Activities of Markéta GREGOROVÁ related to 2019/2202(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the implementation of the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine
Amendments (15)
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) has contributed to the positive evolution of trade and to economic modernisation, has boosted foreign direct investments and has created new jobs on both sides; welcomes the continuous positive results achieved in bilateral trade and economic relations, with Ukrainian imports growing by 12.3 % and exports by 9.7 %, amounting to EUR 43.3 billion in 2019; and encourage the European Commission to support Ukraine in identifying those areas that could further foster economic diversification and in prioritising them in the process of the DCFTA full implementation;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the approval and disbursement in two parts of the fourth consecutive Macro -Financial Assistance (MFA) programme of EUR 1 billion in support to Ukraine; recalls that the MFA has been an important tool in implementing Ukraine’s ambitious reform agenda and accelerating economic growth, notably through the ‘more for more’ approach and the conditionalities attached to it; incentives; recalls the importance of the conditionalities based on real democratic reforms and good governance; encourages Ukraine to continue making progress in acquis regulatory approximation;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recalls that DCFTA is a part of a reform process based on good governance and fight against the corruption and organised crime, and stresses that rule of law is a key precondition for good and functioning implementation, recalls the important role of the Civil society in policy formulation and in a fight against corruption and money laundry;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Calls on Ukraine to fully respect the environmental objectives and initiatives set out in the DCFTA, as well as its international commitments to sustainable trade and development, in particular the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Calls on the Ukrainian Government to also focus on the social dimension of trade and sustainable development by addressing the limitations and shortcomings of the labour inspection system and the problems of the judiciary system, which have a negative impact on the enforcement of labour standards; calls on the Ukrainian government to also focus on antidiscrimination in the labour market and employment policies;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)
Paragraph 2 e (new)
2e. Calls on the EU to continue supporting AA/DCFTA countries’ accession to the Single European Payment area (SEPA), that will foremost benefit the citizens and provide new opportunities to SME´s development;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the results achieved under the DCFTA Facility for SMEs in terms of improving access to finance and opening up trade opportunities; highlights that a proper information campaign could enable SMEs to benefit more from the opportunities offered by the DCFTA; notes that the evaluation of the DCFTA implementation is very much focused on trade flows and trade irritants; calls on the European Commission to monitor the impact of the DCFTA on SMEsappropriately monitor and assess the implementation of the DCFTA, with special attention being paid to the acquis transposition and implementation, as well as to the impact on SMEs and the Ukrainian society, and to provide public and comprehensive annual reporting including on the technical and financial support provided by the EU;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses the importance of supporting a favourable business environment for regional and small and medium-sized enterprises to further innovate different economic sectors; calls on the Commission to support investments in sectors with potential for development, growth and competiveness in the EU, notable in three sectors of strategic significance, such as sustainable energy and climate, digital single market and cyber security, and transport; and further exploring increased sectoral cooperation in digital economy, education and research, innovation, and to enhance ICT sector and digitalisation as well as green technologies, to share know-how and best practices;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Calls on the Commission to provide technical support for regional employment centres to stimulate the employment; and to also support and invest in youth and the sustainable economic development programmes favouring social entrepreneurship and focus on youth from rural areas in order to strengthen education system with labour market demands to protect the most vulnerable and prevent lack of socio- economic opportunities;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Acknowledges the solution found for the export of ‘other’ cuts of poultry by amending the trade preferences for poultry meat and poultry meat preparations; calls on Ukraine to abstain from similar practices and to fully respect and implement all provisions of the DCFTA in good faith; deplores the lack of progress in approximating EU animal welfare standards and calls for Ukraine to urgently adopt the draft legislation to fulfil that commitment;
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Is concerned that Ukraine is the sole European country listed by the Commission as a ‘category 2’ priority country, meaning that intellectual property rights are regularly violatedsystematic problems in the IP protection and enforcement; calls on the Commission to intensify dialogue withcontinue assisting Ukraine oin the issue to avoid further harm to European businesses; expects Ukraine to ensure compliance with commitments made under the EU- Ukraine Association Agreement.mplementation of the DCFTA commitment and in the elaboration of new draft laws on IPR
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls on the Commission to invest in the strengthening of the technical infrastructure to help Ukraine with cyber resilience, under the new national security strategy and considering establishment of the platform where it would be possible to share the experience of resilience against the electoral interferences, cyber security and disinformation between the EaP partners, EU institutions and its members; underlines also the need for supporting and investing in the development of digital skills and media and information literacy as the only effective way to fight disinformation that has already occurred;
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Calls on the Commission to upgrade neglected areas of the AAs/DCFTAs with regard to important policy areas such as gender mainstreaming and dealing with health crises, as well as ensuring that they do not run counter to the imperative for environmental and climate action or initiatives in the European Green Deal;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Recalls the necessity to strengthen the European Delegations in order to effectively communicate the European approximation and promote positive European and Ukrainian image on both sides;