29 Amendments of Željana ZOVKO related to 2018/2148(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2
Citation 2
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
- having regard to the first meeting of the EU-BiH Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (SAPC) held on 5-6 November 2015, the third meeting of the EU-BiH Stabilisation and Association Council held on 13July 2018 and the third meeting of the EU- BiH Stabilisation and Association Committee held on 27 March 2018,
Amendment 6 #
- having regard to the Joint Statement of 8 October 2018 by HR/VP Mogherini and Commissioner Johannes Hahn on the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas joint Croatian and Bosniak forces defended Orašje, and on 31 October 2016, only officers of Croatian nationality were arrested for alleged war crimes;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
Bb. whereas BiH is also a signatory to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo, 1991);
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Is concerned about the marked slowdown in the pace of reforms due to disagreements between parties and the pre- electoral campaign that started very early; stresses that the declared commitment of the BiH authorities to the European path must be matched by consistent implementation of reforms stemming from the Reform Agenda and translated into concrete results, to the benefit of citizens; regrets that, apart frorm the adoption of the countrywide strategies in the field of the environment and rural development, and of some important reform measures, such as the Law on Excise Duties, no substantial progress has been achievedLaw on Excise Duty, no substantial progress has been achieved, and is particularly concerned about the failure to adopt countrywide strategies for environmental protection, which presents an obstacle to access to IPA funds, which are important for funding and implementing the necessary projects;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Regrets that no compromisthere hwas been reached with regard to changes to the electoral legislation required to implement the Constitutional Courtno implementation of the Constitutional Court decision to amend electoral framework according to the decision in the Ljubić case on the election of the members of the Federation House of Peoples; urges all political leaders to show responsibility and amend swiftly the electoral framework in order to ensure smooth implementation of the results of the elections; stresses that holding credible elections and implementing the results is an essential feature of a well-functioning democracy, as well as a requirement for any country aspiring to join the EUto find compromises and solutions which will be acceptable to all constitutional people; stresses that holding credible elections and implementing the results and forming the government which respects the constitutional architecture is an essential feature and precondition for progress as well as for fulfilling the requirement for the EU accession;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Regrets that no compromise has been reached with regard to changes to the electoral legislation required to implement the Constitutional Court decision in the Ljubić case on the election of the members of the Federation House of Peoples; is concerned that the results of the elections held on 7 October 2018 will affect the already rather weak position of Croats as one of the three constitutive peoples in BiH; points out that the existing legal framework and electoral legislation undermine the rights of one constitutive people by preventing them from electing their member of the Presidency; urges all political leaders to show responsibility and amend swiftly the electoral framework in order to ensure smooth implementation of the results of the elections; stresses that holding credible elections and implementing the results is an essential feature of a well-functioning democracy, as well as a requirement for any country aspiring to join the EU;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Emphasises the importance of the decision of the Constitutional Court regarding the principle of constituent status and the equality of its three constitutive peoples to elect their own legitimate political representatives based on legitimate and proportional representation;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. regrets that because of not implementing the electoral law and Constitutional Court decision in Ljubić case, despite the high turnover of Croats in the elections they lost their representatives in Presidence of BiH; urges all parties to find a compromise in coming period and form a government that will reflect legitimate representation of all constituent peoples;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. regrets that because of not implementing the electoral law and Constitutional Court decision in Ljubić case, despite the high turnover of Croats in the elections they lost their representatives in Presidence of BiH; urges all parties to find a compromise in coming period and form a government that will reflect legitimate representation of all constituent peoples;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3d. Regrets that the issue of the legitimate representation of three constituent communities raised in Parliaments resolution is still an open issue, which should be addressed as soon as possible by the new legislators, including through the operationalization of the Sejdić Finci decision;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
3e. reaffirms the statement made by Mogherini and Hahn about election campaign concerns, and especially the need to form the Federation House of People's along the lines decided by the Constitutional Court in the Ljubić case;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Call for the momentum of the reform to be maintained in order to transform BiH into a fully effective, inclusive and functional state based on the Rule of Law, guaranteeing equality and democratic representation of all its constituent peoples and citizens; urges all political leaders to work on introducing the necessary changes, including the reform of electoral law, also taking into account the principles expressed in its previous Resolutions, including the principles of federalism, decentralisation and legitimate representation;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the international community to start a discussion on the necessary constitutional reforms that will guarantee the full functionality and stability of BiH; underlines that it is crucial to establish equality among all three constitutive peoples; sees, therefore, federalisation as a possible solution;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls for the adoption of further countrywide strategies in areas such as energythe environment, employment and public financial management, which will enable consistent implementation of reforms throughout the country, as well as access to further IPA funding; urges the adoption of a national programme for approximation of the country’s laws with the EU acquis, a legal requirement under the SAA and an indispensable means of preparing for EU accession;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Deplores the fact that BiH remains in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights by not implementing the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the Sejdić-Finci, Zornić, Pilav and Šlaku cases, which allows overt discrimination between citizens in BiH in flagrant contradiction with EU values; recalls that the Commission should pay attention to this issue when preparing its opinion; stresses that, as in the case of any aspiring member of the EU, BiH is expected to progressively align its legal system with the requirements of the EU acquis regarding non-discrimination, and expects progress to be made on these essential issues in due course after the electionand which blocks the flow of the government functioning and acquis communautaire; regrets, as well, that BiH did not comply with the decision of Constitutional Court on Mostar and Ljubić case; recalls that the Commission does not have competency to amend constitutional architecture which was agreed with the peace treaties; insists that implementing these rulings must not affect further implementation of the Reform Agenda;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls for the Croats, as one of the three constitutive peoples, to be guaranteed the enjoyment of all the human, political and civil rights to which they are entitled, and for them to be empowered in an institutional, political and social sense; calls for the use of the Croatian language and alphabet to be ensured in public and in the media, and for education in the Croatian language to be guaranteed;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Calls on respecting the constitutional architecture of BiH which co-creators and signatories of the peace treaties are as well Members of the European Union;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for more effective measures to combat all forms of discrimination, in particular by adopting country-wide human rights and anti-discrimination strategies; regrets that there was no progress in addressing the ‘two schools under one roof’ issue; urges that decisive action be taken at all levels in order to find systemic solutions that will ensure inclusive and non- discriminatory education for all children which is available in their native language; calls for equal status of the Croatian language in all public institutions and in public use; calls for more effective implementation of the legal provisions regarding equality between men and women; urges that progress be made towards ensuring that the rights of persons with disabilities are respected, in particular by swiftly addressing the relevant UN recommendations; acknowledges the steps taken towards the legal protection of LGBTI persons but stresses that more needs to be done in order to prosecute violence and hate crimes against them, as well as to promote their social inclusion; is concerned that lack of coordination between different levels of authority and lack of funding continue to hamper effective protection of minorities and vulnerable groups, in particular Roma people;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for more effective measures to combat all forms of discrimination, in particular by adopting country-wide human rights and anti-discrimination strategies; regrets that there was no progress in addressing the ‘twoquality and inclusive educational programmes, which would fully respect cultural and language diversity according to the UNESCO conventions; notes that adoption of programmes and curriculum on the whole territory of BiH schools under one roof’ issuuld respect cultural and language diversity of the people while respecting the constitutional architecture; urges that decisive action be taken at all levels in order to find systemic solutions that will ensure inclusive and non- discriminatory education for all children; calls for more effective implementation of the legal provisions regarding equality between men and women; urges that progress be made towards ensuring that the rights of persons with disabilities are respected, in particular by swiftly addressing the relevant UN recommendations; acknowledges the steps taken towards the legal protection of LGBTI persons but stresses that more needs to be done in order to prosecute violence and hate crimes against them, as well as to promote their social inclusion; is concerned that lack of coordination between different levels of authority and lack of funding continue to hamper effective protection of minorities and vulnerable groups, in particular Roma people;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Regrets the lack of progress on freedom of expression and the independence of the media; clearly rejects continued attempts to put political and financial pressure on the media; emphasises the importance of independent journalism as the guardian of democracy; condemns the recurrent cases of intimidation, threats, and verbal and physical attacks against journalists; calls on the authorities to collect data on these cases, ensure swift investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators and promote an environment conducive to freedom of expression; reiterates its call for the independence and sustainable financing of the public broadcasters to be ensured; deplores the fact that due to political obstruction a functional public broadcasting service, could not be established; renews its call for the transparency of media ownership to be ensured, notably through a dedicated law; calls for the amendment of the Law on Public Broadcasting Service in order to resolve the issue of the legitimacy and legality of the current Federal Television Steering Board, whose mandate has expired, and in order to urgently appoint new members of the Steering Board; condemns the elimination of media and media programmes in the Croatian language; renews its call for the transparency of media ownership to be ensured, notably through a dedicated law; calls for media pluralism to be ensured and for unrestricted broadcasting of television and radio programmes and content in the languages of all three constitutive peoples to be enabled;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Regrets the lack of progress on freedom of expression and the independence of the media; clearly rejects continued attempts to put political and financial pressure on the media; condemns the recurrent and recent cases of intimidation, death threats, and verbal and physical attacks against journalists, in particular to investigative journalist who are writing about non prosecuted war crimes cases; calls on the authorities to collect data on these cases, ensure swift investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators and promote an environment conducive to freedom of expression; reiterates its call for the independence and sustainable financing of the public broadcasters to be ensured; deplores the fact that due to political obstruction a functional public broadcasting service, could not be established; renews its call for the transparency of media ownership to be ensured, notably through a dedicated law;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Urges, as it was expressed in principles in previous Resolutions, ensuring broadcasting in all three official languages of BiH which would protect cultural diversity of all constituent peoples in BiH;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Regrets the lack of progress with regard to the reform of public administration; acknowledges the steps taken towards the development of the new country-widewelcomes the recently adopted Strategic Plan for public administration reform strategy and calls for its swift adoptionthe implementation of the adopted measures; draws attention again to the fragmentation of the policy-making system in BiH and stresses the need to improve the quality, coherence and financial affordability of public policies throughout the country; calls for the adoption of a country-wide strategy on public financial management and for increased budget transparency in BiH, as well as for stronger mechanisms to prevent inefficiency and waste of public resources, including in the area of public procurement; calls in particular for action to be taken to reduce the risk of politicisation of civil service, through an effective human resources management system at all administrative levels;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the adoption of the action plan on the implementation of the 2014-2018 Justice Sector Reform Strategy in March 2017 and the establishment of the necessary reporting and monitoring structures; points to the need for decisive action regarding its implementation; is concerned by continuing politically motivated threats against the judiciary; reiterates the need to strengthen the independence of the judiciary, including from political influence, as well as its impartiality not use different penal codes depending on community they are prosecuting, professionalism, efficiency and accountability, especially in war crime cases; welcomes the implementation of the action plan adopted by the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) aimed at strengthening appointment, disciplinary and integrity measures as regards the judiciary; calls for standardization of penal codes for war crime cases;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Expresses its concern about the rise in radicalisation and the presence of radicalised groups directly on the external borders of the European Union; calls for this issue to be tackled seriously and as a matter of priority in order to remove the security threat – both for the Republic of Croatia and the European Union as a whole; calls for the investigation of arms flows from BiH, as well as money flows into BiH, and for their use for the purposes of radicalisation to be prevented; stresses that the security situation in BiH is one of the priorities for ensuring that BiH can advance towards EU membership;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Notes with concern the increasing number of migrants arriving in BiH lately and the lack of coordination between different government levels in responding to this situation, as well as the concern of building the refugee camps on the border with the EU, without taking into consideration the concern and resistance of local communities; considers that the issue of migration should not be politicised; welcomes the EU humanitarian aid to address the increasing needs of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in the country; believes that cooperation with neighbouring countries and the EU is essential in addressing this common challenge;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Notes that progress in the areas of environmental protection and climate change has been poor; calls on BiH authorities to quickly enhance environmental protection in line with EU standards, including the prevention of transboundary air pollution and especially the pollution caused by the Bosanski Brod oil refinery, whose harmful impact is cutting across borders and affecting the quality of life and the health of people living in Slavonski Brod in the Republic of Croatia; maintains that BiH needs to comply in full with its obligations under the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo, 1991) and the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment (Kiev, 2003), not least as regards activities in the Neretva and Trebišnjica river basin;