2019/2173(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Citation 15 a (new)

— having regard to the Commission communication of 29 April 2020 entitled‘ Support to the Western Balkans in tackling COVID-19 and the post- pandemic recovery’,

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the parliamentary elections of 30 August 2020 have resulted in the first transition of power in a democratic setting in the country; whereas the transition of power was conducted in orderly manner;

Amendment 100 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Takes note of the Law on Domestic Violence Protection and its current changes, and asks for its thorough implementation, including the allocation of sufficient resources, as gender-based, domestic violence and violence against children remain an issue of serious concern, which has been exacerbated during the COVID 19 pandemic; urges the authorities to ensure a thorough implementation of the Istanbul Convention standards, to launch public awareness-raising campaigns to encourage the reporting of domestic violence, to increase the number of well- trained and gender-sensitive law enforcement officers and judges as to ensure the proper investigation and prosecution of such crimes, and to introduce effective measures against sexual harassment, including at the work place;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Takes note of the Law on Domestic Violence Protection, and asks for its thorough implementation as gender-based, domestic violence and violence against children remain an issue of serious concern; calls on the new Government to continue the practice of coordination and consultation when adopting and/or amending laws related to the EU acquis;

Amendment 102 #

Giorgos GEORGIOU, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Idoia VILLANUEVA RUIZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Takes note of the Law on Domestic Violence Protection, and asks for its thorough implementation as gender-based, domestic violence and violence against children remain an issue of serious concern; calls for more vigilance and establishing support systems for victims of domestic abuse during the Covid19 pandemic;

Amendment 103 #

David MCALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Takes note of the Law on Domestic Violence Protection, and ~~ask~~urges for its thorough implementation as gender-based, domestic violence and violence against children remain an issue of serious concern;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Is concerned about limited results of the existing policies and projects aimed at encouraging women's participation in the labour market, policy-making, and politics; regrets in this respect lack of gender-balanced political representation in elections and in the new parliament and government;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23b. Notes that women continue to be underrepresented in public life and in decision-making processes and face vulnerabilities in employment and in social policies;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)

23c. Emphasises the need to protect all of the national minorities rights, in particular as some of them no longer have minority party representatives to Skupština;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)

23d. Notes that some minorities, in particular Roma and Egyptians, face difficulties in access to the labour market, education and public life;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 e (new)

23e. Regrets the lack of resources allocated for the implementation of the annual action plan for the implementation of the strategy for the social inclusion of Roma and Egyptians; urges authorities to significantly step up efforts to fight discrimination, to ensure fair access to education, justice and healthcare, as well as to take effective measures against hate speech;

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 f (new)

23f. Recalls that while the Montenegrin government approved the annual action plan of the strategy for the protection of persons with disabilities from discrimination and for the promotion of equality (covering 2017- 2021), the implementation remains the key goal; regrets that persons with disabilities still face discrimination and difficult access to justice;

Amendment 11 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the parliamentary elections of 30 August 2020 have resulted in the first transition of power in a democratic setting in the country, thus possibly being a step to overcome state capture;

Amendment 110 #

Terry REINTKE, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Maria WALSH, Marc ANGEL, Robert BIEDROŃ, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER, Thomas WAITZ, Ernest URTASUN, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Welcomes progress on the protection of ~~LGBTI right~~the rights of LGBTI persons and the adoption of the law on same-sex partnerships and calls on authorities to ensure all necessary conditions for its adequate and timely implementation; stresses that the situation of transgender and non-binary persons needs to be improved; urges the collection of disaggregated data relating to hate speech and crime based on sexual orientation and gender identity as recommended by ECRI and calls for their effective sanctioning;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Welcomes ~~progress on the protection of LGBTI rights and the adoption of the law on same-sex partnerships~~Montenegro’s efforts to strengthen minorities’ rights protection;

Amendment 112 #

Giorgos GEORGIOU, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Idoia VILLANUEVA RUIZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Welcomes progress on the protection of LGBTI rights and the adoption of the law on same-sex partnerships; calls on the Montenegrin authorities to continue to improve the climate of societal inclusion and tolerance and to take effective measures against hate speech, social exclusion and the discrimination of minorities, including LGBTI people;

Amendment 113 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Welcomes progress on the protection of LGBTI rights and ~~the adoption of the law on same-sex partnerships~~welcomes the fact that Montenegro is the first country in the region to adopt a law on same-sex partnerships; encourages the government to ensure the implementation of this law and to combat homophobia and discrimination of LGBTI individuals in all aspects of society;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Welcomes progress on the protection of LGBTI rights and the adoption of the law on same-sex partnerships; welcomes the peaceful conduct of the Pride Parade in 2019;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Stresses that access to healthcare services needs to be improved for people with disabilities, internally displaced persons and Roma;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. ~~Calls on the Montenegrin authorities to find a mutually acceptable solution to the law~~Notes the changes made to the law on freedom of religion; welcomes the generally respected concept onf freedom of religion ~~through genuine dialogue with rel~~, and that anti-Semitism is widely seen as not prevalent ~~stakeholders and in line with~~in the country; calls on the Montenegrin authorities to sustain the Vgen~~ice Commission’s opinion of 24 June 2019~~uine dialogue with religious representatives and other relevant stakeholders;

Amendment 117 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Calls on the Montenegrin authorities to find a mutually acceptable solution to the law on freedom of religion through genuine dialogue with relevant stakeholders and in line with the Venice Commission’s opinion of 24 June 2019; calls on neighbouring countries to refrain from interfering in this issue and other internal affairs of Montenegro;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Regrets that the new Government adopted amendments to the Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities in an urgent procedure without public debate and without dialogue with all religious communities;

Amendment 119 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Expresses concern that the Government adopted amendments to the Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities in an urgent procedure, without a public debate and dialogue with all religious communities and without the opinion of the Venice Commission;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the parliamentary elections of 30 August 2020 have resulted in the first transition of power in a democratic setting in the country since restoring independence in 2006;

Amendment 120 #

Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Commends Montenegro for its commitment to inclusive regional cooperation, and the constructive role it plays in the Western Balkans region, and welcomes its active participation in numerous regional initiatives; warns, however, of regional action by Albania aimed at expanding its influence in countries with Albanian-speaking populations, including by means of satellite political parties as in Montenegro;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Commends Montenegro for its commitment to inclusive regional cooperation, and the constructive role it plays in the Western Balkans region, and welcomes its active participation in numerous regional initiatives; in particular the establishment and implementation of the Common Regional Market, which shall lead the way to the country’s full accession to the European Single Market;

Amendment 122 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Commends Montenegro for its commitment to inclusive regional cooperation, and the constructive role it plays in the Western Balkans region, and welcomes its active participation in numerous regional initiatives; underlines that regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations are linked to Montenegro’s EU perspective;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. ~~Commend~~Welcomes Montenegro ~~for it~~'s commitment to inclusive regional cooperation, and the constructive role it plays in the Western Balkans region, and ~~welcomes~~ its active participation in numerous regional initiatives;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Notes that bilateral relations with Serbia were marked by tensions and insists that all bilateral disputes be resolved through inclusive and non- confrontational dialogue, while avoiding any form of foreign interference in domestic issues;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Encourages it to continue to address, in a constructive and neighbourly spirit, outstanding bilateral issues with its neighbours, including the unresolved border demarcation issues with Serbia and Croatia, as early as possible in the accession process;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Welcomes the signing of the Protocol on the Determination of the Border Point between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and the Republic of Serbia in May 2019 and calls for a speedy conclusion of similar agreements with other neighbouring countries;

Amendment 127 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO, Charlie WEIMERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Welcomes the endorsement of the Common Regional Market 2021-2024 Action Plan at the Berlin Process Summit of 10 November 2020 in Sofia; strongly believes such initiatives are complementary with the EU integration process and could be an important tool to increase the potential, the attractiveness and the competitiveness of the region and in particular could help the regional economies in their post pandemic recovery process;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Underlines the strategic importance of Montenegro's NATO Membership and calls on the government to work towards strengthening cooperation with the Alliance and increasing support for it among the population;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)

26b. Welcomes the signing of a protocol for cooperation in search of missing persons between governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Montenegro as a good example of cooperation in investigating cases of missing persons;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas the Government accepted the election results and the transition of power, thus confirming the level of democratic maturity and progress achieved in Montenegro;

Amendment 130 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 c (new)

26c. Urges Montenegro to intensify its efforts in proactively prioritising and punishing war crimes and clarifying the fate of missing persons;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 d (new)

26d. Is concerned by the lack of progress in dealing with war crimes committed in Montenegro and calls on the authorities to support and develop the established Documentation and Information Centre;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 e (new)

26e. Reiterates its support for the initiative to establish the Regional Commission for the establishment of facts about war crimes and other gross human rights violations on the territory of the former Yugoslavia (RECOM); highlights the importance and the work carried out by the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO);

Amendment 133 #

Giorgos GEORGIOU, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Idoia VILLANUEVA RUIZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 f (new)

26f. Calls on the Montenegrin authorities to comply fully with the provisions on succession of the former SFRY, especially as regards military assets;

Amendment 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

~~27. Commends Montenegro’s full alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy and its active participation in civilian missions under the common security and defence policy (CSDP);~~deleted

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Ccommends Montenegro’s full alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy and its active participation in ~~civilian~~EU missions under the common security and defence policy (CSDP);

Amendment 136 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO, Charlie WEIMERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Commends Montenegro’s full alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy and its active participation in civilian and military missions under the common security and defence policy (CSDP), notably EUFOR Somalia (Operation Atalanta) and EUTM Mali;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. ~~Commend~~Welcomes Montenegro’s full alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy and its active participation in civilian missions under the common security and defence policy (CSDP); in particular, welcomes its ability to overcome foreign provocations, including disinformation campaigns orchestrated by Russia and China; encourages it to cooperate in the field of resilience to foreign interference and cybersecurity with both the EU and NATO;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Commends Montenegro’s full alignment with the EU’s common foreign and security policy and its active participation in civilian missions under the common security and defence policy (CSDP); namely EU NAVFOR ATALANTA and EUTM Mali, UN operation MINURSO and in the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, NATO- led Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan and the KFOR mission in Kosovo;

Amendment 139 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Expresses concern over the controversial governmental appointments in the security and military intelligence sector and the danger that Montenegro's strategic alliance with the EU and NATO could be called into question;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas the previous Government acknowledged the election results, thus confirming the level of democratic maturity and progress achieved in Montenegro;

Amendment 140 #

Nathalie LOISEAU

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Encourages the Montenegrin authorities to push forward the measures undertaken for a full implementation of the Roadmap for countering firearms trafficking in the Western Balkans;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. ~~Commends Montenegro’s progress on and renewed commitment to international police cooperation, and encourages it to continue its efforts to cop~~Has been warning against Montenegro’s full alignment with NATO’s exclusive interests since wit~~h the migratory pressure, by further developing its international cooperation on readmission and raising its capacity to prosecute migrant- smuggling networks~~ became a member in 2017; denounces this accession as undermining strategic stability across the whole of the European continent;

Amendment 142 #

Giorgos GEORGIOU, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Idoia VILLANUEVA RUIZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Commends Montenegro’s progress on and renewed commitment to international police cooperation, and encourages itMontenegro to continue ~~its~~ efforts ~~to cope with the migratory pressure, by further developing its~~raising its capacity to prosecute international coly operati~~on on readmission and raising its capacity to prosecut~~ng criminal networks, with a particular focus on the mfig~~rant-smuggling networks~~ht against money laundering, human and drug trafficking;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Commends Montenegro’s progress on and renewed commitment to international police cooperation, and encourages it to continue its efforts to cope with the migratory pressure, by further developing its international cooperation on readmission and raising its capacity to prosecute migrant-smuggling networks; urges that all measures taken in this direction should ensure in all circumstances the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments;

Amendment 144 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. ~~Commend~~Welcomes Montenegro’s progress on and renewed commitment to international police cooperation, and encourages it to continue its efforts to cope with the migratory pressure, by further developing its international cooperation on readmission and raising its capacity to prosecute migrant-smuggling networks;

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Notes the entry into force of the agreement on border management cooperation between Montenegro and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) as well as the implementation of the first Joint Operation under the Agreement;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Welcomes the signing and entrance into force of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) agreement with the EU, paving the way for a closer cooperation between Montenegro and Frontex, reiterates the importance of the protection of border for the security and safety of the entire EU;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Welcomes the ratification and the entry into force of the agreement on border management cooperation between Montenegro and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) which will allow Frontex to assist Montenegro in border management and carry out joint operations;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Welcomes the completion of the Status Agreement on border cooperation between the European Union and Montenegro that came into force on 1 July 2020 and the launch of a Frontex operation on 14 October 2020; notes the importance of this cooperation as it will assist Montenegro with tackling cross- border crime at the country’s sea borders, including the smuggling of drugs and weapons, smuggling of migrants, trafficking in human beings and terrorism;

Amendment 15 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas the European Union is Montenegro's biggest trading partner encompassing 37% of exports and 47% of imports with a volume of trade at €1.38 billion in 2019;

Amendment 150 #

Cornelia ERNST, Romeo FRANZ, Evin INCIR, Ernest URTASUN, Klemen GROŠELJ, Thomas WAITZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Urges Montenegrin authorities to keep human rights and international law at the core of their migration and border policies, to ensure basic rights to all people on their territory regardless of their administrative status, and to not engage in any activities prohibited by international law such as refoulement; calls on Frontex/EBCG operations in Montenegrin territory to operate by these same standards;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Calls for the creation of new opportunities for high level political and policy dialogue with the Western Balkans countries, through regular EU-Western Balkans summits and intensified ministerial contacts, in order to strengthen the political nature of the enlargement process, to ensure stronger steering and high-level engagement, as also called for by the revised enlargement methodology;

Amendment 152 #

Antonio LÓPEZ-ISTÚRIZ WHITE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28a. Commends the governments of Montenegro on their commitment and fulfilment of their obligations in the framework of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) membership, underlining the importance of the current Montenegrin rotating chairmanship in this organization in support of interests and needs of the younger generation of the country and the region;

Amendment 153 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)

28b. Notes with concern the rising influence of other foreign actors in Montenegro through disinformation campaigns undermining the European Union and through the increase of Montenegro's public debt to foreign financial institutions and companies;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 c (new)

28c. Calls on the Montenegrin authorities to pay attention to the growing indebtedness and financial dependence on China;

Amendment 155 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 d (new)

28d. Underlines the need for the EU and the United States to strengthen their partnership and coordination in the Western Balkans in order to advance key reforms, improve governance and reconciliation;

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Welcomes Montenegro’s progress in reinforcing the stability of its financial sector, as well as in implementing concrete improvements to labour market condition; notes however, that the unemployment rate remained high, particularly among women, youth, Roma and low-skilled people;

Amendment 157 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)

29a. Expresses concern that the Budget Law for 2021 was not proposed until the end of 2020;

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Encourages Montenegro to intensify work on better aligning the education system with the labour market in order to more effectively tackle the phenomena of skills mismatch and brain drain among young people; calls on the Montenegrin authorities to strive for an open and transparent human resource policy in public administration and especially in the national health system;

Amendment 159 #

Giorgos GEORGIOU, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Idoia VILLANUEVA RUIZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Encourages Montenegro to intensify work on better aligning the education system with the labour market in order to more effectively tackle the phenomena of skills mismatch and brain drain among young people; calls for increased public investments for sustainable social and economic development;

Amendment 16 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas Montenegro benefits from pre-accession assistance encompassing a total of €504,9 million under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) since 2007;

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)

30a. Calls on the Commission to support Montenegro’s efforts to reduce unemployment, seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular in the tourism sector, that accounts, directly and indirectly, for more than 20% of Montenegro’s GDP; notes with concern that in the first eight months of 2020, the number of tourist arrivals to Montenegro decreased by almost 80% year-to-year due to travel restrictions and virus-related concerns;

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)

30a. Encourages authorities to improve the participation of women in the labour market and to urgently address issues such as gender gap in employment and pay and affordable childcare;

Amendment 162 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Notes with concern the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Montenegro’s economy as its GDP has declined by 14.3% in 2020; stresses that the tourism sector, that accounts for more than 20% of Montenegro's GDP, was heavily hit as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic; calls on the Government to carry on a responsible macroeconomic and fiscal policy in view of the high public debt; encourages the authorities to make the best use of EU assistance in order to mitigate the impact of the crisis;

Amendment 163 #

Cornelia ERNST, Romeo FRANZ, Evin INCIR, Ernest URTASUN, Klemen GROŠELJ, Thomas WAITZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Notes with concern the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Montenegro’s economy; calls on the Government to carry on a responsible macroeconomic and fiscal policy in view of the high public debt; encourages the authorities to make the best use of EU assistance in order to mitigate the impact of the crisis, including developing and implementing targeted measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on marginalised communities and vulnerable people;

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Notes with concern the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Montenegro’s economy; calls on the Government to carry on in close cooperation with parliament a responsible macroeconomic and fiscal policy in view of the high public debt; calls for a more transparent and timely national budgeting process; encourages the authorities to make the best use of EU assistance in order to mitigate the impact of the crisis;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Notes with concern the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Montenegro’s economy; calls on the Government to carry on a responsible macroeconomic and fiscal policy in view of the high public debt; encourages the authorities to make ~~the best~~continued use of EU assistance in order to mitigate the impact of the crisis; underlines the importance of developing entrepreneurial skills among youth;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)

31a. Expresses its concerns on Montenegro debt sustainability, taking into consideration that China accounts for more than 40% of Montenegro liabilities (which stands at 80% GDP), as well as on the growing role of China in the country, particularly when it comes to infrastructure financing, like for example in the Bar-Boljare Highway project; is concerned by debt-trap diplomacy that may force the government to hand over to the Chinese the control of strategically important assets in the case the government can't repay the granted loans by the agreed deadlines;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)

31a. Calls on Montenegro and the EU Member States to continue pursuing a more active and effective communication policy on the European perspective, aimed at both local and EU citizens and continue the coordinated efforts on increasing the visibility of the EU funded projects;

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)

31a. Expresses concern over a new loan of EUR 750 million by the Government, without consulting the Parliament;

Amendment 169 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Reiterates that the European Union has swiftly mobilised ~~substantial~~immediate support for the Western Balkans to tackle the ~~COVID-19 pandemic health emergency and the socio-economic recovery of the region~~health emergency resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the socio- economic recovery of the region; recalls EUR 53 million granted to Montenegro for the procurement of urgent medical equipment and for assisting sectors most seriously affected by the COVID-19crisis and the decision to provide macro- financial assistance (MFA) of up to EUR 60 million to help Montenegro limit the negative socio-economic consequences of the pandemic;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas the EU mobilised EUR 38 million in immediate support for the Western Balkans to tackle the health emergency caused by coronavirus; whereas up to EUR 3 million from that sum was allocated to Montenegro to support its supply of medical devices and personal equipment, such as ventilators, laboratory kits, masks, goggles, gowns, and safety suits;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Reiterates that the European Union has swiftly mobilised substantial financial and material support for the Western Balkans to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic health emergency and the socio-economic recovery of the region; notes that the European support to Montenegro included €53 million in bilateral assistance from IPA II, €455 million for regional economic reactivation package and €60 million in Macro-financial Assistance;

Amendment 171 #

Terry REINTKE, Maria WALSH, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Marc ANGEL, Robert BIEDROŃ, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER, Ernest URTASUN, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Reiterates that the European Union has swiftly mobilised substantial support for the Western Balkans to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic health emergency and the socio-economic recovery of the region; calls on Montenegrin authorities to take into strong consideration the needs of the most vulnerable groups in society such as women, Roma and LGBTI persons, people with disabilities and other minorities when creating and implementing COVID-19 socio-economic relief measures;

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Reiterates that the European Union has swiftly mobilised substantial support for the Western Balkans to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic health emergency and the socio-economic recovery of the region; mobilising an amount of EUR 53 million in total of re-programmed IPA funding and EUR 60 million in macro- financial assistance;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)

32a. Stresses the fact that the COVID- 19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on women and vulnerable groups, like Roma, Egyptians, LGBTIQ+ people and people with disabilities, by deepening inequality, exacerbating existing problems; calls on the Montenegrin government and authorities to take these issues into account in their responses to the pandemic;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)

32a. Commends the role of EU Civil Protection Mechanism that has secured much needed support in medical equipment and personal protective equipment in the fight against the coronavirus in Montenegro;

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)

32a. Expresses concern over the accusations about the ongoing process of dismissal of leaders in public health institutions at a time when Montenegro is seriously affected by the COVID 19 pandemic;

Amendment 176 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. CTakes note of Montenegro's foreign minister Djordje Radulovic saying earlier in February that the government had not yet received a single dose of COVID-19 vaccines approved by the EU, despite requests made to EU officials; calls on the Commission and the Council to include Montenegro in joint EU procurement for vaccinations, and to allocate a sufficient amount of COVID-19 vaccines to the citizens of all Western Balkan countries; as soon as possible;

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. ~~Calls on~~Welcomes the Commission ~~and the Council~~'s decision to include Montenegro in joint EU procurement for vaccinations~~, and to allocate a sufficient amount of COVID-19 vaccines to the citizens of all Western Balkan countrie~~; calls on the Commission for a fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines among the Western Balkan countries, taking into consideration each country’s pandemic situation and its individual needs;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Calls on the Commission and the Council to include Montenegro in joint EU procurement for vaccinations~~, and to allocate~~; welcomes the actions by the Commission and the Council to help Montenegro procure vaccines against COVID-19 via COVAX and by other means such as coordinating donations by EU Member States and calls for further assistance to ensure that a sufficient amount of COVID-19 vaccines are available to the citizens of all Western Balkan countries;

Amendment 179 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Calls on the Commission and the Council to include Montenegro in joint EU procurement for vaccinations, and to allocate a sufficient amount of COVID-19 vaccines to the citizens of all Western Balkan countries as soon as possible;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas the EU agreed on the reallocation of EUR 374 million from the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance to help mitigate the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 in the region; whereas an amount of EUR 53 million was agreed between the Commission and Montenegro which includes: EUR 3 million reprogrammed under bilateral IPA for addressing immediate health crisis needs, EUR 9.5 million for the strengthening of health systems, EUR 40.5 million for the socio-economic recovery via a Budget Support programme;

Amendment 180 #

Cornelia ERNST, Romeo FRANZ, Evin INCIR, Ernest URTASUN, Klemen GROŠELJ, Thomas WAITZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Calls on the Commission and the Council to include Montenegro in joint EU procurement for vaccinations, and to allocate a sufficient amount of COVID-19 vaccines to the ~~citizens of~~people present in all Western Balkan countries;

Amendment 181 #

Urmas PAET

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)

33a. Considers it necessary for the EU to show its solidarity with Western Balkan countries in helping them to receive COVID-19 vaccines;

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)

33a. Takes notes of the decision of the government of China to donate 30000 doses of vaccine to Podgorica and the negotiations to procure Chinese vaccines to Montenegro; strongly believes that vaccine policies should be purely humanitarian and should not serve geopolitical interests of any kind; is worried by the "geopolitical" use of vaccines by a number of countries that are cherry picking target countries for vaccine donations or procurement for geopolitical purposes;

Amendment 183 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. ~~Encourages Montenegro to make best use of the Commission’s Economic and Investment Plan for~~Welcomes the Commission’s efforts to invest more strategically in the Western Balkans through a dedicated Economic and Investment Plan (EIP) and encourages Montenegro to make the Wbest~~ern Balkans~~ use of it; recognises ithe EIP's importance in supporting sustainable connectivity, human capital, competitiveness and inclusive growth in the region, while stressing that any investment must be in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and EU decarbonisation targets;

Amendment 184 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Encourages Montenegro to make best use of the Commission’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans; recognises its importance in supporting sustainable connectivity in transport and infrastructure, human capital, competitiveness and inclusive growth in the region;

Amendment 185 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)

34a. Welcomes the implementation by Montenegro of the necessary reforms to comply with EU tax good governance principles and its removal by the Council (18/02/2020) from the list of non- cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes;

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)

34a. Notes the equal importance of all investment targets of IPA III including: democracy and fundamental rights, rule of law, good governance and alignment with EU acquis, good neighbourly relations and strategic communication, green agenda and connectivity, competitiveness and inclusive growth and territorial and cross-border cooperation;

Amendment 187 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)

34a. Calls on the Commission to focus IPA III funds on the ongoing democratic transition of Montenegro, more so than infrastructure projects, especially in light of persistent problems with the investment climate, absorption capacity, and environmental standards in Montenegro;

Amendment 188 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 b (new)

34b. Reiterates its call to conduct thorough and comprehensive ex-ante environmental and social impact assessments of infrastructure projects in line with European standards, including the consultation of citizens, civil society organisations and independent experts; reiterates its call to increase transparency and calls on the authorities to provide the public with all relevant information;

Amendment 189 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 b (new)

34b. Recalls with satisfaction that according to Article 1 of its constitution Montenegro is an ecological state; calls on the authorities to better protect the most valuable areas in particular as regards biodiversity and to review in particular mass tourist infrastructure projects and the large number of small- scale hydropower plants;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

Amendment 190 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 c (new)

34c. Calls on the authorities to assess the effects of the construction of the highway at Tara river and to develop a remediation plan with concrete steps to limit the negative impact;

Amendment 191 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Welcomes Montenegro’s progress in diversifying its electricity production towards renewable sources~~, as well as its active participation in the Western Balkans Connectivity Agenda;~~ and exceeding its overall 2020 renewables target and sectorial targets for electricity and heating and cooling, as well as its active participation in the Western Balkans Connectivity Agenda; invites Montenegro to introduce streamlined and simplified rules for facilitating the further deployment of renewable projects; commends Montenegro’s decision to discontinue financial support for small hydropower plants that do not follow appropriate environmental standards; invites Montenegro to comply with the Energy Community rules on the further operation of the Pljevlja coal power plant;

Amendment 192 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

Amendment 193 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Welcomes Montenegro’s progress in diversifying its electricity production towards renewable sources, as well as its active participation in the Western Balkans Connectivity Agenda; highlights the importance of EU support towards a gradual shift towards cleaner and renewable energy;

Amendment 194 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)

35a. Recognises the steps Montenegro has taken towards establishing an electronic system for guarantees of origin and supports Montenegro’s efforts to become a member of the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB), in order to ensure compatibility with the standardized European Energy Certificate System;

Amendment 195 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 b (new)

35b. Takes note of the advanced stage of implementing reforms in the electricity sector and invites Montenegro to transpose the REMIT Regulation without delay and transpose network codes into national grid codes;

Amendment 196 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 c (new)

35c. Invites Montenegro to increase the current low level of cross-zonal capacities available to electricity market participants in line with the best EU practice to at least 70% of the transmission capacity, respecting operational security limits after the deduction of contingencies;

Amendment 197 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 d (new)

35d. Notes with concern the slow progress in the reconstruction works and thus the delay in shutting down the Pljevlja thermal power plant despite having reached the maximum allowed number of operating hours under the opt- out mechanism for large combustion plants; invites Montenegro to comply with the rules of the Large Combustion Plant Directive without delay;

Amendment 198 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 e (new)

35e. Commends Montenegro for being a frontrunner in establishing a carbon pricing and emission trading mechanism in the region and taking the first steps to put in place the necessary rules for monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions; invites Montenegro to continue its efforts in the pursuit of putting in place an EU-compatible emission trading system;

Amendment 199 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 f (new)

35f. Welcomes the full compliance achieved as regards the Fuel Quality Directive, but remains concerned by the lack of progress in holding emergency oil stocks;

Amendment 2 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Citation 18

— having regard to the statement of preliminary findings and conclusions of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) international election observation mission to the parliamentary elections of 30 August 2020 in Montenegro, issued on 311 ~~August~~December 2020,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas the Commission adopted a package of EUR 70 million under the Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA II) to help fund the access of Western Balkans countries toCOVID-19 vaccines procured by EU Member States;

Amendment 200 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 g (new)

35g. Recognises the steps taken in the process of developing an ambitious National Energy and Climate Plan; calls however for further improved efforts to finalise the document as soon as possible, in line with the Recommendations of the Ministerial Council of the Energy Community;

Amendment 201 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Welcomes the positive developments in further aligning Montenegro’s national environmental and climate change legislation with the acquis; commends Montenegro for protecting the Zeta river as a Nature Park; calls on the authorities to take urgent measures to ~~better safeguard~~truly protect and sustainably manage protected areas and potential Natura 2000 sites by designing and implementing Protected Area Management Plans and by providing adequate resources for their implementation; calls on the authorities to include local communities in the implementation of environmental, climate and energy policies in the country; recommends to implement the Protected Area plan for Sinjajevina highlands based on the EU-funded 2016 study of the Environment Protection Agency of Montenegro by including full participation of the local community;

Amendment 202 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Welcomes the positive developments in further aligning Montenegro’s national environmental and climate change legislation with the acquis; calls on the authorities to take urgent measures to better safeguard protected areas and potential Natura 2000 sites; including Ulcinj Salina, Lake Skadar, the Tara river and others; recalls that establishing military training and weapons testing area in UNESCO- protected areas, including the Tara River area and the Sinjajevina mountain area, must follow UNESCO principles of socio- cultural and ecological sustainability;

Amendment 203 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)

36a. Calls on Montenegro to improve waste management and address the issue of illegal waste disposal;

Amendment 204 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 b (new)

36b. Notes that the development of additional hydropower and tourism capacities, particularly those in protected areas, should take into account EU environmental protection standards;

Amendment 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 c (new)

36c. Encourages Montenegro to precede its much needed investments in infrastructural projects by robust feasibility studies so that they can be economically viable; warns Montenegro of a clear risk that the realisation of road and energy infrastructure projects in cooperation with unreliable foreign investment partners may represent to the country’s sovereignty and strategic interests;

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 d (new)

36d. Calls on Montenegro, the 4th European Country for forest coverage, to improve the management of its forests, in particular by dedicating more resources to them and actively combating illegal logging;

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 e (new)

36e. Takes note of a recent study underlying that about one hundred thousand cubic meters of wood waste, that can be easily re used, are produced in Montenegro every year; calls on the authorities to reflect on ways to promote circular economy models in this and other sectors of the economy;

Amendment 208 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 f (new)

36f. Welcomes the launching of the Green Agenda in the Western Balkans, adopted at the EU-Western Balkans Sofia Summit in November 2020;

Amendment 209 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 g (new)

36g. Warmly welcomes Western Balkans commitment to reaching climate neutrality by 2050 in line with EU climate goals; underlines the importance of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans that has the potential to drive the transition towards a sustainable, carbon- neutral economy; calls on Montenegro to continue introducing and implementing the necessary legislation to achieve the agreed common goals on the digital and green transformation;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas a macro-financial assistance package of the value of EUR 60 million was also offered to Montenegro;

Amendment 210 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 h (new)

36h. Calls on the Montenegrin Authorities to ensure the right to access to environmental information regarding infrastructural projects, in line with its Constitution and the Aarhus convention which Montenegro ratified in 2009;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)

Gb. whereas EUR 804 million has been provided via EIB loans since 1999 leveraging an investment of EUR 1.7 billion;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G c (new)

Gc. whereas Montenegro signed an agreement in October 2020 under the COVAX initiative to receive 248.800 doses of COVID-19 vaccines;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G d (new)

Gd. whereas the EU is the largest provider of financial assistance to Montenegro amounting to a total of EUR 504.9 for the period of 2007 - 2020;

Amendment 25 #

Cornelia ERNST, Romeo FRANZ, Evin INCIR, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Recital G e (new)

Ge. whereas Roma and Egyptians were particularly affected during the Covid-19 pandemic, as they remain victims of deep- rooted prejudice in both the social and professional settings and receive significantly less support in terms of affirmative action compared to other vulnerable groups;

Amendment 26 #

Cornelia ERNST, Romeo FRANZ, Evin INCIR, Ernest URTASUN, Klemen GROŠELJ, Thomas WAITZ

Motion for a resolution
Recital G f (new)

Gf. whereas the Copenhagen criteria establish that respect for and protection of minorities are a requisite for EU accession;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Welcomes Montenegro’s continued engagement in the EU integration process and its overall progres~~Considers that Montenegro’s accession to the European Union would be an additional challenge for the Member States;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Stresses the importance of the swift implementation of the revised enlargement methodology based on thematic negotiation chapter clusters and phasing-in to individual EU policies and programmes, in order to accelerate the overall negotiation process and provide clear and tangible incentives of direct interest to citizens of Montenegro;

Amendment 29 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the opening of Chapter 8 (Competition policy) and Montenegro’s decision to accept the principles of the revised enlargement methodology; calls in particular for meeting the interim benchmarks for Chapters 23 and 24, which will be the next milestone; recalls that only three chapters have been provisionally closed since the opening of the first chapter in December 2012, and encourages a clear focus on working to address the closing benchmarks in all other chapterExpresses doubts about the revised enlargement method, which only marginally changes the process;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 22

— having regard to the EU-Western Balkans summits in the framework of the Berlin Process of 5 July 2019 in Poznań and of 10 November 2020 in Sofia,

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the opening of Chapter 8 (Competition policy) and Montenegro’s decision to accept the principles of the revised enlargement methodology; calls in particular for efficiently meeting the interim benchmarks for Chapters 23 and 24~~, which will be the next milestone~~; recalls that only three chapters have been provisionally closed since the opening of the first chapter in December 2012, and encourages a clear focus on working to address the closing benchmarks in all other chapters;

Amendment 31 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the opening of Chapter 8 (Competition policy) and Montenegro’s decision to accept the principles of the revised enlargement methodology; calls in particular for meeting the interim benchmarks for Chapters 23 and 24, which will be the next milestone; recalls that ~~only~~ three chapters have been provisionally closed since the opening of the first chapter in December 2012, and encourages a clear focus on working to address the closing benchmarks in all other chapters; following Montenegro’s adoption of the new enlargement methodology, strongly supports closing of accession chapters, as Montenegro makes the necessary commitments and delivers reforms on required benchmarks, determined by progress on the accession process;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the 30 August 2020 elections resulted in the first transition of power since the country’s independence, in full respect of democratic standards and Montenegro’s constitution; regrets that this election process was yet again marked by accusations of foreign influence on the outcome of the elections;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. ~~Not~~Welcomes that the 30 August 2020 elections resulted in the first transition of power since the country’s independence, in full respect of democratic standards and Montenegro’s constitution; positively notes that the election results were not contested and that all elected Parliamentarians have actually resumed their duty;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the 30 August 2020 elections resulted in the first transition of power since the country’s independence, in full respect of democratic standards and Montenegro’s constitution; welcomes the fact that OSCE/ODIHR found the elections to be conducted in an efficient, competitive and transparent manner;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Notes that the 30 August 2020 elections resulted in the first transition of power since the ~~country’s independence~~introduction of the multi- party system, in full respect of democratic standards and Montenegro’s constitution;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Expresses concern about the accusations of foreign influence in the election process;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the fact that on its first working day, the newly formed Montenegrin Government held an exchange of views with Members of the European Parliament and EU officials; encourages the new Government to use its mandate to accelerate EU-related reforms and accession negotiations; underlines the importance on moving ahead in EU- accession and stresses that it is vital not to reverse earlier achievements in the reform process; notes that the new enlargement methodology foresees both positive and negative conditionality, and the principle of reversibility;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the fact that on its first working day, the newly formed Montenegrin Government held an exchange of views with Members of the European Parliament and EU officials; encourages the new Government to use its mandate to accelerate EU-related reforms and accession negotiations; notes that an open and constructive dialogue between all political and social stakeholders, as well as an agreement on key issues concerning the overall progress of the country are needed for Montenegro to make progress on the EU path;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the fact that on its first working day, the newly formed Montenegrin Government held an exchange of views with Members of the European Parliament and EU officials; encourages the new Government to use its mandate to accelerate EU-related reforms and accession negotiations; commends the Montenegrin government for their explicit commitment to further pursue EU integration and to strengthen the transatlantic alliance;

Amendment 4 #

Terry REINTKE, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Maria WALSH, Marc ANGEL, Robert BIEDROŃ, Andreas SCHIEDER, Dietmar KÖSTER, Thomas WAITZ, Ernest URTASUN, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Citation 22 a (new)

— having regard to the fifth country monitoring report of the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), published on September 20171a , and to the conclusions on Montenegro concerning the state of implementation of the 2017 recommendations, published on June 2020,1b __________________ 1a https://rm.coe.int/second-report-on- montenegro/16808b5942 1bhttps://rm.coe.int/ecri-conclusions-on- the-implementation-of-the- recommendations-in-respe/16809e8273

Amendment 40 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Welcomes recent public opinion surveys, which show that an increasing number of Montenegrin citizens (76,6%) support the country’s membership in the EU as a clear message to the new government that the people want to improve and change the Montenegrin society based on European values; welcomes that the new government has confirmed that they will work on meeting standards necessary for the country’s progress on the EU path;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses the need for cooperative and constructive cohabitation between the President and the new Government with a view to enhancing Montenegro’s progress on its EU path and strengthening further democratic progress of the country; calls on all parties to abide by democratic and constitutional principles in overcoming political and ideological differences;

Amendment 42 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Stresses the need for cooperative and constructive cohabitation between the President and the new Government, as well as the new Parliament, with a view to enhancing Montenegro’s progress on its EU path; highlights that all elected representatives have the responsibility to make this relation operational;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Strongly stresses the unconditional need to avoid the use or the threat of use of force in settling any political or ethnic dispute, in order to prevent a democratic regression in the country;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Welcomes recent public opinion surveys, which show that 75 % of the citizens support Montenegro’s accession to the EU, which is a clear message to the new Government that the people want reforms based on European values; in this context, welcomes the fact that the Commission gave new impetus to enlargement in 2020 with a new strategy for the Western Balkans and the Economic and Investment Plan, thus transforming enlargement to a more tangible and predictable process for candidate countries;

Amendment 46 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Commends Montenegro’s progress in several areas of the accession negotiations, including international police cooperation and the fight against human trafficking; calls on the authorities to accelerate political and economic reforms, particularly on the rule of law and fundamental rights, the judiciary, media freedom and the fight against corruption, where further significant progress has to be made;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Commends Montenegro’s progress in several areas of the accession negotiations, including international police cooperation and the fight against human trafficking and organized crime; calls on the authorities to accelerate political and economic reforms, particularly on the rule of law, the judiciary, media freedom and the fight against corruption, where further significant progress has to be made;

Amendment 48 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Commends Montenegro’s progress in several areas of the accession negotiations, including international police cooperation and the fight against human and drug trafficking; calls on the authorities to accelerate political and economic reforms, particularly on the rule of law, the judiciary, media freedom and the fight against corruption, where further significant progress has to be made;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls for the active engagement and appropriate inclusion of the Western Balkans countries in the Conference on the Future of Europe; is of the opinion that their contribution should be taken into account as they are committed to become Member States of the Union in the future;

Amendment 5 #

Cornelia ERNST, Romeo FRANZ, Evin INCIR, Ernest URTASUN, Klemen GROŠELJ, Thomas WAITZ

Motion for a resolution
Citation 22 a (new)

— having regard to the Declaration of Western Balkans Partners on Roma Integration within the EU Enlargement Process of 5 July 2019 and the Strategy for Social Inclusion of Roma and Egyptians in Montenegro 2016–2020,

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls for the active engagement and appropriate inclusion of the Western Balkans countries, including civil society as well as youth, in the Conference on the Future of Europe;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Recalls that it is the interest of the government to ensure adequate representation abroad; refers, in this regard, to the pending appointment of Head of Montenegro’s Mission to the EU;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Takes note of the findings and conclusions of the international observers from the OSCE ODIHR, and calls on the authorities to address their recommendations fully; welcomes the Government’s adoption of a decision on the establishment of the Council for the Control of the Electoral Roll; notes that the Parliament of Montenegro passed a Decision on the establishment of the Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform in December 2020; expects the Committee for Comprehensive Electoral Reform to begin functioning without any further delay; encourages holding local elections simultaneously across the country in order to bring more stability to Montenegro’s democracy and avoid the phenomenon of perpetual campaigning;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Takes note of the findings and conclusions of the international observers from the OSCE ODIHR, and calls on the authorities to address their recommendations fully and in due time before the next electoral cycle; welcomes the Government’s adoption of a decision on the establishment of the Council for the Control of the Electoral Roll; expresses disappointment, that despite a cross-party agreement to hold local elections on the same day, the legal framework still does not address this issue sufficiently;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Encourages holding local elections simultaneously across the country in order to bring more stability, avoid constant campaigning and to ease the tense political climate in Montenegro; recalls that a two thirds majority is needed to amend the Law on the Election of Councillors and MPs, which requires a broad consensus of parliamentary parties;

Amendment 55 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Calls on all political forces in the newly elected Skupština (Parliament) of Montenegro to engage in a constructive, meaningful and inclusive dialogue in the Parliament, as this is the key to a successful parliamentary democracy; reiterates that a functioning parliamentary democracy is based on the participation of both government and opposition in the parliamentary decision- making process; underlines that broad consensus of both the ruling majority and the opposition is fundamental in moving forward on the EU accession path and on reforms; calls on all political parties represented in the parliament to refrain from boycotting the work of parliament; calls on measures aimed at improving dialogue and trust across the political spectrum;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Welcomes the decision of the previous Government and the current opposition not to boycott the work of the Parliament and instead participate therein;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Welcomes the first appointments to Montenegro’s Delegation to the EU- Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee (SAPC); calls for the finalisation of the process and the appointment of members of the opposition as soon as possible; reiterates that the work of SAPC should resume as soon as possible;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Welcomes the steps aimed at improving the supervisory role of the Parliament of Montenegro over the executive and its transparency and openness to citizens and civil society of the Parliament of Montenegro;

Amendment 59 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. Calls for the newly elected parliament to step up its efforts to ensure inclusive political dialogue within parliament; calls also for a stronger role for civil society which remains an essential element of a well-functioning democracy;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas each enlargement country is judged individually on its own merits, and it is the speed and quality of reforms that determine the timetable for accession; whereas pursuant to Article 49 TEU, any European country may apply to become a member of the Union provided that it adheres to all of the Copenhagen criteria and the principles of democracy, respects fundamental freedoms, human and minority rights, and upholds the rule of law;

Amendment 60 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)

11c. Expresses concern over the declining number of female MPs and calls for the adoption of the necessary legal and policy measures to strengthen parliamentary representation and promote political participation of women;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Reiterates the importance of accelerating work on the implementation of the action plans for Chapters 23 and 24 and other strategic documents relating to the rule of law, in particular through effective cross-party dialogue aimed at ensuring the required qualified majority for key judicial and prosecutorial appointments; regrets that the working group on chapter 24 has not met over the past year and calls for an inclusive process with the participation of representatives of the non-governmental sector in this working group;

Amendment 62 #

Cornelia ERNST, Romeo FRANZ, Evin INCIR, Ernest URTASUN, Klemen GROŠELJ, Thomas WAITZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Reiterates the importance of accelerating work on the implementation of the action plans for Chapters 23 and 24 and other strategic documents relating to the rule of law, in particular through effective cross-party dialogue aimed at ensuring the required qualified majority for key judicial and prosecutorial appointments; expresses concern for the fact that the working group on chapter 24 has not met over the past year and calls for the participation of representatives of the non-governmental sector in these working groups;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Reiterates the importance of accelerating work on the implementation of the action plans for Chapters 23 and 24 and other strategic documents relating to the rule of law and fundamental rights, in particular through effective cross-party dialogue aimed at ensuring the required qualified majority for key judicial and prosecutorial appointments, as well as improving the work through conducting public and expert consultations concerning changes of key legislation;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Invites the Montenegrin government to consistently consult their European Partners before amending crucial pieces of legislation previously drafted with the support of the European Commission and the Venice Commission, including in the case of the proposed amendments to the Law on Prosecutor's Office and the Law on Special Prosecutor's Office;

Amendment 65 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Regrets limited progress in the judiciary, and calls on the Montenegrin authorities to urgently address the remaining challenges with regard to the independence, professionalism, efficiency and accountability of the judiciary through implementation of existing legislation and in line with the recommendations made by the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and the Venice Commission; stresses that Montenegro needs to make further progress on rule of law reforms, including to advance and not reverse the implementation of the judicial reform in line with good democratic norms and practice; reiterates that as the result of reforms already carried out, Montenegro already has the bodies and mechanisms in place to ensure judicial and prosecutorial independence and accountability; encourages the authorities to make consistent use of these mechanisms and to build on the work done to further develop results and its track-record in the fight against corruption and organised crime; emphasises that the independent functioning and integrity of the Special Prosecutor’s Office is key for Montenegro’s progress in the area of rule of law;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

~~14. Expresses deep concern over the Judicial Council’s interpretation of the Constitution, which condones the unlawful reappointment of court presidents for more than two terms;~~deleted

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Welcomes that the President of the Supreme Court and the presidents of the basic courts in Bar, Kotor and Plav resigned after the call for judges with multiple mandates to resign, respecting European democratic standards;

Amendment 68 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Welcom~~Notes the fact that some progress has been made in the fight against organised crime, in particular as regards stronger capacity and professionalism of the police; underlines that systemic deficiencies in the criminal justice system remain and need to be addressed as a matter of priority; urges the authorities to put in place concrete measures to limit the use of plea bargains to exceptional cases in order to enhance the transparency and the credibility of the judicial response to organised crime through a more deterrent and consistent sanctioning policy;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. WAlthough welcomes the fact that some progress has been made in the fight against organised crime, in particular as regards stronger capacity and professionalism of the police, encourages Montenegro to continue its efforts in this area, in particular through combating mafia, involved notably in cigarette smuggling, drug and arms trafficking as well as illegal gambling, and tracking its links to local politicians and police officers; underlines that systemic deficiencies in the criminal justice system remain and need to be addressed as a matter of priority;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas Montenegro is ~~currently the most advanced in its negotiation process, having opened all the 33 screened chapt~~not suited to becoming a members of the EU~~’s acquis, and has provisionally closed negotiations on three~~;

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Is seriously concerned about the limited progress in the fight against corruption, and calls on the institutions responsible to, especially the prosecution, to significantly improve the country’s track record in the confiscation of criminal assets, prosecutions and final convictions, in particular for high-level cases, by substantially improving quality and independence of the criminal investigation and law enforcement;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Notes some positive developments in the operations of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption; stresses however that challenges related to its independence and priority-setting still remain and calls on the agency to act independently and to implement consistently the Anti-Corruption Law;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Welcomes the initiation of judicial proceedings for establishing the liability of individuals and political parties on charges of illegal financing of political parties;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Welcomes the efforts to implement public administration reform (PAR) and the results already achieved; ~~is concerned by the findings that party membership still influences employment in the Montenegrin public sector~~stresses the importance of a recruitment procedure applicable to civil servants that is based on professional, impartial and merit- based criteria; calls on the Montenegrin authorities to continue their efforts to create an efficient public administration and to retain expertise, in particular on the EU accession process; regrets that institutional capacities of the competition and anticorruption agencies remain weak;

Amendment 74 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Welcomes the efforts to implement public administration reform (PAR) ~~and the results already achieved~~; is concerned by the findings that party membership still strongly influences employment in the Montenegrin public sector; calls on the Montenegrin authorities to ~~continu~~redouble their efforts to create an efficient public administration and to retain expertise, in particular on the EU accession process, and in that respect welcomes transparent appointment procedures, such as the process of appointment of the acting director of the Police Directorate;

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Welcomes the efforts to implement public administration reform (PAR) and the results already achieved; is concerned by the findings that party membership still influences employment in the Montenegrin public sector and in that respect calls on the new government of Montenegro to avoid politically-motivated dismissals of professionals; calls on the Montenegrin authorities to continue their efforts to create an efficient public administration and to retain expertise, in particular on Foreign Affairs and the EU accession process;

Amendment 76 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Expresses concern over the solutions from the amendments to the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees passed in the Parliament, which lower the criteria for the work in public administration despite warnings that progress in public administration reform could be undermined in order to implement merit-based employment;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Is concerned by the amendments to the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees adopted in the Parliament of Montenegro, which could undermine the progress achieved in public administration reform based on merit- based employment criteria, as set in the 2018 European Commission Progress Report on Montenegro;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Welcomes the new government’s promises to significantly increase transparency in all areas, including public finances and encourages them to urgently develop and adopt an improved Law on free access to information;

Amendment 79 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Notes the upcoming population and housing census in Montenegro, and calls on the institutions responsible to hold it in line with European standards and international recommendations and urges to avoid any politicisation of the process;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas Montenegro has continued to build a good track record in implementing the obligations of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA);

Amendment 80 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Calls on the Montenegrin authorities to devote special attention to money laundering, tax evasion and any other criminal activity in the framework of the investor citizenship scheme; calls on the authorities to enhance customer due diligence in this programme;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Takes note of the re-decision on the Law on Amendment to the Law on Religious Freedom which reversed December 2019 decision thus restoring places of worship across the country to the Serbian Orthodox Church;

Amendment 82 #

David MCALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. is concerned about the recent developments as regards the special prosecutor for organized crime and corruption as well as around the changes in the composition of the Prosecutoral Council;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Deplores the state of freedom of expression and media freedom, an area in which five successive Commission reports have noted ‘no progress’; strongly condemns all types of attacks against the media and intimidation of journalists, and calls for the urgent and effective investigation of these; regrets that some cases of violence against journalists still remain unsolved; urges Montenegro to provide conditions conducive to the effective exercise of freedom of expression, which is one of the EU’s fundamental values and a crucial element of Montenegro’s EU accession process; underlines the need to strengthen the media environment, including by supporting professionalism of the media and media organisations and improving working conditions for journalists;

Amendment 84 #

Giorgos GEORGIOU, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Idoia VILLANUEVA RUIZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Deplores the state of freedom of expression and media freedom, an area in which five successive Commission reports have noted ‘no progress’, especially when it comes to the work of the public broadcasting service RTCG; strongly condemns all types of attacks against the media and intimidation of journalists, and calls for the urgent and effective investigation of these, including past cases, in order to end impunity of crimes against journalists; urges Montenegro to provide conditions conducive to the effective exercise of freedom of expression, which is one of the EU’s fundamental values and a crucial element of Montenegro’s EU accession process;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Deplores the state of freedom of expression and media freedom, an area in which five successive Commission reports have noted ‘no progress’; strongly condemns all types of attacks against the media and intimidation of journalists, and calls for the urgent and effective investigation of these; urges Montenegro to provide conditions conducive to the effective exercise of freedom of expression, which is one of the EU’s fundamental values and a crucial element of Montenegro’s EU accession process; calls for further steps to be taken to ensure independence of media, including independence of journalists;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Deplores the state of freedom of expression and media freedom, an area in which five successive Commission reports have noted ‘no progress’; strongly condemns all types of attacks against the media and intimidation of journalists, and calls for the urgent and effective investigation of these; urges Montenegro to provide conditions conducive to the effective exercise of freedom of expression, which is one of the EU’s fundamental values and a crucial element of Montenegro’s EU accession process; condemns vigorously the violations of the rights and freedoms of Montenegro’s churches; calls for their full rights to be restored;

Amendment 87 #

Cornelia ERNST, Romeo FRANZ, Evin INCIR, Ernest URTASUN, Klemen GROŠELJ, Thomas WAITZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20a. Emphasises that while progress has been recorded in the advancement of the rights and social inclusion of Roma and Egyptians in Montenegro, increased and holistic efforts are needed to improve the quality and access to education and prevent and eliminate segregation, increase employment and employability, combat poverty and overcrowding in marginalised communities, and ensure access to personal documents and legal status to all Roma and Egyptians; measures should be developed and implemented with a strong gender equality and child rights perspective;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Underlines that media literacy and media freedom are key to combating disinformation; calls for the strengthening of European cooperation with Montenegro on addressing cyber threats; urges the EEAS to address disinformation, and ~~cyber and hybrid threats;~~ hybrid threats that seek to undermine the European perspective of the region by more strategically underscoring the EU’s relevance to citizens in the region; stresses the need to improve coordination in order to fight regional disinformation campaigns; reminds of the strong link between weaknesses in media freedom and opportunities for local and foreign actors to manipulate facts and spread disinformation; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to closely cooperate on those linkages and overlapping challenges, as well as to foster the creation of a Balkan-focused Centre of Excellence on disinformation;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. UIs concerned about the high polarisation of the media scene, in particular about the growing volume of disinformation; underlines that media literacy ~~and~~, media freedom and independence are key to combating disinformation; calls for the strengthening of European cooperation with Montenegro on addressing disinformation, ~~and~~ cyber and hybrid threats;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas despite these efforts over the past years, Montenegro has been showing clear symptoms and various degrees of state capture, and companies, institutions or powerful individuals use illegal practices to influence and shape policies, the legal environment and the economy to their own interests;

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Underlines that media literacy and media freedom are key to combating disinformation; calls for the strengthening of European cooperation with Montenegro on addressing manipulative disinformation, and cyber and hybrid threats that seek to undermine the European perspective of the region; encourages concrete steps in building resilience and cyber security at the time when Montenegro faces increasing pressure through foreign interference that seeks to undermine Montenegro’s statehood and pro-Western orientation;

Amendment 91 #

Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI, Raffaele FITTO, Witold Jan WASZCZYKOWSKI, Angel DZHAMBAZKI, Adam BIELAN, Hermann TERTSCH, Assita KANKO, Charlie WEIMERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Underlines that media literacy and media freedom are key to combating disinformation; calls for the strengthening of European cooperation with Montenegro on addressing disinformation, and cyber and hybrid threats; calls on the EU Delegation in Montenegro to intensify its efforts in visibility campaigns to combat disinformation as well as in communication strategies to emphasize the role and importance of EU assistance to Montenegro;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Underlines that media literacy and media freedom are key to combating disinformation; calls for the strengthening of European cooperation with Montenegro on addressing disinformation, and cyber and hybrid threats; underlines that Montenegro is under strong and unwavering hostile propaganda pressure exerted by Russia, aiming - among other goals - to reduce the support of the population for the NATO Membership;

Amendment 93 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Calls for operational independence of the media regulators and public service broadcaster from undue political interference, including granting the Agency for Electronic Media (AEM) powers to impose a complete set of measures and establish a track record to demonstrate adequate administrative capacity to enforce the EU acquis for electronic communications, information society services and audio-visual media services, including as regards regulatory independence;

Amendment 94 #

Klemen GROŠELJ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Regrets that disinformation campaigns in Montenegro aimed at exacerbating ethnic tensions, harm the country’s international relations and reputation, and distort electoral processes; Calls on national authorities to enforce a deeper oversight of the media landscape in order to tackle fake news and other disinformation activities, hence increasing its transparency and access to reliable sources;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Strongly condemns verbal and physical attacks against and intimidation of national minorities, especially in Pljevlja following the August 2020 parliamentary elections; calls for a thorough investigation of all accusations related to foreign interference in the census procedure and urges to pay special attention to issues related to the national and ethnic affiliation of Montenegrin citizens;

Amendment 96 #

Giorgos GEORGIOU, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Idoia VILLANUEVA RUIZ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Strongly condemns verbal and physical attacks against and intimidation of national minorities, especially in Pljevlja following the August 2020 parliamentary elections; expresses concern about the access of minorities and especially of the Roma community to healthcare, improving school attendance, housing and employment; calls for measures to promote intercultural understanding at schools;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Strongly condemns verbal and physical attacks against and intimidation of national minorities, especially in Pljevlja following the August 2020 parliamentary elections; urges Montenegrin authorities to thoroughly investigate all those incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice;

Amendment 98 #

David MCALLISTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Amendment 99 #