Activities of Kristian VIGENIN related to 2012/2025(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Enlargement: policies, criteria and the EU’s strategic interests (debate)
Amendments (11)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
– having regard to the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) (COM(2011)0838/4),
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas 20 years after the Copenhagen summit the moment has come for a general re-evaluation of the accession criteria, of the established procedures and of enlargement policy as a whole; whereas Parliament contributes to improving the transparency and accountability of enlargement and thereby increasing public support for this process;
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas the European Parliament contributes to improving the transparency and accountability of enlargement and thereby increasing public support for this process; whereas, following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the role of the European Parliament in providing democratic scrutiny over the enlargement policy has increased by, inter alia, introducing co-legislative power with regard to the Instrument for Pre- Accession Assistance; whereas the resolutions of the European Parliament on the enlargement countries should form an integral part of the political framework for assisting the pre-accession process;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Is of the view that the set of accession criteria should be adequately translated into clear, specific and measurable objectives in the Instrument for Pre- accession Assistance (IPA) in order to clearly demonstrate the link between Union-funded policies in the enlargement countries and progress in meeting the general accession criteria;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that, in order to maintain the credibility of the enlargement process, the EU's integration capacity should be evaluated at an early stage and should be properly considered in the Commission's ‘opinion’ for each potential candidate state, outlining the major concerns in this regard; is of the view that a comprehensive impact assessment should then follow;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the new negotiating approach that prioritises issues related to the judiciary and fundamental rights, as well as to justice and home affairs; agrees that these should be tackled early in the accession process and that the corresponding chapters should be opened accordingly on the basis of action plans, as they require the establishment of convincing track records; calls on the Commission to report to Parliament regularly on progress in these areas, and for the monthly pre-accession reports of the EU delegations to be forwarded to the members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs; notes, however, that the focus on the areas in question should not be to the detriment of the efforts and progress in the other areas outlined in the individual enlargement agendas of the candidate and potential candidate countries;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Encourages greater participation by civil society and non-state actors in the accession process; stresses that civil society can work as an engine of approximation with the EU and create bottom-up pressure for the implementationadvancement of the European agenda; calls for additional financial support, inter alia via the Civil Society Facility, especially in order to enhance their capacities in monitoring the implementation of the acquis;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 c (new)
Paragraph 9 c (new)
9 c. Recalls that achieving sustainable economic recovery is a major challenge for most enlargement countries and underlines the need to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy; calls for strengthening support to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), critical for socio-economic progress in all enlargement countries, and urges the Commission to insist for priority reforms that create a favourable regulatory environment for innovative and high- potential SMEs; stresses, at the same time, the need for continued attention to the issues of a growing informal sector, high unemployment and integration of most vulnerable people in society;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the EU to support efforts to resolve outstanding disputes, including border disputes, before accession; in line with the provisions of the UN Charter, encourages all parties to disputes whose continuation is likely to endanger the preservation of international peace and security to engage constructively in their peaceful resolution and, in case of proven inability to reach a bilateral agreement, to refer the matter to the International Court of Justice or to commit themselves to a binding arbitration mechanism of their choice; reiterates its call on the Commission and the Council to start developing, in accordance with the EU Treaties, a generally applicable arbitration mechanism aimed at solving bilateral issues between enlargement countries and Member States;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Is of the opinion that, in order to maintain the support of the EU's citizens for further enlargement and the commitment of the citizens of the candidate and potential candidate countries to continue with reforms, it is crucial to present them with clear and comprehensive information on the political, socio- economic and cultural benefits of enlargement; considers it essential, in particular, to explain to the public how the pursuing of enlargement policy has brought in its wake new investment and export opportunities for the older Member States, and how it can help attain the EU's objectives in terms of tackling the economic crisis, creating jobs, protecting the environment and mitigating the effects of climate change, and enhancing security and safety, while at the same time accelerating the reform agenda and improving living conditions in the enlargement countries for the benefit of all European citizens; stresses the need to target, as a priority in this regard, young people and trade unions, as well as key opinion-formers such as journalists, representatives of civil society and economic actors; is of the view that similar efforts by candidate and potential candidate countries should be encouraged and supported;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Notes that the global financial crisis and the difficulties in the eurozone have highlighted the interdependence of national economies, both within and beyond the EU; emphasises, therefore, the importance of further consolidating economic and financial stability and fostering growth, also in the candidate and potential candidate countries; in these difficult circumstances, stresses the need to provide adequate and better targeted pre-accession financial aid to candidate and potential candidate countries; welcomes the increase proposed by the CommissionCommission proposal for a new Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, which includes increased financial support for the financial perspective 2014- 2020; stresses, in this regard, the need to simplify and speed up procedures, as well as to strengthen the administrative capacity of the beneficiary countries, in order to ensure a high level of participation in EU programmes and to enhance absorption capacity; points out that a comprehensive position of the European Parliament on the IPA will be presented in the course of the ordinary legislative procedure, which applies to it;