26 Amendments of Lukas MANDL related to 2020/2081(INI)
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas despite the fundamental restrictions on basic freedoms and human rights that remain in Belarus, the EU policy of critical engagement with Belarus has produced some results in the form of signed agreements and increased cooperation in areas such as environment and connectivity, cross-border cooperation and border management; whereas future relations between the EU and Belarus will be defined in the Partnership Priorities to be agreed by both sides;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the OSCE ODIHR International Election Observation Mission noted an overall disregard for the fundamental freedoms of assembly, association and expression during the 2019 parliamentary elections, which took place after a limited amount ofspace for election campaigning, and within a restrictive environment and repressions that did not provide for a meaningful or competitive political contest overall;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas, despite the 2016 EU Council's decision to lift restrictive measures against 170 individuals and three companies in light of steps taken by Belarus to improve EU-Belarus relations, no progress has been achieved in areas of democratic governance and human rights, with increasing administrative, financial and physical repressions against the democratic opposition, civil society organisations, journalists and bloggers, and even ordinary people;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the 2020 presidential elections have thus farnot only followed the same pattern as the parliamentary elections, but demonstrated even more regime- orchestrated repressions than in previous years;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the Belarusian authorities denied that COVID-19 had spread in the country, thereby wasting precious time that could have been used to prepare and protect the country’s population and in particular its medical staff, did not cancel mass events, and instead engaged in the intimidation of journalists and bloggers, the democratic opposition, civil society organisations and ordinary people who dared to contradict the official government narrative;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the EU stood in solidarity with the people of Belarus from the on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing financial and material support through bilateral and regional programmes;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas press freedom in Belarus has significantly deteriorated since 2015, the few independent journalists or, media outlets and bloggers that are able to operate in the country are subject to systematic harassment and punitive measures, such as arrests or initiation of criminal investigations, and the number of prosecutions for statements on the internet has increased;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas there has been notable increase in engagement with the Belarusian civil society, including through EU-supported activities and intensifying people-to-people contact;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has displayed the resilience, strong resolve and unprecedented self- organisation of the Belarusian society, particularly in light of the authorities' lethargic response, and even denials of the pandemic and its impact;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas from a security point of view, Belarus is closely linked to and dependent on Russia and is engaging in actions posing a threat to the EU Member States such as the non-transparent Zapad 2017 joint military exercises;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) support the sovereignty of Belarus, including against pressure from the Russian Federation for deeper integration, and remind Belarus that the European Union is open to further development of relations with the country both bilaterally and within the Eastern Partnership framework if Belarus meets conditions linked to democracy, the rule of law, international law, human rights and fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) acknowledge that while the critical engagement policy has brought about some developments in bilateral relations, progress in the key areas of democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and civil society remains very limited or almost non- existent, and, as the EU is engaging in a more tailored approach to the Eastern Partnership, consider applying the ‘less for less’ principle in the case of further deteriorationwith regards to the Belarusian authorities in the case of continued deterioration of the human rights situation, while pursuing a 'more for more' principle with regards to the civil society;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e
Paragraph 1 – point e
(e) pay close attention to the presidential election campaign and insist that a lack of progress in conducting elections according to international standards and furthercondemn the lack of free and fair presidential election, including the repressions and crackdowns, against the oppositionnd insist that these developments will have direct adverse effeimpacts on relations with the EUthe EU-Belarus relations;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f
Paragraph 1 – point f
(f) insist thaton the transparency and inclusiveness of the upcoming constitutional reform i, through a national dialogue, as a crucial opportunity to introduce genuine changes, including basic civil rights and freedoms, which would address the weaknesses of the current political system, ensure transparent and pluralistic electoral process, and enable the Belarusian people to participate more actively in the political life and processes;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) call on the authorities to remove the arbitrary barriers under which no new political party has been registered in Belarus since 2000 and enable the registration of political parties, religious and civic and public organisations, and to stop the restrictions applied to established organisations;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g b (new)
(gb) support an inclusive national dialogue between the People's Coordination Council and the regime, led by representatives of churches as respected and neutral mediators, to help set Belarus on road out of the current crisis and towards a peaceful and democratic transition;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i
Paragraph 1 – point i
(i) condemn the ongoing intimidation and persecution of opposition figures, including presidential hopefulcandidates, peaceful protesters, civil society activists and independent journalists and bloggers;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k
Paragraph 1 – point k
(k) insist on the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including members of the democratic opposition, human rights defenders, activists, journalists, bloggers and others convicted in retaliation for exercising their civil and political rights;
Amendment 324 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l
Paragraph 1 – point l
(l) support independent media outlets and, journalists and bloggers, including those who work on a freelance basis with unregistered foreign media;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
(la) ensure that the new targeted sanctions apply to groups, individuals and entities responsible for human rights abuses in Belarus, as well as against those individuals, entities and enterprises, through which such actions are financed and enabled; at the same time, impose visa bans against regime representatives, sanctioned individuals and their family members;
Amendment 350 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) welcome and encourage the energy diversification of Belarus, reducing its dependence on Russia through imports of oil and gas from new suppliers, including via the territory of the EU; and through the development of alternative energy sources;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point n a (new)
(na) strengthen cooperation with international authorities in the field of nuclear safety, and insist on access and monitoring of the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant (NPP);
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point o a (new)
Amendment 383 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point r a (new)
(ra) explore possibilities for visa-free travel to Belarusian citizens so that people-to-people contact is not held hostage to undemocratic principles of the Belarusian authorities;
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point r b (new)
(rb) strengthen democracy support programmes and strategic communication, and support greater outreach to local communities beyond the traditional 'pro-European' cohorts;