Activities of Eduard KUKAN related to 2018/2146(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2018 Report on Serbia (debate)
Amendments (26)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8
Citation 8
– having regard to the declaration and recommendations adopted at the seventheight EU- Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (SAPC) meeting of 20-21 December13-14 June 20178 and the sixth eventh SAPC meeting of 13-14 Sept20-21 December 2017,
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15
Citation 15
– having regard to the seventheight meeting of the Accession Conference with Serbia at Ministerial level held on 11 December25 June 20178,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)
Citation 15 a (new)
– having regard to the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body GRECO report on Serbia from July 2015 and GRECO’s Fourth Evaluation Round dealing with “Corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors” adopted on 16-20 October 2017,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16
Citation 16
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
– having regard to the Venice Commission’s "Opinion on the draft amendments to the constitutional provisions on the judiciary of 25 June 2018",
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas since the opening of negotiations with Serbia twelvefourteen chapters have been opened, two of which have been provisionally closed;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas rule of law is a fundamental value on which the EU is founded and which is at the heart of both the Enlargement Process and the Stabilisation and Association Process, and whereas reforms are needed to tackle the important remaining challenges in this area, notably in ensuring an independent, impartial, accountable and efficient judiciary, and in the fight against corruption and organised crime, as well as in the protection of fundamental rights;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas the situation regarding the freedom of expression and the independence of media remains a particularly serious concern, which needs to be addressed in a determined and effective way as a matter of priority;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the progress made by Serbia in developing a functioning market economy, ensuring economic growth and preserving macroeconomic and monetary stability; stresses that Serbia has made good progress in addressing some of the policy weaknesses that have been an issue in the past, in particular through budget consolidation; underlines that the restructuring and privatisation of state- owned enterprises has partially advanced; stresses the paramount importance to Serbia’s economy of small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs); supports Serbia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO);
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes note of the presidential elections on 2 April 2017; welcomes the general conduct of the elections; calls on the authorities to fully address and implement the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission; including those related to the transparency and integrity of the election process; reminds Serbia that legislation needs to bring forward amendments in order to assure presence of both domestic observers and international observers in line with OSCE standards; furthermore encourage the authorities to engage in dialogue with domestic election observers and calls for clearly defined rules allowing observers access to all stages of the process;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Urges Serbia to step up its reform efforts in the area of rule of law, and in particular to ensure the independence and overall efficiency of the judicial system; stresses that special focus should be put on implementing effective reform in this area; notes that while some progress has been made in reducing the backlog of old enforcement cases, and in putting in place measures to harmonise court practice, judicial independence in Serbia is not fully assured and the scope for political influence over judiciary remains a concern; calls on Serbia to strengthen the accountability, impartiality, professionalism and overall efficiency of the judiciary, and tolso through establishing a free legal aid system and random allocation of cases in all courts;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Reiterates the importance of intensifying the fight against corruption and urges Serbia to show a clear commitment to tackle this issue; welcomes the adoption of the amendments made in the economic crimes section of the country’s criminal code; calls to step up implementation of the national anti- corruption strategy and the action plan; reiterates its call to swiftly adopt a new law on the Anti- Corruption Agency to improve the planning, coordination and monitoring of the implementation of new legislation and policies; stresses that it is critical that the Agency receives and maintains the human and financial resources it needs to carry out its mandate in an independent manner; calls on the authorities to fill all open positions in the Agency; calls on Serbia to further improve its track record on investigations, indictments and final convictions in high-level corruption cases;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Notes that Serbia has not implemented in a satisfactory manner any of the thirteen recommendations provided by the Council of Europe’s anti- corruption body GRECO (Group of States against Corruption) on July 2015; calls on the Serbian authorities to swiftly review and implement the GRECO recommendations;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Acknowledges some progress has been made in the fight against organised crime and welcomes Serbia’s active role in international and regional police and judicial cooperation; calls on Serbia to establish a convincing track record of investigations, prosecutions and convictions in organised crime cases, including money laundering, based on proactive investigations; calls on Serbia to focus on the implementation of the action plan agreed with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF);
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Noted with concern, the controversial events in Belgrade’s Savamala district, with regard in particular to the demolition of private property; called for their resolution and full co-operation with the judicial authorities in the investigations to bring perpetrators to justice;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that the Serbian parliament still does not exercise effective oversight of the executive, and that the transparency, inclusiveness and quality of the legislative process need to be enhanced; welcomes the declining use of urgent procedures to adopt legislation; stresses, however, that the still- frequent use of urgent procedures undermines parliamentary and public scrutiny; stresses that actions that limit the ability of the Serbian parliament to conduct an effective debate on, and scrutiny of, legislation should be avoided; underlined that the parliament’s oversight function is highly important; notes that continuous cooperation with independent Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) can additionally strengthen its work; calls on the Serbian Parliament to address recommendations of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), in particular with regard to corruption prevention and conflicts of interest, and to adopt the Code of Conduct; welcomes the Serbian parliament’s continued efforts to improve transparency through debates on Serbia’s negotiating positions on EU accession chapters, and through exchanges with the core negotiating team and with the National Convention on the European Union; stresses that the role of independent regulatory bodies, including the country’s Ombudsman, needs to be fully acknowledged and supported;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls to further improve transparency of the parliamentary process, including through ensuring adequate timelines for submitting amendments and using the urgent procedure as an exception and not as a rule; calls on taking more determined approach in adoption of a code of conduct and ethics and introduction of rules for members of Parliament on interaction with lobbyists and other third parties; calls on thorough review of the parliamentary Rules of Procedure to guarantee enhanced planning and efficiency of the legislative procedures in the Parliament;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes the presentation of the draft constitutional reform of the country’s judiciary submitted to the Venice Commission for opinion; stresses the importance of fully implementing the recommendations of the Venice Commission; notes that Serbian authorities and stakeholders need to enter into a broad, inclusive and meaningful public debate conducted in a constructive manner in order to raise awareness of the constitutional reform process in the country; calls for a comprehensive public consultation before the final draft is submitted to the Serbian parliament where it should be duly debated under normal procedures;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Repeats its call for proper reform of the offense of abuse of office and abuse of responsible position, such as to prevent possible misuse; 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 for an independent and through review of reclassified cases related to abuse of responsible positions so that long-standing unjust prosecutions can be dropped immediately;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates its concern that no progress has been made to improve the situation regarding freedom of expression and of the media; stresses that threats, violence and intimidation against journalists remain an issue of concern; notes, in this regard, that while several cases have been solved and some criminal charges have been filed, convictions are still rare; calls on the authorities to investigate and prosecute any cases of attacks against journalists and media outlets; calls for the full implementation of media laws and the strengthening of the independence of the country’s Regulatory Body for Electronic Media; welcomes the renewed efforts to adopt a media strategy to create a pluralistic media environment, and stresses, in this regard, the importance of a transparent and inclusive consultation with stakeholders; underlines the need for complete transparency in media ownership and funding; notes, with respect to the 2017 Presidential Elections, that OSCE/ODIHR priority recommendations call for refraining from interference in the activities of media and journalists;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Condemns negative campaigns against certain CSOs; recalled it unacceptable that partnership with the government is needed in order for CSOs’ applications for IPA funds to be successful;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the adoption of an action plan for the realisation of the rights of national minorities, and the adoption of a decree establishing a fund for national minorities; calls for the full implementation of the action plan and for improved coordination and inclusion of stakeholders; notes that the fund for national minorities is functioning and that its funding has been increased; reiterates its call on Serbia to ensure consistent implementation of legislation on the protection of minorities, including in relation to education, the use of languages, representation in public administration and access to media and religious services in minority languages; acknowledges the active participation of the country’s national minorities in the election cycles and the good practice of establishing polling boards with equitable representation of national minorities; regrets, however, that certain minorities are subject to coercion during electoral campaigns;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the fact that Serbia remains committed to constructive bilateral relations with other enlargement countries and neighbouring Member States; takes positive note of the fact that Serbia has maintained its engagement in a number of regional cooperation initiatives such as the South-East European Cooperation Process, the Regional Cooperation Council, the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative, the European Union Macro-Regional Strategies for the Danube Region (EUSDR), the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), the Brdo-Brijuni process, the Western Balkan Six initiative and its connectivity agenda, and the Berlin process; reiterates its call on Serbia to implement the connectivity reform measures associated with the connectivity agenda; recalls that the EU is determined to strengthen and intensify its engagement to support the region's political, economic and social transformation, including through increased assistance based on tangible progress in the rule of law, as well as in socio-economic reforms, by the Western Balkan partners; stresses that outstanding bilateral disputes should not have a detrimental effect on the accession process;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Expresses further support for increased regional cooperation under the “Berlin Process”; welcomed the results of the WB6 process so far and called for the further development of the Regional Economic Area (REA); welcomed the unequivocal support to the European perspective of the Western Balkans reaffirmed at the Sofia Summit on 17 May 2018; strongly supports the Western Balkans partners pledge to continue strengthening good neighbourly relations, regional stability and mutual cooperation;
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the adoption of a national strategy for the investigation and prosecution of war crimes; notes the adoption of a prosecutorial strategy for investigation and prosecution of war crimes and calls on Serbia to implement decisively all foreseen activities; welcomes the appointment in May 2017 of a new war crimes prosecutor; reiterates its call for theefficient and dedicated implementation of this strategy, in particular by means of bringing forward indictments, and for the adoption of an operational prosecutorial strategy; ; calls for effective investigation of high-profile war crimes cases; calls on Serbia to cooperate fully with its regional partners in war crime cases; calls on Serbia to again cooperate fully with the current Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals; urges the Serbian authorities to continue working on the issue of the fate of missing persons including opening state archives related to the war period and calls on Serbia to cooperate fully with its regional partners in war crime cases, inter alia also through cooperation between the War Crimes Prosecutors' offices in the region; urges Serbia to prepare a reparations scheme for victims and their families as an important precondition for reconciliation; points out that a new law on civilian victims should be adopted without any undue delay; highlights the importance of the work carried out by the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) and its local branches in promoting reconciliation among the youth;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Reiterates its support for the initiative to establish the Regional commission for the establishment of facts about war crimes and other serious violations of human rights committed in the former Yugoslavia (RECOM); urges the government of Serbia to take the lead on its establishment; underlines the importance of this process and the active engagement of all regional political leaders in order for it to start its work without further delay; calls attention to the Coalition of RECOM’s Proposal of the Action Plan with clear dates and benchmarks;