2019/2200(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Strongly condemns the cyber- attacks against Georgian institutions and media outlets widely attributed to Russian actors; calls on all political actors in Georgia to refrain from using social media to attack people, organisations and institutions and spread deliberate misinformation; takes note with concern that in December 2019 and May 2020 Facebook deleted hundreds of pages and profiles in Georgia for their "inauthentic coordinated behaviour”; According to Facebook's official statement, these pages mostly linked with Georgian Dream and targeted opposition politicians and civil society organisations. Election campaign should be devoid of any such undertakings.

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Strongly condemns the cyber- attacks against Georgian institutions and media outlets widely attributed to Russian actors; takes note with concern that in December 2019 and May 2020 hundreds of coordinated inauthentic pages and profiles sponsored by the ruling party, spreading criticism of the opposition and local activist organizations were removed by Facebook and calls on all political actors in Georgia to refrain from using social media to attack people, organisations and institutions and spread deliberate misinformation; encourages to review relevant legislation to protect the personal data of Internet users from, inter alia, secret surveillance;

Amendment 102 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Strongly condemns the cyber- attacks against Georgian institutions and media outlets widely attributed to Russian actors; calls on all political actors in Georgia to refrain from using social media to attack people, organisations and institutions and spread deliberate misinformation; reminds with concern that in December 2019 and, similarly, in May 2020 Facebook shut down an extensive network of accounts and pages funded by Georgia’s ruling party, which engaged in “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” and attacks against opposition, media, civil society and independent activists and spread anti- democratic and anti-Western messages;

Amendment 103 #

Urmas PAET, Nathalie LOISEAU, Javier NART, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Strongly condemns the cyber- attacks against Georgian institutions and media outlets widely attributed to Russian actors; calls on all political actors in Georgia to refrain from using social media to attack people, organisations and institutions and spread deliberate misinformation; calls on the European Commission and the EEAS to further assist Georgia in increasing its cyber resilience;

Amendment 104 #

Sandra KALNIETE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Strongly condemns the cyber- attacks against Georgian institutions and media outlets widely attributed to Russian actors; calls on all political actors in Georgia to refrain from using social media to attack people, organisations and institutions and spread deliberate misinformation; emphasizes importance of strengthening capacity and resilience of Georgia against disinformation;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Strongly condemns the cyber- attacks against Georgian institutions and media outlets widely attributed to Russian actors and the intensifying disinformation campaigns; calls on all political actors in Georgia to refrain from using social media to attack people, organisations and institutions and spread deliberate misinformation;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Urges the Georgian government to safeguard the information environment ahead of the 2020 elections and strengthen resilience against disinformation and information manipulation by domestic and foreign actors, online and offline; calls on Facebook and other social media platforms to take effective actions to protect the information environment and prevent undermining electoral integrity by misuse of social media platforms;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Underlines the importance of free and independent mass media, editorial independence, pluralism and transparency of ownership in the media environment as key democratic principles; notes that the Georgian media remain highly polarised and politicised and that interference of management in editorial policies is still commonplace; recalls that any political interference in media pluralism is not in line with the principles of democracy and rule of law; stresses the need for the national public broadcaster to fulfil its obligation of editorial independence, fairness and impartiality in the run-up and during the 2020 parliamentary elections; notes that Russian disinformation and propaganda still remain a crucial issue for Georgia;

Amendment 108 #

Maria ARENA, Dietmar KÖSTER, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, Isabel SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)

9b. Underlines the important role played by the civil society regarding the implementation of the AA; calls on the Georgian authorities to ensure the participation of non-governmental stakeholders at all stages of the decision making process, including policy formulation, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation; calls on the EU to further strengthen its support to civil society;

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on the Georgian authorities to promptly, thoroughly and effectively investigate all incidents of excessive use of force by law enforcement officers and attacks against peaceful protesters and journalists in June 2019 and to ensure that perpetrators are held to account;

Amendment 11 #

Sven MIKSER, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas attempts at destabilising Georgia continue, inter alia via the implementation of so-called "treaties" between the Russian Federation and the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/ South Ossetia, the closure of crossing points near the Administrative Boundary Line in Tskhinvali region/ South Ossetia since August 2019, increased "borderisation" along the Administrative Boundary Line and the holding of so-called ‘presidential elections’ in Abkhazia in March 2020;

Amendment 110 #

Mick WALLACE, Clare DALY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Deplores the constant violations by the Russian Federation, which exercises de facto control of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia regions, of the fundamental rights of the people in these occupied regions, who are being deprived of the freedom of movement and residence, the right to property and the right of access to education in the native language, and reiterates its full support for the right of return of internally displaced persons;deleted

Amendment 111 #

Sven MIKSER, Kati PIRI, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Deplores the constant violations by the Russian Federation, ~~which~~ exercis~~es de facto control~~ing effective control over the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia ~~regions~~, of the fundamental rights of the people in these occupied regions, who are being deprived of the freedom of movement and residence, the right to property and the right of access to education in the native language, and reiterates its full support for the right of return of internally displaced persons; expresses its concern over the continuous illegal process of installation of barbed wire fences and other artificial obstacles along the occupation line (‘borderisation’), which has particularly detrimental effects on people living in and around these regions in the context of the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic;

Amendment 112 #

Urmas PAET, Nathalie LOISEAU, Javier NART, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Deplores the ~~constant violations by the Russian Federation, which exercises de facto control of~~residual tensions in Adjara, Abkhazia and ~~Tskhinvali/~~South Ossetia ~~regions, of the fundamental rights of~~, and the risks they people in these occupied regions, who are being deprived of the freedom of movement and residence, the right to property and the right of access to education in the native language, and reiterates its full support for the right of return of internally displaced persose to the people in these regions;.

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Deplores the constant violations by the Russian Federation, which exercises de facto control of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia regions, of the fundamental rights of the people in these occupied regions, who are being deprived of the freedom of movement and residence, the right to property and the right of access to education in the native language, and reiterates its full support for the right of return of internally displaced persons; is concerned that the restriction of the freedom of movement is depriving people of access to necessary medical services thereby endangering their lives;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Acknowledges Georgia’s progress towards democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms and development in combating corruption; encourages to put more efforts, for instance, into reforming its justice sector, implementing anti- discrimination legislation and labour rights, as well as ensuring the independence of the judiciary;

Amendment 115 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Deplores any actions to limit freedom of thought and assembly, actions to instigate violence among peaceful protesters and the use of force against citizens exercising their right to freedom of thought and assembly;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Demands the Russian Federation to provide EUMM access to the whole territory of Georgia and to ensure safe and dignified return of all internally displaced persons and refugees to their homes;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)

10b. Urges all parties to resume and take part in the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms (IPRMs), a result of the Geneva International Discussions for addressing and resolving the challenges stemming from the conflict between Russia and Georgia in August 2008, in order to improve the safety and humanitarian situation of the conflict- affected population on the ground;

Amendment 118 #

David LEGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Underlines that gender equality is a key precondition to sustainable and inclusive development; commends the work of the Georgian Parliament’s Gender Equality Council and its efforts to identify sexual harassment as a form of discrimination; is satisfied with the fact that discrimination against women, LGBT people and religious minorities is forbidden by law; notes with concern, discrimination against women, LGBT people and religious minorities are still widely widespread, and that investigations of violent crimes against LGBT people and religious minorities rarely lead to prosecution;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Underlines that gender equality is a key precondition to sustainable and inclusive development; commends the work of the Georgian Parliament’s Gender Equality Council and its efforts to identify sexual harassment as a form of discrimination; urges the Georgian government and authorities to implement measures to further improve women’s representation and equal treatment at all levels of political and societal life; requests the European Commission to mainstream gender equality in all its policies, programmes and activities in relation to Georgia;

Amendment 12 #

Urmas PAET, Nathalie LOISEAU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas the recent EU/US- facilitated dialogue between the ruling and the opposition parties has resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding and a Joint Statement, undersigned by all major parties, on 8 March 2020, which represents a crucial step towards depolarization and normalization of the political environment in Georgia in the run-up to the parliamentary elections in October 2020;

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Underlines that gender equality is a key precondition to sustainable and inclusive development; calls for the Georgian Authorities to take further steps to uphold fundamental freedoms and human rights, notably for vulnerable groups, by fighting hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQI people, Roma people and other minorities; commends the work of the Georgian Parliament’s Gender Equality Council and its efforts to identify sexual harassment as a form of discrimination;

Amendment 121 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Underlines that gender equality is a key precondition to sustainable and inclusive development; notes with concern that gender equality is still a major challenge in Georgia, especially regarding political representation; commends the work of the Georgian Parliament’s Gender Equality Council and its efforts to identify and raise awareness about sexual harassment as a form of discrimination;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Underlines that gender equality is a key precondition to sustainable and inclusive development; commends the work of the Georgian Parliament’s Gender Equality Council and its efforts to identify sexual harassment as a form of discrimination; calls for a full implementation of the Istanbul Convention;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Condemns the continued discrimination of LGBTI groups and persons in social, economic labour, and health areas, as well as their targeting by ultra-nationalist hate groups; demands that the Georgian authorities execute a full investigation into the incitement of violence by such groups against LGBTI events in 2019, including Georgia’s first- ever Pride Week and the screening of the Swedish-Georgian film “And Then We Danced”;

Amendment 124 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the work of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and insists that the existing human rights and anti-discrimination legislation must be thoroughly and efficiently implemented; calls on the Georgian authorities to continue to take all the necessary measures to promote fundamental freedoms and human rights, especially for vulnerable groups, by tackling hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQI people, Roma people, people with HIV/AIDS, persons with disabilities and other minorities;

Amendment 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the work of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and insists that the existing human rights and anti-discrimination legislation must be thoroughly and efficiently implemented; calls upon the Georgian leadership, the Church, the civil society and other relevant groups to foster an environment for dialogue and cooperation in order to eradicate all forms of discrimination, hate speech and physical violence against minorities and vulnerable groups;

Amendment 126 #

Fabio Massimo CASTALDO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Welcomes the work of the Human Rights Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and insists that the existing human rights and anti-discrimination legislation must be thoroughly and efficiently implemented; expresses concern regarding the process around the 2019 Tbilisi Pride and calls for further efforts to tackle discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexual LGBTI+ people;

Amendment 127 #

Maria ARENA, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, Dietmar KÖSTER, Isabel SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Calls on the government of Georgia to pursue comprehensive labour policy reform to ensure better regulation of working conditions (including safety, working hours, rest time, weekly breaks, overtime and night work) and provide workers with copies of contracts and payslips reflecting their earnings, as well as to amend the Law on Labour Safety to set up a fully-fledged inspection system and a proper anti-discrimination mechanism to explicitly monitor labour rights and systematically verify any workplace hazards, to include a modern anti-corruption mechanism and to ratify all respective ILO Conventions; encourages the involvement of civil society organisations and trade unions in these reforms, in light of their importance for workers’ and social rights in Georgia;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Calls on the Georgian authorities to pursue comprehensive labour policy reform to ensure better regulation of working hours, weekly rest, night work, payment of overtime hours and work on public holidays, in order to bring the legislation in line with the international labour standards and the EU directives, and broaden the mandate of the Labour Inspectorate to explicitly monitor labour rights and systematically verify any workplace hazards;

Amendment 129 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Calls upon the Georgian Orthodox Church to play a more unifying role within society, particularly on the matters related to human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)

Bc. whereas reforms of the justice sector remain modest and the recent appointment of 14 Supreme Court judges for life has been lacking in transparency, deviating from objective, merit-based criteria, and showing the influence of partisan politics; whereas the plenary vote on the judicial appointments was done amidst a political crisis, opposition boycott, widespread calls for postponement and serious disruptions in the committee and plenary;

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Underlines the importance of further strengthening the child protection system, including by preventing violence and sexual exploitation of minors; calls on raising awareness regarding digital risks and ensuring access to education for all, including children with disabilities; underlines the Government’s responsibility to monitor the situation of children in orphanages;

Amendment 131 #

Sven MIKSER, Kati PIRI, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Calls on the Georgian Government to guarantee freedom of expression, assembly, and association, in line with the country’s commitments under the Association Agreement;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Underlines the importance of reducing antagonism and ~~the~~ polarisation of politics and of ensuring constructive cooperation in the country’s democratic institutions, in particular the pParliament of Georgia; therefore profoundly regrets that the ninth meeting of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee ofn 12 ~~and~~ -13 February 2020 in Strasbourg enconcluded without an agreement on a final statement and recommendations ~~being reached~~; calls on the Parliament of Georgia to resume its work on the electoral reform and adopt the necessary constitutional amendments on the new electoral system in line with the 8 March agreement as well as with ODIHR recommendations, as soon as the situation related to the pandemic and the working conditions allow and calls on all political parties and parliamentarians to contribute to this crucial goal in good faith;

Amendment 133 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Underlines the importance of reducing antagonism and the polarisation of politics and ensuring constructive cooperation in the country’s democratic institutions, in particular the parliament; therefore profoundly regrets that the ninth meeting of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee of 12 and13 February 2020 in Strasbourg ended without an agreement on a final statement and recommendations being reached;

Amendment 134 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN, Andrzej HALICKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Underlines the importance of reducing antagonism and the polarisation of politics and ensuring constructive cooperation in the country’s democratic institutions, in particular the parliament;, and therefore ~~profoundly~~emphasises the need to build and increase trust among all political and institutional actors, as well as between them and the Georgian people; regrets that the ninth meeting of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee of 12 and13 February 2020 in Strasbourg ended without an agreement on a final statement and recommendations being reached;

Amendment 135 #

Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Underlines the importance of improving the political culture in Georgia and of reducing antagonism and the polarisation of politics, and ensuring constructive cooperation in the country’s democratic institutions, in particular the parliament; therefore profoundly regrets that the ninth meeting of the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee of 12 and13 February 2020 in Strasbourg ended without an agreement on a final statement and recommendations being reached;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Recommends to give a special mandate to the European Parliament Delegation in the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee to watch and observe preparations and realization of fair and transparent forthcoming October 2020 parliamentary elections in Georgia;

Amendment 137 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Welcomes Georgia’s new education programme, with a declared increase of state funding to 6% of GDP by 2022; notes that the State funding of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport increased by 14% over the year (reaching 2.8% of GDP, i.e. a 0.05% increase compared to 2018); notes with satisfaction that the 2017-2021 overarching strategy for education and science is being reviewed in the light of the new wave of education reform; welcomes the new VET Law, which created new life-long learning opportunities for young people and adults; underlines that Georgia is making progress in aligning its quality assurance mechanism with the AA;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Parliament of Georgia to strengthen its capacities to exercise the parliamentary control mechanisms, particularly control over the security system; encourages to increase the role of the opposition in the process of parliamentary oversight, to simplify the procedures for summoning members of the government and other accountable officials and establishing a centralized recording system to provide timely and complete information on parliamentary control to all interested stakeholders;

Amendment 139 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Acknowledges the role of Georgian civil society in supporting and monitoring the implementation of AA and DCFTA and calls on the Georgian Government and the Parliament to establish formal mechanisms governing their liaison with the civil society; notes the importance of launching national support mechanisms for the activities of the civil society in addition to those provided by the EU and the international donor community;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the continuous deepening of EU-Georgia relations and the firm support that Georgia’s chosen path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration enjoys across the political spectrum and in society; acknowledges the progress achieved by Georgia, which has made it a key partner of the EU in the region, and reiterates the need to continue implementing reforms under the Association Agreement (AA) and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area;deleted

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Underlines that Georgia continues its successful Erasmus+ participation in the areas of higher education and youth mobility;

Amendment 141 #

Miriam LEXMANN, Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)

14c. Warmly welcomes the success of the pilot scholarship programme of the Eastern Partnership European School in Tbilisi for students from all Eastern Partnership countries; recognises it as a crucial milestone in the EU's relations with its Eastern partner countries and Georgia's commitment to education reforms; notes with satisfaction the establishment of the first European school by European Union and Georgian Government at the Lisi Lake in Tbilisi in September 2019 as the outcome of the pilot programme;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5 a (new)

Acknowledges the associated partnership status of Georgia and the other signatories of AAs and DCFTAs, and calls for an enhanced political dialogue with them in order to advance further economic integration and legislative harmonisation; for example, as in the case of the EEA/EFTA countries, calls to include Georgia and the other associated countries as observers in the proceedings of the Committees established pursuant to Article 291 TFEU and Regulation (EU) No 182/2011, as well as in the meetings of the European Council working groups and committees, to show the EU's commitments to further integration and to strengthen the countries reform orientation and administrative know-how;

Amendment 143 #

Sven MIKSER, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Notes with satisfaction that the EU is one of Georgia’s largest trading partners; welcomes the continued approximation of Georgia’s legislation in trade-related areas; emphasises the need to increase Georgian exports to the EU and to attract investments from the EU in Georgia in order to provide more jobs and improve Georgia’s trade balance with the EU and its macro-financial stability, first and foremost by strengthening the rule of law, by fighting corruption, money laundering and tax evasion and by supporting the approximation to the EU standards;

Amendment 144 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Notes with satisfaction that the EU is one of Georgia’s largest trading partners; welcomes the continued approximation of Georgia’s legislation in trade-related areas; encourages Georgia to take a full advantage of trade opportunities, particularly of DCFTA, and to develop its export capacities beyond agricultural commodities and raw materials;

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Notes with satisfaction that the EU is one of Georgia’s largest trading partners, representing 27% share of its total trade; welcomes the continued approximation of Georgia’s legislation in trade-related areas;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Notes with satisfaction that the EU ~~is one of~~ Georgia’s ~~largest~~main trading partners; welcomes the continued approximation of Georgia’s legislation in trade-related areas;

Amendment 147 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Underlines the importance of structural reforms aimed to further advance the investment climate in Georgia, particularly investor protection guarantees and their implementation; regrets that the Anaklia Deep Sea Port Project failed to secure required investments and encourages Georgian authorities to improve the environment for the attracting foreign direct investment, including capacities of responsible institutions and political support and unity over projects of national strategic importance;

Amendment 148 #

Sven MIKSER, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Calls on the Commission to support the full implementation of the DCFTA through coordinated assistance, to promote sustainable economic development, and to support structural reforms in the economic system, including promoting market principles, fair business climate, in particular for regional and SMEs, and independent regulatory mechanisms, in cooperation with businesses and civil society, including a major reform of the banking and financial sector aiming to combat money laundering and tax evasion;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Calls on the Commission to support full implementation of the DCFTA through coordinated assistance, with a focus on sustainable economic development in line with the European Green Deal as well as on support to SMEs and structural reforms in cooperation with business and civil society;

Amendment 15 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN, Andrzej HALICKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the continuous deepening of EU-Georgia relations and the firm support that Georgia’s chosen path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration enjoys across the political spectrum and in society; acknowledges the progress achieved by Georgia, which has made it a key partner of the EU in the region, and reiterates the need to continue implementing reforms under the Association Agreement (AA) and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area; reminds that the EU assistance is based on the principle "more for more" and conditional to reform progress in, but not limited to, areas of democracy and rule of law, independence of judiciary and electoral system reform;

Amendment 150 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI, Charlie WEIMERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Encourages Georgian government to take full advantage of existing mechanisms to foster diversification of trade and encourage internal entrepreneurship and foreign direct investments, as well as additional transparent measures of security screening of the FDIs;

Amendment 151 #

Sven MIKSER, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15b. Encourages the government of Georgia to continue the extensive reform of labour legislation so as to ensure better regulation of working conditions including continued improvements in labour inspections and social dialogue; highlights in particular the need to amend the Labour Safety Law in order to set up a fully-fledged inspection system and proper anti-discrimination mechanism to explicitly monitor labour rights and systematically verify any workplace hazards, to include a modern anti- corruption mechanism and to ratify all respective ILO Conventions; encourages the involvement of civil society organisations and trade unions in these reforms, in light of their importance for workers’ and social rights in Georgia;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. ERecalls that DCFTAs must always include strong, binding and enforceable sustainable development chapters that fully respect international commitments, in particular the Paris Agreement, and be compliant with WTO rules; encourages the speeding up of the implementation of the third National Environment Action Programme and the approximation of Georgian legislation with the EU acquis relating to the environment, in line with the AA requirements on environmental protection; calls on Georgia to further enhance its engagement in the fight against climate change, and on the Commission to facilitate Georgia’s participation in the European Green Deal and to ensure that the DCFTA does not contradict the environmental objectives and initiatives set out therein;

Amendment 153 #

Fabio Massimo CASTALDO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Exhorts the Georgian government to ensure full respect of workers’ rights and carry out reforms that will improve safety of the workers, especially in the mining sector;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Stresses the importance of economic diversification and of supporting a favourable business environment for regional and small and medium-sized enterprises to develop Georgia's ability to further innovate in different economic sectors; calls on the Commission to explore increased sectoral cooperation in education and research, innovation, and to enhance ICT sector and digitalisation as well as green technologies, and to share know-how and best practices; emphasises the importance of focused youth programmes to create fair job opportunities;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16b. Demands that the Commission supports and assists programmes and reforms concerning media and information literacy to reflect the current digital age, as well as to upgrade sectoral cooperation in the digital economy;

Amendment 156 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Nathalie LOISEAU, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Welcomes the allocation by the Commission of EUR 3.4 billion for 18 priority projects in Georgia under the indicative trans-European transport network (TEN-T) investment action plan; calls on Georgia to improve its energy sector and connectivity, while ensuring environmental sustainability, in particular preservation of biodiversity and protected sites, during the implementation process, also taking into account local community’s needs;

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Welcomes the allocation by the Commission of EUR 3.4 billion for 18 priority projects in Georgia under the indicative trans-European transport network (TEN-T) investment action plan; notes that all infrastructure development projects need to be accompanied by a sound assessment of the environmental impact and of the effects on local communities;

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Welcomes the reallocation by European Commission of EUR 183 million for Georgia under the emergency support package ‘The EU’s response to the coronavirus pandemic in the Eastern Partnership’ to alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health systems as well as to support in mitigating their socio-economic consequences and impact on people's daily lives;

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Welcomes the allocation by the European Commission of EUR 150 million for Georgia under the Macro- Financial Assistance to enlargement and neighbourhood partners in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Welcomes the continuous deepening of EU-Georgia relations and the firm support that Georgia’s chosen path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration enjoys across the political spectrum and in society; acknowledges the progress achieved by Georgia~~, which has made it a key partner of the EU in the region, and reiterates the need to continue implementing~~ in implementing comprehensive reforms in the rule of law sector, which has made it a key partner of the EU in the region, and calls on further progress regarding constant implementation and monitoring of reforms under the Association Agreement (AA) and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area;

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)

17c. Highly appreciates the preventive measures taken by the Georgian government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was praised and recognised by many foreign governments and international actors;

Amendment 161 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Recommends that the Commission continues its efforts to enable the participation of Georgia in EU-supported programmes and agencies that are open to non-EU countries, under a legally appropriate status; welcomes the fact that under Erasmus+, almost 7,500 student and academic staff exchanges have taken place between Georgia and the EU;

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Calls to move forward with infrastructural projects of strategic importance for developing regional transportation and trade; in this regard expresses its hope that Georgia will accelerate construction of the Anaklia Deep Sea Port, in line with Georgia’s strategic Euro-Atlantic objectives; is concerned, however, about the numerous obstacles of administrative and political nature that continue to hinder the project, as well as with signs of Russian interference;

Amendment 163 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. In order to implement the principle “more for more”, calls on the EU to consider creating for the three associated countries, including Georgia, an enhanced cooperation strategy of reforms and investments, which would be conditional on the areas including, but not limited to, investment capacity building, transport, energy, justice and digital economy, and paving the way for an ambitious agenda of integration into the EU;

Amendment 164 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Urges the European Commission, the EU Member States and Georgia to increase cooperation on public health resilience, including cooperation between public health authorities, research facilities, and emergency capabilities, as well as to exchange best practice and work with civil society on establishing epidemic strategies focusing on the most vulnerable groups, including the elderly, homeless, seasonal workers, and migrants;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)

18b. Highlights in this context the need to recommend the EU to: – in order to implement principle “more for more” in an effective way and to have institutional capacity to assist and to evaluate developments on the ground in associated countries to establish a special Support Group for the associated countries, including Georgia, as it was done in the case of Ukraine (SGUA), – to upgrade the EU macro-financial assistance conditionality, which will work hand in hand with upgraded steering mechanisms and detailed reporting on the progress made by Georgia, in particular in the area of justice sector reform, – to boost the EU investment assistance linked with conditionality in a similar manner as it was proposed in Reform Contract for Investment to Ukraine in coordination with International Financial Institutions, – in the context of the huge forthcoming challenges in managing socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in job losses, closures of businesses and keeping in balance the public finances, to invite the Commission in the autumn of 2020 to propose for Eastern Partners, especially for the ones associated with the EU and committed to EU integration reforms, including Georgia, a detailed, conditional and tailor-made economic and investment plan, as it will be also done for the Western Balkans region;

Amendment 17 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Expresses concerns over continuous political polarization and the lack of effective political dialogue in Georgia, which necessitated facilitation by the Head of the EU Delegation in Tbilisi to reach the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020, and the negative effect such political division may have on reforms related to the AA and DCFTA implementation;

Amendment 18 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI, Charlie WEIMERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and condemns the illegal occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia by the Russian Federation; emphasises that the AA covers the entire territory of Georgia, including its occupied regions, and aims to benefit its whole population; calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil its obligations under the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, notably to withdraw all its military forces from Georgia’s occupied territories and allow the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) unhindered access to the whole territory of Georgia; asks the Commission and the EEAS to enhance their efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully, including through the EUMM and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia; calls on the neighbouring states to abide by their international commitments to Georgia’s territorial integrity; deplores all the diplomatic provocations stirring up tensions in this part of the Caucasus;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and commitment to continue contributing to the peaceful resolution of the Russia-Georgia conflict, including through the EUSR for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, the Co-Chairmanship of the Geneva International Discussions, the actions of EUMM and the policy of non-recognition and engagement; strongly condemns the illegal occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia by the Russian Federation and the ongoing borderisation process; emphasises that the AA covers the entire territory of Georgia, including its occupied regions, and aims to benefit its whole population; calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil its obligations under the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, notably to withdraw all its military forces from Georgia’s occupied territories and allow the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) unhindered access to the whole territory of Georgia; asks the Commission and the EEAS to enhance their efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully, including through the EUMM and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia;

Amendment 2 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Nathalie LOISEAU, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)

- having regard the study entitled ‘Association agreement between the EU and Georgia. European Implementation Assessment (update) ’, published in April 2020,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and condemns the illegal occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia by the Russian Federation, as well as ongoing illegal borderisation along the dividing lines, which escalate the situation, damage the security environment and cause further hardships to the local population, including abductions of Georgian citizens from unoccupied Georgian territory; emphasises that the AA covers the entire territory of Georgia, including its occupied regions, and aims to benefit its whole population; calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil its obligations under the EU- mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, notably to withdraw all its military forces from Georgia’s occupied territories and allow the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) unhindered access to the whole territory of Georgia; asks the Commission and the EEAS to enhance their efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully, including through the EUMM and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia;

Amendment 21 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN, Andrzej HALICKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and condemns the illegal occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia by the Russian Federation; emphasises that the AA covers the entire territory of Georgia, including its occupied regions, and aims to benefit its whole population; calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil its obligations under the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, notably to withdraw all its military forces from Georgia’s occupied territories and ~~allow the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) unhindered access to the whole territory of Georgia~~remove all impediments for the establishment of international security mechanisms therein; asks the Commission and the EEAS to enhance their efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully, including through the EUMM and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, through continued support for the Georgian Parliament’s "A Step for a Better Future" package, as well as through people-to-people contacts and confidence-building measures;

Amendment 22 #

Mick WALLACE, Clare DALY

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and condemns the illegal occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia by the Russian Federation; emphasises that the AA covers the entire territory of Georgia, including its occupied regions, and aims to benefit its whole population; calls on ~~the Russian Federation~~all parties to fulfil ~~its~~their obligations under the ~~EU-mediated~~Medvedev-Sarkozy ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008~~, notably to withdraw all its military forces from Georgia’s occupied territories and allow the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) unhindered access to the whole territory of Georgia~~; asks the Commission and the EEAS to enhance their efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully, including through the EUMM and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia;

Amendment 23 #

Dietmar KÖSTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and condemns the illegal occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia by the Russian Federation; emphasises that the AA covers the entire territory of Georgia, including its occupied regions, and aims to benefit its whole population; calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil its obligations under the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, notably to withdraw all its military forces from Georgia’s occupied territories and allow the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) unhindered access to the whole territory of Georgia; asks the Commission and the EEAS to enhance their efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully, including through the EUMM and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia; urges the Commission to enhance a strategy of demilitarisation to minimise the tensions by using all instruments of diplomatic means;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and condemns the illegal occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia by the Russian Federation; emphasises that the AA covers the entire territory of Georgia, including its occupied regions, and aims to benefit its whole population; calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil its obligations under the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, notably to withdraw all its military forces from Georgia’s occupied territories and allow the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) unhindered access to the whole territory of Georgia; condemns "borderisation" activities along the Administrative Boundary Line by Russian and de facto South Ossetian security actors; asks the Commission and the EEAS to enhance their efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully, including through the EUMM and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia;

Amendment 25 #

Sven MIKSER, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Reiterates its full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and condemns the illegal occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia by the Russian Federation; emphasises that the AA covers the entire territory of Georgia, including its occupied regions, and aims to benefit its whole population; calls on the Russian Federation to unconditionally fulfil its obligations under the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, notably to withdraw all its military forces from Georgia’s occupied territories and allow the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) unhindered access to the whole territory of Georgia; asks the Commission and the EEAS to enhance their efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully, including through the EUMM and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Commends the response of the Georgian people and public authorities to the COVID-19 outbreak and emphasises the effective preventive measures taken by medical workers, the Lugar Laboratory and governmental authorities, resulting in lessening the burden on Georgia’s healthcare system and mitigating the negative effect on the economy; congratulates the Georgian citizens for having abided to these measures in the face of economic and social hardship; welcomes that the EU has lined up over EUR 250 million in grants for Georgia to respond to COVID-19 and EUR 150 million in loans for enhancing macroeconomic stability and allowing resources to be channelled towards protecting the citizens and mitigating the pandemic’s severely negative socio- economic consequences;

Amendment 27 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI, Charlie WEIMERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Demands that the de-facto authorities in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia reopen closed crossing points without delay, cease attempts to prevent the work of the EUMM and restrict its mandate, and limit freedom of movement in those regions; calls for an immediate end to the increasing process of borderisation along the dividing line between Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia and Tbilisi- controlled territory and asks the High Representative/Vice-President and EU Member States to denounce this process;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Asks the Commission and the EEAS to keep the peaceful resolution of the Russia-Georgia conflict high on their agenda, including with Russia, and enhance their efforts to promote the implementation of the 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement by Russia, which EU mediated; in this regard calls on the EEAS to perform an impartial and thorough assessment of all key parts of this agreement and clear information which are still not fulfilled by the Russian Federation;

Amendment 29 #

Urmas PAET, Javier NART, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Nathalie LOISEAU, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Condemns the continuing illegal "borderisation" in Russian-occupied Georgian territory of South Ossetia and stresses that these actions of violations of international law need to be stopped;

Amendment 3 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI, Charlie WEIMERS

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 b (new)

- having regard to the ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report on the Presidential Election in Georgia of 28 February 2019;

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Underlines the need to implement effective measures to effectively investigate and fight foreign disinformation and propaganda that is undermining Georgian institutions and promoting anti-Western narratives as well as polarisation in the society; encourage Georgian government to implement EU's good practices and solutions, such as the “Action Plan against disinformation” and "EU Code of Practice on Disinformation" in cooperation with EU institutions;

Amendment 31 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI, Charlie WEIMERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Commends efforts of Georgian healthcare workers, the government and other people involved in fight against the coronavirus; recognizes vital contribution of the Tbilisi-based Lugar biomedical lab, which is funded by the US government and has been the target of Russian disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories since it opened;

Amendment 32 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the fact that Georgian citizens have made 900 000 visa-free visits to Schengen and Schengen-associated countries since March 2017; is concerned by the increasing number of unfounded asylum requests by Georgian citizens; calls on all the Member States that have not already done so to recognise Georgia as a safe country of origin in order to speed up the processing of such requests; stresses the importance of continuous implementation of the visa liberalisation benchmarks by Georgia;

Amendment 33 #

Dietmar KÖSTER

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the fact that Georgian citizens have made 900 000 visa-free visits to Schengen and Schengen-associated countries since March 2017; is concerned by the increasing number of unfounded asylum requests by Georgian citizens; calls on all the Member States that have not already done so to recognise Georgia as a safe country of origin in order to speed up the processing of such requests; stresses the importance of continuous implementation of the visa liberalisation benchmarks by Georgia;

Amendment 34 #

Sandra KALNIETE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the fact that Georgian citizens have made 900 000 visa-free visits to Schengen and Schengen-associated countries since March 2017; is concerned by the increasing number of unfounded asylum requests by Georgian citizens; calls on all the Member States that have not already done so to recognise Georgia as a safe country of origin in order to speed up the processing of such requests; stresses the importance of continuous implementation of the visa liberalisation benchmarks by Georgia; reiterates the EU and its Member states' readiness to further cooperate with the Georgian authorities;

Amendment 35 #

David LEGA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the fact that Georgian citizens have made 900 000 visa-free visits to Schengen and Schengen-associated countries since March 2017; is concerned by the increasing number of unfounded asylum requests by Georgian citizens; calls on all the Member States that have not already done so to recognise Georgia as a safe country of origin in order to speed up thn this regard, stresses the importance of stepping up the cooperation between the judicial authorities and the enforcement agencies of Georgia and the EU Member States to reduce pcro~~cessing of such requests; stresses the importance of continuous implementation of the visa liberalisation benchmark~~ss-border crime; is concerned by the increasing number of unfounded asylum requests by Georgian citizens;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the fact that Georgian citizens have made 900 000 visa-free visits to Schengen and Schengen-associated countries since March 2017; ~~is concerned by the increasing number of unfounded asylum requests by Georgian citizens;~~ calls on all the Member States that have not already done so to recognise Georgia as a safe country of origin in order to speed up the processing of such requests; stresses the importance of continuous implementation of the visa liberalisation benchmarks by Georgia; takes note however of the increasing number of unfounded asylum requests by Georgian citizens;

Amendment 37 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Underlines Georgia's role as a reliable partner of the European Union and a significant contributor to the CSDP and NATO missions and operations; calls on the Council and the EEAS to further engage with Georgia in the area of CSDP, in particular considering Georgia’s interest to discuss the possibility of its participation in PESCO projects, as well as develop cooperation with the relevant EU agencies, when it is of mutual interest for both the EU and Georgia.

Amendment 38 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Nathalie LOISEAU, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Welcomes strengthened international law enforcement cooperation between Georgia and the Europol and notes the importance of continuous efforts to combat serious and organized cross-border criminal activities, particularly human trafficking and trafficking of illegal drugs;

Amendment 39 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI, Charlie WEIMERS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Condemns Russia’s hybrid warfare against Georgia and frequent attempts to use Georgia as a testing ground for its disinformation activities as well as malicious cyber capabilities, as recently revealed by the massive cyber- attack on Georgia’s infrastructure in October 2019; calls to the Council and the EEAS to step up cooperation in cyber security with Georgia as a matter of mutual interest;

Amendment 4 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 c (new)

- having regard to the Opinion on the Draft Revised Constitution of Georgia by the Venice Commission of 19 June 2017;

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Welcomes actions taken by Georgian authorities, institutions and the civil society to flatten the curve and to manage the effect of the COVID-19 crisis; encourages further investments into improving the quality of care and reducing inequalities in the healthcare system;

Amendment 41 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)

3c. Encourages the Georgian authorities to show leadership in fostering neighbourly relations and cooperation among the South Caucasus countries and supports such efforts;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Commends the Georgian authorities for completing the constitutional reform process and the major political parties for signing the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020, which established the key features of the electoral system to be used for the upcoming parliamentary elections; calls on all parties to ensure that the agreement is translated into law and fully implemented as soon as possible;deleted

Amendment 43 #

Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Commends the Georgian authorities for completing the constitutional reform process and the major political parties for signing the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020, which established the key features of the electoral system to be used for the upcoming parliamentary elections; welcomes the recent release of two opposition leaders as an initial step towards full implementation of the MoU but deplores that all political prisoners were not released; calls on all parties to ensure that the two parts of the agreement isare translated into law and fully implemented as soon as possible, namely both the part focused on the reform of the electoral system and the part aimed at addressing the issue of political interference in the judicial system, in order to guarantee the independence and impartiality of the judiciary;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Commends the Georgian authorities for completing the constitutional reform process and the major political parties for signing the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020, which established the key features of the electoral system to be used for the upcoming parliamentary elections; reminds that agreement aiming at introducing an electoral system based on 120 proportional and 30 majoritarian seats, a fair composition of electoral districts in line with Venice Commission Recommendations; welcomes that the consideration of amendments to the Electoral Code by the Parliament of Georgia will take place once the state of emergency is lifted; in this regard calls on all parties to ensure that the agreement is translated into law and fully implemented as soon as possible;

Amendment 45 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Commends the Georgian authorities for completing the constitutional reform process and the major political parties for signing the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020, which established the key features of the electoral system to be used for the upcoming parliamentary elections; calls on all parties to ensure that the agreement is translated into law and fully implemented as soon as possible; welcomes the outcome of the cross-party dialogue as a clear sign of willingness to find a common solution, but underlines the importance of continuing to rebuild trust between political parties to provide for smooth and peaceful parliamentary elections in 2020, as a basis for a stable political situation in Georgia over the coming years;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Commends the ~~Georgian authorities for completing the constitutional reform process and the~~ major political parties for signing the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020, which established the key features of the electoral system to be used for the upcoming parliamentary elections~~; calls on all parties to ensure that the agreement is translated into law and fully implemented as soon as possible~~ and elimination of political interference into justice system; welcomes the pardoning of Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili by the President of Georgia as an important step towards the full implementation of Memorandum; looks forward to seeing the agreed-upon changes made to the electoral system when the Georgian parliament returns to work in the next weeks, as well as the release of Giorgi Rurua, a media owner who was detained in November;

Amendment 47 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Commends the Georgian authorities for completing the constitutional reform process and the major political parties for signing the Memorandum of Understanding and the Joint Statement of 8 March 2020, which established the key features of the electoral system to be used for the upcoming parliamentary elections~~; calls on all parties to ensure that the agreement is translated into law and fully implemented~~ and the necessity of addressing actions that could be perceived as inappropriate politicisation of Georgia’s judicial process; calls on all parties to ensure that the agreement is translated into law and into full abandonment of practices of politicisation of judicial processes and fully implemented in letter and spirit as soon as possible;

Amendment 48 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Commends ~~the Georgian authori~~efforts by the major Georgian political parties ~~for~~to complet~~ing~~e the constitutional reform process ~~and the major political parties for~~, particularly the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020, which established the key features of the electoral system to be used for the ~~upcoming parliamentary elections;~~October 2020 parliamentary elections; however, expresses deep concerns over attempts by the ruling party to avoid implementation of the agreement to its full extent, welcomes the input made by the President of Georgia to ensure its undivided application and calls on all parties to ensure that the agreement is translated into law and fully implemented as soon as possible;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Commends the Georgian authorities for completing the constitutional reform process and the major political parties for signing the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020, which established the key features of the electoral system to be used for the upcoming free, fair and transparent parliamentary elections; calls on all parties to ensure that the agreement is translated into law and fully implemented as soon as possible; calls on all the political parties to take the opportunity to start a cross-party dialogue facilitated by the EU, US and the Council of Europe;

Amendment 5 #

Urmas PAET, Nathalie LOISEAU, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 d (new)

- having regard to the Venice Commission’s final opinion of 19 March 2018 on Georgia’s constitutional reform (CDL-AD(2018)005);

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. ~~Commends the Georgian authorities for completing the constitutional reform process and the major political parties for signing the Memorandum of Understanding~~Welcomes the pardoning of European Georgia party Secretary- General Gigi Ugulava by President of Georgia as an important step towards the full implementation of the internationally- mediated Agreement between the Georgian Government and opposition of 8 March 2020, which included the establishedment of the key features of the electoral system to be used for the upcoming parliamentary elections and elimination of political interference into justice system; calls on all parties to ensure that the agreement is translated into law and fully implemented as soon as possible;

Amendment 51 #

Sven MIKSER, Raphaël GLUCKSMANN, Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Commends ~~the Georgian authorities for completing the constitutional reform process and the~~all major political parties for signing the Memorandum of Understanding and Joint Statement of 8 March 2020, which established the key features of the electoral system and enabled it to be used for the upcoming parliamentary elections; calls on all parties to ~~ensure that the agreement is translated into~~honour both the letter and spirit of the agreement, to fully implement all aspects of the agreement and to ensure that all elements of electoral reform are translated into the Constitution and the law and ~~fully~~ implemented as soon as possible;

Amendment 52 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Welcomes the pardoning of Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili by President of Georgia as an important step towards the full implementation of the internationally-mediated Agreement between the Georgian Government and the opposition of 8 March 2020, which included the establishment of the key features of the electoral system to be used for the upcoming parliamentary elections and elimination of political interference into justice system; looks forward to seeing the agreed-upon changes made to the electoral system when the Georgian parliament returns to work in the next weeks, as well as the release from prison of Giorgi Rurua as agreed in the Agreement of 8 March 2020;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Following the agreement reached by the political parties on 8 March, expresses strengthened hope for normalization of political climate in the run up to the elections and that the campaign will be free of violence and abuse of justice system for political purposes; underlines, however, that any further misuse of administrative resources and acts of violence against leaders of legitimate opposition may lead to personal sanctions on perpetrators of such acts and officials responsible for instigating them;

Amendment 54 #

Urmas PAET, Nathalie LOISEAU, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Emphasises the crucial role in democratic oversight of civil society organisations; calls on the Commission and the EU Member States to provide political, technical and financial support to civil society, particularly election observer groups and independent activists, ahead of the October 2020 parliamentary elections in Georgia;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Stresses the need for the parliamentary elections in 2020 to be free and fair;

Amendment 56 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Notes that the upcoming parliamentary elections will be pivotal in confirming Georgia’s democratic credentials;

Amendment 57 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Georgian authorities to implement swiftly and fully the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and review relevant legislation to address the identified shortcomings; recalls the assessment by the OSCE/ODIHR-led International Election Observation Mission of the last direct presidential election held in October - November 2018; notes with concern the negative character of the campaign and the use of harsh rhetoric on both sides; highlights that the process had been undermined by undue advantage enjoyed by the government side, use of violent rhetoric and impunity of violence against opposition; notes cases of misuse of administrative resources, undue pressure on voters and intimidation, vote buying, announcement of a massive debt relief offered by a private institution linked to the chairperson of the ruling party; notes that the run-off election day proceeded in an orderly manner, opening, voting and counting were assessed positively, the observed tracking of voters reinforced concern about potential intimidation; urges all stakeholders to fully address the recommendations of the OCSE/ODIHR;

Amendment 58 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Nathalie LOISEAU, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Georgian authorities to implement swiftly and fully the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and review relevant legislation to address the identified shortcomings; ensure that concerns enumerated in the OSCE/ODIHR and other legitimate election observation reports, particularly related to the use of public resources for political campaigning, impunity of violence, vote-buying as well as the ability of voters, especially civil servants, “to vote free from pressure and fear of retribution” are eliminated;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Georgian authorities to implement swiftly and fully the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and review relevant legislation to address the identified shortcomings and ensure that concerns enumerated in the OSCE/ODIHR and other legitimate election observation reports, particularly related to impunity of violence, vote- buying as well as the ability of voters, especially civil servants, “to vote free from pressure and fear of retribution” are eliminated;

Amendment 6 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI

Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 e (new)

- having regard to the Urgent Opinion on the Selection and Appointment of Supreme Court Judges of Georgia by the Venice Commission of 16 April 2019 and the ODIHR Second Report on the Nomination and Appointment of Supreme Court Judges in Georgia of 9 January 2020;

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Georgian authorities to implement swiftly and fully the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and review relevant legislation to address the identified shortcomings and concerns enumerated in the OSCE/ODIHR and other legitimate election observation reports, particularly those related to impunity of violence, vote-buying as well as the ability of voters, especially civil servants, “to vote free from pressure and fear of retribution”;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Georgian authorities to implement swiftly and fully the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and review relevant legislation to address the identified shortcomings, including to tackle the misuse of administrative resources, campaign financing, dissemination of hate speech and xenophobia, opposition representation in the election administration and pressure on voters;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the Georgian authorities to implement swiftly and fully the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and review relevant legislation to address the identified shortcomings including to stop the misuse of administrative resources, campaign financing, negative campaigning, opposition representation in the election administration and pressure on voters;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Calls on~~Encourages the Georgian authorities to implement swiftly and fully the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and review relevant legislation to address the identified shortcomings;

Amendment 64 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Calls on the Georgian authorities to ensure democratic conduct of the upcoming 2020 parliamentary elections in line with international standards and OSCE commitments; expresses hope that the pre-election campaign will be held in a competitive, fair and equal environment for all political contestants and the period in the run-up to the elections will be free from abuse of state resources, vote buying, intimidation of voters and violence; encourages the authorities to safeguard and guarantee the work of civil society organizations and election observers, and protect integrity of information environment ahead of election.

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Encourages the Georgian authorities and the Election Administration of Georgia to ensure safe environment for the October 2020 parliamentary elections by providing protective personal equipment for election personnel, adjusting the voting facilities to guarantee health and safety of participating citizens and ensuring undisturbed work of the election observers;

Amendment 66 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Underlines the importance of media freedom, which should entail equal access for all political parties to the media during the upcoming electoral campaign, pluralistic and non-discriminatory coverage of political views in programmes by public and private broadcasters, clear provisions regulating free and paid advertisements, and improved transparency through strengthened media monitoring; underscores the importance of an independent and pluralistic media landscape, which is free from government or any other state interference; acknowledges that the media landscape in Georgia is dynamic and pluralistic, but also polarised; expresses deep concern that media outlets critical towards the government often become subject of pressure in the form of court cases against the founders (Nika Gvaramia of TV Mtavari), arrest of the shareholders (Giorgi Rurua and TV Mtavari), financial and tax related charges (Avtandil Tsereteli and TV Pirveli) and firing, or resignation of critical TV journalists and editors (Public Broadcaster of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara);

Amendment 67 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Underlines the importance of media freedom, which should entail equal access for all political parties to the media during the upcoming electoral campaign, pluralistic and non-discriminatory coverage of political views in programmes by public and private broadcasters, clear provisions regulating free and paid advertisements, and improved transparency through strengthened media monitoring; recalls the 2018 OSCE/ODIHR Election observation report which stated that “The national public broadcaster displayed a clear bias against the opposition and did not fulfil its obligations to ensure editorial independence, fairness and impartiality of programs, contrary to international standards” and expresses hope that the coverage of the 2020 campaign will contrast with such assessment; further notes with concern the statements of Reporters Without Borders on pressure on journalists of the public broadcaster of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara of February 5, 2020;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Underlines the importance of media freedom, which should entail equal access for all political parties to the media during the upcoming electoral campaign, pluralistic and non-discriminatory coverage of political views in programmes by public and private broadcasters, clear provisions regulating free and paid advertisements, and improved transparency through strengthened media monitoring; taking into account previous criticism by ODIHR and Reporters Without Borders, urges the Georgian Dream party and the government to ensure effective handling of information environment in the run up to the 2020 elections and to work with the civil society and the private sector to limit and prevent information manipulations, including disinformation and propaganda campaigns against any political group or the country;

Amendment 69 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN, Andrzej HALICKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Urges the government of Georgia to ensure effective handling of information environment in the run up to the 2020 elections; urges the Georgian government to work with the civil society and the private sector to limit and prevent information manipulations, including disinformation and propaganda campaigns against any political group or the country by domestic or foreign actors; urges social media platforms to take effective actions to protect information environment and prevent undermining electoral integrity by misuse of social media platforms; expresses hope that the national public broadcaster will fulfil its obligation of editorial independence, fairness and impartiality in the run-up and during the 2020 parliamentary elections and that concerns raised by the OSCE/ODIHR election observation report of 2018 Presidential election specifically in relation to the bias of the Georgian Public Broadcaster will be addressed accordingly;

Amendment 7 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Georgia and the EU, as associated partners, are committed to promoting political association and economic integration based on common values and principles such as democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and good governance; whereas Georgian society continues to show strong support for the country’s European aspirations;

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Acknowledges that the media landscape in Georgia is dynamic and pluralistic, but also polarised; expresses deep concern that media outlets critical towards the government often become subject of pressure in the form of court cases against the founders (Nika Gvaramia of TV Mtavari), arrest of the shareholders (Giorgi Rurua and TV Mtavari), financial and tax related charges (Avtandil Tsereteli and TV Pirveli) and firing or resignation of critical TV journalists and editors (Public Broadcaster of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara);

Amendment 71 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Notes the importance to ensure editorial independence and pluralistic opinions in Georgian Public Broadcaster and Adjara Public Broadcaster and to eliminate cases of political persecution against media owners and managers in order to ensure a fair and free environment for media outlets and journalists, in which they could carry their duties in adherence to the internationally accepted professional standards and would enjoy timely and equal access to all public information;

Amendment 72 #

Maria ARENA, Dietmar KÖSTER, Isabel SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Reminds the importance of full continued cooperation with the International Criminal Court and calls upon the government of Georgia to ensure comprehensive accountability alongside the cases pursued by the International Criminal Court;

Amendment 73 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN, Andrzej HALICKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Emphasises the importance of full, continued cooperation with the International Criminal Court and calls upon the government of Georgia to ensure comprehensive accountability alongside the cases pursued by the International Criminal Court;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Reaffirms support to the vibrant civil society in Georgia; expresses hope that in the run-up to the 2020 elections environment for independent watchdogs and activists will be free from any intimidation, interference or verbal attacks;

Amendment 75 #

Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Underlines that deepening of the association process and more advanced forms of cooperation between the EU and Georgia can only be achieved in so far as the core principles of the rule of law and democracy, including check and balances in the institutions, are respected and that in serious cases the process can be reversed;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)

6b. Encourages the Georgian government to continue the fight against corruption and state capture, as well as the promotion of public administration reform, modernisation, decentralisation, and good governance, in order to enhance further integration between Georgia and the EU;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)

6c. Commends the constitutional reforms carried out in 2018, while encouraging all political actors to cooperate and maintain open dialogue, also with civil society, to strengthen democratic institutions and consolidate the rule of law and pluralistic democracy in Georgia;

Amendment 78 #

Andrius KUBILIUS, Rasa JUKNEVIČIENĖ, Sandra KALNIETE, Miriam LEXMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, and led to a polarisation of politics and society; ~~calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AA;~~such practices run counter to the letter and spirit of the Association Agreement. Further expresses concern that violent incidents against opposition leaders and peaceful demonstrators is often unpunished. While any government is entitled to use lawful and proportionate force against violent unrest, violent attacks on peaceful demonstrators and opposition leaders and impunity for such violent acts sets extremely dangerous precedent for the upcoming 2020 electoral campaign.

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, and led to a polarisation of politics and society; calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AA; welcomes the decision of President Zourabichvili of 15 May 2020 to pardon two imprisoned leaders of opposition as an important step in the implementation of 8 March agreement and looks forward to the release of Giorgi Rurua; urges to stop any actions of politicised justice or any kind of other illegal or unjustified administrative pressure on opposition leaders;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas Georgia and the EU, as associated partners, are committed to promoting accelerated political association and further economic integration based on common values and principles such as democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and good governance;

Amendment 80 #

Raphaël GLUCKSMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, and led to a polarisation of politics and society; calls on the Georgian authorities to suspend any remaining politically- motivated prosecution procedure against pending judicial cases and to release all political prisoners still detained; calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AA;

Amendment 81 #

Anna FOTYGA, Hermann TERTSCH, Kosma ZŁOTOWSKI, Jacek SARYUSZ-WOLSKI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, and led to afurther polarisation of politics and society; calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of the rule of law, human rights, judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AA; expects the EEAS and EU Delegation on the ground to monitor all trials in Georgia related to politically-motivated cases;

Amendment 82 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Nathalie LOISEAU, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians and media owners, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, and led to a polarisation of politics and society; calls for the release of Giorgi Rurua, an independent media owner and entrepreneur, as part of the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020; calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AA;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, and led to a polarisation of politics and society; ~~calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AA~~expresses concern that violent incidents against opposition leaders and peaceful demonstrators often remain unpunished, despite clear evidence linking such attacks with ruling party sympathisers and officials;

Amendment 84 #

Urmas PAET, Nathalie LOISEAU, Javier NART, Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Nicolae ŞTEFĂNUȚĂ, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, and led to a polarisation of politics and society; calls for the release of the remaining political prisoners; calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AA;

Amendment 85 #

Sven MIKSER, Kati PIRI, Nacho SÁNCHEZ AMOR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians, which ~~contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, and led to a~~have undermined trust between the ruling party and the opposition; welcomes the Presidential pardon of convicted opposition politicians, which paves the way for reducing polarisation of politics and the society; calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AA;.

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, and led to a polarisation of politics and society; calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial and the rule of law as committed to under the AA;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its concern about certain recent court cases against opposition politicians, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions ~~between the ruling party and the opposition~~, and led to a polarisation of politics and society; calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AA;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians~~, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the op~~; recalls that, according to the opposition, the government is still holding several posliti~~on, and led to a polarisation of politics and society~~cal prisoners in order to prevent them from participating in the election; calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AA;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Emphasises the importance of a depoliticised judiciary, as well as transparency and meritocracy in the appointment of judges for the Supreme Court of Georgia and other judiciary institutions, and encourages the Georgian government to continue its reforms of the judiciary system, including the Prosecutors’ Office, while fostering an open dialogue with all political actors and civil society and ensuring international standards;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the entry into force of the revised Constitution in December 2018 concluded Georgia's transition to a full parliamentarian system; whereas progress has been made in the implementation of the Association Agreement between the EU and Georgia, including the move to a fully proportional election system as of 2024;

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Welcomes the presidential pardon of Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili as a positive step towards easing tensions;

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls for a revision of the selection procedures for judges to be carried out to ensure that the recommendations of the Venice Commission are fully implemented before any new appointments are made; regrets that the recent selection procedure of Supreme Court judges suffered from serious shortcomings, such as lack of accountability and transparency; underlines that the process of appointing judges should be based on clear, transparent and objective criteria;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls for a revision of the selection procedures for judges to be carried out to ensure that the recommendations of the Venice Commission are fully implemented before any new appointments are made; regrets that the recent selection procedure of Supreme Court judges ~~suffered from serious~~was not entirely in line with all the recommendations of the Venice Commission and was characterised by key shortcomings;

Amendment 93 #

Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS, Ilhan KYUCHYUK, Urmas PAET, Dragoş TUDORACHE, Javier NART, Nathalie LOISEAU, Malik AZMANI, Bart GROOTHUIS, María Soraya RODRÍGUEZ RAMOS, Klemen GROŠELJ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls for a revision of the selection procedures for judges to be carried out to ensure that the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR are fully implemented before any new appointments are made; regrets that the recent selection procedure of Supreme Court judges suffered from serious shortcomings;

Amendment 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls for a revision of the selection procedures for judges to be carried out to ensure that the recommendations of ODIHR and the Venice Commission are fully implemented before any new appointments are made; regrets that the recent selection procedure of Supreme Court judges suffered from serious shortcomings;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Underlines the importance of ensuring transparency, integrity, independence and efficiency of the judiciary; calls on the Georgian authorities to further implement judicial reforms; welcomes the progress that has been made, but notes that efforts are still needed to consolidate the results achieved so far, defend the rule of law and suppress political interference in the judiciary; believes that the support of all political actors and civil society is very much needed in order to achieve sustainable results;

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Demands a prompt and thorough investigation into the violence on the side of Georgian law enforcement authorities against protesters, journalists and opposition politicians in June 2019, and to ensure that the perpetrators are held to account; urges the Georgian government to uphold the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, including by attenuating the currently disproportionate sanctions and harsh fines for protesters;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Condemns any political interference in media freedom and pluralism; urges the Georgian government to cease any such interference and non-transparent actions, including on social media and through arbitrary, selective taxation practices;

Amendment 98 #