Activities of Nadezhda NEYNSKY related to 2012/2025(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Enlargement: policies, criteria and the EU’s strategic interests (debate)
Amendments (19)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that a streamlined, forward- looking enlargement policy could be a valuable strategic tool for the EU's and the region's economic development, and should aim to create budgetary synergies with national and European measures andbetween measures of the EU, Member States and international financial institutions, as well as with existing instruments by avoiding any potential overlap, especially in a constrained budgetary environment;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Urges the Commission to plan a non- decrease in real terms of overall funding for each beneficiary; notes that this calculation should be made while taking into consideration that: first of all, cumulative real GDP growth for the period 2007-2013 of each beneficiary country, except Croatia, would range between 10 and 30%1; second of all, the number of countries with access to funding of the future Instrument decreases with the accession of Croatia which potentially changes the comparative distribution within the pool of funding; third of all, with suggested changes to the new Instrument to remove differentiation between countries based on their candidacy status, more countries would have access to funding in policy areas focusing on socio-economic development previously inaccessible for countries without a candidate status; in that context, recommends that no beneficiary is precluded from sufficient and fair access to funding due to limited EU resources, especially in the policy area of institution-building; __________________ 1 Own estimates, based on DG-Budget figures and forecasts for candidate countries; in addition, forecasts for real growth of potential candidates based on reports from an independent forecasting entity
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Highlights the systemic importance of national fiscal stability and the increased EU focus on economic governance within the realms of European legislation; thus, recommends that the pre-accession dialogue addresses the role of sound public finances; also recommends that the goals of the enlargement policy are carefully aligned to reflect the growth-oriented EU agenda to modernise the economy, boost competitiveness, improve conditions for SMEs and tackle youth unemployment;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Insists that candidate countries should make full use of the learning curve and period of exposure to the instrument for pre-accession assistance in order to improve their administrative capacity and ensure a successful absorption of EU funds;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Underlines the importance of providing a sufficient level of resources for both pre- and post-accession assistance, highlighting that adequate allocations of funds early in the process should create the necessary institutional and economic conditions for a lesser involvement at a later stage;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the 1993 Copenhagen summit affirmed the prospects for membership of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe and set the criteria for accession; whereas the 2002 Copenhagen summit confirmed the European perspective of the countries of the Western Balkans; whereas the 2003 Thessaloniki summit set an agenda for the Western Balkans; whereas 20 years after the 1993 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 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the prospect of accession has a significantpositive impact on the socio-political, economic and cultural landscape of the countries wishing to join, and acts as a powerful incentive and catalyst for pursuing the necessary political, economic and legislative reforms and the strengthening of peace, stability and reconciliation based on good neighbourly relations; whereas this makes enlargement the essence of the EU's soft power and an important element of its external action;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas, in line with the renewed consensus on enlargement of 2006, this process should be based on consolidation, conditionality and communication, combined with the EU's capacity to integrate new members; whereas the integration capacity of the EU is a major consideration and a prerequisite for the sustainability of enlargement policy and the overall integration process; whereas this consideration has been a positive incentive for institutional deepening, as demonstrated by the consecutive treaty revisions that have accompanied the different waves of enlargement, extending the functions and activities of the Union;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Considers that the Copenhagen criteria continue to represent a valuable basis and should remain at the heart of enlargement policy; underlinehighlights, however, the need to keep the economic subcriteria up to date in line wisystematic importance of national fiscal stability and the increased EU focus on economic governance; thus, recommends that the pre-accession dialogue addresses the recent developole of sound public finances; recommentds in the sphere of economic governance, while taking due account of their social implications for the candidate and potential candidate countriesfurther that the goals of the enlargement policy are carefully aligned to reflect a growth-oriented EU agenda to modernise the economy, boost competitiveness, improve conditions for SMEs and tackle youth unemployment; recommends that progress on the flagship initiatives of Europe 2020 is included in the pre- accession dialogue, since the programme is built around universal principles that are a strong driver for economic well- being;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the EU continues to be attractive, also because of its unique combination of economic dynamism with a social model, and regretnotes that this social dimension has been largely neglected in the enlargement process; invites the Commission to reflect on possible options, including developing a set of social criteria, to address this deficiency and foster positive social transformation in the future EU Member States; stresses that failure to comply with the EU's common basic social standards constitutes a form of social dumping which is detrimental to European enterprises and workers;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes the view that strict conditionality requires that the progress of a country is effectively assessed at every stage of the process, and that countries wishing to join the EU should proceed from one stage to the next only once all the conditions have been met at each stage; notes, however, certain tendencies to exaggeration, and recommends avoiding requiring of candidate and potential candidate countries higher standards than those applying in the EU; stresses the importance of setting transparent and fair benchmarks to measure whether the abovementioned conditions have been met throughout the process;
Amendment 129 #
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 during the Commission's ‘opinion’ for each potential candidate state, outlining the major concerns in this regardnegotiation process, taking into account ongoing socio- economic developments in the Union; is of the viewopinion that a comprehensive impact assessment should then followof the accession of each 'potential candidate' country should be conducted when status is upgraded to a 'candidate' country;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers it important to give adequate priority within enlargement policy to the building of an efficient, independent and impartial judicial system that can strengthen the citizens' confidence in the rule of law; underlines, at the same time, the need to ensure freedom of the media in law and in practice, as well as to effectively fight corruption and organised crime;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Strongly believes in the need to promote a climate of tolerance, good neighbourly relations and regional and cross-border cooperation, as prerequisites for stability and as means of facilitating reconciliation; considers that the prosecution of war crimes and the reintegration of refugees and displaced persons must be fundamental elements of the accession process in regions with a recent history of conflict;
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Takes note of initiatives such as the positive agenda on Turkey and, the high- level accession dialogue with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the structured dialogue on the rule of law with Kosovo1; welcomes the aim of creating a fresh dynamic in the reform process, but stresses that these initiatives must in no way replace the formal negotiation procedures; __________________ 1 Without prejudice to positions on status and in line with UNSCR No 1244/1999 and the Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Supports the Commission's commitment to improving the quality of the accession process by making it more benchmark-driven and transparent; takes the view that this will make the process fairer and more objectively measurable, thus further enhancing its credibility; in this context, recommends that the progress reports should be more assertive and clearer in their demands; stresses that the benchmarks should not set additional conditions for the candidate and potential candidate countries, but should translate the general membership criteria and the objectives of the EU's pre-accession assistance into concrete steps and results towards accession;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Strongly believes that the EU can still attain great strategic benefits through enlargement policy; emphasises that EU membership represents a stable anchor in the swiftly changing international environment, and that ‘belonging to the club’ continues to offer hope forguarantee stability and prosperity, despite the ongoing economic crisis; is of the opinion that enlargement is a long-term strategic concept, which cannot necessarily be measured in terms of short-term balance sheets; considers it important to take due account of its value aspolicy that representings soft but nevertheless essential power for the EU;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Remains fully committed to the prospect of enlargement, and calls on the Member States to maintain the momentum of the enlargement process by reconfirming the European perspective of every candidate and potential candidate country, notwithstanding the requirement of strict compliance with the Copenhagen criteria; stresses its conviction that with the Lisbon Treaty the EU can both pursue its enlargement agenda and maintain the impetus of deeper integration;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Recalls that the process is not concluded with the simple transposition of the acquis, and stresses the importance of their effective implementation and respect in the long term; considers that in order to maintain the credibility of the accession conditions, existing Member States should also be assessed for their continued compliance with the EU's fundamental values and the fulfilment of their commitments concerning the functioning of democratic institutions and the rule of law; calls on the Commission to work out a detailed proposal for a monitoring mechanism, building on the provisions of Article 7 TEU and Article 258 TFEU;