17 Amendments of Nikos ANDROULAKIS related to 2016/2309(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8
Citation 8
— having regard to the preliminary findings and conclusions of the OSCE/ODIHR concerningFinal Report of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission on the parliamentary elections of 16 October 2016,
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Euro-Atlanticpean integration is Montenegro’s key foreign policy priority;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Euro-Atlantic integratU accession is Montenegro’s key foreign policy priority;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas concerns remain about the polarised domestic climate and the boycott of the opposition in Parliament; whereas the continuation of instability might slow down the pace of EU-related reforms; whereas sustainable dialogue and constructive cooperation between ruling coalition and opposition are critical to maintaining progress in the accession process;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas civil society organisations (CSOs) are being included in the reform process in Montenegroable to participate in working groups, including for accession negotiations, but have expressed dissatisfaction with the level of their involvement in policy-making and the degree of their access to information; whereas it is extremely worrying that some civil society activists have been personally targeted by the media through smear campaigns;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas freedom of expression and media freedom are core EU values and cornerstones of any democracy; whereas the Montenegrin media community is highly politicised, censorship and self- censorship persist, and economic and political pressures on journalists occur; whereas Reporters Without Borders ranks Montenegro only 106th out of 181 countries in its World Press Freedom Index; whereas the CSO Human Rights Watch reported that there were 25 threats and attacks against journalists in Montenegro since August 2015; whereas many cases of attacks against journalists remain unresolved, including the murder of Dusko Jovanovic in 2004;
Amendment 31 #
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; commends the adoption by the government of the 2017-2018 Programme of Accession of Montenegro to the EU; encourages Montenegro to work on meeting all benchmarks and to continue focusing on the fundamentals of the accession process, strengthening the rule of law and effectively fighting corruption; recalls that it is essential to deliver concrete results with a strong implementation record;
Amendment 45 #
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 fact that the turnout was the highest since 2002; 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, in line with the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations; notes with regret that part of the opposition has not recognised the results of the elections; recognisestakes note of the attempts by external actors to discredit the electoral process and the difficulties this has caused;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes the attempts by Russia to influence developments in Montenegro; is 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; commends the willingness of Serbia to cooperate in the ongoing investigation; 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;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Continues to be deeply concerned about the polarised domestic climate and the boycott of parliamentary activities by members of the opposition; urges again all political forces to end the boycott and re- engage in constructive cooperation within the Montenegrin parliament; calls for further reinforcement of the parliament’'s scrutiny of the accession process and capacity for budget oversight; insists repeatedly on the need for a due follow-up on the ‘'audio-recording affair’';
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. While acknowledging CSOs’ involvement in the accession preparations, calls on the competent authorities to further improve CSOs’ access to EU-related information and to ensure that consultations with CSOs are held in a meaningful way, where possible; is deeply concerned that smear campaigns and intimidation attempts have continued against certain CSO activists; calls on the relevant authorities to create conditions conducive to voluntary work and a greater degree of civic engagement;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes some progress in improving the situation of minorities; welcomes the adoption of a 2016-2020 strategy and action plan for the social inclusion of Roma and Egyptians; calls for an appropriate budget to be allocated so that the action plan may be implemented properly; remains concerned about the access of Roma, Egyptian minorities and Ashkali people to health care, education, housing and employment; calls on the authorities to address the double discrimination of Roma women on account of both their ethnicity and their gender; encourages the competent authorities to continue to strengthen efforts to safeguard the rights of LGBTI people, notwithstanding the difficulties in acceptance of sexual diversity within Montenegrin society; calls on the authorities to urgently roll out systematic anti-discrimination campaigns in schools and universities; remains concerned that most public buildings, including medical centres and university faculties, are still not accessible to people with disabilities; remains concerned that the number of employed people with disabilities is still very limited, and calls on the authorities to utilise fully the resources from the Professional Rehabilitation Fund in accordance with its purpose;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Remains concerned about continued gender-based violence, the lack of prosecutions, the extremely mild penal policy for perpetrators and the inefficient support to, and protection of, victims; calls for measures to establish adequate protection services, enhance relevant inter- institutional coordination, to prosecute and punish perpetrators efficiently in line with international standards, to make effective use of the new unified database of cases of domestic violence, and to implement the 2016-2020 strategy on combating domestic violence; stresses the imcalls on the competent authorities to ensure proper protection, long term accommodation, financial support ance of encouraging women’s representation in politics, as well as their access to the labour market; notes the continued implementation of the 2013-2017 action plan on gender equalityd educational programs for victims of forced marriages and efficient prosecution of perpetrators; regrets that Montenegro has only 22% female Members of Parliament; stresses the importance of equal representation of women and men in politics; regrets that women remain underrepresented in the labour market; calls for effective measures to overcome the issues of undeclared work and the concentration of women in low- paid sectors of employment, and to address the lack of flexible work arrangements and childcare facilities; notes the continued implementation of the 2013-2017 action plan on gender equality; regrets that there is a lack of gender mainstreaming and gender impact assessment of social and employment policies;
Amendment 144 #
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 against, intimidation of and threats made to journalists, to take measures to protect media professionals and to create a safe environment for free journalism; 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; calls on the EU Delegation in Montenegro to observe the trial of the journalist Jovo Martinovic;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. While noting favourable economic developments, urges the new government to launch further structural reforms with a view to improving the business and investment climate, including measures aimed at reducing the informal sector, and to pu while enhancing social rights and consumer protection; and to implement economic reforms that will create jobs and growth, build a more diversue efforts to diminish state involveconomy and a sustainable fiscal framework; insists on the need to effectively fight tax evasion; strongly believes that the opening of chapter 19 on social policy and employment ins the economy; callbest incentive for the government to accelerate its fwor the rationalisation of public spending, as well as for intensified efforts to strengthen the rule of law and contract enforcementk in addressing Montenegro's key challenges regarding social inclusion, poverty reduction and reducing the informal employment sector; welcomes the memorandum of understanding with the International Labour Organisation (ILO); calls for improvements in the social dialogue and the involvement of the social council regarding regulations related to social partners' competences;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. 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; reiterates that Lake Skadar is officially designated as a national park and Ramsar site and therefore the authorities should undertake the necessary protection and conservation measures in order to maintain its ecological characteristics; notes that the authorities plan to transform the public enterprise National Parks into a state- owned, limited liability company; calls on the government of Montenegro not to use this transformation as a gateway for future privatisation and to ensure that the transformation does not have any negative impact on the protection of national parks in Montenegro; calls on Montenegro to introduce legislation implementing the Third Energy Package;
Amendment 200 #
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 prioritisconclude the ratification process and to recognise that NATO membership for Montenegro is an important symbolic and strategic part of the country’s Euro- Atlantic integrat; recalls that the EU accession negotiations are independent from the NATO accession process;