Activities of Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL related to 2019/2175(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the 2019-2020 Commission reports on Serbia
Amendments (62)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15
Citation 15
— having regard to the Commission communication of 6 October 2020 entitled ‘An Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans’ (COM(2020)0641), its Annex, and the Commission staff working document entitled ‘Guidelines for the Implementation of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans’,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16
Citation 16
— having regard to the joint communication of 8 April 2020 of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy entitled ‘Communication on the Global EU response to COVID-19’ (JOIN(2020)0011), and the Commission communication of 29 April 2020 entitled ‘Support to the Western Balkans in tackling COVID-19 and the post- pandemic recovery’,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
— having regard to the Second Compliance Report on Serbia by the Group of European States against Corruption (GRECO) as part of the Fourth Evaluation Round on Corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors of 26 November 2020,
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 b (new)
Citation 20 b (new)
— having regard to the Baseline Evaluation Report on Serbia by the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) of 22 January 2020,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas democracy, human rights, and rule of law are fundamental values on which the EU is founded and are at the heart of enlargement and stabilisation and association processes; whereas reforms are needed to tackle the significant challenges that remain in these areas;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Serbia needs to develop an irreversible track record in adhering, upholding and defending the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to national and other minorities, domestically and in its international relations;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas a sustainable track record of achievements is yet to emerge in the areas of the judiciary and fundamental rights (chapter 23) and justice, freedom and security (chapter 24); whereas the Council decided to not open more chapters with Serbia yet;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas GRECO considers the situation as “globally unsatisfactory” and Serbia is found not to be in compliance with GRECO recommendations with regard to the prevention of corruption in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas Serbia has been continuously engagedan interest in the normalisation of relations with Kosovo;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the EU's commitment to fostering the rule of law extends to Serbia, where the EU should continue its cooperation with the Council of Europe to support Serbia in carrying out essential reforms and training, regarding justice, the fight against corruption, the promotion of human rights, and the role of free and independent media and civil society, and to monitor the progress realised in those areas, in line with the strengthened methodology of enlargement;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that the momentum created by the new mandate following the 21 June 2020 elections in Serbia is an opportunity to make important progress towards Serbia’s European perspective; advocates for the opening of additional negotiating chapters aswhen Serbia makeadopts and implements the necessary commitments to reforms; notes that the opening of chapters is a tool for achieving sustainable pro-European change in Serbia;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that Serbia has continued aligning its legislation with the acquis; uUnderlines that progress on the rule of law and fundamental rights chapters, as well as on the normalisation of relations with Kosovo, continues to be essential and will determine the pace of accession negotiations;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Regrets the lack of progress in many areas of Serbia’s reform agenda and even backsliding on fundamental issues for EU accession; calls on the Commission to change its reporting methodology in order to take account of significant backsliding and send a clear message to accession countries, including Serbia;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Calls on the Serbian Government to appoint a new Head of its Negotiating Team for Serbia's accession to the EU as soon as possible and to improve administrative capacities of the Ministry of European Integration, including financial and human resources, in order to conduct accession negotiations;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the importance of strategic communication on EU accession by Serbian stakeholders, and the adverse effect of anti-EU rhetoric of office- holders; underlines that public discussion about EU accession must be based on facts; encourages the Serbian authorities to communicate more actively their commitment to European values in public debate and to increase transparency of its communication, including access to information for the general public;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on Serbia and the EU Member States to pursue a more active and effective communication policy on the European perspective, aimed at both Serbian and EU citizens, including those belonging to national minorities;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that the Conference on the Future of Europe should seek ways of involving Serbian representatives nominated by the Republic of Serbia, including from civil society;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Takes note of the conclusions of the final report of the OSCE/ODIHR special election assessment mission that the 21 June 2020 parliamentary elections were administered efficiently but that pressure on voters, media bias, the dominance of the ruling party, including in the media, was of concern; calls on the authorities to address fully, as well as the blurring of lines between the activities of state officials and partisan campaigning, including in the case of the President of Serbia; in this regard, points out the role of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns aiming to shift opinions vis-à- vis elections; calls on the authorities to fully and promptly address all ODIHR recommendations well ahead of the next elections;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Notes with concern changes to important elements of the electoral system, including the lowering of the electoral threshold, that were passed in parliament in February 2020 in a swift manner and without prior consultations, limiting the transparency and inclusiveness of the process, even though fundamental elements of electoral law should not be significantly amended less than one year before an election according to the Venice Commission;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Recalls election principles defined by the Venice Commission and notes with concern that President Aleksandar Vucic announced to hold early elections without constitutional grounding and political necessity, while announcing as President of Serbia and president of the biggest political party a single election day for Presidential, Parliamentary and municipal elections in Belgrade in spring 2022;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Condemns the series of attacks on Tanja Fajon, Member of the European Parliament, by Serbia’s ruling party’s MPs and ministers, as well as media close to the ruling party; is generally concerned about the link between media outlets and the ruling party, as well as attacks on the opposition and disinformation that is spread through them; calls for the Speaker of the Parliament and Speakers of the Groups represented in Parliament to uphold standards of democratic discourse and for the prosecution of hate speech emanating from MPs and members of the government;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls for the continuation of the IPD with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders and pro-European political forces in the country; calls on all sides to lead the IPD in an inclusive manner and define clear goals, criteria, benchmarks and interlocutors in order to render this dialogue effective and legitimate;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Reminds Serbia to step up its efforts to effectively address corruption, focusing on prevention and repression of corruption, including by fully implementing the law on the prevention of corruption, adopting a new anti- corruption strategy underpinned by a credible and realistic action plan as well as an effective coordination mechanism, and increasing investigations, indictments and final convictions in high-level corruption cases;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Calls on Serbia to improve its fight against organised crime and switch from an approach on cases to a strategy against organisations in order to dismantle big and internationally spread organisations, including through effective investigations, prosecutions and final convictions in serious and organised crime cases, including financial investigations, systematic tracking of money flows, robust oversight mechanism so as to avoid abuses, and increased financial and human resources capacity of the Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime, which should be free from any undue political influence;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Urges the Serbian parliament to adopt constitutional reforms aimed at strengthening the independence of the judiciary in consultation with all associations of judges and prosecutors, and to submit them to the constitutionally required referendum without delay;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes improvementNotes the announcement of changes to the practices and procedures of the national assembly and looks forward to their effective implementation; is concerned about the lack of a real opposition in the new parliament and inflammatory rhetoric among politicians, and therefore calls on political actors to adhere to a respectful attitude towards each other; underlines that the quality of the legislative process still needs to be improved by increasing transparency and social dialogue and ensuring that independent regulatory bodies are empowered to exercise their oversight roles effectively; notes with concern the lack of transparency around the reappointment process of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Notes with concern that the parliament met only 44 days after the declaration of the state of emergency in March 2020, which undermined its position as the key institution of parliamentary democracy as enshrined in the Constitution of Serbia;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Expresses concern about the allegations by investigative journalists about manipulations of official COVID- 19 statistics by the government for political and electoral purposes; stresses that providing citizens with all relevant information about the pandemic is crucial for transparency and trust when it comes to the government’s efforts against COVID-19;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Regrets the lack of progressdeterioration onf media freedom, and increase in abusive language, intimidation and even hate speech, especially against independent journalists; urges Serbian authorities to publicly condemn these actions, take immediate measures to guarantee freedom of expression and media independence and to ensure proper investigations into these cases;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Reiterates that a lively democracy needs a vibrant civil society and independent media which can operate in a safe environment and ensure a sound scrutiny of public institutions leading to the necessary checks and balances in a democratic society; calls on the Serbian authorities to counter the shrinking space for civil society and independent media and ensure that they can work free from all restrictions, including intimidation or criminalisation of these organisations;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Expresses concern over the arbitrary targeting and investigation of civil society, NGOs, and independent journalists by the Serbian Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering of Serbia’s Ministry of Finance, and urges the competent authorities to refrain from these practices; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to strengthen their cooperation with civil society, NGOs and independent media on the ground, as well as to increase and simplify financial and other support for them;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Expresses concern over the increasing violence by extremist groups and organised crime, which needs to be properly investigated and prosecuted; calls on politicians and authorities to openly condemn any acts of violence and ensure that cases discovered by investigative journalists or whistle- blowers are duly investigated and that any public officials involved are held responsible;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)
Paragraph 16 d (new)
16d. Deplores recent incidents of police violence, urges the Serbian authorities to ensure the freedom of peaceful assembly and to carry out effective investigations to establish responsibility and punish the officers responsible, facilitating that persons claiming to be victims of police misconduct can file a complaint to obtain redress and showing zero tolerance towards law enforcement officers who breach professional ethics or criminal law, in order to prevent impunity and to strengthen public trust in the police;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 e (new)
Paragraph 16 e (new)
16e. Condemns in particular the use of violence by police forces on the occasion of the July 2020 protests and demonstrations, the consequent lack of cooperation by police officers with the justice system and the public prosecutor;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Notes that the legal and institutional framework for upholding human rights is broadly in place and calls for its more effective implementation, with particular regard to the most vulnerable groups in society, including national minorities, in the areas of educationsuch as the Roma community, in the areas of education, health, employment, housing, use of minority languages, adequate representation in public administration and the judiciary;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Notes the continued problems with the general lack and low quality of collection of data and the provision of statistics; calls on Serbia to improve its capacities to provide statistics and to carry out the census as soon as possible, adhering to the highest international standards and with the inclusion of independent observers;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Urges Serbia to improve and simplify the institutional structure dealing with Roma integration, including through a clear distribution of tasks, coordination between national and local authorities, as well as Roma-sensitive budgeting;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Calls on Serbia to strengthen human rights institutions, guarantee their independence, allocate them necessary financial and human resources, and ensure timely follow-up to their recommendations, as well as to adopt and implement a new anti-discrimination strategy;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Is concerned by the failure of Serbian authorities to foster the de facto use of regional or minority languages;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Takes note of Serbia’s efforts to fight violence against women and children and domestic violence; stresses, however, that implementation and improvements are needed, in particular during the current pandemic; welcomes the GREVIO report on Serbia, which stresses the lack of a coherent policy approach towards the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, the need for preventive measures, gaps in service provision for victims, low levels of awareness, sensitisation and capacity-building, as well as particular obstacles for a wide range of women due to intersecting factors such as ethnicity, poverty, social origin and disability;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Is concerned that a new law on gender equality has been seriously delayed, that coordination and an efficient institutional set-up with adequate resources in this area are still lacking, that the socio-economic status of women is still significantly worse than that of men, as well as by the high prevalence of patriarchal attitudes and gender stereotypes in society and public discourse, and the lack of knowledge of the judiciary, prosecutors and lawyers in this regard; calls on Serbia to increase efforts aimed at gender equality and women’s rights, including by prioritising gender mainstreaming and increased cooperation with civil society, in particular women’s organisations;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Underlines the need for protection of LGBTI rights; calls for more adequate responses from the authorities to hate speech and hate-motivated crimes; calls on the government to legally regulate same- sex unions, and change of name and gender of transgender persons according to relevant jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, create a safe environment for LGBTI persons and promote a culture of tolerance towards them; stresses the importance for all institutions to support the preparation of EuroPride 2022 and ensure the safety of all participants;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Commends the strong female representation in the new government, in the hope that it will lead to the meaningful and substantive promotion of the human rights and political liberties of women; welcomes the representation of national minorities in the parliament;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 d (new)
Paragraph 20 d (new)
20d. Urges Serbia to improve access to healthcare services for people with disabilities, people living with HIV, children and adults who use drugs, prisoners, sex workers, LGBTI persons, internally displaced persons and the Roma, in particular with a view to the ongoing pandemic and problems in the health sector;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Stresses that the normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo is a priority and a precondition for EU accession; calls for active and constructive engagement in the EU-facilitated dialogue led by the EU Special Representative seeking a comprehensive and legally binding agreement, in accordance with international law; reiterates its call to move forward with the full implementation, in good faith and in a timely manner, of all the agreements already reached; in relation to possible adjustments of the border between Serbia and Kosovo, including exchanges of territories, reiterates the importance of the multi-ethnic nature of both Serbia and Kosovo and that ethnically homogeneous states should not be the objective in the region;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Condemns Serbia’s non- recognition campaign against Kosovo which led to several countries withdrawing their recognition and is not conducive to normalisation and good neighbourly relations; calls on Serbia to not take up these activities again;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Calls on the Serbian and Kosovar authorities to promote people-to-people contacts between local communities in order to strengthen dialogue, including at a non-governmental level;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Stresses the importance of regional cooperation on war crimes and missing persons, including of recognising and respecting court verdicts on war crimeand calls on Serbian authorities to achieve justice for victims by recognising and respecting court verdicts on war crimes, fighting against impunity for wartime crimes, investigating cases of missing persons, rejecting hate speech and the glorification of war criminals, investigating grave sites, and supporting domestic prosecutors in bringing perpetrators to justice;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Notes that Serbia’s healthcare system still suffers a lack of resources on all levels and a constant outflow of professional workforce, resulting in a lack of medical equipment, medical expertise, and laboratory testing capacities during the COVID-19 pandemic;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls on Serbia to increase the sustainability of its energy sector by diversifying its energy sources and moving towards renewables while at the same time adopting the necessary measures to preserve and protect environmentally sensitive areasand less polluting fuels to ensure compliance with its indicative trajectory while at the same time removing all non-compliant coal subsidies and converting the existing coal-based or petroleum products-based district heating into a high efficiency cogeneration-and renewables-based system; notes with concern the consistent lack of compliance with the acquis of the Energy Community and hence the breach of international law; encourages Serbia to step up the monitoring of the implementation and the enforcement of the National Emissions Reduction Plan; urges the authorities to urgently take measures to reduce air pollution, stop sweet water and soil degradation;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Urges the authorities to ensure alignment with EU standards and policy objectives on cinvest resources in improving the environmental, energy efficiency and climate laws and to ensure alignment on climate protection and environment with EU standards and policy objectives, the Paris Agreement, and international oblimgate protection and environment, in order to facilitate the transition to a circular economy; encourages Serbiaions under the Energy Community Treaty, including but not limited to the introduction of carbon emissions pricing, update of energy efficiency legislation, and the development and adoption of an integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, in order to facilitate the transition to a circular economy and adopting the necessary measures to preserve and protect environmentally sensitive areas; encourages Serbia to finalise the reforms of the national electricity and gas sectors by ensuring in particular unbundling of the system operators and to work on regional connectivity and the completion of the regional energy market;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Reiterates the importance of alignment with the EU common foreign and security policy (CFSP), which must progressively become an integral part of Serbia’s foreign policy; is concerned by the fact that Serbia is consistently failing to align with EU CFSP by repeatedly backing Russia over the annexation of Crimea in the UN General Assembly;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Notes the signature of the agreement for economic normalization between Kosovo and Serbia on 4 September in Washington; underlines that transatlantic cooperation is a crucial factor for stability in the region; regrets, however, provisions in the text that ask Kosovo to stop seeking membership in international organisations, as well as provisions that run counter to accession countries’ ambition to align with EU CFSP; recalls, in that regard, that moving the Embassy of Serbia in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would go against the EU's position on Jerusalem and its firm commitment to the two-state solution with Jerusalem as capital of both the State of Israel and the future State of Palestine;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Calls for the strengthening of European cooperation with Serbia on addressingand urges the EEAS to address foreign and domestic disinformation and hybrid threats that seek to undermine the European perspective of the region by more strategically underscoring the EU’s relevance to citizens in the region; is particularly concerned about the disinformation narratives emanating from the Kremlin and distributed through Sputnik in Belgrade and other domestic actors in Serbia, and calls on the Serbian government to revisit the arrangements allowing these operations;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Stresses the need to improve coordination in order to fight regional disinformation campaigns often originating in Serbia; reminds of the strong link between weaknesses in media freedom and opportunities for local and foreign actors to manipulate facts and spread disinformation; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to closely cooperate on those linkages and overlapping challenges, as well as to foster the creation of a Balkan-focused Centre of Excellence on disinformation;
Amendment 347 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Takes note of Serbia’s decision to sign a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union in October 2019; expects Serbia, however, to align with EU trade policy; regrets that Serbia is still not a member of the World Trade Organisation; recalls the Union’s commitment to defend its interests by mitigating the negative effect of free-trade agreements with the Eurasian Economic Union signed by countries which have applied for membership of the European Union and signed an SAA, such as Serbia;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Calls on Serbia to improve alignment with EU labour law, adopt a new law on the right to strike, tackle undeclared work, and amend the law on inspection oversight to comply with the relevant International Labour Organisation Conventions that were ratified by Serbia;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Expresses concern over Serbia’s increasing dependence on defence equipment and technologies from the People’s Republic of China, including a mass surveillance system in Belgrade provided by Huawei and personal data collection on a massive scale, and the insufficient transparency of the security sector’s public procurement practices; continues to be concerned about Serbia’s close political and military cooperation with Russia, frequently camouflaged as civilian activities, such as the “regional humanitarian centre” in Niš;
Amendment 372 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Welcomes the Commission’s Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) for the Western Balkans; recognises the importance of the EIP in reinforcing regional and cross-border cooperationefforts to invest more strategically in the Western Balkans through a dedicated Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) for the Western Balkans, in particular in terms of regional and cross-border cooperation, with a view to improving the opportunities of local and regional level administrations to reap the benefits of this investment; stresses that any investment must be in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and EU decarbonisation targets;
Amendment 376 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
Paragraph 37 a (new)
37a. Calls on the Commission to focus IPA III funds on the ongoing democratic transition of Serbia, more so than infrastructure projects, especially in light of persistent problems with the investment climate, absorption capacity, and environmental standards in Serbia;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Calls on the Council and the Commission to fine-tune both incentives and conditionality in the future Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III); reiterates that the scale of financial assistance should match the goal of Serbia’s European perspective and to make use of suspension mechanisms in case of serious backsliding; reiterates that the scale of financial assistance should match the actual rate of implementing reforms and Serbia’s commitment to EU accession;