Activities of Dacian CIOLOŞ related to 2022/2064(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
New EU strategy for enlargement (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on a European Parliament recommendation to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning the new EU strategy for enlargement
Amendments (55)
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
— having regard to the 2022 Court of Auditors report on EU support for the rule of law in the Western Balkans which concluded that EU support has only delivered limited results and that a key reason for this is the insufficient domestic political will to drive the necessary reforms,
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas enlargement is the most effective EU foreign policy instrument and one of the Union’s most successful policies, and it remains a strategic investment in peace, stability and prosperity on the European continent;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas in light of the growing Russian threat to European peace and stability, an enhanced enlargement policy remains the strongest geopolitical tool at the EU's disposal;
Amendment 45 #
A a. whereas negotiations for accession should be more than a political and an administrative process, as they amount to a civilisation choice and as such they entail the progressive transfer and reinforcement of EU values and policies in candidate countries;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas in parallel with the accession negotiations leading to the next enlargement wave, the functioning of the European institutions, as well as the main policies of the EU and mainly the common agriculture policy and the cohesion policy should be revised to make them more efficient and less burdensome;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the actions and results of the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement cast a shadow on the credibility of the Commission and the EU as a honest broker in the neighbourhood and accession countries;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas enlargement policies must be updated by taking into consideration both political context and realities, while at the same time maintaining the importance of a merit-based accession process;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas the enlargement process must visibly and constantly move towards the goal of full membership in order to sustain reforms in the candidate and potential candidate countries; whereas this is also essential for the success of the European peace project based on the rule of law;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas, in order to be more effective, the enlargement policy needs to combine a strong focus on fundamentals (rule of law, democratic standards, economic reforms) with the gradual phasing-in of the candidate countries into various sectors of EU integration;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
B c. whereas the new EU strategy for enlargement needs to be backed by real political commitment to the process in order to be successful;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the Russian invasion of's war of aggression against Ukraine has prompted three countries with EU Association Agreements – Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova – to submit membership applications;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine received candidacy status following the European Council Summit on 23 June 2022;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas the Council’s decision should be followed by a concrete action plan that not only includes expected deliverables from the candidate countries, but also ensures that the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine have all the necessary support to become EU Member States both in spirit and in law;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C c (new)
Recital C c (new)
C c. whereas Georgia is on the right track to join the EU, and its citizens deserve a clear roadmap with tangible requirements to be fulfilled in order to be granted candidate status and the perspective to join the block;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) retain the geostrategic relevance and credibility of the EU by enhancing integration in the areas of common foreign, security and defence policies, and by streamlining its decision-making processes, including by reducing the use of vetoes and avoiding bilateral blockages in the context of the enlargement policy;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point e
Paragraph 1 – point e
(e) strengthen Member States’ commitment to enlargement by delivering on EU’s obligations towards the Western Balkan and Eastern European countries;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f
Paragraph 1 – point f
(f) avoid usingdopt an official mechanism allowing the arbitration of unresolved bilateral disputes toin order to avoid that these conflicts block candidate countries’ accession processes;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) strengthen strategic communication on the mutual benefits of enlargement both in the accession countries and in the Member States;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(g a) contribute to preventing third- party interference in the political, electoral, and other democratic processes of the accession countries, in particular malicious acts aimed at manipulating public opinion and undermining a country's EU accession;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
(i a) enhance the focus of the accession process on citizens rather than governments;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k
Paragraph 1 – point k
(k) establish clear, transparent and consistent performance benchmarks, improve the measuring of progress and ensure continued political and technical support throughout the accession process based on individual merits, performance and political implementation;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
(k a) improve the accessibility and readability of Commission's progress reports;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l
Paragraph 1 – point l
(l) reward progress with a wider phasing-in of candidate countries into respective EU policies and initiatives, including access to EU funds in these areas, while sanctioning any backtracking;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point l a (new)
(l a) ensure the gradual integration of candidate countries into the EU policies, which will mean that the benefits of accession will be felt by the citizens throughout the process and not only at its end;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m
Paragraph 1 – point m
(m) step up solidarity and interim political and economic incentives for accession countries, ensuring that intermediate integration steps, particularly gradual integration into the EU single market, do not substitute but facilitate the final goal of fully-fledged EU membership;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
(m a) multiply exchanges to promote best-practices between MS and candidate countries;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m b (new)
(m b) open sectoral cooperation with pre-accession countries, in order to strengthen their partnership with the EU and facilitate future integration;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) recognise Western Balkan countries’ achievements by organizing the first inter-governmental conference with the Republics of Albania and North Macedonia, thus opening long over-due accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia and granting visa liberalisation to Kosovo without delay;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o
Paragraph 1 – point o
(o) assisgrant Bosnia and Herzegovina in addressing 14 key priorities, as a precondition for obtaining candidate status(BiH) candidate status, as a clear message of support and unequivocal commitment to its European perspective as well as a step forward towards the (geo)political stabilization of the country and the whole region;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q
Paragraph 1 – point q
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point q c (new)
(q c) assist Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to meet the conditions set by the Commission for further steps towards EU membership, and Georgia to complete the necessary steps to obtain candidate status;
Amendment 302 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point q a (new)
(q a) encourage continuous and effective implementation of the Association Agreements and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas with Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia;
Amendment 304 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point q b (new)
(q b) review the EU's Eastern Partnership strategy and promote regional cooperation;
Amendment 318 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point s
Paragraph 1 – point s
(s) prioritise the alignment of accession countries with the EU’s common foreign and security policy and continue accession negotiations with Serbia only if the country aligns with EU sanctions against Russia and EU policy towards Russia in general;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point u a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point u a (new)
(u a) recognise and support the pro- European aspirations of the democratic opposition of Belarus and of the Belarusian people who seek to live in a free and democratic society;
Amendment 346 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point v
Paragraph 1 – point v
(v) bringconfirm the central role of democratic transformation and the rule of law back to the very centre of the EU accession processin the accession negotiations as foreseen in the Renewed consensus on enlargement since 2006, prioritising judicial independence, the fight against corruption and organised crime, good governance, human rights, fundamental freedoms and media freedom;
Amendment 354 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point v a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point v a (new)
(v a) strengthen the involvement of civil society, non-governmental organizations and experts in monitoring the accession process;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point v c (new)
Paragraph 1 – point v c (new)
(v c) advocate the adoption of human rights violations sanctions mechanism or Magnitsky Act, including sanctions for corruption crimes;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point v d (new)
Paragraph 1 – point v d (new)
(v d) insist upon advancing gender equality, closing the gender pay gap, advancing gender balance in decision making, and ending gender based violence;
Amendment 360 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point v a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point v a (new)
(v a) recalls the European Commissioners' obligation of integrity, discretion and independence in compliance with the code of conduct for the Members of the Commission and therefore calls on the Commission to assess the actions of Commissioner Varhelyi in this light;
Amendment 362 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point w
Paragraph 1 – point w
(w) improve the consistency, efficiency, visibility and transparency of pre-accession assistance; and take the necessary corrective measures in line with the findings of the European Court of Auditors Special Report of 10 January 20221a; _________________ 1a https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECADoc uments/SR22_01/SR_ROL- Balkans_EN.pdf
Amendment 365 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point w a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point w a (new)
(w a) make the necessary adaptations to the IPA III programming to ensure support for independent media and rule of law cluster objectives in general;
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point w b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point w b (new)
(w b) provide the European Parliament by the end of 2022 with a full in-depth evaluation of the use of all European funds in the Western Balkan region, including a specification of funds and projects in individual countries of the region from 2015 onwards;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point x
Paragraph 1 – point x
(x) strengthen rule of law reporting for all accession countries by establishing a monitoring, dialogue and warning mechanism for rectifying major rule of law deficiencies, triggoffering both positive and negative conditionality in the form of either access to EU policies or the suspension of accession negotiations and pre-accession funding, and enabling the reopening of negotiation chapters under reversibility clauses;
Amendment 378 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point y a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point y a (new)
(y a) enhance the mandate of the EPPO in prosecuting the misuse of EU funds in candidate countries and supervising the work of local prosecutors as regards EU funds-related wrongdoings by setting up a network of local prosecutors affiliated to the EPPO;
Amendment 382 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z
Paragraph 1 – point z
(z) formally assess accession countries under the EU’s rule of law mechanism and reporting, and the EU Justice Scoreboard, using the same working methods as for Member States, with the aim of preventing a persistent lack of progress, serious deficiencies and regression and calls on the Commission to draft Rule of Law Reports on the accession countries in the years before full membership rights are granted;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point z a (new)
(z a) Invites the Commission to set up a dedicated Rule of Law Task Force, tasked with developing more substantial and more effective support to candidate and potential candidate countries, with the active involvement of judges and prosecutors from the Member States;
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ab
Paragraph 1 – point ab
(ab) foster electoral reforms, democratic pluralism, intra-party democracy and adoption of internal frameworks for integrity and fighting corruption within the political parties, transparency of party and media funding, ands well as judicial and media independence and freedom;
Amendment 400 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ac
Paragraph 1 – point ac
(ac) uphold democratic accountability and enhance the parliamentary dimension of the accession process, encourage the organization of bilateral parliamentary meetings between parliaments of Member States and those of accession countries;
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ac a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point ac a (new)
(ac a) ensure that oversight institutions and other independent democratic institutions are able to effectively carry out their constitutionally granted role in the political processes of candidate countries;
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ac a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point ac a (new)
(ac a) Consider methods to invite observers from the candidate countries at an earlier stage to sit in the European Parliament and possibly after concluding the first cluster of accession negotiations;
Amendment 408 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ad a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point ad a (new)
(ad a) Underlines the direct link between the rule of law and fighting corruption and sustainable and equitable economic development;
Amendment 420 #
(ae a) insist upon building an inclusive society free of discrimination with regard to all LGBTI+ people;
Amendment 430 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point af
Paragraph 1 – point af
(af) step up citizen participation and the involvement of civil society in the enlargement process and invest in the youth and intraregional mobility; by increasing funding allocated to the civil society and invest in the youth and intraregional mobility by increasing the budget of the Erasmus+ programme and adopt a 14 years transition period after accession in which civil society organisations from these countries are still able to apply for EU financial support;
Amendment 439 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point af a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point af a (new)
(af a) increase economic development, the market economy, transport connectivity, competitiveness and green transition;