Activities of Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL related to 2021/2249(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2021 Report on Serbia (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the 2021 Commission Report on Serbia
Amendments (76)
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
— having regard to the Sofia Summit of 10 November 2020, including the Declaration on the Common Regional Market and the Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas each enlargement country is judged on its own merits and whereas it is the implementation of the necessary reforms that, notably in the area of “fundamentals”, that should determines the timetable and progress of accession;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas democracy and the rule of law are the fundamental values on which the EU is founded; whereas reforms are profound reforms and their implementation are needed to tackle the challenges that remain in these areas;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas Freedom House lists Serbia unchanged as a “partly free” country and notes it has one of the major downturns in democracy scores in the last 10 years globally;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Expresses support for Serbia’s future membership of the EU and recalls that a credible enlargement perspective requires sustainable efforts and irreversible reforms in all areas; calls on Serbian authorities to prove their political will, thus genuinely engaging in the necessary reforms and bringing the country back on the right track towards EU integration;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the increased voter turnout at the elections on 3 April 2022 and the return to a more pluralistic parliamentNotes that elections on 3 April 2022 were only partly free and not fair; regrets the highly polarised political environment of the campaign, which was characterised bthe absence of a level-playing field, very limited media pluralism and wide-spread pressure on voters; condemns the violent attack on Pavle Grbović, one of the opposition leadersregrets that the abuse of public office by the ruling party members, especially the President of Serbia, remained a persistent problem throughout the campaign; regrets that the problems with the accuracy of the Single Electoral Roll had not been resolved in advance to this election cycle and notes that this had left room for its abuse; strongly condemns the violent attack on Pavle Grbović, one of the opposition leaders and calls upon the authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable; welcomes the increased voter turnout and the return to a more pluralistic parliament;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Expresses concern over the absence of a more proactive role of the Republic Electoral Commission and the City Electoral Commission of Belgrade when it came to determining and communicating the election results; notes that this might contribute to the deterioration of trust of the citizens in the independence of the election administration; expresses concern that the preliminary results of the Belgrade local election were only published more than two weeks after the election;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the new majority to acceleratresume Serbia’s alignment with European policies and values; underlines its readiness to work further in the context of the Inter- Party Dialogue, while stressing that clear and unambiguous political decisions are needed on Serbia’s strategic direction; calls for the distribution of parliamentary positions to reflect the political pluralism in the National Assembly; notes that all but one Serbian parliament in the past ten years were dissolved early and that any further unnecessary snap elections would not contribute to political stability;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. RDeeply regrets the fact that Serbia has not aligned with EU sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; calls on the newly elected authorities to show realunambiguous commitment to EU values and to, standards and rules and to urgently align with the EU’s decisions and positions in foreign and security policy, including sanctions against Russia;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. 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 as a condition for the accession process; expresses concern about Serbia’s alignment rate, which is the lowest in the region; notes that some high-level politicians and government officials, including the Minister of Interior, continue to make statements that call into question Serbia’s EU orientation;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Calls on Serbia to immediately end all military cooperation with Russia, frequently camouflaged as civilian activities, such as the “regional humanitarian centre” in Niš;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 e (new)
Paragraph 5 e (new)
5e. Expresses its concern over Serbia’s increasing dependence on defence equipment and technologies from China, including a mass surveillance system in Belgrade provided by Huawei and the recent delivery of a surface-to-air missile system from China;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5d. Expresses concern following the reports about the wiretapping of Russian opposition figures in Belgrade by the Serbian authorities and the subsequent transfer of the material to Russian security services; expresses further concern over the establishment of the Working group for the fight against "coloured revolutions" between the Serbian and Russian government, whose purpose and goals remain unclear; stresses that any cooperation that contribute to authoritarian and anti- democratic practices in both Russia and Serbia are detrimental to the future EU- Serbia relations;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the adoption of the measures improving the electoral conditions and media space ahead of the April 2022 elections as a result of the Inter- Party Dialogue facilitated by the European Parliament; notes progress in theirregrets that many measures have been implemented with a delay and without the participation of all relevant actors; regrets that more ambitious measures that could have led to a more substantial implrovementation on the electoral conditions were not adopted;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. NotWarmly welcomes the decision of the non- parliamentary opposition to participate in the April 2022 elections; reiterates that the only way to guarantee political representation is to engage in political and electoral processes; invites all political actors to remain engaged and to work together in order to further improve electoral conditions and implementation of electoral regulations; invites the new government to use the momentum and turn to a new page in its relation with the parliament fully respecting one of the major democratic principles of clear division of power; invites the new parliament to use the momentum and start implementing fully-fledged legislative oversight over the work of the government; invites all political actors to act in line with principles of transparency, accountability and inclusiveness, and to utilise still untapped capacities of the civil society in Serbia;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Reiterates its call on Serbia and EU Member States to pursue more active and effective communication about the benefits of EU enlargement; repeats its previously expressed concerns that publicly financed media outlets, often quoting office- holders, continue to contribute to the dissemination of anti-EU rhetoric in Serbia; invites the new parliament to take its share of the responsibility, to develop its own communication strategy and start a nationwide dialogue with citizens on Serbia’s European future; reiterates European Parliament’s readiness to take part in communication activities together with Serbian MPs to bring the EU and its policies closer to the citizens of Serbia;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Notes that the adoption of the new accession methodology has not led to a substantial progress in the EU accession process of Serbia and calls for full implementation of all its aspects;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Regrets that the European integration process in Serbia is insufficiently transparent, as important documents, such as the reports on the implementation of the National Programme for the Adoption of Acquis, have not been published for years;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Urges the newly elected majority to focus on addressing structural shortcomings in the rule of law, fundamental rights, freedom of expression, media freedom, the fight against corruption and the functioning of democratic institutions and public administration;
Amendment 168 #
10. Welcomes the recent changes to the Constitution following the referendum in January 2022, which aim to enhance the independence of the justice system; regrets the continuous pressure on the judiciary and public denials of international verdicts for war crimesiterates the need to adopt the remaining set of legislative acts, which are of crucial importance for the proper implementation of constitutional amendments, in a transparent and inclusive manner; calls on authorities to take into account the Venice Commission’s opinion related to these laws and already set benchmarks for the independence of judiciary; condemns the continuous pressure on the judiciary and calls on the newly elected majority to strengthen the safeguards for the independence and efficiency of the judiciary as a matter of priority;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes some improvements inRegrets that the work of the National Assembly; is concerned, however, that inflammatory language was limited, due to the lack of genuine political debate between majority and opposition parties; is concerned that the Parliament is not exercising its oversight role and that legislation is mainly handled by government; is concerned that inflammatory language against political opponents, civil society, media and judiciary is still used during parliamentary discussions, including by government officials, and calls on the new parliament not to tolerate this practice; and to adequately implement the Code of Conduct for MPs;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Reiterates its concern about very limited progress in the fight against corruption and organised crime and calls on Serbia to intensify its efforts to effectively address these issues; calls upon the authorities to refrain from commenting ongoing investigations and trials, exercising pressure on the judiciary; notes with concern the emergence of new cases of high-level corruption in the investigative media and so called “Pandora papers”;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 d (new)
Paragraph 12 d (new)
12d. Urges Serbia to deliver convincing results, including a sustainable track record of effective investigations in the area of fight against corruption, especially in cases with a high level of public interest, and to improve its track record in pressing charges and delivering final convictions and results in high-level corruption cases, including the seizure and confiscation of criminal assets;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Notes with concern that none of high-level public interest cases mentioned in the previous report – Krušik, Jovanjica, Telekom Srbija – are still remaining unresolved and have either not been fully processed by the judiciary or have not been fully investigated;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Reiterates its call for justice with regard to the unlawful demolition of private property in the Savamala neighbourhood in Belgrade; notes the allegations of the sentenced policeman Goran Stamenković that he was forced to take the sole responsibility for the entire case; reiterates its concern about the possibility of this process becoming obsolete in the next few years; urges the authorities to fully investigate the case and prosecute all persons responsible;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)
Paragraph 12 c (new)
12c. Urges the authorities to investigate all alleged ties between the Belivuk criminal group and parts of the government and to prosecute all responsible for maintaining those ties;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 e (new)
Paragraph 12 e (new)
12e. Stresses that the EU’s Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA III) foresees that funding must be modulated or even suspended in the case of significant regression or persistent lack of progress in the area of the so-called “fundamentals”, notably in the field of the rule of law and fundamental rights, including fight against corruption and organised crime, as well as media freedom; stresses that it is in the EU’s own security interests and its responsibility to guarantee that EU funds do not become counterproductive by strengthening clientelistic networks of corrupt politicians and privileged businesses; calls in this context upon the EU and the Western Balkan countries to establish a framework for a fruitful cooperation between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the Western Balkan countries, in order to ensure that the EPPO can effectively exert its competences in the area of EU funds, in particular in the area of IPAIII funds in the Western Balkan countries;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Urges the Commission to implement the findingrecommendations of the European Court of Auditors Special Report 01/2022, in order to ensuringe an effective rule-of-law impact of EU financial assistance in the Western Balkanssupport to the rule of law in the Western Balkans, in particular by developing guidelines on the application of IPA III provisions on modulation/ conditionality;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Urges the Commission to consider initiating an independent senior experts’ report on the rule of law issues in Serbia modelled after similar reports carried out in North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Priebe Report);
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Expresses its serious concern regarding the revelations based on institutional sources and internal documents, concluding that the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement downplays the importance human rights and rule of law related concerns in accession countries, in particular as regards Serbia, thus undermining EU standards, values and principles, as well as weakening the credibility of the European Union; regrets the lack of a serious response by the European Commission in this regards, which had been called for by the European Parliament and urges the Commission to take the allegations serious and launch an internal investigation, reporting the results of which to the Parliament and the Council;
Amendment 216 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. RegretCondemns the limitations on the freedom and independence of the media and the misuse of the media by the ruling party to gain an unfair political advantage, attack political opponents and spread disinformation; notes that the abuse of public money to acquire ownership in media outlets is considered to be one of the main mechanisms of media capture in Serbia;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Calls on the authorities to create an environment conducive to freedom of expression, media pluralism and journalistic professionalism and that allows for independent and investigative media to access funding and operate safely; calls for increased transparency of media public financing and its distribution based on merit;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Notes that some of the media outlets close to the ruling parties are the main source of the anti-EU and pro- Russian narratives in Serbia; notes that the public broadcaster has been using Kremlin talking points, such as “limited military operation”, since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Notes that several recent elections of the members of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM), as well as the election of the members of the governing board of the Radio Television of Serbia in June 2021 were considered controversial; notes with concern the persisting assessments that REM's decision making is politically biased; notes the new open call for the allocation of national television frequencies, and urges REM members to carry out this process in a fair and professional manner;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Deplores the continuing physical attacks, intimidation, hate speech and political slurs against journalists and civil society, including by MPs and government officials; calls on the authorities to investigate all cases of such attacks, to bring the perpetrators to justice and to improve the safety of journalists and human rights defenders;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for general respect for the basic right to peaceful gatherings; condemns and calls upon law-enforcement officials to refrain from the use of excessive force; regrets that a number of citizens faced misdemeanour proceedings and calls for refraining from these disproportionate limitations of the right to peaceful assembly; condemns increasing violence by groups of extremists and hooligans, in particular during the peaceful protestsenvironmental protests, but also in general; denounces their close links to high-level political figures, including close to the government; calls on authorities to ensure that these cases of violence are duly investigated and that the perpetrators are held responsible, including any public officials involved; calls for a full investigation into any links between hooligans and the police;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the adoption of the Law on Gender Equality and the amendments to the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination; calls on government to ensure that the laws are promptly implemented; is concerned 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 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Welcomes the adoption of a new strategy on violence against women and against domestic violence; stresses, however, that implementation and improvements are needed, and calls for a coherent policy approach towards the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, efficiently addressing 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 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Regrets that in the previous term, the parliament failed to adopt the Law on Same-Sex Partnerships which was drafted by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue; calls on the new and more pluralistic parliament to do so;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Serbian authorities to step up efforts to ensure the non- discriminatory treatment of nationethnic, religious and sexual minorities and to actively pursue investigations and convictions for hate- motivated crimes;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Welcomes the commitment of Serbian authorities to support the organisation of EuroPride in Belgrade as a key moment for the LGBTI+ community in Serbia and in the region; calls on the government and on police forces to ensure a smooth planning and execution of the programme, as well as the safety and well-being of participants;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Reiterates its concern over the allegeddemnation of the use of forced labour and violation of basic human rights at the Chinese Linglong factory construction site; calls upon the relevant authorities to thoroughly follow- up on these cases and to ensure that labour rights and basic human rights of citizens and residents are respected;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Deplores the deportation of a Bahraini national despite the European Court of Human Rights interim ruling that his extradition should be postponed; urges Serbian authorities to respect its international obligations and fully enforce all judgments of the European Court of Human Rights;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Is deeply concerned about the spread of disinformation about Russian aggression against Ukraine, in particular by media outlets close to the government and the ruling party; calls on the Serbian authorities and the Commission to bolster infrastructure to fight disinformation and other hybrid threats;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Is highly alerted that the EU accession countries in the Western Balkans are being hit particularly hard by attacks in the form of foreign interference and disinformation campaigns stemming from Russia and China; is alarmed that Hungary and Serbia are helping China and Russia with their geopolitical objectives; recommends convening dialogues with Western Balkan civil society and the private sector to coordinate anti-disinformation efforts in the region, with an emphasis on research and analysis and the inclusion of regional expertise; calls on the Commission to build up the infrastructure required to produce evidence-based responses to both short-term and long-term disinformation threats in the Western Balkans; calls on the EEAS to pivot to a more proactive stance, focusing on building the EU’s credibility in the region, rather than defending it, in expanding StratCom monitoring to focus on cross-border disinformation threats emanating from Western Balkan countries and their neighbours;
Amendment 294 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls on the Serbian authorities to align with the EU sanctions concerning the suspension of Russian propaganda channels and to take the appropriate measures to prevent Russia Today and Sputnik Serbia from disseminating fake new and disinformation;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. WelcomNotes Serbia’s participation in regional cooperation mechanisms and commitment toefforts to improve bilateral relations and encourages itSerbia to step up its efforts to promote reconciliation; commends its decision to donate vaccines to the region;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Reconfirms its support for the EU- facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and reiterates the importance of constructive engagement on the part of the authorities of both Serbia and Kosovo in order to achieve a comprehensive legally binding normalisation agreement, which is crucial for both countries to advance on their respective European paths; calls for all past agreements to be respected and fully implemented, including the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities; reiterates, in this regard, its full support for the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade- Pristina Dialogue, Miroslav Lajčák;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Calls on the EEAS to set up a mechanism to monitor and verify the implementation of all the agreements so far reached and to report periodically to the European Parliament about the state of play;
Amendment 319 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Calls in this context on the EU actors to support the local authorities, providing concrete security guarantees and opportunities for socio-economic integration when working towards the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities as part of a mutual agreement;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Reiterates its call to improve the quality of the dialogue process through the participation of women, increased transparency towards the public and meaningful involvement of civil society;
Amendment 331 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)
Paragraph 25 c (new)
25c. Calls on the Serbian and Kosovar authorities to promote people-to-people contacts between local communities in order to strengthen dialogue and reconciliation, including at a non- governmental level;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Regrets the decision of the Government of Kosovo to reject a proposal enabling the collection of the ballots of eligible voters to allow them to vote in the territory of Kosovo in the 3 April 2022 Serbian elections, as had been the case previously; positively notes, however, increased efforts by the Kosovar authorities to enable smooth border crossings, so that Kosovo Serbs could cast their vote;
Amendment 336 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Is seriously concerned about the complaints of ethnic Albanians from the Presevo valley who were denied to vote and apparently deleted from the civil registry at the place of their residence, thus being deprived of their fundamental and political rights by the Serbian authorities; strongly condemns Serbian authorities abusing the law on the residence of citizens and the ‘passivisation’ of residential addresses of citizens of Albanian ethnicity living in southern Serbia in a systematic and discriminatory manner; calls for independent and thorough investigations into these allegations and on the Serbian authorities to cease all discriminatory practices and targeting;
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. UReiterates that there is no place in Europe to deny genocide, to celebrate war crimes and war criminals or to publicly support those who support genocide and celebrate war crimes or who undermine the integrity of countries in the neighbourhood and who threaten regional stability and reconciliation; urges the Serbian authorities to act decisively against the glorification of convicted war criminals and to immediately cease all divisive rhetoric and actions that undermine the integrity of countries in the neighbourhood and threaten regional stability and reconciliation; strongly condemns widespread public denials of international verdicts for war crimes; also condemns in this context the role of state- supported hooligan groups in the protection of the mural of the convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić in Belgrade, and corresponding incidents which have exposed close links between hooligans and the police; expresses concern over the authorities’ apparent unwillingness to ensure a permanent removal of the mural in opposition to both the wishes of the tenants and the formal municipal decisions; regrets that persons sentenced for war crimes, such as Veselin Šljivančanin, Dragoljub Ojdanić and Nikola Šainović, are close to the ruling parties in Serbia;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Stresses the importance of regional cooperation on war crimes and missing persons, and 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, investigating grave sites, and supporting domestic prosecutors in bringing perpetrators to justice;
Amendment 352 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)
Paragraph 27 b (new)
27b. Welcomes the adoption of the new National Strategy for the Prosecution of War Crimes; calls for its proper implementation and for transparency and inclusiveness in reporting on the implementation;
Amendment 353 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 c (new)
Paragraph 27 c (new)
27c. Reiterates its support for the initiative to establish the Regional Commission for the establishment of facts about war crimes and other gross human rights violations on the territory of the former Yugoslavia (RECOM);
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls for the EU and its allies to further strengthen the work on reconciliation; welcomes the renewed engagement of the EU allies, in particular the appointment of US and UK special envoys for the Western Balkans, as well as the one from Germany; calls for their close cooperation and coordination with the EU envoy, with a view to strengthening leverage and providing coherent advice and support;
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Welcomes the introduction of a roaming-free zone in the entire Western Balkans as of 1 July 2021, improving connectivity and bringing tangible and concrete benefits to citizens and businesses in the region;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Urges the Serbian authorities to unambiguously support setting up of a common regional market within the Berlin process framework, establishing and guaranteeing free movement of persons, goods, services and capital in the region as a stepping stone in the EU accession path;
Amendment 363 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 b (new)
Paragraph 29 b (new)
29b. Emphasizes that all regional economic cooperation schemes in the Western Balkans should be inclusive and acceptable to all six countries, establishing cooperation on an equal footing among all six countries, while strengthening further alignment with EU standards and acquis; expresses, in this context, its scepticism towards the Open Balkan Initiative, while pointing to the danger that a regional economic cooperation initiative not encompassing all six countries and not being based on EU rules could have a negative impact on the EU integration processes;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Notes with concern that none of the allegations mentioned in the previous report made by investigative journalists of government manipulation of COVID-19 statistics for political purposes have been investigated; stresses that trust and transparency are of particular importance in the government’s efforts against COVID-19 and therefore urges the Serbian Government to provide citizens with all relevant statistics;
Amendment 375 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Is deeply concerned by the socio- economic situation in several districts of southern Serbia; calls on the Serbian government to investigate all allegations about the use of social assistance instruments to put pressure on voters, especially among vulnerable groups and members of the Roma minority; calls on the Serbian government to respond to the challenges of poverty and unemployment in these parts of the country;
Amendment 389 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Reiterates its serious concern about Serbia’s growing dependence on Chinese investments and urges the Serbian authorities to improve the transparency and ensure comprehensive environmental impact assessment of Chinese investments;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. Expresses concerns about the lack of progress regarding the “List” case, which represents an abuse of the legal framework by state authorities in order to target particular civil society organisations and media critical of government policies, as confirmed by UN special rapporteurs, Moneyval and FATF; reiterates its call on the Serbian Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering of Serbia’s Ministry of Finance to fully clarify these investigations and solve the situation for the concerned CSOs and media outlets;
Amendment 410 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Expresses serious concern that Serbia continues to prioritise investments in new coal power plants; urges the authorities to adopt a strategy consistent with the European Green Deal’s zero emissions target for 2050 and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans;
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Calls on Serbia to step up its efforts to diversify its energy supply and overall energy mix, and in particular to reduce its dependency on Russia; urges the Commission to ensure that the IPA funds contribute to the building of a climate neutral economy in Serbia, fully in line with the Paris Agreements and the EU decarbonisation targets;
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Welcomes the progress made on the gas interconnector between Serbia and Bulgaria, thus decreasing dependence on Russian energy supply; notes with concern the consistent lack of compliance with and the consequent breach of the Energy Community Treaty;
Amendment 422 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Reiterates its concern at the high levels of air pollution and urges the authorities to speed up the implementation of air quality plans; regrets the fact that several cities in Serbia are often on the list of the most polluted cities in the world in terms of air quality; urges the authorities to swiftly take measures to improve air quality, especially in large cities and industrial areas such as Belgrade, Smederevo, Bor and, Kolubara and Tamnava valleys; stresses the importance of finding sustainable solutions and limiting the use of lignite and other coal in energy production, as well as for heating;
Amendment 429 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41
Paragraph 41
41. Notes the withdrawal of the exploration licences for the lithium extraction and processing project in Western Serbia; calls for more transparency and a comprehensive impact assessment, including concerned local communities, civil society organisations, as well as independent experts in a meaningful manner, when issuing new licences;
Amendment 432 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 b (new)
Paragraph 36 b (new)
36b. Expresses deep concern about serious problems of corruption and rule of law in the environment area, the general lack of transparency and environmental and social impact assessments of infrastructure projects, including from Chinese investments and loans, as well as from multinational companies, such as Rio Tinto; notes in this context the opening of Cluster 4 “Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity” in the EU accession negotiations; calls on the EU and Serbian authorities to follow-up on the legitimate concerns expressed in the environmental protests and to urgently address these problems during the negotiations;
Amendment 434 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Calls for an increase of the total area of the territory of Serbia under protection, as well as areas in the first degree of protection and to ensure substantial implementation of measures and adequate financing of nature protection; calls for the consistent application of the Law on Nature Protection and the Law on the Use of Renewable Energy Sources, with a view to stopping any harmful projects, such as hydropower facilities, in protected areas, as well as in areas, where protection is planned; calls for enhanced cooperation between protected area managers and the local community through representatives of citizens' associations;
Amendment 436 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 b (new)
Paragraph 41 b (new)
41b. Calls for a review of all small hydro projects (SHPPs) built so far and whether the law and procedures were duly respected in all issued permits; calls for immediate measures to return the rivers to the state they were in before the construction of SHPP, in all cases where the law has been clearly violated, like in the Rakita case; calls for the completion of the drafting process of a new SHPP cadaster, which must be made available to the public and correspond to scientific standards;
Amendment 438 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 c (new)
Paragraph 41 c (new)
41c. Calls for the removal of facilities that endanger shores, lakes, watercourses and groundwater; underlines that illegal fencing and privatisation of access to water resources must be effectively sanctioned; highlights the need that any project endangering water resources, such as mini hydropower plants or the exploitation of gravel and other river aggregates, must be brought under control and put on the list of projects for which an environmental impact assessment study is required; calls against this background for reconsidering the privatisation of the Institute for Water Management "Jaroslav Cerni", thus preventing a further collapse of the credibility of independent institutes and laboratories of national importance for the preservation of natural resources;