15 Amendments of Andrey KOVATCHEV related to 2018/2144(INI)
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Stresses the need for the government to work inclusively - with opposition parties and civil society representatives, to address shortcomings in the electoral process; calls on the Anti- Corruption Agency to provide transparency on political party financing;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Raises its concern with the Montenegrin parliament´s decision to dismiss Vanja Ćalović Marković from the Council of the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption; urges full transparency in the handling of the case;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Notes the progress made in strengthening the capacity of the Anti- Corruption Agency (ACA) when it comes to investigating campaign funding; stresses the need for improving the trust in and reputation of the ACA, which could be achieved by further distancing its work from any political influence;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the efforts made to improve the transparency of public administration and information sharing but would encourage steps towards establishing a more citizen-friendly, professional and de-politicised public administration; calls for improved regulatory impact assessments and inclusive public consultations; urges further depoliticisation of the public administration; recommends the optimisation of resources and human capital in the public administration;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Commends high-level corruption cases being investigated, prosecuted and convicted; however acknowledges that this track record has to be further strengthened; stresses the need for all institutions to take the initiative when tackling such cases;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for progress in preventing conflicts of interest and the illicit enrichment of public officials, including at municipal level; calls on the authorities to intensify the confiscation of criminal assets, to advance inquiries into unjustified wealth and to take other steps leading to the dismantlement of criminal gangs, severing the links between organised crime, business and politics; meanwhile denounces the practice of issuing sanctions below the statutory minimum as is has a counterproductive effect on preventing corruption offences;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Is increasingly concerned about the state of freedom of expression and media freedom, in which three successive Commission reports have noted ‘no progress’; recalls that the related Chapter 23 was opened in December 2013 and that progress in this chapter and in Chapter 24 determine the overall pace of negotiations; condemns in the strongest terms intimidation, smear campaigns and verbal and physical attacks against journalists; notes that there were seven reported cases of attacks against journalists in 2017; urges the government to ensure in practice the protection of journalists; condemns the lack of development in handling old cases of violence against journalists and calls for timely and effective investigations into these cases;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Deplores the ongoing financial and editorial pressure placed on Montenegro’s public broadcaster (RTCG) and the Agency for Electronic Media; urges that safeguards against undue political and business influences be put in place, and that full transparency in matters of state advertising in the media be ensured; reiterates the need for the RTCG and all other media outlets to be protected from undue political influence; urges the state authorities to provide both the media regulators and the public broadcaster with sufficient funds to sustain their independent work; regrets the change in composition of the RTCG council and the dismissal of the Director-General of RTCG, Ms Andrijana Kadija;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Welcomes the ongoing legislative alignment on fundamental rights; urges that the institutional framework enabling effective rights protection be strengthened, including in the event of ill-treatment by law enforcement, intimidation and physical attack; calls for updates to the law on freedom of religious beliefs; commends the more effective work of the Ombudsman; notes that a better implementation of the existing legislation is still needed; urges more efforts to be put in place for the protection of vulnerable groups, namely the Roma minority;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24 a. Welcomes the ongoing development of online electronic company registration; stresses the importance of strengthening the SME sector and providing support through better legislation, financing, implementation of industrial policy as well as speeding up electronic registration of companies nation-wide;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Reminds that private ownership of property is a fundamental right, which should be guarded and championed; notes that the process of restitution of properties expropriated in the past has been burdensome and slow; urges Montenegro to ensure a timely and fair process when implementing its existing legislation on property rights and restitution of property;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Welcomes regulatory changes in the field of education; notes with concern the persistent low participation in the labour market and the high unemployment rates; calls for active labour market measures to increase employment; urges the authorities to address the high long-term unemployment rate among youth and women;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Notes that the development of additional hydropower and tourism capacities must meet EU environmental standards; urges the further exploitation of potential renewables and energy-efficiency measures and the improvement of water and waste management; welcomes the achieved alignment between Montenegro´s 2016 law on cross-border exchange of electricity and natural gas and the Third Energy Package; commends on the improved legislative alignment Montenegro has reached on energy efficiency and renewable energy;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. RWelcomes the positive developments in further aligning the national environmental and climate change legislation of Montenegro with the acquis; repeats its call for the Ulcinj Salina site to be given protected status in line with the EU’s Natura 2000 network;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Commends Montenegro on another year of full alignment with all EU positions and declarations made in the context of the Common Foreign and Security Policy; calls on Montenegro to align itself with the EU common position on the integrity of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court or with the related EU guiding principles on bilateral immunity agreements;