Activities of Eduard KUKAN related to 2016/2311(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2016 Report on Serbia (debate) SK
Amendments (15)
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the opening of negotiations on Chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security) as the key chapters in the EU approach to enlargement based on the rule of law; welcomes the opening of Chapters 32 (Financial Control) and 35 (Other Issues), the opening of negotiations on Chapter 5 (Public Procurement) and the opening and provisional closure of Chapter 25 (Science and Research); calls on the Council to open Chapter 26 (Education and Culture) as well as opening those chapters that has been technically prepared;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the continued engagement of Serbia on the path of integration into the EU and its constructive and well-prepared approach to the negotiations, which is a clear sign of determination and political will; calls on Serbia to actively promote this strategic decision among the Serbian population; notes improvement in public consultations with relevant stakeholders and civil society, encourage to enhance further transparency in the process of accession negotiations;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the progress made by Serbia in developing a functioning market economy and the improvement of the overall economic situation in the country; stresses that Serbia has made good progress in addressing some of its policy weaknesses, in particular with regard to the budget deficit which is now below Maastricht criteria; highlights that growth prospects have improved and domestic and external imbalances have been reduced; underlines that the restructuring of publicly owned enterprises has advanced; notes the paramount importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to Serbia's economy;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the conduct of the parliamentary elections on 24 April 2016 which were assessed positively by the international observers; calls on the authorities to fully address the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission; calls on Serbian authorities to improve conditions for election monitoring by local NGOs; notes lack of transparency in the financing of political parties and electoral campaigns; stresses that the funding of political parties needs to be transparent and in accordance with international standards;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on Serbia to align its foreign and security policy with that of the EU, including its policy on Russia; is convinced that trade policies with foreign policy implications need to be aligned to those of the EU as well; notes Serbia's steps towards further integration with the Eurasian Economic Union; strongly encourages and supports Serbia in negotiating WTO accession; welcomes Serbia’s important contribution to and continued participation in international peacekeeping operations;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9 a. Repeats its call for proper reform of the offense of abuse of office and abuse of responsible position, such as to prevent possible misuse; notes that neither of previous reforms have addressed these calls and that the new wording of offense of abuse of a responsible position (article 227) still leaves room for arbitrary interpretation; calls on responsible authorities to either abolish, or sufficiently define the offense of abuse of responsible position in order to prevent its possible misuse in private sector; calls once again on independent and through review of reclassified cases related to abuse of responsible positions so that long-standing unjust prosecutions can be dropped immediately;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the progress made in the fight against organised crime and the adoption of Serbia’s first national serious and organise crime threat assessment (SOCTA); calls on Serbia to step up efforts to investigate wider criminal networks, improve financial investigations and intelligence-led policing and develop a solid track record of final convictions; calls on authorities to address numerous cases of excessive use of power by police against citizens; has taken note of the controversial events in Belgrade’s Savamala district and calls for their swift resolution;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the measures taken to improve transparency and the consultation process within the parliament, including public hearings and regular meetings and consultations with the National Convent on European Integration, especially as being important part of negotiation procedures; remains concerned about the extensive use of urgent procedures in adopting legislation; stresses that the frequent use of urgent procedures undermines parliamentary effectiveness; underlines that the parliament’'s oversight of the executive needs to be strengthened; calls for the adoption of parliament’'s code of conduct; regrets that, due to disruption, the Head of Mission of the EU Delegation to Serbia was not able to present the Commission’'s report in the European Integrations Committee of the Serbian Parliament;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates the importance of independent regulatory bodies, including the Ombudsman, in ensuring oversight and accountability of the executive; calls on the authorities to provide the Ombudsman with full political and administrative support for his work; state authorities, such as the Ombudsman, the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, State Audit Institution and others in ensuring oversight and accountability of the executive; calls on the authorities to protect the independence of these offices, fully cooperate with them when exercise their powers and provide them with full political and administrative support for their institutional work; stresses that their recommendations need to receive proper follow-up;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Recognizes unfavourable demographic situation since Serbia is ranked among the countries with highest negative population growth rate ( -5.4 per 1000 inhabitants in 2015 ) while also facing massive brain drain, especially among youngsters; calls on the authorities to introduce the national programs focused on higher youth employment and take appropriate measures to stimulate birth rate;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Reiterates its concern that no progress has been made to improve the situation regarding freedom of expression and of the media; stresses that political interference, threats, violence and intimidation against journalists including physical assaults, verbal and written threats and attacks on property remain an issue of concern; calls on the authorities to investigate any cases of attacks against journalists and media outlets; is concern that civil defamation lawsuits are disproportionately targeting critical media outlets and journalists; calls for the full implementation of media laws; underlines the need for complete transparency in media ownership and funding of media and encourages the government to guarantee the independence and the financial sustainability of both public service media organisations; recalls the need for a functioning Regulatory Body for Electronic Media;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Notes that Vojvodina’'s culturmultietnical, multicultural and multiconfessional diversity also contributes to Serbia’'s identity; underlines that Vojvodina has maintained a high degree of protection for minorities and that the inter-ethnic situation has remained good; stresses that the autonomy of Vojvodina should not be weakened and that the law on Vojvodina’'s resources should be adopted without further delay, as prescribed by the constitution; welcomes the achievement of Serbian city Novi Sad to became a first city among candidate countries selected to be the European capital of Culture in 2021;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the adoption of the new Roma social inclusion strategy 2016-2025, which covers education, health, housing and, employment, social protection, anti- discrimination and gender equality; calls for the full implementation of the new strategy for Roma inclusion;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20