Activities of Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL related to 2022/2204(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2022 Report on Serbia (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the 2022 Commission Report on Serbia
Amendments (87)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)
Citation 8 a (new)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 b (new)
Citation 8 b (new)
— having regard to the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, adopted on 25 June 1998, at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in the ‘Environment for Europe’ process, being ratified by the European Community on 17 February 2005, and by the Republic of Serbia on 31 July 2009,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 c (new)
Citation 8 c (new)
— having regard the UN General Assembly Resolution of 26 July 2022 on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment,
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 11
Citation 11
— having regard to the agreement on free movement between the governments of Serbia and Kosovo of 27 August 2022, and to the agreement on licence plates of 23 November 2022, as well as to the Energy Agreements’ Implementation Roadmap in the EU-facilitated Dialogue of 21 June 2022,
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 35 a (new)
Citation 35 a (new)
— having regard to the Global Corruption Perception Index 2022 published by Transparency International on 31 January 2023,
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas enlargement ishas historically been the most effective EU foreign policy instrument, one of the EU’s most successful policies to incentivise and encourage fundamental reforms, including in the rule of law area, and a geostrategic investment in long-term peace, stability, and security throughout the continent;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas its effectiveness has considerably decreased over the last years due to a failure from the EU side to live up to its promises, as well as due to a lack of genuine political will to advance fundamental reforms by some of the political leaders of the enlargement countries;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas the new enlargement momentum sparked by the EU membership application of Eastern partnership countries has prompted the EU to accelerate the long-overdue deliveries to the Western Balkans by making decisions on starting of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, and granting of the candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas past developments, in particular the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, have shown that non- enlargement has a massive strategic cost and can undermine security and stability on our continent;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the political leaders in all Member States, as well as in the enlargement countries need to prove their genuine commitment to enlargement with concrete steps and progress, in order to re-energise the whole process, ensuring its continuity, consistency, credibility and impact;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas in recent years the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has steadily eroded political rights and civil liberties, putting pressure on independent media, the political opposition, and civil society organisations;
Amendment 64 #
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 rightsregrets, however, that narratives of government-controlled media do not underpin this; underlines the fact that progress on the rule of law and fundamental rights, functioning of democratic institutions respecting principles of liberal democracy, the normalisation of relations with Kosovo and alignment with the CFSP will determine the dynamics of the accession process;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Regrets Serbia’s continued low level of alignment with the CFSP, 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 regimef aggression against Ukraine; regrets that in 2022, for the first time, the European Commission detected backsliding in one of negotiating chapters with Serbia (Chapter 31: Foreign, security and defence policy); underlines the fact that, as a candidate country, Serbia must adhere to the EU’s principles and policies, and its close relationship with the Russian warmongering autocratic regime, declared by this house as a state sponsor of terrorism, is unacceptable;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. 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; deplore as well as Serbia’s close relationship with Russia; condemns state officials' and influential media’s systematic campaign attempting to undermine the EU and the integration process;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Regrets the fact that key components of Serbian foreign policy run directly counter to EU positions, including the signature of agreements setting out joint foreign policy priorities between Serbia and Russia for 2023-2024 and meetings with senior officials from Russia who are on the EU sanctions list; is concerned by the appointment of the Director of the Security Intelligence Agency, who is known for his anti-EU and pro-Kremlin rhetoric ; recalls that the new Director of the Security Intelligence Agency, Aleksandar Vulin, has had close cooperation with Russian state security officials, including the allegations of handing them over intelligence on the activities of Russian opposition members in Serbia;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Expresses concern about the decreasing public support for EU membership in Serbia reaching an all-time low this year and being a direct result of a decade of anti-EU/ pro-Russian propaganda widely spread via government-controlled media as well as by government officials and of a gross failure from official side to face and come to terms with Serbia’s past; calls Serbian authorities to develop and engage publicly in a systemic and unequivocal communication campaign on EU accession process’ opportunities for citizens of Serbia; recalls the importance of transparency in the EU accession process and regrets that 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 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Notes with concern that, since the European Commission 2020 Report on Serbia, there has been no improvement in the assessment of the overall state of play across 33 negotiating chapters and that, in 2022, the Commission did not detect “good progress” in any chapter;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Calls on the EU to prioritise the alignment of accession countries with the EU’s common foreign and security policy and advance accession negotiations with Serbia only when the country aligns with EU sanctions against Russia and makes significant progress on EU-related reforms, in particular in the area of rule of law and media freedom;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Calls on Serbia to systematically align with the EU’s restrictive measures and general policy towards Russia, including immediately ending all cooperation, in particular military, with Russia, to demonstrate progress in democracy and the rule of law and to genuinely embrace EU values and priorities;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5 d. Calls on the EU and Member States to reconsider any bilateral and EU funds for Serbia that would benefit the Serbian authorities, in particular any pertaining to projects financed under the Western Balkan Economic and Investment Plan, in order to ensure that all EU expenditure is fully in line with the EU’s own strategic goals and interests;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 e (new)
Paragraph 5 e (new)
5 e. Reiterates its concern over Serbia’s increasing dependence on defence equipment and technologies from China, including a mass surveillance system in Belgrade provided by Huawei;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Welcomes the appointment of a new Minister for EU integration, Tanja Miščević; expects the formation of Serbia’s new EU accession negotiating team with a clear division of competencies for a more efficient coordination of EU accession process; expresses concern over continues decline of Serbia’s administrative and institutional capacities over the past five years; invites authorities to develop objectives and feasible capacity building plans to strengthen Serbia’s capacities in order to become more sustainable and capable of implementation of EU accession process requirements;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes the approval of the amendments to the Serbian constitution and stresses that the reform process should continue as a matter of priority; commends the adoption of judicial laws and by-laws necessary for the implementation of judicial reforms; calls for the full alignment with the Venice Commission’s opinions on the set of judicial laws and for ensuring the implementation of solutions that remove any undue influence on the judiciary; while recognizing the formal progress, expresses concerns regarding the remaining strong political influence over the judiciary and the work of the Public Prosecutor; reminds Serbian authorities that substantial and concrete progress will be required and measured against the track record and actual implementation of rule of law reforms, judiciary practice, respect of fundamental rights and work of Public Prosecutor’s Office;
Amendment 159 #
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 the National Assembly to continue this dialogueEuropean Parliament; regrets that, since the start of the inter-party dialogue in 2019, political will to seriously improve electoral conditions has often been absent, seriously limiting the effectiveness of the measures adopted ahead of the 2020 and 2022 elections; notes with regret the parallel dialogue “without external mediation” that threatened to undermine the inter-party dialogue facilitated by the European Parliament and that many measures have been implemented with delays and without the participation of all relevant actors; welcomes the readiness of the National Assembly to continue this inter-party dialogue, and especially the constructive approach of opposition political groups, while stressing that a clear political decision and commitment are needed on Serbia’s strategic direction;
Amendment 169 #
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; regrets that the longstanding issues of unbalanced media reporting, pressure on voters and the abuse of public office have persisted throughout the election campaign; regrets that the integrity of elections was undermined, due to legal uncertainty caused by a comprehensive change of electoral framework shortly prior to elections and due to voters being deprived of a balanced and objective information about the electoral offer, thus endangering the freedom of choice for certain groups of the population; urges the Serbian authorities to fully address the outstanding recommendations well ahead of the next elections in close cooperation with civil society organisations (CSOs) with the relevant expertise, in particular the more ambitious recommendations that could lead to substantial improvements in the electoral conditions, especially in levelling the playing field, enabling pluralism in the media, and protecting voters’ rights; urges the authorities to properly investigate and prosecute pressure on voters, clientelism, corruption and other recorded allegation on criminal acts in relation to elections; deplores the institutional lack of reaction and sanctions from previous elections that directly contributed to the atmosphere of impunity in regard to pressure on voters, clientelism and corruption; regrets serious allegations about manipulation with the voter registry that lacked adequate institutional response; expresses concern that it took 93 days to determine the final results of the early parliamentary elections; urges Serbian authorities to ensure that the electoral results are determined efficiently and transparently in the future;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the participation of all relevant political actors in the early parliamentary elections, resulting in a more pluralistic parliament; regretcondemns, however, the delays in thlast-minute formation of the new parliament and government, which resulted in limited and inadequate decision- making, including on EU-related reforms; , but not limited to deciding on EU-related reforms; expresses concerns over the work of Parliament’s Committees which are often adopting important legislative proposals without substantial discussion, thus performing their work as formality while degrading the role of the Committees; expresses concern about the limited space for opposition's engagement in the parliament, gross misconduct towards opposition MPs, tensions and slandering campaigns, including misogynist slurs in the plenary; condemns obstructions and misuse of parliamentary mechanisms, including particularly parliamentary oversights and control instruments; calls for equal treatment of opposition MPs, consistent and effective implementation of the parliamentary Code of Conduct and impartial sanctioning of parliamentary integrity breaches;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Welcomes the distribution of vice presidential offices and committee chairmanships in the new parliament which reflect its composition; regrets, however, the return of the unwelcome practices in the work of the parliament, including the absence of government question-time sessions, lack of discussion on reports of independent institutions, and increased use of urgent procedure; stresses that the return of these practices reverses most of the progress achieved by the reform of parliament in recent years; expresses concern about the occasional heated atmosphere in the parliament as well as the instances of obstruction of the work of some parliamentary committees;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10 b. Welcomes the appointment of the new Serbian delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee; encourages Serbian MPs and MEPs to continue with constructive cooperation;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10 c. 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 191 #
10 d. Notes that constant early elections, permanent campaign mode and long delays in forming governments do not contribute to an efficient democratic governance of the country, but weaken the Parliament, favouring decision- making by the one President, thus leading to a lack of transparency and accountability, as well as a lack of parliamentary legislative oversight and legitimacy;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes some progress in the fight against corruption; stresses the fact that more effort and political will are needed to achieve tangible results, in particular with regard to serious and organised crimeStresses the fact that more effort and political will are needed to achieve tangible results in the fight against corruption, in particular with regard to serious and organised crime; reiterates its call on Serbia to deliver convincing results in the cases of high level of public interest, including Krušik, Jovanjica and Savamala; is concerned that there has been little progress in any of these cases since last year’s report; expresses serious concern over the work, or lack of it, of the State Prosecutor, as her absence from public is sending unsettling message to the public regarding priorities of her Office and her willingness to engage her autonomy, integrity and capability to fight against organised crime, corruption and other criminal acts; calls on the authorities to investigate and prosecute claims on voter pressure; regrets the delay in and the overall intransparent selection of the director of the anti-corruption agency;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11 b. 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 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Notes with concern that the new Ombudsperson has not been elected despite the fact that the five-year term in office of the current one has expired; also notes that the Government of Serbia has not filled the vacancies in the Anti- Corruption Council;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11 c. Express concerns about growing corruption risks and shrinking space for public participation in urban and spatial planning and issuing of construction permits;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)
Paragraph 11 d (new)
11 d. 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 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 e (new)
Paragraph 11 e (new)
11 e. Calls for the EU and the Western Balkan countries to establish a framework for effective cooperation between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the accession countries; encourages the Western Balkan countries to swiftly conclude bilateral working arrangements with the EPPO in order to facilitate close cooperation and the prosecution of the misuse of EU funds, including through the secondment of national liaison officers to the EPPO;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 f (new)
Paragraph 11 f (new)
11 f. Reiterates its call on the Commission to implement the recommendations of the European Court of Auditors Special Report 01/2022, in order to ensure an effective impact of EU financial assistance in support 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 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that Serbia’s adequate legislative and institutional framework for upholding fundamental rights needs to be put into practice; urgescalls on the Serbian authorities to intensify their efforts to safeguard human rights, including the rights to clean and healthy environment;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Welcomes that the Government of Serbia withdrew the Draft Law on Internal Affairs in December 2022 following a strong negative reaction of the civil society; notes that this was the second time that the Government introduced highly controversial provisions, including the legalisation of the use of biometric face-recognition cameras purchased from China; commends the Government for the constructive public consultation process with the civil society and human rights organisations on these issues; urges the Government of Serbia to introduce a moratorium on the use of biometric surveillance in public spaces and mass processing of citizens' biometric data;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Deplores the stagnfurther deterioration onf freedom of expression, the cases of hate speech and smear campaigns, including President Vučić’s targeting of N1 journalists in December 2022, and the increasing number of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) in the country; reiterates that pressure and attacks on activists, journalists and media outlets are unacceptable; urges the authorities to investigate and prosecute all such offences, including those against the investigative outlet KRIK and the daily newspaper Danas, and to create an environment in which freedom of expres and expects from the authorities and officials a clear, strong, public and unambiguous rejection of hate speech, threats and attacks directed towards critical media, civil society organisations, journalists and individuals; condemns the extreme imbalance between the presence of government and opposition members in the reporting of the national television chan genuinely flourishnels outside the period of the election campaign, which remains a major challenge for media pluralism in Serbia;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Calls on the authorities to create an environment conducive to freedom of expression, media pluralism and journalistic professionalism 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; calls for immediately stopping all public funds for generators of disinformation;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. CStrongly 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 Serbiaurges Serbia’s authorities to fight disinformation campaigns, including manipulative anti-EU narrati-EU narratives instead of spreading these themselves via government-controlled media or by high government officials and important members of the ruling partives;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. 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 RTS initially used the Kremlin speaking points about the war in Ukraine, which only changed after Serbia's vote for its condemnation in the UN;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. 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;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. EUrges the authorities to address the lack of political pluralism on the public service broadcaster, as well as across the media spectrum; regrets that pluralism was only present during the election campaign; expresses concern about the delayed implementation of the media strategy and the related action plan; urges the government to increase the transparency of media ownership and financing and ensure the independence of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM); calls for an investigation into the government connections and financing of the media;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. RDeeply regrets the fact that the REM awarded four national frequencies to channels that have a history of violating journalistic standardshate speech, dehumanisation, violating rights of minors, misleading the public, in particular Happy TV, violating journalistic standards, including disseminating disinformation and manipulative anti- opposition narratives, as well as demonizing non-Serb ethnic groups, especially Kosovo Albanians, non- compliance with warnings issued by the REM and spreading pro-Russian propaganda; is concerned that it will not be possible to change the worrying situation in the media scene in Serbia unless REM is depoliticized and brought back to its original purpose; calls for the fifth licence to be awarded through a transparent and impartial process; condemns the unjustified delay in the process; regrets the decision of REM to suspend its work for two weeks in December 2022;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Underlines the importance of a framework enabling civil society organisations to operate freely and participate in policy-making in inclusive and meaningful ways, which is currently not the case in Serbia; commends the work of the National Convention on the European Union in this regard; welcomes the adoption of the National Strategy for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development and its Action Plan; strongly condemns slandering campaigns and attacks against the civil society portraying them as traitors and state enemies, including by state officials and politicians;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17 a. Welcomes Serbia’s lively and pluralistic civil society that remains a beacon of fight for democracy, fundamental rights and media freedoms; commends the Government for the adoption of “Guidelines on inclusion of CSO in the decision-making processes” and encourages the government to enhance its cooperation in order to build cooperative relationships and to genuinely implicate civil society in a transparent legislative process from an early stage onwards;
Amendment 288 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19 b. Is worried about the repetitive restrictions of the freedom of assembly, as bans of gatherings on divisive matters such as dealing with the past or LGBTIQ rights should not be justified by the inability of the police to ensure the safety of peaceful protesters;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17 b. Reiterates its 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 296 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the significant representation of national minorities in the new parliament; welcomes the appointment of ministers from the national minorities; welcomes the holding of the regular elections for the national minority councils in November 2022;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Reiterates its concerns about violence by extremist groups, with recent instances including the demolition of a cafe in Novi Sad and antisemitic graffiti on the (Sephardic) Jewish cemetery in Belgrade; raises further concerns about the alleged activities of Russian Wagner group in Serbia; calls on the authorities to prosecute all illegal activities in connection with such groups;
Amendment 310 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Calls on the Serbian government to be more committed to the protection and promotion of cultural heritage; is concerned about the unsuitable and unsustainable development projects affecting the protected ensemble of the Belgrade Fortress which is already put on the EuropaNostra list of most endangered cultural heritage sites and calls the government for its prompt and comprehensive protection;
Amendment 311 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Is seriously concerned about the complaints of ethnic Albanians from the Preševo valley who were 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; repeats its urgent calls on the international community for an independent and thorough investigations into these allegations and on the Serbian authorities to cease all discriminatory practices and targeting;
Amendment 326 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Welcomes the holding in Belgrade of the first-ever EuroPride march in south- east Europe; regrets the contradictory communication by the Serbian authorities, including the initial ban on the march, as well as comments by the President stoking anti-LGBTIQ sentiments leading to the need to protect the event with an overwhelming police force against violent right-wing extremists and fundamentalist protestors; calls for support by the government for the 2023 Belgrade Pride;
Amendment 329 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Calls on the Parliament to urgently adopt the Law on Same-Sex Partnerships, which was drafted by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, as well as to follow the Ombudsman’s recommendation to regulate legal gender recognition, as already planned in the previous anti- discrimination strategy; calls on the Serbian authorities to ensure that the rights of LGBTI+ persons are better protected;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the adoption of new strategies on anti-discrimination and Roma inclusion and calls for their effective implementation; deplores the instrumentalisation and violation of civil rights of vulnerable groups, particularly the Roma community, in the pre-election period and during the elections, due to politically motivated systemic pressures; 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;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Welcomes the recent steps taken to improve the relations between Serbia and Croatia and encourages both sides to address all outstanding issues in good faith;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Strongly condemns widespread public denials of international verdicts for war crimes, including the denial of the Srebrenica genocide; 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 a number of Serbian political parties and figures, including at ministerial level, continued to provide support to and public space for convicted war criminals, including Veselin Šljivančanin, Dragoljub Ojdanić and Nikola Šainović, who are close to the ruling parties in Serbia;
Amendment 364 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)
Paragraph 23 c (new)
23c. Strongly condemns the repeated presence of Serbian high government officials at the illegal celebrations of the Republika Srpska day in Bosnia- Herzegovina, aiming to undermine the country’s statehood, while certain Serbian politicians continue to deny the Srebrenica genocide without repercussions;
Amendment 368 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)
Paragraph 23 d (new)
23d. 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 369 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 e (new)
Paragraph 23 e (new)
23e. Urges Serbian authorities to implement the new national strategy for the prosecution of war crimes, to increase investigations and indictments in high- level cases and address the case backlog of 1 731 pre-investigative cases via a new prosecutorial strategy with clear targets and indicators; calls for transparency and inclusiveness in reporting on the implementation;
Amendment 372 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 f (new)
Paragraph 23 f (new)
Amendment 376 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Reiterates its full support for the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue; calls on Serbia and Kosovo, Miroslav Lajčák; calls on Kosovo and Serbia to engage in this dialogue in good faith and in the spirit of compromise to achieve a comprehensive, legally binding agreement on the normalisation of their relations, based on mutual recognition, in accordance with international law; calls for the full implementation of all the relevant agreements, including the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb- Majority Municipalitie with no further delay; calls on both sides to be ready to make difficult decisions which lead to progress in the Dialogue and reconciliation between their societies; underlines that the current geopolitical environment makes it even more imperative to overcome the legacies of the past and engage in meaningful negotiations; calls for the full implementation in good faith and in a timely manner, of all the relevant agreements, including the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb- Majority Municipalities; urges Serbia to end its de-recognition campaign against Kosovo and to stop trying to block the country from becoming regular member in international organisations;
Amendment 386 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Is of the opinion that the so-called European (Franco-German) proposal, promoted on the level of and also by the EU, including by Miroslav Lajčák, is a good basis for furthering the normalisation talks between Serbia and Kosovo; urges both to embrace this proposal and put all efforts behind it to finally achieve a sustainable long-term solution;
Amendment 388 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. 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 394 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Condemns all actions that endanger stability and jeopardise the reconciliation process; is deeply concerned about the tensions in Nthe north of Kosovo and the unacceptable shooting on Orthodox Christmas Eve; recalls the shared responsibilitythe Stojanović brothers on Orthodox Christmas Eve in Štrpce; condemns the arbitrary detention of Kosovo Serb politician Rada Trajković at Merdare crossing point in December 2022; deplores the attacks at the Municipal Electoral Commission offices and the EULEX car patrol; calls for speace and the rule of law fedy, transparent and thorough investigations into all these incidents and to hold all perpetrators all people inccountable; condemns Serbia’s close links to organised crime groups operating in the north of Kosovo;
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Regrets the collective resignation of the Kosovo Serb judges, police officers and other officials; calls the negotiating parties to restore and enable the implementation of the reached agreements within the Brussels dialogue;
Amendment 402 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Calls on the Serbian authorities to engage in a constructive and respectful dialogue with their Kosovar counterparts and stop with the defamatory rhetoric against Kosovo officials; condemns the requests of the President of Serbia asking for the deployment of army and police personnel in the territory of Kosovo; urges the Serbian authorities to refrain from military threats and to work towards deescalating the conflict with Kosovo;
Amendment 403 #
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 404 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 d (new)
Paragraph 25 d (new)
25d. Commends cultural and youth initiatives, such as the annual cross- border art festival Mirëdita, Dobar Dan, which promotes cooperation between artists and activists of Kosovo and Serbia; encourages Kosovar and Serbian authorities, including at the local level, to further build upon such positive initiatives and use cultural heritage as means of bringing different communities together;
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 e (new)
Paragraph 25 e (new)
25e. Welcomes the continued work of civil society organisations that bring young people, activists, young political leaders, journalists and others together, establishing people-to-people contacts which will pave the way for long-term reconciliation and better mutual understanding of two societies; encourages both governments of Kosovo and Serbia to invest more in language courses, translation of books, films and other cultural content which would bring closer Serbian and Albanian communities;
Amendment 408 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Welcomes the recent agreements in the framework of the Berlin Process on the Freedom of Movement with Identity Cards, on the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications, and on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications for Doctors of Medicine, Dentists and Architects and calls on all Western Balkan countries to speed up their implementation;
Amendment 413 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Welcomes Serbia’s progress in developing a functioning market economy but underlines the fact that the country’s private sector is hampered by structural weaknesses in the rule of law; notes the record high FDIs in Serbia in 2022, while underlining the need to uphold environmental, labour and social standards for all investments;
Amendment 416 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Welcomes the agreement at the Tirana Summit on reduced roaming costs between the EU and the Western Balkans starting as from 1 October 2023; encourages full removal of roaming costs between EU and all enlargement countries in the near future;
Amendment 423 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on the Serbian authorities to take measures to counter depopulation; notes the results of the 2022 population census, which detected a decrease of population by 495.975 since 2011;
Amendment 443 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Recalls the substantial EU assistance provided to the country, in particular through the Instrument for Pre- Accession Assistance; urges the Serbian authorities to strengthen strategic communication and improve the visibility of EU funding; reiterates its call on the EU and Member States to reconsider any bilateral and EU funds for Serbia that would benefit the Serbian authorities, in particular any pertaining to projects financed under the Western Balkan Economic and Investment Plan, in order to ensure that all EU expenditure is fully in line with the EU’s own strategic goals and interests, as well as to put a stronger focus on support to Serbian CSOs and independent quality media;
Amendment 447 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Calls on the Commission, EBRD and Western Balkan Investment Framework implementing partners to put in place the necessary safeguards to prevent Chinese companies from circumventing fair competition rules and decent environmental and work standards and implementing projects supported by the EU or EIB;
Amendment 457 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 c (new)
Paragraph 32 c (new)
32c. Welcomes the progress made on the gas interconnector between Serbia and Bulgaria, thus decreasing dependence on Russian energy supply;
Amendment 460 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Underlines the utmost importance for the energy support package funds to be directed to support Serbia moving towards an energy efficient and renewable energy based economy, while in the short term, also help to relieve the effects of the energy crisis arising from the dependency on fossil fuels for the lowest income households and the energy poor;
Amendment 461 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32b. Calls on the Serbian authorities to adopt an integrated energy and climate plan in a transparent and participative procedure and to define ambitious climate and coal phase out goals, in accordance with the EU climate neutrality goals and the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 463 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 d (new)
Paragraph 32 d (new)
32d. Expresses concern about breaches of the Treaty Establishing Energy Community and calls on the European Commission to issue an independent report on the application of the Energy Community Treaty with recommendations for improvements;
Amendment 464 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 e (new)
Paragraph 32 e (new)
32e. 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; 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 465 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 f (new)
Paragraph 32 f (new)
32f. Calls on the Serbian authorities to align the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment with the recent Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (2014), to remove inconsistencies between the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment and the Law on Planning and Construction and to prevent adverse practice of issuing construction permits without environmental impact assessment study approval, or proper screening procedure;
Amendment 466 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Expresses concern about air pollution; reiterates its calls on the Serbian authorities to urgently accelerate the implementation of air quality plansthe National air quality programme and to tackle non-inclusive development, poor quality and application of local 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 475 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Expresses concerns about the breaches of environmental impact of new infrastructure constructions in Serbia by Chinese companieand competition rules by Chinese companies operating in Serbia, including new infrastructure constructions, and urges the Serbian authorities to take necessary compliance measures as well as to conduct transparent, inclusive and comprehensive impact assessments of any such projects; calls on the Serbian authorities to address the legitimate concerns expressed in the environmental protests;
Amendment 485 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Calls on the government to take measures regarding river pollution and further align with the EU acquis on water quality and nature protection; welcomes the establishment of a Special Police Unit for Environmental crimes, while calling for increasing its resources and capacities so as to make it fully capable for dealing with eco crimes;