Activities of Eduard KUKAN related to 2016/2312(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2016 Report on Albania (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the 2016 Commission Report on Albania PDF (287 KB) DOC (60 KB)
Amendments (23)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the General Affairs Council conclusions of 13 December 2016,
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to the OCSE report Monitoring of Administrative Trials 2015,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas Albania has made steady progress in its EU accession procesprogress towards meeting the political criteria for membership and steady progress in the five key priorities for the opening of accession negotiations; whereas further implementation of, inter alia, the judicial reform package, electoral reform and the so-called decriminalisation law is importantare indispensable in strengthening citizens’ trust in their public institutions and political representatives;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas judicial reform remained key for moving forward with Albania's EU accession process;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas constructive and sustainable political dialogue between political forces on EU-related reforms is essential for making further progress in the EU accession process;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
B c. whereas there is a political consensus and wide public support for the EU accession process in Albania;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes Albania’s continuous progress on EU-related reforms, in particular the consensual adoption of constitutional amendments paving the way for a comprehensive judicial reform; stresses that not only consistent adoption but also full and timely implementation of reforms and sustained political commitment are essential in order to further advance the EU accession process;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. FWelcomes the Commission's recommendation for opening accession negotiations with Albania; fully supports Albania’s accession to the EU, and calls for the accession negotiations to be opened as soon as there is credible progress in the implementation of comprehensive judicial reform, in order to keep the reform momentum; expects Albania to consolidate the progress achieved and to maintain the pace of progress on implementation of all key priorities;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Commends the consensual adoption of the constitutional amendments for judicial reform and thes well as adoption of laws on the institutional re-organisation of the judiciary; welcomes the Venice Commission's amicus curiae followed by the Constitutional Court's ruling concerning the vetting law, calls for the swift adoption and implementation of all relevant accompanying laws and by-laws, in particularespecially the law on the re-evaluation (vetting) of judges, prosecutors and legal advisors; notes that the application of the vetting and package of draft law has bneen suspended by the Constitutional Court, and that the latter has requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on its constitutionalityded for the implementation of the justice system reform; reiterates that a comprehensive judicial reform is a major demand by Albania’'s citizens forto re- establishing trust in their political representatives and public institutions, and that the credibility and effectiveness of the overall reform process, including the fight against corruption and organised crime, depend on the success of the vetting process and judicial reform;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the new justice reform strategy 2017-2020 and its action plan, as well as the increased budgetary means for implementation; calls for any shortcomings in the functioning of the judicial system to be further addressed, including lack of independence from other branches of power, selective justice, limited accountability, ineffective oversight mechanisms, corruption, the overall length of judicial proceedings and enforcements; calls on further engagement in the area of administrative justice, addressing issues such effective access to the courts and allocating resources to enable efficient work of these courts;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Ad-Hoc Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform to finalise swiftly its review of the electoral code while addressing all previous OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and strengthening transparency of the party financing and integrity of the electoral processes; calls on the competent authorities to ensure implementation in due time before the upcoming parliamentary elections of June 2017; recalls that all political parties arhave responsible for ensuring thatility for the conduct of democratic elections are conducted in compliance with international standards; recalls on Albania’s political parties to respect the law, in spirit and in letter, on the exclusion of criminal offenders from public office when drawing up their candidate listthat free and fair elections are crucial for progressing in the EU integration process;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Calls on Albania's political parties to respect the law on the exclusion of criminal offenders from public office in spirit and in letter when drawing their candidates lists; calls on the full implementation and enforcement this law;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes improved transparency and inclusivity of parliamentary activities and calls for the observance of the rule of procedures, but calls for parliamentary capacities to be enhanced in order to monitor the implementation of reforms and their compliance with EU standards and to make better use of the various oversight mechanisms and institutions in order to hold the government to account; calls for the parliamentary code of ethics to be approved and for the rules of procedure to reflect the law on the role of parliament in the EU integration process; offers to explore ways for closer cooperation with the Parliament of Albania within the framework of the European Parliament support programme for parliaments of the enlargement countries in order to enhance its capacity to produce quality legislation in line with the EU acquis and to exercise its oversight role in the implementation of reforms;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the adoption of key pieces of anti-corruption legislation, including on the protection of whistle- blowers; is concerned, however, that key anti-corruption institutions continue to be subject to political interference and have limited administrative capacities; recalls that corruption remains a serious problem and recognizes that corruption is not merely a financial issue, but a key factor undermining human development, democracy and the rule of law; stresses the need for a more adequate legal framework for conflicts of interest, the regulatingon of lobbying and better inter- institutional cooperation, especially between police and prosecutioncurement services, with a view in order to improvinge their track record as regardson investigation, prosecution and conviction, including i also on high level cases; in view of thewith a view to upcoming parliamentary elections, calls forurges to establish effective oversight and transparency of political party financing;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the continuedNotes implementation of the strategy and action plan on the fight against organised crime and intensified international police cooperation; welcomes including with neighbouring countries on fight against drug cultivation and trafficking; and while welcoming the recent operations against drugcannabis plantations;, calls also foron stepping up measures to eradicate drug cultivation in Albania and related networks of organiszed crime networks to be dismantled and for; calls for a more transparent accountability - including of police forces and authorities monitoring potential plantation areas around the country; calls for also dismantling organised crime networks and increasing the number of final convictions in organised crime cases to be increased, by enhancing cooperation between police, international organisations and prosecution services and by strengthening institutional and operational capacities; underlines the need to step up efforts to prevention of human trafficking, in particular as regards unaccompanied children and child victims of trafficking;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Urges the competent authorities to continue improving the climate of inclusion and tolerance for all minorities in the country, including by enhancing the role of the State Committee on Minorities; as regardswelcomes the initial steps aiming to improve the legal framework drafting the comprehensive law for the protection of minorities; notes the broad consultation process involving independent institutions, minorities associations and civil society; calls on finalizing the draft law and its swift adoption and implementation; concerning Roma and Egyptians, calls for continued efforts in improving their access to employment, education, health, social housing and legal aid; is concerned that, despite improvements, the inclusion of Roma children in the education system remains the lowest in the region;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12 a. Commends the efforts of the Ombudsman office in improving human rights legislation especially in the framework of the reform of judiciary; welcomes active promotion of the rights of vulnerable groups and principles of human dignity, freedom, equality and rule of law; regrets that the work of the Ombudsman's Office continued to be limited by lack of funding and personnel;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12 b. Regrets that competent authorities failed so far to conduct an effective criminal investigation into the loss of life at the demonstration on 21 January 2011, invites the authorities to proceed without undue delay to deliver justice for the victims of the events of 21 January 2011;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Regrets that no progress was made in the area of freedom of expression last year; reiterates the critical importance of professional and independent private and public service media; is concerned about political influence in the media and widespread self-censorship among journalists; notes the slow implementation of the law on audiovisual media and the delays in filling vacancies inat the method of electing members is not free of political influence and does not guarantee full independence of the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA); calls for measures to raise the professional and ethical standards of and prevalencethe - availability of regular work contracts ofor journalists, to enhance the transparency of government advertising in the media and to ensure the independence, impartiality and accountability of the regulatory authority and the public broadcaster; reiterates the need to finalise and adopt public service broadcaster RTSH's internal statute as a matter of urgency and finalise the delayed digital broadcasting switchover process;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes improvements in fiscal consolidation, better scores in doing business, and efforts to fight the informal economy; still notes, however, still shortcomings in the rule of law and a cumbersome regulatory environment, which deter investments; urges the competent authorities to take measures for improved enforcement of contracts and, better tax collection, and to continue implementing judicial reform with a view to improving the business environmenthe justice reform in order to improve the business environment; is concerned about the high level of direct procurements and non-competitive bidding and the awarding of long term outsourcing and PPP contracts with questionable impact regarding the public interest;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15 a. Notes with concern limited administrative capacities in enforcement of environmental law and poor waste management and water management, which often leads to environmental crime threatening Albania's economic resources and constituting barrier towards a resource-efficient economy; highlights that the environmental impact of hydropower plants is often not properly assessed and adherence to EU legislation is not assured; reiterates its call to reconsider plans for building hydropower plants in protected areas of Vjosa river;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls forUrges to complete the process of property registration, restitution and compensation to be completed, and forand to update and effectively implement the 2012-2020 strategy on property rights to be implemented effectively; calls on improving transparency, legal certainty and equality of treatment related to the law on compensation for property confiscated during the communist time; calls on appointing national coordinator for property rights and accelerating the process of property registration and mapping, including the property digitalization;
Amendment 221 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Emphasizes the importance of regional cooperation in the EU integration process; welcomes Albania's constructive and proactive role in several regional initiatives, such as the South East Europe Cooperation Process, the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative, the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, the Central European Initiative, the Western Balkans Six and the Regional Initiative for Migration and Asylum, as well as Albania's constructive attitude in developing bilateral relations with other enlargement countries and neighbouring EU Member States;