Activities of Željana ZOVKO related to 2022/2204(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2022 Report on Serbia (debate)
Amendments (25)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
— having regard to the Zagreb Declaration adopted at the EU-Western Balkans Summit of 6 May 2020,
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas Serbia as a candidate country should be judged on its own merits, that includes respect and unwavering commitment for European shared rights and values and alignment with EU’s foreign and security policy;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas Serbia has not imposed sanction against Russia following the unprovoked and illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas Serbia’s alignment rate with European common foreign and security policy has dropped from 64% in 2021 to 45% in 2022;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas Serbia is the biggest beneficiary of the EU’s pre-accession assistance in the Western Balkans amounting 1.404 billion in IPA II funding since 2014;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas the EU is Serbia’s biggest trading partner and investor, amounting to €1.85 billion in direct investment in 2021;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. whereas over the next seven years, the EU will mobilize up to €30 billion in cooperation with international financial institutions through the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans launched in 2020;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the fact that EU membership continues to be Serbia’s strategic goal; underlines the fact that progress on the rule of law and fundamental rights, the normaliscommitment to the shared European rights and values, the normalisation and de-escalation of relations with Kosovo and alignment with the CFSP will determine the dynamics of the accession process;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Regrets Serbia’s continued low level of alignment with the CFSP that has dropped to 45% since the last report, in particular in the context of the Russian war on Ukraine; underlines the fact that, as a candidate country, Serbia must adhere to the EU’s principles and policies, and alignment with a warmongering autocratic regime is unacceptable;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. NWelcomes Serbia’s support for territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine; notes Serbia’s alignment with the EU in voting in favour of relevant UN General Assembly resolutions and Russia’s suspension from the Human Rights Council; regrets, however, the fact that Serbia has consistently failed to align with the EU’s restrictive measures against Russia and Belarus; deplores Serbia’s close relationship with Russia;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Expresses concern about the decreasing public support forthat according to the latest polls a majority of Serbian citizens are against joining the EU; calls on Serbian government, the Commission, EU mMembership in Serbia States and the EU Delegation to Serbia to pursue more active and effective communication strategy in order to promote the role and benefits of EU funded projects and reforms;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls on Serbian political leaders to use clear and unambiguous communication on Serbia’s European path and close relationship with the EU
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes the initial steps taken by Serbia to align with the EU’s list of non- EU countries whose nationals require visas for the EU and calls for further alignment, in particular with those third countries with present irregular migration or security risk to the EU;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the adoption of measures on improving the electoral conditions and media environment ahead of the April 2022 elections as a result of the inter-party dialogue facilitated by the European Parliament; welcomes the readiness of all political parties to take part in the work of National Assembly the readiness of the National Assembly to continue this dialogue;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes the conclusions of the final report of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe / Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights election observation mission, according to which the 3 April 2022 parliamentary elections presented diverse political options, but a number of shortcomings resulted in an uneven playing field, favouring the incumbents; calls on the Serbian authorities to fully address the outstanding recommendations well ahead of the next elections in order to avoid recorded irregularities;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. CNotes the disproportionate visibility given to third countries and their media outlets on behalf of Serbia; condemns the opening of an RT (formerly Russia Today) office in Belgrade and the launch of its online news service in Serbian; urges the Serbian authorities to counter hybrid threats and align with the Council’s decision on the suspension of the broadcasting activities of Sputnik and RT; calls on Serbia to fight disinformation, including manipulative anti-EU narratives;
Amendment 271 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Regrets the fact that the REM awarded four national frequencies to pro- government channels that have a history of violating journalistic standards, including spreading disinformation and supporting Kremlin’s narrative on Russia’s war in Ukraine; calls for the fifth licence to be awarded through a transparent and impartial process to create a more pluralistic media space;
Amendment 295 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the significant representation of national minorities in the new parliament; welcomes the appointment of representative of Croatian minority as Minister of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue in the new Serbian government;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)
Paragraph 23 d (new)
23 d. Regrets Serbia’s actions that are appropriating Croatian cultural heritage and the origin of its literary tradition and putting in question the status of Croatian language; calls on Serbia to create a positive atmosphere for education in minority languages and deplores the violation of minority rights in this area;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Calls on the Serbian authorities to step up efforts to ensure non- discriminatory treatment of national minorities and to actively pursue investigations and convictions for hate- motivated crimes; calls on Serbia to ensure that minority groups have equal opportunities, adequate representation in political and cultural life, public media, the administration and judiciary; calls on Serbia to protect and promote cultural heritage, languages and traditions of its national minorities;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Calls on Serbian government to ensure the equal rights for Croatian minority in Serbia as Serbian minority enjoys in Croatia; calls on Serbia to show sincere commitment in resolving outstanding issues in regards to the status of the Croatian minority in Serbia, especially in terms of non-discriminatory use of Croatian language in education, public administration and dedicated media space as well as respect for Croatian cultural heritage and traditions in Serbia; calls on Serbian government to secure right of education in Croatian language, dedicated media space, funding and adequate facilities for the Croatian community;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Notes Serbia’s engagement in regional cooperation initiatives; encourages it to step up its reconciliation efforts and seek solutions to past disputes; underlines that there is no place for genocide denial or the glorification of war criminals in a candidate country; stresses the importance of regional cooperation and good neighborly relations as one of the key political criteria in the accession negotiations; emphasize the importance of developing good neighborly relations, implementing bilateral agreements and solving open bilateral issues;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Strongly deplores Serbia’s indictments against the four pilots of the Croatian Air Force who are charged for allegedly committing war crimes during the wars in former Yugoslavia; rejects attempts by Serbia to assume the role of the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia, declaring itself competent for legal actions on the territories of other sovereign and internationally recognized states; calls on Serbia to stop such actions and to devote itself to resolving open issues with it neighbours;
Amendment 367 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)
Paragraph 23 c (new)
23c. Reiterates its call to open the archives that concern the former republics of Yugoslavia and for access to be granted to the files of the former Yugoslav Secret Service (UDBA) and the Yugoslav People’s Army Secret Service (KOS) in order to thoroughly research and address communist era crimes;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Calls on Serbia to step up its efforts on the issue of fate of missing persons from the Yugoslav wars in 1990s;