Activities of Vladimír BILČÍK related to 2022/2195(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on Uzbekistan
Amendments (25)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
– having regard to the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of Energy between the European Union and the Republic of Uzbekistan from 24 January 2011 and renewed in February 2017,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
– having regard to the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme “Central Asia Rule of Law Programme” (2020-2023) signed on 28 November 2019,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas Uzbekistan became the ninth beneficiary country when it joined the EU’s sustainable development and good governance (GSP+) arrangement in April 2021;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas under president Shavkat Mirziyoyev, economic and political reforms have been undertaken that have led the country in a gradual improvement, despite efforts still needed to be made; whereas Uzbekistan is ranked as ‘not free’ in 2022 Freedom House’s Freedom in the World and Freedom on the Net rankings and is ranked 133rd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ 2022 World Freedom of the Press Index, which is an improvement from 157th position in 2021, though the country’s overall score decreased;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas under the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan, consensual same-sex conduct between men is a criminal offense punishable by up to three years in prison; whereas this law not only violates the human rights of gay and bisexual men, but also has a harmful impact on the broader LGBTIQ community, making it challenging for them to live their lives freely and openly; whereas the criminalisation of same-sex relations between men in Uzbekistan creates a hostile and discriminatory environment, further marginalising LGBTIQ people and hindering their ability to access basic rights and services;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the OSCE stated that the 2021 presidential election lacked genuine competition and significant procedural irregularities were noted;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas on 30 April, the referendum on changing the constitution will be held as scheduled by the Oliy Majlis;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas Uzbekistan withdrew from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in 2018; whereas since Russia’s unprovoked, unjustified, and illegal war of aggression on Ukraine, Uzbekistan has taken a neutral stance and called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict; whereas on 17 March 2022, former Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov stated that Uzbekistan will not recognise separatists states of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Underlines the importance of increased EU-Uzbekistan cooperation based on the principle of shared values and respect for international law, norms and good practices, notably in light of recent geopolitical events, such as Russia’s illegal war of aggression Ukraine;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. NConsiders Central Asia to be a region of strategic interest for the EU in terms of security, connectivity, energy diversification, conflict resolution and the defence of the multilateral rules-based international order; notes that Uzbekistan is uniquely positioned to be the driving force for regional cooperation that would help Central Asia become a more resilient, prosperous and more closely interconnected economic and political space; encourages the EU to intensify its political engagement with Central Asia in line with its geostrategic importance; underlines the great potential of mutually beneficial cooperation on sustainable connectivity, in particular through its Global Gateway on initiative, energy and security; in this respect, underlines the importance of EU’s cooperation and dialogue programmes such as BOMCA (Border Management in Central Asia), CADAP (Central Asia Drug Action Programme), and LEICA (Law Enforcement in Central Asia), which are instrumental to cooperation in these policy areas;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recognises Uzbekistan’s key role in Central Asia and its responsibility towards maintaining stability, connectivity and a constructive approach to regional cooperation; in this respect, considers that the EU’s 2019 Strategy on Central Asia needs to be updated further in order to reflect the consequences of multiple recent geopolitical crises, including Russia’s illegal war of aggression on Ukraine, the Taliban take- over of Afghanistan, the global ambitions of China and political changes in neighbouring countries;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Takes note of the potential of Uzbekistan’s national resources in EU’s energy diversification, while at the same time recognises the crucial role of the EU in financing Uzbekistan’s sectoral reforms, improving its energy efficiency and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions; considers that based on the EU-Uzbekistan Memorandum of Understanding and the bilateral consultations both parts strive to enhance their energy and environmental security; in this regard, regrets the advantages of Russian state companies and Russian political insiders benefiting from gas sector in Uzbekistan;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recognises that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its implications present both challenges and opportunities for Uzbekistan and other Central Asian states, which have traditionally maintained close relations with Russia; notes that Uzbekistan abstained in the votes on the United Nations General Assembly resolutions on Ukraine, in particular those of 2 March 2022, 24 March 2022 and 23 February 2023 demanding an end to the Russian offensive and immediate withdrawal from Ukraine; notes that Uzbekistan opposed the expulsion of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council on 7 April 2022; notes the commitment of the political leadership of Uzbekistan not to allow the circumvention of sanctions imposed on Russiawelcomes former Foreign Minister Kamilov’s statement from 17 March 2022 asking for immediate stop of hostilities in Ukraine while acknowledging Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; notes the commitment of the political leadership of Uzbekistan not to allow the circumvention of sanctions imposed on Russia and encourages it to continue to do so in the future; in light of Russia’s conscription and crackdown on fundamental freedoms, welcomes Uzbekistan’s positive role in welcoming a great number of Russian citizens fleeing Russia for various political reasons;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes Uzbekistan’s long-standing and close relations with Afghanistan, which have continued after the takeover by Taliban; acknowledges the complex security situation in the region and the implications for Uzbekistan's security; commends its efforts to mitigate the severe humanitarian crisis in the country through the provision of humanitarian aid and electricity; invites Uzbekistan to use its contacts with the Taliban in a constructive manner to call for respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Afghans, in particular women, girls and minorities, which are essential conditions for greater international engagement with Afghanistan; reiterates its strong condemnation of the Taliban’s decisions to ban women and girls from attending secondary and university education and to prohibit the employment of women with non-governmental organisations;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the historic agreement of 27 January 2023 between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on the delimitation of the border between the two countries, which settles the outstanding issues between the two sides and completes a process that lasted three decades and the signing of the declaration of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries; welcomes the fact that these agreements will also contribute to deepening further bilateral relations and cooperation, including in trade and energy sectors;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets the loss of life during protests in the Republic of Karakalpakstan on 1 and 2 July 2022; calls on the authorities to investigate the actions of the security services that led to deaths and injuries among the protesters and calls on the authorities to bring those responsible to justice; calls for the independence and transparency of the judicial process to be ensured in the cases linked to the protests; welcomes the Uzbek authorities’ commitment to maintaining the current constitutional status of Karakalpakstan; notes the efforts by the Uzbek authorities to make these trials open to public and media, but underlines the importance of transparent judicial trials based on respecting the rights of defendants and adhering to good international practice;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines the important role that civil society can play in supporting effective and inclusive reforms and good governance; regrets the barriers to NGO registration and the obligations imposed on NGOs receiving foreign funding by the Regulation on Coordination Between Non- Governmental Non-Commercial Organisations and Public Authorities in the Implementation of International Grant Projects approved by Decree No 328 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan on 13 June 2022, which shrink the space for civil society activities and impede the exercise of the freedom of association; calls on the Uzbek government to adhere to providing freedom of association under the International Convent on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of the GSP+ agreement;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Condemns the recent arresting of journalists accused of participating in July 2022 protests and the sentencing of Dauletmurat Tajimuratov; Stresses the need to ensure respect for the rights of journalists, independent bloggers and human rights defenders and their protection against harassment, pressure and threats to them and their families and to investigate any attacks against them;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Underlines the importance of strengthening the role and work of Oliy Majlis in order to improve parliamentary oversight; calls for improving interparliamentary cooperation between the European Parliament, notably the Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC), and the Uzbek Parliament on issues of shared interest, such as improving democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Notes that despite the adoption of a number of laws, including the Law on Protection of Women from Harassment and Violence of 2019, gender-based violence against women remains widespread; regrets that domestic violence is not defined or specifically criminalised in Uzbekistan’s legislationwelcomes the adoption of the 6 April 2023 bill which criminalises domestic violence and provides women and children with additional protection mechanisms under country´s Criminal and Administrative Codes; calls on the authorities to take measures to bring Uzbekistan into line with its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, as indicated in the concluding observations on the sixth periodic report of Uzbekistan by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women; calls on Uzbek authorities to work with civil society organisations and international partners to address these issues;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Condemns, in the strongest possible terms, that consensual same-sex sexual relations between men remain criminalised and is deeply worried about the prevalence of intimidation, harassment, violence and stigma against LGBTIQ people in the country; urges the authorities of Uzbekistan to decriminalise same-sex sexual conduct by repealing article 120 of the criminal code, in line with the ICCPR, to exclude any provisions criminalising same-sex conduct from its new criminal code and to adopt a comprehensive anti-discrimination law that includes sexual orientation and gender identity as protected grounds;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on Uzbekistan to adopt legislation to decriminalise same-sex relations;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Welcomes Uzbekistan’s success in eradicating child labour and forced labour in the country’s annual cotton harvest since 2021; recognises the important role that the civil society and the Uzbek government played in achieving this goal and encourages the government not to return to previous practises;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Underlines the importance of European Parliament’s close involvement in monitoring the implementation of all parts of the EPCA once it enters into force;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10d. Believes that the constitutional reform could be a good opportunity to push for many positive reforms that would address the socio-economic and human rights challenges in Uzbekistan, but encourages for these to include provisions that would enable a more solid democratic foundation and electoral process that is in line with international standards;