Activities of Eduard KUKAN related to 2016/2310(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2016 Report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Amendments (18)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4
Citation 4
— having regard to the European Council’s decision of 16 December 2005 to grant the country the status of candidate for EU membership, to the European Council conclusions of June 2008, and to the conclusions of 13 December 2016, which received the support of the overwhelming majority of delegations and reiterated its unequivocal commitment to the EU accession process of the Republic of Macedonia,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the Recommendations of the Senior Experts' Group on Systematic Rule of Law issues relating to the communications interception revealed in Spring 2015,
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas early parliamentary elections held in Macedonia had a very high turnout;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas reforms and accession preparations are being hampered by political polarisation; whereas backsliding in some important areas can be continuously observed;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas a serious commitment by all political forces is required for the country to return to its EU integration path; whereas a new government needs to adopt and implement robust reformsrobust reforms marked by tangible results in order to maintain the country on its EU integration and Euro-Atlantic path;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas EU the accession process is a major incentive for further reforms, particularly with regard to the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
E a. whereas on 20 July and 31 August 2016, leaders of the four main political parties reached an agreement on the implementation of the Pržino Agreement, including on 11 December 2016 as the date for early parliamentary elections and declaring their support to the work of the Special Prosecutor; whereas they also reiterated their commitment to implement the 'Urgent Reform Priorities';
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas bilateral disputes should be duly addressed in compliance with EU and UN standards and should not represent an obstacle to the opening of accession negotinot be used to obstruct the EU accession process and should not represent an obstacle to the opening of accession negotiations, but be duly addressed in a constructive spirit and compliance with EU and UN standards as early as possible in the accession process; whereas all efforts should be done to maintain good neighbourly and inter-ethnic relations;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets the backsliding in the reform of the judiciary; deplores recurrent political interference in its work including in the appointment and promotion of judges and prosecutors, as well as the cases of selective justice; urges once again that the political will be demonstratede responsible authorities to address effectively the underlying issues as identified in the 'Urgent Reform Priorities', and demonstrate political will to progress in judicial reform including by improving transparency in the appointment and promotion procedures and by reducing the length of court proceedings; calls on the authorities to ensure the professionalism of the Judicial Council;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets the continuing backsliding in the reform of the judiciary; deplores recurrent political interference in its work including in the appointment and promotion of judges and prosecutors, as well as the cases of selective justice; urges once again that the political will be demonstrated to progress in judicial reform including by improving transparency in the appointment and promotion procedures and by reducing the length of court proceedings; calls on the authorities to ensure the professionalism of the Judicial Council;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the Special Prosecutor has raised the first criminal indictments concerning wrongdoings arising from the wiretaps; is concerned about attacks and obstruction against ther work of the Special Prosecutor's Office (SPO) and the lack of cooperation from other institutions; considers it essential for the democratic process to enable the Special Prosecutor’s Office to carry out thorough investigations in full autonomy;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Remains concerned that combating corruption is being undermined by political interference and continues to be a serious problem; stresses the need to strengthen the independence of the police, the prosecution and the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (SCPC); calls for improving transparency in the selection and appointment of SCPC members; calls, as a matter of urgency, for efforts to be made to ensure the effective prevention and punishment of conflicts of interest and to establish a credible track record on high- level corruption cases;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the fact that the legislative framework and strategies for fighting organised crime are in place; encourages further improvement of cooperation between law enforcement agencies both within the country and with neighbouring countries and the strengthening of the powers and resources of the courts; considers it important to further develop the law enforcement capacity to investigate financial crimes and confiscate assets;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Appreciates the continued efforts to fight Islamic radicaliszation and foreign terrorist fighters; welcomes the adoption of the 2013-2019 strategy to fight terrorism, which also defines the concepts of violent extremism, radicalisation, prevention and reintegration; calls for its implementation by a new national counter terrorism coordinator who should be appointed as soon as possible and who should foresee more cooperation between security agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs) and, local communities and other state institutions in education heals and social services; further calls for continued monitoring of returning foreign fighters by security services;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Is convinced that civil society plays an important role in supporting democratic processes and ensuring checks and balances; is concerned about signals coming from civil society organizations referring to deterioration of the climate in which they operate, limited government commitment to dialogue, as well as, public attacks by politicians and selected media;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Is concerned over freedom of expression and the media, the use of hate speech, political interference and pressure, including through government advertising; calls for inclusive media interest representation bodies and calls on the government to ensure that intimidation or violence against journalists is investigated and that those responsible be brought to justice; underlines the need for the sustainability and autonomy of the public service broadcast;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the maintenance of macro-economic stability but is concerned about the sustainability of public debt and that unemployment remains high with very low labour market participation, especially among youth and women; further urges competent authorities to tackle long-term and structural unemployment, to promote economic policy cooperation, to better align education with labour market demands and to develop a targeted strategy on how to better integrate young people and women into the labour market; is concerned about the outflow of highly educated young professionals; strongly calls on the government to dedicate particular attention to improving the perspectives of youth;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Commends the country for constructive cooperation in addressing the migration crisis thus substantially contributing to the security and stability of the European Union; recommends further actions to ensure capacities to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling; calls for the respect of international humanitarian law;