15 Amendments of Željana ZOVKO related to 2021/2002(INI)
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the strengthening of the rule of law, fighting corruption and organised crime are cornerstones of the EU-Western Balkans strategy of 2018;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)
Recital F b (new)
Fb. whereas the Instrument for Pre- accession Assistance, IPA II has funded multiple national and multi-country projects supporting a more effective administration of justice in organised crime and corruption cases in the Western Balkans, including through trial monitoring; whereas also IPA III entails specific objectives to develop effective tools to prevent and fight organised crime, trafficking in human beings and of illicit firearms, drug trafficking and money laundering;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that depriving countries of the Western Balkans of a European perspective is worsening rather than improving the situation as regards organised crime, and underlines that only by fostering the EU integration process and cooperation with Member States can it be improved;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the rule of law and the fight against corruption and organised crime are areas in which the Western Balkan countries needhave to show mortangible results in order to make progress on their EU path; calls for the EU to promote, as a priority of enlargement policy, the correct transposition of relevant international instruments targeting rule of law, corruption and organised crime;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Deplores the lack of independence of the judiciary in the Western Balkan countries and urges that a more strategic approach be adopted in addressing challenges posed by organised crime; calls for the EU to provide further assistance in order to stimulate a culture of criminal justice professionalism and performance; notes that although some progress in justice systems reform has been made, substantial efforts are still needed to reach tangible results;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Notes with great concern that the COVID-19 crisis and its socio-economic consequences have been exploited by criminal organisations, including through misuse of direct public procurement for essential medical equipment and services to healthcare structures, selling falsified COVID certificates and the increased practice of loan-sharking;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that the Western Balkan countries serve as a transit corridor for migrants and refugees and that the large population movements in recent years have posed an enormous challenge to the region and bordering Member States in fighting the smuggling of migrants; calls for greater exchange of information and enhanced coordination between countries of the Western Balkans, as well as with Member States bordering the region, and encourages the EU and its Member States to provide more assistance in addressing these issues through, inter al, such as financial and technical support, concluding informal and status agreements and fostering cooperation via, the Joint Operational Office and the Operational Platform – Eastern Mediterranean Route;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the Western Balkan countries’ commitment to combating illicit firearms trafficking, in particular the adoption of a regional roadmap at the EU- Western Balkans Summit in London, which aims to tackle the illicit possession, use, manufacturing and trafficking of firearms; stresses, however, that illicit firearms possession and trafficking remains a serious issue as the majority of weapons that are found and used in organised crime throughout the EU come from the region;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the increased cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkan countries in the fight against organised crime and encourages the EU to further support capacity building in the Western Balkans and the facilitation of police and judicial cooperation in countering organised crime; calls on Western Balkan countries for further legislative harmonisation with the EU acquis regarding public procurement, the fight against organised crime and terrorism, money laundering and cybercrime;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the conclusion of cooperation agreements between Eurojust and four Western Balkan countries, as well as the authorisation to open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina; urges the Council to authorise the opening of negotiations for a similar agreement with Kosovo, as judicial cooperation in criminal matters with all Western Balkan countries is crucial to fighting organised crime, especially human trafficking and smuggling of drugs that account for the majority of criminal activities in the region;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Commends the successful cooperation with liaison prosecutors from Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia seconded to Eurojust to provide support in cross-border investigations involving their countries; encourages, in this respect, similar cooperation with the remaining Western Balkan countries; welcomes the rising number of cases in judicial cooperation since 2019 despite the challenging circumstances caused by COVID-19 pandemic;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the agreements on operational cooperation between Europol and five Western Balkan countries, as well as the working arrangement with the law enforcement authorities of Kosovo,; calls for the full implementation of these agreements and commends the successful operations led in the context of this cooperation;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Welcomes the entry into force of status agreements with Albania, Montenegro and Serbia on border cooperation allowing the European Border and Coast Guard Agency to execute joint operations in these countries, improving the countries’ border management, fight cross-border crime and control illegal migrations; calls on the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia to ratify their respective status agreements without delay;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Underlines the crucial role of civil society organisations (CSO) in monitoring the work of governments and, judicial and law enforcement agencies, assessing track records in fighting organised crime; encourages CSO of further sharing experiences and best practices in view of understanding the nature and causes of organised crime and hereby support the prevention of radicalisation in the region; welcomes the contributions to strategic communication campaigns by stakeholders such as Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) and European Strategic Communication Network (ESCN) in; notes that legal and institutional frameworks for CSO participation are largely in place in the Western Balkan countries but regrets that their potential is not being used to the full extent;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Commends the work of investigative journalists reporting on high- profile cases and disclosing links between organised criminal groups, politicians and businesses; strongly condemns intimidation, hate speech and slandering campaigns against investigative journalists and civil society; calls on the authorities and law enforcement to ensure their protection and conditions for unhindered work; reiterates its call on the Commission and the EEAS to strengthen their cooperation with and support for civil society, NGOs and independent media on the ground;