13 Amendments of Bart GROOTHUIS related to 2019/2200(INI)
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Expresses concerns over continuous political polarization and the lack of effective political dialogue in Georgia, which necessitated facilitation by the Head of the EU Delegation in Tbilisi to reach the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020, and the negative effect such political division may have on reforms related to the AA and DCFTA implementation;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates its full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and condemns the illegal occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia by the Russian Federation, as well as ongoing illegal borderisation along the dividing lines, which escalate the situation, damage the security environment and cause further hardships to the local population, including abductions of Georgian citizens from unoccupied Georgian territory; emphasises that the AA covers the entire territory of Georgia, including its occupied regions, and aims to benefit its whole population; calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil its obligations under the EU- mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, notably to withdraw all its military forces from Georgia’s occupied territories and allow the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) unhindered access to the whole territory of Georgia; asks the Commission and the EEAS to enhance their efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully, including through the EUMM and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Commends the Georgian authoriefforts by the major Georgian political parties forto completinge the constitutional reform process and the major political parties for, particularly the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020, which established the key features of the electoral system to be used for the upcoming parliamentary elections;October 2020 parliamentary elections; however, expresses deep concerns over attempts by the ruling party to avoid implementation of the agreement to its full extent, welcomes the input made by the President of Georgia to ensure its undivided application and calls on all parties to ensure that the agreement is translated into law and fully implemented as soon as possible;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Notes that the upcoming parliamentary elections will be pivotal in confirming Georgia’s democratic credentials;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Georgian authorities to implement swiftly and fully the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and review relevant legislation to address the identified shortcomings; ensure that concerns enumerated in the OSCE/ODIHR and other legitimate election observation reports, particularly related to the use of public resources for political campaigning, impunity of violence, vote-buying as well as the ability of voters, especially civil servants, “to vote free from pressure and fear of retribution” are eliminated;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Notes the importance to ensure editorial independence and pluralistic opinions in Georgian Public Broadcaster and Adjara Public Broadcaster and to eliminate cases of political persecution against media owners and managers in order to ensure a fair and free environment for media outlets and journalists, in which they could carry their duties in adherence to the internationally accepted professional standards and would enjoy timely and equal access to all public information;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians and media owners, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, and led to a polarisation of politics and society; calls for the release of Giorgi Rurua, an independent media owner and entrepreneur, as part of the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020; calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AA;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for a revision of the selection procedures for judges to be carried out to ensure that the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR are fully implemented before any new appointments are made; regrets that the recent selection procedure of Supreme Court judges suffered from serious shortcomings;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Strongly condemns the cyber- attacks against Georgian institutions and media outlets widely attributed to Russian actors; takes note with concern that in December 2019 and May 2020 hundreds of coordinated inauthentic pages and profiles sponsored by the ruling party, spreading criticism of the opposition and local activist organizations were removed by Facebook and calls on all political actors in Georgia to refrain from using social media to attack people, organisations and institutions and spread deliberate misinformation; encourages to review relevant legislation to protect the personal data of Internet users from, inter alia, secret surveillance;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Parliament of Georgia to strengthen its capacities to exercise the parliamentary control mechanisms, particularly control over the security system; encourages to increase the role of the opposition in the process of parliamentary oversight, to simplify the procedures for summoning members of the government and other accountable officials and establishing a centralized recording system to provide timely and complete information on parliamentary control to all interested stakeholders;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes with satisfaction that the EU is one of Georgia’s largest trading partners; welcomes the continued approximation of Georgia’s legislation in trade-related areas; encourages Georgia to take a full advantage of trade opportunities, particularly of DCFTA, and to develop its export capacities beyond agricultural commodities and raw materials;