding corruption practices and networks;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Remains concerned about radical and unjustified public attacks on CSOs and foreign representatives by politicians and the media; is concerned about limited government commitment and insufficient cooperation with CSOs at all levels; urges the competent authorities to include, in practice, CSOs in policymaking in a regular and structured manner; calls on the new government to adopt binding legal, financial and policy frameworks to ensure the functioning of civil society;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the adoption of the national strategy for equality and non- discrimination 2016-2020; is concerned about impartiality and the independence of the Commission for Protection from Discrimination; reiterates its condemnation of hate speech against discriminated groupscern about the fact that the LGBTI community continues to face discrimination and homophobic content from the media, both online and offline; reiterates its condemnation of any kind of violence against the LGBTI community and reiterates its request that those responsible to be brought to justice; is concerned that intolerance against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people persists; reiterates its call for the Anti- Discrimination Law to be aligned with the acquis as regards discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation; reminds the government and political parties of their responsibility in shaping, in law and in practice, a culture of inclusion and tolerance; underlines again the need to combat discrimination against the Roma, and to facilitate their integration and their access to the education system and the labour market; is concerned about the inhumane physical conditions in prisons, despite a significant increase in the prison budget;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Is concerned about the lack of implementation of the Law on Equal Opportunities and the limited effectiveness of institutional mechanisms to advance gender equality; urges the competent authoritiescalls for further efforts to promote gender equality and increase the participation of women in political life and employment, to improve their socio- economic situation and to strengthen women's rights on the whole; is concerned about the lack of implementation of the Law on Equal Opportunities and the limited effectiveness of institutional mechanisms to advance gender equality; points out that the economic reality in female-dominated industries like the textile and the shoe industries are marked by alarmingly low wages under the overall minimum wage in the country of 160 EUR (in 2016) and a grave disrespect of workers' rights which basically counteract the implementation of this law; urges the competent authorities to initiate appropriate economic policy adjustments for an sensitive increase of the wages in gender-segregated industries, to make sufficient budget allocations for its implementation and to improve support services to victims of domestic violence;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. IReiterates the importance of media freedom and independence as one of the core EU values and a cornerstone of any democracy; remains concerned over freedom of expression and the media, the use of hate speech, political interference and pressure, including through government advertising; regrets in this context that in the index compiled by Reporters Without Borders the country has ranked last in Europe and the Balkans falling from 34th place in 2009 to 118th in 2016, while according Freedom House 2016 report on the country's Press Freedom, the country's status changed from "partly free" to "Not Free"; calls on the government to ensure that intimidation or violence against journalists is investigated and that those responsible be brought to justice; underlines the need for the sustainability and autonomy of the public service broadcast;
Amendment 235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the maintenance ofNotes that the macro-economic situation of the country is characterized by low inflation, balanced public finances and relatively low public debt; notes, however, that a macro-economic stability butcannot be said to be the case for a constant unemployment rate of about 30 per cent for years and an equally widespread poverty within the country; is concerned that unthe employment remains high with very low labour mate, with about 15 per cent among young people and almost 38 per cent among women, is very low and thus far from the EU's own tarkget participation, especially among youth and womeof 75 per cent; calls on the Commission to define employment rates as an explicit criteria of accession and integration; further urges competent authorities to tackle long-term and structural unemployment, to promote economic policy cooperation, to better align education with labour market demands and to develop a targeted strategy on how to better integrate young people and women into the labour market; believes that this policy should also aim to prevent any forms of employment through clientelistic networks by law, to consistently enforce the existing labor law, to penalize any kind of attempts to undermine its application as well as to improve the provision of and access to social services, especially for women; is concerned about the outflow of highly educated young professionals; strongly calls on the government to dedicate particular attention to improving the perspectives of youth;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Is concerned about the significant shortcomings in the field of the environment, in particular in the area of air and water pollution; calls for a comprehensive policy and strategy on climate action to be developed that is in line with the EU 2030 framework; points out the need for the implementation of environmental policy objectives and targets to be in line with the rights and living conditions of the employees of companies concerned in order to avoid conflicts such as those at Jugohrom in Tetovo when the employees of the company, which could not satisfy environmental constraints, were forced to take unpaid leave;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes Macedonia’s continued constructive role in regional and international cooperation; commends the increased alignment with EU foreign policy (73 %)Underlines the importance of regional cooperation in line with the European agenda and European values and calls for further progress in this regard; reiterates the importance of finalising the negotiations on a bilateral treaty with Bulgaria;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Welcomes the tangible results from the confidence-building measures with Greece; strongly reiterates itsbelieves that the constructive and positive results of the Greek invitiation to the Vice-President/High Representative (VP/HR) and the Commission to develop new initiatives to overcome the remaining differences and to work, in cooperation with the two countries and the UN Special Representative, on ave of the eleven confidence-building measures could contribute to a process of confidence building, that would eventually lead to a better understanding and stronger bilateral relations, paving the way for a mutually accepted solution to the name issue, at a later stage; underlines the fact that maintaining good neighbourly relations, including a negotiated and mutually acceptable solution ton the name issue and to report back to Parliament there, under the auspices of the UN, remains essential; reiterates its full support to the UN process, which remains the key framework for a solution as it is recognised by both parties; recalls that a constructive approach to relations with neighbouring EU member states remains important while avoiding gestures, controversial actions and statements which negatively impact on good neighbourly relations;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23 a. Reiterates its position that outstanding open issues should be addressed as early as possible during the accession process in a constructive manner and in a spirit of good neighbourly relations through an intensive and open dialogue in the spirit of the common European future and, preferably, before the start of accession negotiations;