2019/2202(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the approval and disbursement in two parts of the fourth consecutive Macro -Financial Assistance (MFA) programme of EUR 1 billion in support to Ukraine; recalls that the MFA has been an important tool in implementing Ukraine’s ambitious reform agenda and accelerating economic growth, notably through the ‘more for more’ ~~approach and the conditionalities attached to it;~~ incentives; recalls the importance of the conditionalities based on real democratic reforms and good governance; encourages Ukraine to continue making progress in acquis regulatory approximation;

Amendment 12 #

Emmanuel MAUREL, Helmut SCHOLZ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the approval and disbursement in two parts of the fourth consecutive Macro -Financial Assistance (MFA) programme of EUR 1 billion in support to Ukraine~~; r~~. By this, the EU has provided Ukraine in total with EUR 3.8 billion in MFA loans since 2014, being the largest amount of MFA the EU has disbursed to any single partner country. Recalls that the MFA has been an important tool in the implement~~ing~~ation of Ukraine’s ambitious reform agenda and accelerating economic growth, notably through the ‘“more for more’” approach and the conditionalities attached to it; encourages Ukraine to continue ~~making~~the progress in regulatory approximation;

Amendment 13 #

Urmas PAET, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Nicola DANTI, Svenja HAHN, Karin KARLSBRO, Samira RAFAELA, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the approval and disbursement in two parts of the fourth consecutive Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) programme of EUR 1 billion in support to Ukraine; recalls that the MFA has been an important tool in implementing Ukraine’s ambitious reform agenda and accelerating economic growth, notably through the ‘more for more’ approach and the conditionalities attached to it; encourages Ukraine to continue making progress in regulatory approximation; highlights the importance and timeliness of the additional EUR 1.2 billion MFA to Ukraine in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; notes that it is a crucial demonstration of the EU's solidarity at a time of unprecedented crisis;

Amendment 14 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2

2. ~~Welcomes~~Takes note of the approval and disbursement in two parts of the fourth consecutive Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) programme of EUR 1 billion in support to Ukraine; recalls that the MFA has been an important tool in implementing Ukraine’s ambitious reform agenda and accelerating economic growth, notably through the ‘more for more’ approach and the conditionalities attached to it; ~~encourages Ukraine to continue making progress in regulatory approximation;~~

Amendment 15 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Recalls that DCFTA is a part of a reform process based on good governance and fight against the corruption and organised crime, and stresses that rule of law is a key precondition for good and functioning implementation, recalls the important role of the Civil society in policy formulation and in a fight against corruption and money laundry;

Amendment 16 #

Emmanuel MAUREL, Helmut SCHOLZ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Welcomes the EU’s prompt reaction to the COVID-19 crisis towards Ukraine by providing EUR 190 million to meet the most immediate health needs and to help mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 and also by granting a new MFA programme in form of medium-term loans from which Ukraine was granted EUR 1.2 billion to cope with the consequences of the pandemic and the serious economic crisis triggered by the pandemic;

Amendment 17 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)

2a. Expresses, on the other hand, its deep concern following the judgment of the Constitutional Court of 16 September 2020 concerning the National Anti- Corruption Bureau, the organisation of which needs to be reviewed by the Rada and in which respect many civil society observers fear that the parliamentary review will result in more permissiveness and inaction in the face of the endemic corruption that eats away at the institutions;

Amendment 18 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Considers regulatory approximation with the EU acquis is the key dimension of the DCFTA because actual access to the EU market and reform very much depend on appropriate implementation and enforcement of relevant legislation; is aware of the important challenge this represents for governance, institutions and public administration in Ukraine and encourages the European Commission to provide adequate technical and financial; commends the activities of the Support Group for Ukraine and calls on the Group to provide more reporting to the European Parliament on the kind of assistance provided, notably with regard to acquis transposition and implementation;

Amendment 19 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Encourages both sides to intensify cooperation on a bilateral level and also on international fora in addressing challenges caused by the COVID-19, in particular by making supply chains more resilient and diversified, also working together to address protectionist trends; notes that the EU’s objective to reach an open strategic autonomy could create possibility and opportunity for an even closer cooperation with its neighbourhood;

Amendment 2 #

Emmanuel MAUREL, Helmut SCHOLZ

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Believes that the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) has contributed to the ~~positive~~ evolution of trade and to economic modernisation, has boosted foreign direct investments and has created new jobs on both sides; welcomes the continuous positive results achieved in bilateral trade and economic relations, with Ukrainian imports growing by 12.3 % and exports by 9.7 %, amounting to EUR 43.3 billion in 2019; notes that Ukraine’s trade deficit with the EU has increased to 5.1 billion Euro, with the largest imbalance occurring in trade with Germany and Poland;

Amendment 20 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)

2b. Considers, following on from the G7 Ambassadors on 17 September 2020, that a deterioration in the conditions of the fight against corruption in Ukraine could lead the European Union to review its policy of economic support and macro- financial assistance, notes that the IMF, which has committed to a loan of USD 5 billion, does not confirm at this time, for the reasons mentioned above, that it will disburse to Kiev the forthcoming tranche of USD 1.2 billion;

Amendment 21 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Calls on Ukraine to fully respect the environmental objectives and initiatives set out in the DCFTA, as well as its international commitments to sustainable trade and development, in particular the Paris Agreement;

Amendment 22 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)

2c. Welcomes the numerous reforms and regulations adopted by Ukraine in line with the DCFTA, e.g. the EU- Ukraine Sanitary and Phytosanitary Strategy as well as aligning technical regulations and procedures to those of the EU; calls on Ukraine to continue the progress in regulatory approximation by adopting the necessary legislation in order to comply with the commitments taken under DCFTA. Furthermore, highlights the importance of proper implementation and enforcement of already adopted legislation, including the timely implementation of the animal welfare rules under the SPS Strategy;

Amendment 23 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)

2d. Calls on the Ukrainian Government to also focus on the social dimension of trade and sustainable development by addressing the limitations and shortcomings of the labour inspection system and the problems of the judiciary system, which have a negative impact on the enforcement of labour standards; calls on the Ukrainian government to also focus on antidiscrimination in the labour market and employment policies;

Amendment 24 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)

2d. Encourages Ukraine to continue on its paths towards agricultural, environmental and social reforms in order to create appropriate business environment; emphasises that alignment with the DCFTA rules will enable parties to strengthen the cooperation and facilitate trade;

Amendment 25 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)

2e. Calls on the EU to continue supporting AA/DCFTA countries’ accession to the Single European Payment area (SEPA), that will foremost benefit the citizens and provide new opportunities to SME´s development;

Amendment 26 #

Marek BELKA

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 27 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the results achieved under the DCFTA Facility for SMEs in terms of improving access to finance and opening up trade opportunities; highlights that a proper information campaign could enable SMEs to benefit more from the opportunities offered by the DCFTA; notes that the evaluation of the DCFTA implementation is very much focused on trade flows and trade irritants; calls on the European Commission to ~~monitor the impact of the DCFTA on SMEs~~appropriately monitor and assess the implementation of the DCFTA, with special attention being paid to the acquis transposition and implementation, as well as to the impact on SMEs and the Ukrainian society, and to provide public and comprehensive annual reporting including on the technical and financial support provided by the EU;

Amendment 28 #

Urmas PAET, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Nicola DANTI, Svenja HAHN, Karin KARLSBRO, Samira RAFAELA, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3

Amendment 29 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Stresses the importance of supporting a favourable business environment for regional and small and medium-sized enterprises to further innovate different economic sectors; calls on the Commission to support investments in sectors with potential for development, growth and competiveness in the EU, notable in three sectors of strategic significance, such as sustainable energy and climate, digital single market and cyber security, and transport; and further exploring increased sectoral cooperation in digital economy, education and research, innovation, and to enhance ICT sector and digitalisation as well as green technologies, to share know-how and best practices;

Amendment 3 #

Urmas PAET, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Nicola DANTI, Svenja HAHN, Karin KARLSBRO, Samira RAFAELA, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. BHighlights that Ukraine is an important geopolitical, geostrategic and trading partner for the European Union; believes that the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) has contributed to the positive evolution of trade and to economic modernisation, has boosted foreign direct investments and has created new jobs on both sides; welcomes the continuous positive results achieved in bilateral trade and economic relations, with the EU being Ukraine's largest trading partner and with Ukrainian imports growing by 12.3 % and exports by 9.7 %, amounting to EUR 43.3 billion in 2019;

Amendment 30 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Welcomes that Ukraine has joined the Multi-party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA), thus it contributes to overcoming the deadlock caused by the paralysation of the Appellate Body (AB) and to ensuring that WTO members can benefit from a 2-step dispute settlement system in the WTO until the AB is operable again;

Amendment 31 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Calls on the Commission to provide technical support for regional employment centres to stimulate the employment; and to also support and invest in youth and the sustainable economic development programmes favouring social entrepreneurship and focus on youth from rural areas in order to strengthen education system with labour market demands to protect the most vulnerable and prevent lack of socio- economic opportunities;

Amendment 32 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Acknowledges the solution found for the export of ‘other’ cuts of poultry by amending the trade preferences for poultry meat and poultry meat preparations; calls on Ukraine to abstain from similar practices and to fully respect and implement all provisions of the DCFTA in good faith; deplores the lack of progress in approximating EU animal welfare standards and calls for Ukraine to urgently adopt the draft legislation to fulfil that commitment;

Amendment 33 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. Acknowledges the solution found for the export of ‘“other’” cuts of poultry by amending the trade preferences for poultry meat and poultry meat preparations. However, notes with concern that Ukraine has been exploiting legal loopholes in the DCFTA; calls on Ukraine to abstain from similar practices and to fully respect and implement all provisions of the DCFTA in good faith; calls on the Commission to conduct a thorough monitoring of the use of DCFTA and use all available measures to overcome any market distortive practices;

Amendment 34 #

Urmas PAET, Nicola DANTI, Jérémy DECERLE, Svenja HAHN, Karin KARLSBRO, Samira RAFAELA, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4

4. ANotes that poultry meat and poultry meat products are considered as sensitive items in the EU; acknowledges the solution found for the export of ‘other’ cuts of poultry by amending the trade preferences for poultry meat and poultry meat preparations and thereby closing the loophole in the agreement; calls on Ukraine to abstain from similar practices and to fully respect and implement all provisions of the DCFTA in good faith; calls on Ukraine to immediately make further progress in complying with the EU animal welfare requirements;

Amendment 35 #

Urmas PAET, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Nicola DANTI, Svenja HAHN, Karin KARLSBRO, Samira RAFAELA, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Welcomes Ukraine’s reform efforts; underlines that further strengthening the rule of law, structural reforms as well as the fight against corruption are of key importance for creating a more attractive business and investment climate in Ukraine; notes that the Ukrainian civil society and NGOs play an active role in the oversight of reforms and in monitoring the implementation of the Association Agreement; calls on the Commission to prioritise support to these NGOs and civil society organisations;

Amendment 36 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Is concerned that Ukraine is the sole European country listed by the Commission as a ‘category 2’ priority country, meaning that intellectual property rights are regularly violated, is also concerned about reports of the existence in Ukraine of an actual EU-China counterfeiting hub, facilitated in particular by the corruption of customs officials; calls on the Commission to intensify dialogue with Ukraine on the issue to avoid further harm to European businesses; expects Ukraine to ensure compliance with commitments made under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.;

Amendment 37 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5

5. Is concerned that Ukraine is ~~the sole European country~~ listed by the Commission as a ‘category 2’ priority country, meaning ~~that intellectual property rights are regularly violated~~systematic problems in the IP protection and enforcement; calls on the Commission to ~~intensify dialogue with~~continue assisting Ukraine oin the i~~ssue to avoid further harm to European businesses; expects Ukraine to ensure compliance with commitments made under the EU- Ukraine Association Agreement.~~mplementation of the DCFTA commitment and in the elaboration of new draft laws on IPR

Amendment 38 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Calls on the Commission to invest in the strengthening of the technical infrastructure to help Ukraine with cyber resilience, under the new national security strategy and considering establishment of the platform where it would be possible to share the experience of resilience against the electoral interferences, cyber security and disinformation between the EaP partners, EU institutions and its members; underlines also the need for supporting and investing in the development of digital skills and media and information literacy as the only effective way to fight disinformation that has already occurred;

Amendment 39 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Notes with concern that Ukraine recently initiated two safeguard investigations against imports of nitrogen and complex fertilizers from the EU; acknowledges that Ukraine decided to terminate both safeguard investigations at the very last minute while further safeguard investigations are in the pipeline; warns that similar actions could undermine the mutual trust between the two sides;

Amendment 4 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Believes that the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) has contributed to the positive evolution of trade and to economic modernisation, has boosted foreign direct investments and has created new jobs on both sides; welcomes the continuous positive results achieved in bilateral trade and economic relations, with Ukrainian imports growing by 12.3 % and exports by 9.7 %, amounting to EUR 43.3 billion in 2019; and encourage the European Commission to support Ukraine in identifying those areas that could further foster economic diversification and in prioritising them in the process of the DCFTA full implementation;

Amendment 40 #

Urmas PAET, Dita CHARANZOVÁ, Nicola DANTI, Svenja HAHN, Karin KARLSBRO, Samira RAFAELA, Liesje SCHREINEMACHER, Marie-Pierre VEDRENNE

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Welcomes the positive steps taken by Ukraine in digital transformation and calls on the Commission and Member States to further support Ukraine’s efforts in this field, including in e-governance and digital economy; acknowledges in this regard the new EUR 25 million EU programme supporting e-governance and the digital economy in Ukraine;

Amendment 41 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5a. Deplores the inactivity of Ukraine in preventing the practice of profit shifting by companies involved in Ukraine’s exports of agricultural commodities; points out the related high losses in tax income for the Ukraine; deplores the fact that tax legislation of Switzerland, the UK and Cyprus offers gateways for profit shifting and calls on the Commission to address this issue;

Amendment 42 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Calls on the Commission to upgrade neglected areas of the AAs/DCFTAs with regard to important policy areas such as gender mainstreaming and dealing with health crises, as well as ensuring that they do not run counter to the imperative for environmental and climate action or initiatives in the European Green Deal;

Amendment 43 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Notes that the EU launched a formal dispute settlement procedure under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement (AA) on Ukraine’s export ban on unprocessed wood and is concerned by the slow progress on its resolution; calls on Ukraine to eliminate the trade restrictions on wood, as they are incompatible with the requirements of the EU-Ukraine AA;

Amendment 44 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5b. Reminds of the importance of peace for the economic and social development of the Ukraine; deplores the fact that the ongoing conflict has led to a trade reorientation from Russia to the EU with exports to Russia being reduced from 25.7 % of Ukrainian exports in 2012 to 7.7% in 2018; calls on the Commission and the EEAS to increase efforts to mediate in this conflict in order to help the Ukrainian economy and the region to fully harvest the economic potential of cooperation in the region;

Amendment 45 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5c. Recalls the necessity to strengthen the European Delegations in order to effectively communicate the European approximation and promote positive European and Ukrainian image on both sides;

Amendment 46 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5c. Calls on the Commission to thoroughly monitor and assess the implementation of the DCFTA, pay special attention to any infringement cases of the agreement and report back to the EP on those issues and use all these lessons learned in the revision of DCFTA due in 2021;

Amendment 47 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)

5d. Notes that the EU’s economic sanctions against Russia, in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and the deliberate destabilisation of Ukraine, has been extended until 31 January 2021 for not fully implementing the Minsk agreements;

Amendment 5 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1

1. Believes that the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), applied since 2016, has contributed to the positive evolution of trade and to economic modernisation, ~~has~~ boosted foreign direct investments and ~~has~~ created new jobs on both sides~~; w~~. Since 2016, the trade between the EU and Ukraine has risen by 49%. Welcomes the continuous positive results achieved in bilateral trade and economic relations in 2019, with Ukrainian imports growing by 12.3 ,3% and exports by 9.7 ,7%, amounting to EUR 43.,3 billion ~~in 2019~~;

Amendment 6 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Notes, that the EU is Ukraine’s largest trading partner, amounting for 40% of its trade in 2019, while Ukraine is the EU’s 20th trading partner, accounting for 1.1% of the EU’s total trade;

Amendment 7 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Observes a lack of diversification in exports of Ukraine to the EU, with agricultural products and iron ore continuing to be by far the most important exports; notes however an increase in exports of certain steel products to the EU as a consequence of U.S. market distortions, and notes that this has raised concerns among EU steel producers;

Amendment 8 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)

1b. Notes that 50% of all eggs imported into the EU originate now from Ukraine, and deplores the fact that the chickens laying these eggs are living under most miserable conditions that would be highly illegal in the European Union; reiterates that welfare of animals is an issue of high importance to European citizens and has been recognised as such by Union law in Article 13 TFEU; recalls the obligation of the Ukraine to align its animal welfare legislation with the Union acqui; stresses that an extension of the transition period for boilers, laying hens and pigs until 2026 is absolutely unacceptable;

Amendment 9 #

Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)

1c. Is highly concerned by continuing threats against striking miners, the intimidating questioning of workers on strike by the Ukrainian Security Service SBU, with the application of Articles 293 and 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine further aggravating the situation; considers this a clear violation of core ILO conventions and thus the sustainability chapter of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement; calls on the Commission to act and to engage Ukraine in a respective dispute settlement procedure;

source: 658.734

2020/10/19 AFET 446 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 1

— having regard to Article 8 and Title V, notably Articles 21, 22, 36, 37 and 3749, of the Treaty on European Union, as well as Part Five of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)

— having regard to the final report of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Election Observation Mission of 21 July 2019 on the early parliamentary elections in Ukraine,

Amendment 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that the AA/DCFTA is a blueprint for reform and stresses its paramount importance, especially in the~~se exceptional tim~~ current exceptional times, encourages to fully implement the Agreement and exploit its potential; urges the Ukrainian authorities to keep its implementation high on their agendas despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic; stresses that the EU assistance to Ukraine is subject to strict conditionality and reiterates the need for Ukraine to show a renewed commitment to reform and adherence to the Union’s principles;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that the AA/DCFTA is a blueprint for reform and stresses its paramount importance, especially in these exceptional times; recalls the necessity for its update, to take due account of the evolution of the regulatory frameworks and economic development needs, and to strengthen monitoring mechanisms;

Amendment 102 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that the AA/DCFTA is a reflection of the shared ambition of the EU and Ukraine for political association and economic integration and can serve as a blueprint for reform and stresses its paramount importance, especially in these exceptional times;

Amendment 103 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Notes that the AA/DCFTA is a blueprint for neoliberal reform and stresses its paramount importance for predatory Western financial capitalism, especially in these exceptional times;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the unprecedented aid packages, including macro-financial assistance, made available by the Union to Ukraine, to help it to cope with the COVID- 19 emergency; calls on the Ukrainian authorities to create a climate conducive to investments and to swiftly implement the agreed conditions for disbursement of the EU Macro-Financial Assistance;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the unprecedented aid packages, including macro-financial assistance, made available by the Union to Ukraine to help it to cope with the COVID- 19 emergency; notes that it is a crucial demonstration of the EU's solidarity at a time of unprecedented crisis;

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the unprecedented aid packages, including macro-financial assistance, made available by the Union to Ukraine to help it to cope with the COVID- 19 emergency, and recalls the importance of meeting the obligations laid out in the Memorandum of Understanding;

Amendment 107 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the unprecedented aid packages, including macro-financial assistance, made available by the Union to Ukraine ~~to help it~~, as part of Team Europe, to help partner countries to cope with the COVID- 19 emergency;

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Welcomes the unprecedented aid packages of approximately 190 million EUR, including macro-financial assistance, made available by the Union to Ukraine to help it to cope with the COVID- 19 emergency;

Amendment 109 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Is satisfied that its observation missions assessed the 2019 ~~Ukrainian~~ presidential and parliamentary elections overall as competitive, well- administered and managed in an efficient way, which confirms Ukraine's attachment to the Union’s democratic values; urges the Ukrainian authorities to address the shortcomings identified in the statements of the Heads of the European Parliament’s delegations and to follow the recommendations contained in OCSE/ODIHR Election Observation mission final reports;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

— having regard to the 30th report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the human rights situation in Ukraine of September 2020,

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Is satisfied that its observation missions assessed the 2019 Ukrainian presidential and parliamentary elections overall as competitive, well-administered and managed in an efficient way; regrets that the presidential elections were affected by "widespread malpractice and the misuse of political finance" according to the Organization for Security and Co- operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE);

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Is satisfied that its observation missions assessed the 2019 Ukrainian presidential and parliamentary elections overall as competitive, well-administered and managed in an efficient way; notes that during the Ukrainian Early Parliamentary Elections in 2019 the boundary delimitation in single-mandate electoral districts were established in a manner not favourable to national minority representation;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Is satisfied that its observation missions assessed the 2019 Ukrainian presidential and parliamentary elections overall as competitive, well-administered and managed in an efficient way; calls on Ukraine to conduct open, fair and transparent local elections on 25 October 2020, in full respect of the safety and health of its citizens;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Notes that in some regions, such as Transcarpathia, electoral abuses have been observed, such as the launch of “clone” candidates, which has reduced the chances of Hungarian minority members getting into the parliament; notes with regret that no Hungarian minority representative was elected to parliament;

Amendment 115 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3a. Remains vigilant in observing the extent to which the democratic standards of holding free and fair elections in Ukraine are upheld as the country is approaching its first local elections after the welcomed decentralisation reform;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)

3b. Calls on the Ukrainian Government to ensure free and fair electoral campaigns, without improper campaign financing methods, in which there is no room for hate speech and vote buying; stresses that the electoral process and the voting process on the election day should be held with higher safety standards and to take special safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19;

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Commission to develop and implement qualitative mechanisms to monitor Ukraine’s implementation of reforms, including clear benchmarks; recommends to focus on a limited number of priorities on which to concentrate political efforts, financial support and technical assistance with a view to effectively build up the institutional capacity required to secure long-term success of reforms, not only in legislation but also in practice;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Commission to develop and implement ~~qual~~, in close cooperation with civil society, qualitative and quantitative mechanisms to monitor Ukraine’s implementation of reforms, including clear benchmarks and recommendations, and use them to improve the methodology of the annual implementation reports that should become effective tools of guidance for reforms;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Commission to develop and implement qualitative mechanisms to monitor Ukraine’s implementation of reforms, including clear benchmarks; toward an EU-Ukraine Partnership, not towards an Ukraine EU- membership;

Amendment 12 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

— having regard to its resolution of 19 June 2020 on the anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd,

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Commission to develop and implement qualitative mechanisms to monitor Ukraine’s implementation of reforms, including clear benchmarks and principles of conditionality;

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Calls on the Commission to ~~develop and implement qualitative mechanisms to monitor~~use the mechanisms in place to facilitate and support Ukraine’s implementation of reforms, including clear benchmarks;

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Supports strengthening EU- Ukraine sectoral cooperation in priority areas, such as digital economy, energy, climate change, trade and reminds of the need to conclude the Common Aviation Area Agreement between the EU and Ukraine; welcomes Ukraine’s ambitions of approximation with the EU Digital Single Market and European Green Deal policies by implementing the relevant acquis;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Acknowledges the importance of cross-border mobility in strengthening people-to-people contact;

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Invites the EU, in line with the principle of “more for more”, to consider creating for the three associated countries, including Ukraine, an enhanced cooperation strategy of reforms and investments, which would be conditional in 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 125 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Reiterates the need to address brain-drain in Ukraine by promoting quality and inclusive education, formation and training programmes, and creating job opportunities in view of providing socio-economic perspectives to young people and families in their local communities;

Amendment 126 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)

4b. Highlights the need to have upgraded steering and reporting mechanisms assessing the progress made by Ukraine, in particular, in the area of justice sector, anticorruption, SOEs corporate governance and energy reforms, which would be linked with economic and investment support;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4c. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to build campaigns informing citizens about the opportunities stemming from the Eastern Partnership initiative and AA/DCFTA implementation, raising awareness about the benefits of closer association and linking them to the positive development on labour markets in Ukraine and the other associated countries;

Amendment 128 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)

4c. Invites the European Commission be the end of 2020 to propose for Ukraine and other countries associated with the EU, in coordination with International Financial Institutions, a detailed, conditional and tailor-made economic and investment plan, as it was done for the Western Balkans region, in the context of addressing the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the ~~progres~~advancements made by Ukraine in the fulfil~~ling it~~ment of the country’s commitments enshrined in the AA, particularly in the fields of agriculture, energy, banking, decentralisation ~~and~~, electoral procedures; it is, however, concerned that, according to the review mechanism of the AA (‘“Pulse of the AA’”), only 37 % of the AA implementation-related tasks ~~were~~have been completed in 2019 (down from 52 % in 2018); acknowledges the attempts made in the second half of 2019 to accelerate the pace of reforms, but urges the Ukrainian institution not to privilege the speed of the legislative process over the quality of the legislation adopted; and stresses the importance to continue to implement its commitments;

Amendment 13 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

— having regard to the 22nd EU- Ukraine Summit conclusions of 6 October 2020,

Amendment 130 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the progress made by Ukraine in fulfilling its commitments enshrined in the AA, particularly in the fields of agriculture, energy, banking, decentralisation, digital economy, environment and electoral procedures; is, however, concerned that according to the review mechanism of the AA (‘Pulse of the AA’), only 37 % of AA implementation- related tasks were completed in 2019;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Welcomes the progress made by Ukraine in fulfilling its commitments enshrined in the AA, particularly in the fields of agriculture, energy, banking, decentralisation and electoral procedures; ~~is,~~ however, ~~concerned that~~ according to the review mechanism of the AA (‘Pulse of the AA’), only 37 % of AA implementation-related tasks were completed in 2019;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. ~~Welcomes the progress made by~~Notes that Ukraine in fulfilling its commitments enshrined in the AA, particularly in the fields of agriculture, energy, banking, decentralisation and electoral procedures; is, however, concerned that according to the review mechanism of the AA (‘Pulse of the AA’), only 37 % of AA implementation-related tasks were completed in 2019;

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Welcomes the Joint Government- Parliament Roadmap adopted in 2018 and the creation of a joint platform for European integration in November 2019; encourages the parliament and government of Ukraine to review their cooperation on implementation of AA- related commitments and approximation of legislation with a view to maximising synergies, in particular on expertise of EU legislation and compliance assessments;

Amendment 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Welcomes the Jjoint Government- Parliament Roadmap adopted in 2018 and the creation of a joint platform for European integration in November 2019 and hopes that those initiatives will result in enhanced coordination between the various institutions involved in the design, adoption and implementation of reforms;

Amendment 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Welcomes the Joint Government- Parliament Roadmap adopted in 2018 and the creation of a joint platform for European integration in November 2019, encourages both legislative and executive branches to enhance their use of this instrument in a more efficient manner;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Welcomes the Joint Government- Parliament Roadmap adopted in 2018 and the creation of a joint platform for European ~~integration~~partnership in November 2019;

Amendment 137 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Commends the Ukrainian civil society for its activities and support for the implementation of the AA/DCFTA, addressing the challenges of the COVID- 19 pandemic, assistance and relief for IDPs and other vulnerable groups and raising societal resilience and media literacy among the Ukrainian people, and encourages the Ukrainian central and local governments to continue fostering close cooperation with the civil society, including an increased financial support for its activities;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. Calls on Ukraine to improve the internal decision-making of the Verkhovna Rada with a view to streamlining and prioritising the adoption of draft laws related to the implementation of the AA, as well as to establish institutional safeguards to block legislation which contravenes the commitments made under the AA, for example through a stronger role of the Committee for European Integration;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Commends Ukraine for the progress it has made in reforming its public administration and for adopting a new electoral code in December 2019; recalls that continuous amendments to the Electoral Code during an ongoing election go against Venice Commission recommendations, cause legal uncertainty and negatively impact the work of election commissions; urges Ukraine to further tackle illegal campaigning, vote buying, misuse of administrative resources, and the legal uncertainty surrounding campaigning on social media;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 b (new)

— having regard to the 2019 Transparency International corruption perception list that awards Ukraine the 126th place out of 180 countries and territories assessed (first place being the best),

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Commends Ukraine for the progress it has made in reforming its public administration and ~~for adopting a new electoral code in December 2019;~~ stresses the importance not to slow down further progress and to submit any temporary appointments during the Covid-19 period to merit-based recruitment procedures as soon as possible;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Commends ~~Ukraine for~~ the progress ~~it has made in reforming its~~achieved in the reform of public administration and ~~for adopting a~~the new electoral code adopted in December 2019, including its provisions on the rights of internally displaced persons;

Amendment 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Insists on a continuous improvement of the electoral code to bring it in line with international standards and address remaining issues like social media campaigning, transparency of campaign spending and access of independent candidates to the electoral process; moreover, in regards to the local elections, it is important to eliminate bureaucratic barriers for voter registration for IDPs, to set a financial ceiling for campaigning, to enable participation of individual candidates, including to reconsider intentions to introduce a cash deposit for candidates in small communities, among other;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Stresses the importance of accelerating and reinforcing reform efforts, particularly with regards to the judiciary, including the reform of the High Council of Justice and the independent recruitment of judges with integrity, and as regards the fight against corruption, ensuring strong and independent anti-corruption institutions as well as abstaining from politically motivated trials and the instrumentalisation of the judiciary against political opponents;

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Recommends to increase the role of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Ukraine's integration with the European Union (CUIEU) in the legislative process, especially with regard to any AA-related legislation, and therefore make its opinions binding; to this effect, recommends more funding for a proper staffing level of the CUIEU;

Amendment 145 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Commends Ukraine for adopting a new electoral code in December 2019;

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)

7b. Underlines the renewed commitment of Ukraine to fight the influence of vested interests which, if neglected, could seriously undermine the track-record of reforms thus far and Ukraine’s support measures altogether;

Amendment 147 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

~~8. Welcomes the decentralisation reform initiated in 2018 and urges Ukraine to complete it;~~deleted

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Welcomes the ~~decentralisation reform initiated in 2018 and urges Ukraine to complete it~~achievements of the reform on decentralisation and empowerment of municipalities initiated in 2014, which proves to be one of the most successful reforms so far; acknowledges the support of the U-LEAD project, resulting in the formation of almost one thousand amalgamated local communities with around 11,7 million citizens; urges Ukraine to complete this reform; welcomes the high rate of voting intention at the local elections and of positive expectation for the future development of local government, as expressed in recent opinion polls ahead of the 25 October 2020 local elections; calls on the state authorities to respect the autonomy of local self-government and to support the administrative capacities of municipalities and cities; welcomes the change to the budget code with a guarantee of a 60% share in local personal income tax as a necessary contribution to sound public finances at local level;

Amendment 149 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Welcomes the decentralisation reform initiated in 2018 and urges Ukraine to complete it; Underlines in this respect, that amendments to the constitution should be prepared in a wide and open discussion in particular with local self- governments and their associations and changes of the territorial-administrative structures should be based on principles of trust and partnership between local self-governments and central government as outlined in the European Charter of Local Self-Government. Recalls that it is important to take into account the preferences of local residents, as envisaged under the existing relevant legislation about the voluntary amalgamation of territorial communities, including persons belonging to national minorities;

Amendment 15 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 b (new)

— having regard to the Council Presidency note of 14 November 2019 on the tracking of terrorism and far-right extremist violence,1a __________________ 1aCouncil Document 14132/19 CT 125 COSI 234 ENFOPOL 500 COTER 154 JAI 1200

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Welcomes the decentralisation reform initiated in 2018 and ~~urges Ukraine to complete it;~~ assesses positively steps taken so far with a view of decentralising the public authority and finances, through a package of legal acts and their practical implementation; in particular fully supports Verkhovna Rada’s Resolution on Rayons Formation and Liquidation of 17 July 2020 according to which the arrangements concerning the consolidation of rayons will, as a rule, be applicable also to the territories of Crimea and districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions uncontrolled by the Government of Ukraine;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Welcomes the decentralisation reform initiated in 2018 and urges Ukraine to complete it, with the goal of increasing the autonomy and competences of local governments in Ukraine through the strengthening of their national associations and encouraging regular exchanges between central governments and national associations of local and regional governments on any policy which may have a territorial impact;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Welcomes the decentralisation reform initiated in 2018 and urges Ukraine to complete it; calls for Ukraine to fulfil its commitment to implement the Minsk II accords thereby ensuring constitutionally enshrined autonomy for the Donetsk and Lugansk regions;

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Welcomes the decentralisation reform initiated in 20184, continuously implemented through 2019, and urges Ukraine to complete it;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Is concerned by the high level of political pressure and by the acts of intimidations perpetrated against the Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine, unfortunately not for the first time. Urges the Ukrainian authorities to refrain from exerting political pressure on independent economic institutions and enforcement authorities and to ensure that their independence is preserved as a guarantee for the correct functioning of the market and a level playing field for all economic actors;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Calls on the Ukrainian authorities to continue reforms in the public health system, especially considering the devastating impact the COVID-19 pandemic had upon the Ukrainian health system;

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)

8a. Supports comprehensive review of the AA/DCFTA in line with the provisions of the Agreement and with a view to utilising in full its potential of political association and economic integration, including enhanced sectoral integration of Ukraine with the EU;

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)

8b. Calls on the Commission and the Council to explore possible ways and mechanisms of Ukraine’s participation in working parties and committees, where appropriate and necessary for AA/DCFTA goals;

Amendment 158 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 c (new)

8c. Welcomes Ukraine joining the EU Health Security Committee and the Early Warning and Response System to take part in pan-European coordination of COVID-19 response actions in public health;

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 d (new)

8d. Requests the Commission to step- up its efforts in strengthening capacities of Ukrainian authorities involved in AA/DCFTA implementation;

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 c (new)

— having regard to the outcome of the European Justice and Home Affairs Council of 7-8 October 2019 on extreme right-wing violence and terrorism,

Amendment 160 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 e (new)

8e. Requests the Commission to design tools necessary for supporting Ukraine’s continuous alignment with EU acquis, in line with the relevant decisions of the 22nd Ukraine-EU Summit;

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Urges Ukraine to ratify the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute ~~and the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence~~;

Amendment 162 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. ~~Urges~~Calls on Ukraine to ratify the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute ~~and the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence~~;

Amendment 163 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. UrEncourages Ukraine to ratify the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute and t~~he Istanbul Convention on~~ake actions to prevent~~ing~~ and combat~~ing~~ violence against women, children and domestic violence;

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on Ukrainian authorities to address the problems of the only television channel in the Crimean Tatar language, ATR and to offer as stable mechanism for financial and technical support in order to enable the station to continue its broadcasting into the Russian occupied Crimea; welcomes Ukraine's initiative to develop the Strategy for the Development and Popularization of the Crimean Tatar Language for the period until 2032;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Underlines that civil society continues to play a very active role in promoting and monitoring reforms, as well as in the monitoring of the AA implementation; welcomes, in this regard, the “Civil Society Facility” programme worth €20 million which will support the strengthening of civil society organisations capacity to participate in decision-making and public life;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Ukraine must not overlook the fact that the level of political, technical and financial support from the EU will depend on the extent to which it fulfils the commitments it has made to the Union and its Member States, especially as regards the reform process, respect for human rights, minorities and fundamental freedoms, and the establishment of genuine and effective Rule of law;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Welcomes the amendments to the Ukrainian Criminal Code defining rape and sexual violence through lack of consent and urges a swift development of a methodology for the investigation of sexual violence crimes; regrets that due to a lack of such methodology there were no prosecution cases for rape or sexual violence on the grounds of lack of consent in 2019;

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Calls on Ukraine to join common efforts to commemorate the victims of totalitarianism through remembrance and joining the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), adoption definition of anti-Semitism IHRA definition, and calls on the Commission to invite Ukraine to participate in the Europe for Citizens Programme;

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Is deeply concerned by the resignation of the Director of the National Bank of Ukraine in July 2020, on grounds of “systematic political pressure”; urges authorities in Ukraine to guarantee independence and impartiality of state institutions;

Amendment 17 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)

— having regard to the UN General Assembly resolution 2131 (XX) entitled Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention in the Domestic Affairs of States and the Protection of their Independence and Sovereignty,

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. CWelcomes Ukraine’s participation in common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations, contributions to EU Battle Groups, its increasing alignment with EU statements and declarations on international and regional issues as well as contributions; and congratulates Ukraine on its new NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner status;

Amendment 171 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. ~~Congratulates Ukraine on its new NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner status;~~ Declares that the rapprochement between Ukraine and NATO is a factor that is aggravating political and geopolitical divides across the European continent;

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. ~~Congratulates Ukraine on its new NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner status~~Deeply regrets the existence of the warmongering NATO and the violence, destabilisation and death it is responsible for in the region;

Amendment 173 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Supports possible participation of Ukraine in PESCO projects, provided that it meets an agreed set of political, substantive and legal conditions, like other third countries;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Reiterates the Union’s unwavering support for and commitment to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, and its support for the internationally coordinated sanctioning of the Russian Government and agents who are undermining the country’s's sovereignty and territorial integrity, until such time as all relevant conditions for the lifting of the sanctions have been met, including full implementation of the Minsk arrangements and restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders;

Amendment 176 #

Gordon J. ADAM

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 177 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Reiterates the Union’s unwavering support for and commitment to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, and its support for the internationally coordinated sanctioning of the Russian Government and agents who are undermining the country’s territorial integrity, until such time as all relevant conditions for the lifting of the sanctions have been metDeclares that all settlements of conflicts involving Ukraine have led to peaceful solutions through the ‘Normandy Format’ meetings between Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France; believes that the lifting of sanctions against Russia would encourage more widespread recourse to such negotiating formats and enhance their long-term credibility;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 179 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Expresses its full support for all efforts to provide justice for all 298 victims of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by a Russian- supplied surface-to-air missile and their next of kin, including the internationally supported criminal proceedings against four suspects under Dutch law and the case lodged against Russia with the European Court of Human Rights; commends Ukraine for its continued collaboration within the Joint Investigation Team to determine the truth, identify suspects and bring perpetrators to justice; condemns Russia’s unilateral withdrawal from the trilateral truth- finding consultations with Australia and the Netherlands; calls on Russia to cooperate fully with all ongoing efforts to ensure accountability of any individual or entity engaged in the downing of MH17, inter alia by resuming truth-finding dialogue with Australia and the Netherlands, ensuring its cooperation with the inter-State application lodged by the Netherlands against Russia with the European Court of Human Rights regarding the matter, and through the extradition of Volodymyr Tsemakh to the Netherlands; urges Russia to cease its promotion of disinformation in regard to Flight MH17;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)

— having regard to the UN Declarations on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, adopted on 18 December 1992,

Amendment 180 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Continues to condemn the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol and the destabilization of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk; calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil its international obligations, to withdraw its military forces from the territory of Ukraine and to fully implement the resolutions of the UN General Assembly on the territorial integrity of Ukraine and on Crimea and Sevastopol; calls on Russia to use its influence over the armed formations backed by it to respect and fully implement the commitments taken as part of the Minsk Agreements and recent meetings of the Normandy Four and the Trilateral Contact Group;

Amendment 181 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Welcomes the resumption of the peace talks under the Normandy four format on 9 December 2019 in Paris after a deadlock of three years, urges all sides to adhere to the ceasefire agreement, stresses the importance of identifying additional disengagement areas, demining activities and opening checkpoints across the contact line, and calls upon Russia to match the constructive steps taken by Ukraine in order to build trust and move closer towards the implementation of the Minsk agreements;

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Strongly condemns Russia’s destabilizing actions and military involvement in Ukraine; expresses concerns about Russia’s ongoing build-up of military facilities and installations in the Crimean Peninsula; condemns Russia’s illegal actions aimed to seize control of the Kerch Strait, notably the construction of the Kerch Bridge and its rail link without Ukraine’s consent, and the closing of the Azov Sea which severely hinders Ukraine’s economic activities;

Amendment 183 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Condemns Russia’s actions in the Sea of Azov in so far as they constitute a breach of international maritime law and Russia’s international commitments, as well as the building of the Kerch Bridge and the laying of underwater cables to the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula without the consent of Ukraine; remains deeply concerned about the Russian militarisation of the Sea of Azov and the whole Black Sea region;

Amendment 184 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Emphasises the need for a political solution to the conflict in Eastern Ukraine; asks the European Commission and the EEAS to enhance its efforts in peaceful conflict resolution, by supporting the efforts of all sides in the peace process, as well as increasing confidence- building measures and strive for a mandate for deploying a UN peacekeeping mission throughout the occupied territory of Ukraine;

Amendment 185 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Calls on the EU to be ready to enhance the sanctions against Russia should the situation require, including if Russia fails to deliver on its obligations under the Minsk Protocol, particularly as regards to the security track;

Amendment 186 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11a. Congratulates Ukraine on its new NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner status;

Amendment 187 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. Condemns Russia’s actions in the Sea of Azov, as well as the building of the Kerch Bridge and the laying of underwater cables to the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula without the consent of Ukraine; remains deeply concerned about the Russian militarisation of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea region; calls on Russia to ensure unhindered and free passage to and from the Azov Sea, in line with international law;

Amendment 188 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. Calls upon the EEAS to develop a more active role for the EU, represented by the Vice-President of the European Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in the peaceful resolution of the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine, including within the agreed Normandy Format; appoint an EU Special Envoy for Crimea and the Donbas region;

Amendment 189 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. Urges the Russian Federation to guarantee unhindered access to the occupied Ukrainian territories of Donbas and annexed Crimea for international non-governmental organisations and international humanitarian organisations; calls on Russia to ensure unhindered and free passage to and from the Azov Sea, in line with international law;

Amendment 19 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)

— having regard to the Joint Statement of the 22nd EU-Ukraine Summit,

Amendment 190 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11b. Repeats its call for an international format of negotiations on de-occupation of the Crimean peninsula with active participation of the EU;

Amendment 191 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)

11c. Reiterates, as agreed in Minsk and in the so called ‘Steinmeier Formula’, that local elections in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine must be conducted in accordance with Ukrainian legislation and under supervision of the OSCE; underlines that the conditions for free and fair elections in Donetsk and Luhansk are not met in the current situation;

Amendment 192 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)

11c. Welcomes the dismissal of the plan to include Russian-backed separatists as a party to the talks of the Trilateral Contact Group; regrets comments made by high- ranking members of the Ukrainian delegation in the Trilateral Contact Group denying Russia’s military involvement in the conflict in Donbas region;

Amendment 193 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)

11c. Calls for the release of Ukrainian political prisoners and prisoners of war in Russia;

Amendment 194 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 d (new)

11d. Condemns the discriminatory policies imposed by the self-proclaimed authorities against, in particular, Crimea’s ethnic Tatar minority, the infringement of their property rights, the increasing intimidation of this community and of those who oppose the illegal annexation, and the lack of freedom of expression, association and movement in the peninsula;

Amendment 195 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 e (new)

11e. Expresses support for the calls made by the Ukrainian Government for an extended international peacekeeping force to be stationed along the Ukraine- Russia border and in the Luhansk and Donetsk districts; once the situation permits and as part of the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, an EU-led CSDP mission should be offered for deployment to the parties to the conflict, to assist in tasks such as demining, preparations for local elections and securing free access for humanitarian aid organisations;

Amendment 196 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 e (new)

11e. Calls for the immediate release of all illegally detained and imprisoned Ukrainian citizens in the Crimean Peninsula and in Russia, including Crimean Tatar activists;

Amendment 197 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 f (new)

11f. Urges the OSCE SMM to implement its mandate, by distance, through regular exchange with victims and witnesses of persecutions, lawyers, NGOs, and media representatives, among others, both for Crimea and Donbas;

Amendment 198 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 f (new)

11f. Asks the European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights to pay continuous attention to the human rights situation on the Crimean peninsula and in the non-government controlled areas of Eastern Ukraine;

Amendment 199 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 g (new)

11g. Supports all efforts to establish the truth, justice and accountability for the 298 victims and the next of kin and calls on the Russian Federation to accept its responsibility and to cooperate fully in the investigation on the downing of flight MH17;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 3

— having regard to the entry into force on 11 June 2017 of a visa-free regime for citizens of Ukraine, as a result of the amendments to Council Regulation (EC) 539/2001 made by the European Parliament and the Council; but calling the involved institutions to review this decision about the visa-free regime in 2021,

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 b (new)

— having regard to the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, adopted on 5 November 1992,

Amendment 200 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Takes note of the Ukrainian Parliament’s adoption of the laws on national security in June 2018, on defence procurement and on intelligence in 2020; urges it, however, to adopt additional legislation aimed at limiting the competences of Ukraine’s security service of Ukraine (SSU) in order to transform it into a pure counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism agency;

Amendment 201 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Takes note of the ~~Ukrainian Parliament’s adoption~~adoption in June 2018 of the lLaw on nNational sSecurity ~~in June 2018; urges it, however, to adopt~~; however urges the adoption of additional legislation aimed at limiting the competences of ~~Ukraine’s s~~the Security sService of Ukraine (SSU) in order to transform it into a pure counter-intelligence and counter- terrorism agency and at establishing parliamentary oversight over the whole security sector;

Amendment 202 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Takes note of the Ukrainian Parliament’s adoption of the law on national security in June 2018; urges it, however, to adopt additional legislation aimed at limiting the competences of Ukraine’s security service ~~of Ukraine~~ (SSU) in order to transform it into a pure counter- intelligence and counter-terrorism agency;

Amendment 203 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Is concerned about the Russian military build-up in the illegally occupied Crimea, amounting to well over 30 000 troops, installing new surface to air and surface to surface missile systems, thus increasing the A2/AD capabilities and actively using the peninsula as base for activities in the Middle East and Mediterranean; is especially concerned with basing nuclear- capable submarines and strategic bombers in Crimea;

Amendment 204 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Acknowledges the unique experience and expertise of Ukraine, recognizes its contribution to the EU common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions, battlegroups and operations; calls for deeper cooperation in EU-related defence policies, including participation in PESCO once the issue of participation of third countries is resolved;

Amendment 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Underlines the important role played by civil society, the youth and independent media in all areas of public and political life, including in the context of disinformation campaigns targeting the EU and Ukraine, most notably from Russia; welcomes that the EU and Ukraine have agreed to launch a cyber- dialogue;

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Calls Ukraine to assist Moldovan central government in its endeavours to regain control over Transnistria based on the territorial integrity of Moldova;

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Continues to call on Russia to ensure unhindered and free passage to and from the Sea of Azov in accordance with international law;

Amendment 208 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12a. Stresses the importance of pro- democratic reforms and trust in institutions as the most efficient security mechanism;

Amendment 209 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Calls on the HR/VP, European Commission and Member States to provide all necessary support for establishment of the Crimea International Platform that would allow to coordinate, formalize and systematize efforts aimed at restoration of territorial integrity of Ukraine; considers it important to involve the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people in the activities of the Platform as an only and single and internationally recognized representative body of the Crimean Tatars;

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 c (new)

— having regard to the opinion on the Law on Supporting the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language, adopted by Venice Commission - CDL-AD(2019)032-e and the opinion on the provisions of the Law on Education of 5 September 2017, which concern the use of the State Language and Minority and other Languages in Education, adopted by the Venice Commission - CDL-AD (2017) 030-e,

Amendment 210 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Welcomes successful steps taken in the field of scientific and technological cooperation, including space industry, and in the field of defence, notably convergence in the operational, educational and institutional segments, and in the implementation of the necessary internal changes in these sectors;

Amendment 211 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Welcomes the recent decision of the European Union to invite Ukraine to participate in the EU ALTHEA operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and encourages both sides – EU and Ukraine – to continue extension of Ukraine’s participation in missions and operations of the European Union;

Amendment 212 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)

12b. Acknowledges Ukraine's contribution to the common security and defence policy (CSDP);

Amendment 213 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)

12c. Urges Ukraine to meet its commitments on reforming the state export control in accordance with the EU requirements and standards and in the implementation of a consistent and systematic sanctions policy; calls on the EEAS and the Commission, to better supervise the implementation of EU sanctions, including in better supervision of the activities of the authorities in the Member States charged with implementing the common EU rules;

Amendment 214 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)

12c. Calls on the EU and Ukraine to boost cooperation in security and defence and devoting particular attention to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and Russia's attempts to subvert Ukraine's territorial integrity, by means of reconciliation, cooperation in the sphere of cyber security and countering disinformation, as well as working to strengthen the resilience of families, communities and state institutions;

Amendment 215 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)

12c. Expresses its support for allowing Ukrainian participation in selected CSDP projects, including cooperation with EDA and in particular PESCO;

Amendment 216 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 c (new)

12c. Notes the fruitful cooperation between Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the European Defence Agency and encourages further development;

Amendment 217 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 d (new)

12d. Welcomes the enhanced cooperation between Ukrainian authorities and the European public and private sector to combat hybrid threats, primarily from Russia, aiming to, inter alia, spread false information, promulgate violence and push anti-government and anti-European sentiments;

Amendment 218 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 d (new)

12d. Supports the activities of the EU Advisory Mission on the Security Sector Reform of Ukraine (EUAM), in particular opening of its field office in Mariupol, and hopes for tangible results, according to Mission’s mandate;

Amendment 219 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 d (new)

12d. Calls for broader engagement from the EU in resolution of the conflict, inter alia through appointing an EU special envoy for the conflict in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 d (new)

— having regard to the Joint Statement of the NATO-Ukraine Commission on 31 October 2019,

Amendment 220 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 e (new)

12e. Condemns the Russian Federation for attempts to organize local elections in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Ukraine on 13 September 2020; states that the election of the governor of Sevastopol was illegal and in violation of international law, as was voting for representatives to the so-called State Council of the 'Crimean Republic', the so- called Legislative Assembly of the city of Symferopol and the so-called Rural Council of the Razdolno region; calls on the EU to impose sanctions on those responsible for organising and conducting the votes;

Amendment 221 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 e (new)

12e. Welcomes the interest of Ukraine to participate in future PESCO projects as soon as relevant the EU modalities for third countries are in place;

Amendment 222 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 f (new)

12f. Considers as timely and appropriate for the EU and Ukraine to initiate as soon as possible a dialogue on cyber issues and supports the idea of broadening the spectrum of dialogue on security and defence in order to adequately react to current and future threats, in particular in line with the EU Global Security Strategy;

Amendment 223 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. ~~Is pleased that the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has been re-established and that~~Reiterates that delivering tangible results in the fight against corruption is essential in order to maintain a high level of support for the reform process among citizens as well as to improve the business environment and attract foreign direct investments; commends, in this respect, the reconstitution of the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) and the entry into force of the new laws on illicit enrichment and on whistle-blowers in January 2020, as well as the start of the operations of the High Anti-Corruption Court ~~began its work~~ in September 2019; ~~regre~~acknowledges the first judgments, h~~owever, the low number of judgments handed down to date, as well as the lack of a comprehensiv~~anded down and the respect of high professional standards of the HACC; urges the Law on NABU to be brought in line with the constitution and the recent Constitutional Court decision and transparent and merit-based selection procedures to be prescribed for the Heads of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office (SAPO) as well as the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), including a credible integrity check; welcomes the draft Anti- corruption Strategy for 2020-2024 and expects that the Verkhovna Rada will soon adopt this comprehensive Strategy, sustaining all crucial elements of the draft; acknowledges the diverse forms of pressure and sabotage directed at the anti- corruption ~~strategy since 2017~~institutions as a reflection of the increasingly effective and successful fight against corruption; insists that the anti-corruption institutions NABU, SAPO and HACC must remain independent, effective and adequately resourced; commends the adoption in December 2019 of the new anti-money laundering law, which strengthened the transparency of business ownership structures in Ukraine and represents a sizeable improvement of the relevant legal framework;

Amendment 224 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is pleased that the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has been re-established and that the High Anti- Corruption Court began its work in September 2019; regrets, however, the low number of judgments handed down to date, as well as the lack of a comprehensive anti- corruption strategy since 2017; encourage authorities to further progress on reforms, in particular in the area of rule of law/anti-corruption and to provide the independence and work of key anti- corruption institutions;

Amendment 225 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is pleased that the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has been re-established and that the High Anti- Corruption Court began its work in September 2019; regrets, however, the low number of judgments handed down to date, as well as the lack of a comprehensive anti- corruption strategy since 2017; calls to intensify the HAAC’s work in order to increase the conviction rate, including for high-level cases, and calls to adopt a renewed and comprehensive anti- corruption strategy;

Amendment 226 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is pleased that the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has been re-established and that the High Anti- Corruption Court began its work in September 2019; ~~regrets, howev~~calls for an unbiased and impartial approach in their activity in order, t~~he low number of~~o secure trust and public support in the fight against corruption, especially when judgments are handed down ~~to date~~, as well as ~~the lack~~for the adoption of a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy ~~since 2017~~(2020-2024);

Amendment 227 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is pleased that the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has been re-established and that the High Anti- Corruption Court began its work in September 2019; regrets, however, the low number of judgments handed down to date, as well as the lack of a comprehensive anti- corruption strategy since 2017; calls on Ukraine to ensure transparent, merit- based and depoliticized appointments to anti-corruption authorities;

Amendment 228 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is pleased that the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has been re-established and that the High Anti- Corruption Court began its work in September 2019; regrets, however, the low number of judgments handed down to date, as well as the lack of a comprehensive anti- corruption strategy since 2017; stresses the importance of ensuring the independence of the Court;

Amendment 229 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is pleased that the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has been re-established and that the High Anti- Corruption Court began its work in September 2019; regrets, however, the low number of judgments handed down to date~~, as well as the lack of a comprehensive~~; welcomes the adoption of the national anti-corruption strategy ~~since 2017~~for 2020-2024;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the AA/DCFTA is the cornerstone of the European Union’s relations with Ukraine ~~and~~based on political association and economic integration and constitutes a roadmap for reforms, whose full implementation should be considered as the key step towards gradual rapprochement to the Union and ~~progressive compliance with its membership criteria~~towards fully reaping the potential and benefits of the AA/DCFTA;

Amendment 230 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Regrets the decision of Russia to withdraw from consultations with the Netherlands and Australia over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, shot down over Ukraine in 2014, where 298 people of 17 different nationalities lost their lives; deems it necessary to uncover the causes of the disaster and bring those responsible to justice; calls Russia to accept its responsibility and to fully cooperate with efforts to establish accountability;

Amendment 231 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Notes that no visible effects have been achieved in the de-oligarchisation of the country, but agrees that creating clear and equal-for-all rules in economy and politics may prove to be an effective method to de facto downgrade the unofficial influence of a small group of the richest entrepreneurs on the functioning of the state, including legislation;

Amendment 232 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)

13a. Regrets attempts to attack and undermine anti-corruption institutions by members of the Verkhovna Rada, in particular attempts to dismiss the Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the opaque selection process of the Director of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office (SAPO);

Amendment 233 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)

13b. Notes with concern that the television media market in Ukraine, while being pluralistic, continues to be marked by excessive influence of oligarchs;

Amendment 234 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)

13c. Is pleased with the work of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) as arguably the country’s most effective anti-corruption institution; further emphasizes the need to strengthen NABU’s independence;

Amendment 235 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)

13d. Notes the lack of protection of NGO activists uncovering and denouncing corruption and calls for effective implementation of the new law on the protection of whistleblowers which came into effect in January 2020;

Amendment 236 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Regrets that the judiciary is still one of the least-trusted institutions in Ukraine and is seriously concerned by ~~the state it has been in since the October 2019 reform;~~ its state after the October 2019 reform, which led to the dismantling and reconstitution of the Higher Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) and resulted in the re- assessment and recruitment process of judges being put on hold, while around 2,000 judgeships are vacant; regrets that in the past the HQCJ did not take into account the opinion of the Public Integrity Council in its re-assessment of judges and urges it to do so in the future; insists on an early re-establishment of the HQCJ through a transparent selection procedure with the involvement of international experts and its empowerment to effectively carry out the selection of new and the vetting of sitting judges in line with rules and procedures adopted by the HQCJ itself, according to its mandate; demands an integrity check of the unreformed High Council of Justice (HCJ);

Amendment 237 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Regrets that the judiciary is still one of the least-trusted institutions in Ukraine and is concerned by the state it has been in since the October 2019 reform; therefore, urges to continue the judiciary reform in order not to undermine the work of the newly established anti-corruption institutions, and to complete the legal framework for combatting organised crime;

Amendment 238 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Ukrainian authorities to speed up the process of de- oligarchization and de-sovietization and regrets that oligarchs still have strong impact on Ukrainian economy and politics, in particular in media ownership and influence over judiciary and law enforcement system;

Amendment 239 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Restates the importance of accelerating and reinforcing reform efforts on the judiciary, including reforming the High Council of Justice and the independent recruitment of judges, and in the fight against corruption, ensuring strong and independent anti-corruption institutions;

Amendment 24 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the AA/DCFTA is the cornerstone of the European Union’s relations with Ukraine and a roadmap for reforms, whose full implementation should be considered as the key step towards ~~gradual~~continuous rapprochement to the Union leading to gradual integration into the EU Internal Market and progressive compliance with its membership criteria;

Amendment 240 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)

14b. Calls on the European Commission to develop existing and new tools in the area of rule of law and good governance to monitor and assess progress by Ukraine, in particular the EU Justice Scoreboard and the Rule of Law Mechanism, in order to ensure close scrutiny of the ongoing reforms and due identification and correction of possible shortcomings in these reforms;

Amendment 241 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Welcomes the reform of the office of the Prosecutor-General initiated in September 2019 and ~~stresses the need to ensure the office’s full independence; urges the Ukrainian a~~calls upon completing the attestation of prosecutors, ensuring that new prosecuthor~~ities to carry out the reform of the Supreme Court in full compliance with opinion No 969/2019 of the Venice Commission~~s at all levels are selected in a transparent and politically impartial process;

Amendment 242 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Urges the Ukrainian Parliament to amend Law No. 3711 in coherence with decision No. 4-p/2020 of 11 March 2020 of the Ukrainian Constitutional Court in order to establish an independent High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) with integrity in order to fill vacancies in lower court instances with judges fulfilling ethical and integrity standards in full compliance with Opinion No 969/2019 by the Venice Commission;

Amendment 243 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Highlights that organised crime still is a challenge that needs to be tackled in Ukraine, especially by revising and improving the legislative framework and by improving cooperation and coordination between the responsible law enforcement agencies;

Amendment 244 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Supports freedom of belief, opinion and expression and stresses the importance to grant equal access of all national, ethnic and linguistic minorities to information as critical ingredients of any democracy; condemns hate speech and discrimination based on ethnicity or language and fake news and misinformation, targeting national, ethnic and linguistic minorities;

Amendment 245 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Takes note of the draft Anti- corruption Strategy 2020 - 2024 by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention of Ukraine, which once approved by the Parliament will allow to put on the national agenda a specific set of anti-corruption policy goals, as well as to ensure their coherent and systemic implementation by all public authorities and local governments;

Amendment 246 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Calls for the EU and Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities to speed up the process of blocking illegal trade and shutting down contraband channels in Transnistria as a safe haven for smugglers which has been exploited by criminals and oligarchs and serve to strengthen Russian influence and has been one of the major factors protracting the conflict;

Amendment 247 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Supports enhanced EU - Ukraine cooperation in particular on border management, national asylum and identity management systems based on biometric means, countering money laundering and financing of terrorism, combating organised crime and serious international crimes and deepening cooperation between Ukraine and FRONTEX;

Amendment 248 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Welcomes the continued successful implementation of the visa-free regime for the citizens of Ukraine, underlines the importance of continuing to fulfil the visa liberalisation benchmarks and of accelerating related reform efforts;

Amendment 249 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Urges the Ukrainian government to continue the investigation of transgressions committed against activists during the Euromaidan protests and promptly deliver justice for the victims and their families;

Amendment 25 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the AA/DCFTA is the cornerstone of the European Union’s relations with Ukraine and a roadmap for reforms, whose full implementation should be considered as the key step towards gradual rapprochement to the Union and p~~rogressive compliance with its membership criteria~~aving way for possible EU membership once all the criteria are met, in accordance with the Article 49 of the TEU;

Amendment 250 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Expresses concerns about initiated criminal proceedings on the possibility of high treason by former President Petro Poroshenko for signing the Minsk Agreements, among other charges;

Amendment 251 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15b. Urges the Ukrainian Parliament and the Ukrainian President to provide the functioning of effective, efficient and independent anti-corruption institutions, in particular to ensure the appointment of a candidate with integrity heading the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) and to adapt the law establishing the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) following the recent decision by the Ukrainian Constitutional Court from 19 September 2020 in order to achieve this;

Amendment 252 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15b. reiterates the need for the EU to continue to support Ukraine in countering hybrid threats and tackling disinformation and fake news, including through strengthening of independent media, media literacy strategic communications, in order to strengthen Ukraine's resilience; welcomes the announcement of the launch of the EU- Ukraine cyber-dialogue;

Amendment 253 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15b. Urges the Ukrainian authorities to ensure the independence and impartiality of anti-corruption institutions, in particular the Prosecutor General’s Office, the National Anticorruption Bureau, the Specialised Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigations, including the selection procedures of their top officials;

Amendment 254 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15b. Welcomes the already occurred exchanges of prisoners and encourages a full exchange of prisoners between Ukraine on the one side and Russia and Russia backed-separatists on the other, however, expresses concern over liberating Russian citizen suspected of involvement in the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17;

Amendment 255 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)

15c. Regrets that there are more than 1.5 million internally displaced people in Ukraine, making it the ninth largest country in the world in terms of the number of Internally Displaced Persons; notes that the primary responsibility is with the Russian Federation and its proxies; calls on the Ukrainian authorities to bear additional efforts to alleviate the suffering of the people affected by the conflict; calls on Ukraine to grant IDPs full civil and political rights and to adhere to international standards regarding the treatment of IDPs;

Amendment 256 #

Gordon J. ADAM

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Strongly condemns the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the occupying forces in Crimea and Donbas, including imposition of the Russian citizenship on residents, forceful conscription into the army, destruction and expropriation of property, deportations, and politically motivated persecution on religious and ethnic grounds and violation of freedom of speech; is especially concerned with the situation of Crimean Tatars and with banning of their representative body, Mejlis; reiterates its policy of non- recognition of illegal occupation of Crimea; regrets that fundamental human rights and freedoms are permanently breached in Crimea and calls for establishment of special international mechanism for monitoring situation on the ground;

Amendment 257 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Strongly condemns the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the occupying forces in Crimea and ~~Donbas;~~ in the non-government- controlled areas of Donbas, including forced conscription, deportation, passportisation, arbitrary detention, torture as well as other restrictive measures such as the unilateral closure of checkpoints, the progressive annexation of the Kerch strait and the denied access to UN and humanitarian missions, which are particularly worrying during the current pandemic;

Amendment 258 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Strongly condemns the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the occupying forces in Crimea and Donbas, especially the repression of individuals who oppose the de facto “authorities”, the intimidation and persecution of the community, the restrictions on education rights and the harsh conditions in places of detention in Crimea;

Amendment 259 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Strongly condemns the large-scale and permanent violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the Russian occupying forces in ~~Crimea and Donbas;~~ the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea and certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, which are temporarily not under the control of the Government of Ukraine;

Amendment 26 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the AA/DCFTA is the cornerstone of the European Union’s relations with Ukraine and a roadmap for reforms, whose full implementation should be considered as the key step towards gradual rapprochement to the Union, economic integration and progressive compliance with its membership criteria;

Amendment 260 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Strongly condemns the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the ~~occupying forces in Crimea and Donbas~~Ukrainian central government and its armed forces against the people of the Donbas region in their ongoing war against the separatist forces of the Donbas region;

Amendment 261 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Strongly condemns the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the occupying forces in Crimea and Donbas and by so-called separatist forces in districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions uncontrolled by the Government of Ukraine;

Amendment 262 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Strongly condemns the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression, religion or belief and association, as well as the right to peaceful assembly, perpetrated by the occupying forces in Crimea and Donbas;

Amendment 263 #

Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Strongly condemns the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the occupying forces in Crimea and Donbas; recalls that Civilians’ lives and well-being continue to be at risk from the war in eastern Ukraine;

Amendment 264 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Strongly condemns the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the occupying forces in Crimea and Donbas; especially towards religious minorities and beliefs;

Amendment 265 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Strongly condemns the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the Russian occupying forces in Crimea and Russia-backed separatists in Donbas;

Amendment 266 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Strongly condemns the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms perpetrated by the Russian occupying forces in Crimea and Donbas;

Amendment 267 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Expresses its concern at the rise of right-wing extremist groups in this country and at the potential international ramifications and repercussions of such movements and their networks in both the European Union and neighbouring countries, especially the Western Balkans; condemns strongly the acts of aggression and resulting human rights infringements perpetrated by extreme right-wing supremacists and, in particular, their repeated attacks on minorities and on LGBTI and other vulnerable groups; deplores the failure of the forces of law and order to investigate and put a stop to these attacks; rejects in no uncertain terms the attempts being made by these movements to create social discord, undermine our values and destabilise our political systems in general; stresses the danger posed by these movements, especially for Ukraine, which is in the throes of a transition that could be complicated as a result, and for the EU, given the position of Ukraine within the European neighbourhood and Eastern Partnership and as a regional partner; supports the efforts being made by the Council and Commission in combating right-wing radicalisation and extremist violence at international level, and calls for this to be a particular focus of attention in the context of relations with Ukraine;

Amendment 268 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Notes that the reduction of hostilities in eastern Ukraine during the ceasefire that came into force on 27 July contributed to a 53% drop in security incidents and a reduction in civilian casualties, notes, however, that freedom of media and freedom of religion are still affected in these regions, as well as the fundamental right to education of children;

Amendment 269 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Expresses deep concern at the increasing reports of far-right violence, ultra-nationalism, neo-Nazi pogroms against the Roma, rampant attacks on feminists and LGBT groups, book bans, and state-sponsored glorification of Nazi collaborators; urges the Ukrainian government and parliament to swiftly respond to these recent instances of violence and intimidation with unambiguous public condemnation; urgently calls on the Ukrainian authorities to conduct prompt, thorough, impartial, and independent investigations to hold those responsible to account; urges the Ukrainian government to take effective action to prevent and stop acts that promote hatred and discrimination;

Amendment 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the AA/DCFTA is the cornerstone of the European Union’s relations with Ukraine and a roadmap for reforms, whose full implementation should be considered as the key step towards gradual rapprochement to the Union for partnership and progressive compliance with its ~~memb~~partnership criteria;

Amendment 270 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Underlines that gender equality is a key precondition for sustainable and inclusive development; urges the Ukrainian government and authorities to implement measures to further improve women’s representation and equal treatment at all levels of political and societal life, as well as gender-based violence; requests the European Commission to mainstream gender equality in all its policies, programmes and activities in relation to Ukraine;

Amendment 271 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Calls for the immediate end to illegal persecutions, searches, detentions and forced disappearances against Crimean Tatars and an end to the artificial barriers in Crimea against the activities of religious communities different from those belonging to the recognised mainstream;

Amendment 272 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Regrets the numerous attacks on journalists and civil activists registered in the period 2017-2019; calls on the Ukrainian authorities to prosecute the perpetrators and urges them to adopt a proportionate approach when regulating the media;

Amendment 273 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Notes that the five-year Action Plan for implementing the National Human Rights Strategy of Ukraine expires in 2020 and calls for a thorough review of its main achievements before setting goals for a follow up action plan;

Amendment 274 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)

16a. Condemns Russian policy of settling Russian citizens in occupied Crimea and the territories of Donetsk and Luhanks, thus upsetting the balance between holders of Russian passports and Ukrainians;

Amendment 275 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16b. Welcomes the “EU4ResilientRegions”,worth €30 million, aimed at enhancing the resilience of eastern and southern Ukraine to the negative impacts of the ongoing conflict, including to hybrid threats and other destabilising factors;

Amendment 276 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16b. Deplores Russia-led imprisonment and prosecution of Ukrainian citizens, including Crimean Tatars, for political reasons and calls upon Russian authorities for an immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners; moreover, calls upon Russia to investigate atrocities carried out against Crimean Tatars and to guarantee and safeguard the right of Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians and of all ethnic and religious communities to maintain and develop their own culture, traditions, education and identity;

Amendment 277 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16b. Recalls that according to the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Russia is a party, an occupying power may not compel residents of the occupied territory to serve in its armed or auxiliary forces; deplores the actions of Russia conscripting young men in occupied Crimea to serve in the Russian armed forces, out of whom 85% were sent to serve in the Russian Federation; calls Russia to stop conscripting people in Crimea and fully abide by its obligations under Geneva Conventions;

Amendment 278 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16b. Is extremely concerned by the worsening humanitarian situation in the Eastern territories currently not controlled by the Ukrainian Government, especially in the light of the current COVID-19 emergency. Urges the de-facto local authorities to adopt all the measures necessary to ensure that the basic needs of the population, including access to good quality health facilities and treatment, are met and to fully cooperate with the legitimate Ukrainian government to that end;

Amendment 279 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16b. Calls on the Ukrainian authorities to bring to bear additional efforts to alleviate the suffering of the people affected by the conflict, including support for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and war veterans, and through easy access to pensions and social benefits and services for those living in the territories currently outside the government’s control;

Amendment 28 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the AA/DCFTA is the cornerstone of the European Union’s relations with Ukraine and a roadmap for neoliberal reforms, whose full implementation should be considered as the key step towards gradual rapprochement to the Union and progressive compliance with its membership criteria;

Amendment 280 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16b. Emphasizes that according to international humanitarian law, the Russian Federation, as an occupying state, bears full responsibility for meeting the needs of the population of Crimea, the temporarily occupied Ukrainian peninsula, including water supply;

Amendment 281 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)

16b. Condemns violent attacks and hate crimes against LGBTI persons and calls on Ukrainian law enforcement authorities to effectively investigate these attacks;

Amendment 282 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)

16c. Underlines that in eastern Ukraine more than 3.5 million people on both sides of the line of contact are still dependent on humanitarian assistance and protection, facing water cuts and electricity stoppages; notes that the current COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the challenges these people are facing;

Amendment 283 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)

16c. Calls on Ukraine to adopt the laws on the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, on the status of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, and on amending the Constitution of Ukraine (regarding the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) on the national-territorial autonomy of the Crimean Tatar people within Ukraine, stemming from the inalienable right of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people to self-determination;

Amendment 284 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)

16c. Regrets that over 50 000 Crimean Tatars have been forced to flee Crimea over the period of Russian occupation; calls for an immediate and unimpeded access to Crimean peninsula of independent international organisations and mechanisms to monitor the human rights situation there;

Amendment 285 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)

16c. Urges Ukraine to establish and effectively implement comprehensive secondary legislation that counters the continued discrimination and enhances the protection of rights of LGBTI persons, people living with disabilities, and minorities, in particular Roma;

Amendment 286 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)

16c. Reiterates the importance of investigating the Maidan-related crimes and grave human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by members of Ukrainian forces and bringing those responsible to justice;

Amendment 287 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)

16d. Calls upon the European Council and the EEAS to swiftly operationalise and implement an EU human rights sanctions mechanism, the European Magnitsky Act, allowing sanctions to be applied against individuals and companies involved in grave human rights violations and responsible for other crimes, including corruption, and invites Ukraine to follow the example and to introduce an Ukrainian version of the European Magnitsky Act;

Amendment 288 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)

16d. Pays close attention to the support provided to the Crimean Tatar people by the Ukrainian government, and expresses its concern over the lack of funding for the program of resettlement and arrangement of Crimean Tatars and persons of other nationalities deported from the territory of Ukraine in the draft Budget 2021 submitted to the Verkhovna Rada in September 2020;

Amendment 289 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)

16d. Welcomes the EU’s and Ukraine’s commitments to continue countering hybrid threats and tackling disinformation, including through strengthening of independent media, media literacy, and strategic communications, in order to strengthen resilience, as well as the launch of a cyber-dialogue;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas Ukraine has a European perspective pursuant to Article 49 TEU, and may apply to become a member of the European Union provided that it adheres to the Copenhagen criteria and the principles of democracy, respects fundamental freedoms and human and minority rights, and upholds the rule of law;

Amendment 290 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)

16d. Regrets the worsening situation of human rights in Crimea as Russia has drastically curtailed the freedoms of assembly, expression, association, access to information and religion since the outset of the occupation;

Amendment 291 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 e (new)

16e. Is concerned that members of the Verkhovna Rada fell victim to or even intentionally helped to spread targeted disinformation campaigns, according to a recent analysis conducted by Ukrainian investigative journalist platforms;

Amendment 292 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 f (new)

16f. Urges Ukraine to foster free and independent media and strengthen media pluralism, as well as to ensure the safety of media workers and journalists;

Amendment 293 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Takes note of the law on supporting the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language and asks the Ukrainian authorities to implement the law in accordance with the recommendations contained in opinion No. 960/2019 of the Venice Commission; asks that it also ensure the compatibility of that law with Ukraine’s international commitments, and particularly those arising from the Framework Convention, the Language Charter, and the ECHR and Protocol No 12 thereto; consolidation of the official language is a legitimate objective for any state, but it must be judiciously coordinated and balanced with safeguards and measures to protect the linguistic rights of Ukraine’s minorities, which cannot be unjustifiably eroded; the status of Ukrainian as a state language must not form a basis for violation of the linguistic rights of persons belonging to national minorities, including the right to education in their mother tongue at all levels;

Amendment 294 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. ~~Takes note of the law on supporting the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language and asks the Ukrainian authorities to implement~~Underlines the need to ensure the respect for rights already exercised of persons belonging to national minorities as enshrined in UN and Council of Europe conventions and related protocols, non-discrimination of persons belonging to national minorities and respect for diversity, on the basis of a substantive dialogue with representatives of persons belonging to national minorities. Takes note of steps taken by Ukraine to implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission on the law ion ~~accordance with~~education, underlines the need to fully implement these recommendations ~~contained in opinion No. 960/2019~~. As regards to the Law on State Language, urges Ukraine to implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission;

Amendment 295 #

Gheorghe-Vlad NISTOR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 296 #

Javier NART

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

Amendment 297 #

Gheorghe-Vlad NISTOR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Urges the Government of Ukraine to continue work on securing rights for all minorities, ethnic or otherwise, by adopting and implementing legislation in full conformity with its international obligations, as signatory to treaties such as the International Covenant on Civic and Political Rights, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) - including Protocol 12 to the ECHR concerning the general prohibition of discrimination, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, etc., and through the partnership arrangements agreed with the European Union;

Amendment 298 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Expresses concern over the lack of proper action taken by the Ukrainian authorities to tackle the discrimination and hate speech targeting minority groups, especially the Roma community;

Amendment 299 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Regrets that Article 161 of the Criminal Code still does not foresee punishment of incitement to hatred or violence on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, and that these grounds are not referenced as aggravating forms of offences nor on the general provisions on aggravating circumstances under Article 67(1)(3); recalls that the government’s Action Plan on Implementation of the National Human Rights Strategy provided for the inclusion of the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity as aggravating circumstances in Article 67 of the Criminal Code; recalls ECRI’s recommendations and calls on Ukraine to amend the Criminal Code accordingly;

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)

— having regard to the UN Secretary-General's report "Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine" of 19 June 2020,

Amendment 30 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

Aa. whereas since beginning of the war in Eastern Ukraine, around 13 000 people have been killed, a quarter of them civilians, and as many as 30 000 wounded;

Amendment 300 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Calls on the Ministry of Interior, the National Police of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, and Ukraine’s political leaders to meet their obligations to guarantee the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression, and the right to safety and security to all people in Ukraine; calls on the Ukrainian law enforcement agencies to take effective steps to prevent the unlawful use of force or acts of intimidation by members of groups that promote hatred and discrimination and investigate any complaints about their actions, in order to bring anyone found responsible to justice;

Amendment 301 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Urges the Ukrainian government to prepare and adopt a Law on Minorities guaranteeing the fundamental and language rights of national, ethnic, linguistic minorities and indigenous people in the country and calls to develop this law promptly, through inclusive consultations with representatives of national minorities and indigenous people; calls on to postpone the implementation of provisions of the Law on State Language, which are already in force, until the adoption of the Law on Minorities in line with the recommendations of the Venice Commission;

Amendment 302 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Expresses concerns over the worsening working environment for media representatives, particularly investigative journalists reporting on corruption and fraud; deplores any acts aimed at limiting the work of journalists, including limiting access to information, criminal investigations, pressure to reveal sources and hate speech, notably hate speech against independent media on Telegram channel by the Members of Verkhovna Rada and other political figures;

Amendment 303 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Underlines that since the illegal occupation by the Russian Federation, the human rights situation in the Crimean peninsula has severely deteriorated, its residents face systematic restrictions of human rights and fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression, religion or belief and association and the right to peaceful assembly; in particular, the human rights of the Crimean Tatars have been targeted;

Amendment 304 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Notes that measures are required to reinforce the minority rights infrastructure and to build confidence that minority rights will be protected in law and in practice; such measures should include strengthening of legal protection, enhancing institutional attention to minority issues, and instituting stronger and permanent consultation mechanisms;

Amendment 305 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Urges Ukrainian authorities, in view of several draft laws on the functioning and work of civil society organisations and other associations, not to adopt any laws which are not in line with Ukraine’s domestic and international human rights obligations, and to guarantee the functioning of civil society without undue interference;

Amendment 306 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Calls on Ukraine to award to the Commissioner for the Protection of the Official Language, or to any entity established to the same end, powers to monitor compliance with the legal provisions on the use of minority languages and on indigenous peoples.

Amendment 307 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Underlines the importance of independent media, including the sustainable Public Service Broadcaster and independent media regulator and civil society in building resilience against disinformation and other destabilising factors.

Amendment 308 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17а. Expresses fears at the plans for administrative-territorial reform in the Bolhrad region of Ukraine, which is home to over 250 000 ethnic Bulgarians;

Amendment 309 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Encourages the work of European political foundations in fostering the next generation of political leaders in Ukraine;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)

Ab. whereas more than 1.4 million Ukrainians had to flee their homes due to the armed conflict with Russia-backed armed groups; whereas hundreds of Ukrainians are imprisoned by Russia and its proxies, while whereabouts of many others are still unknown;

Amendment 310 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17a. Expresses deep concern at the situation of Ukrainians stranded in EU Member States due to the COVID-19 crisis without social protection; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure, in the context of COVID-19, the equal treatment of third-country seasonal workers with EU nationals, as stated in Directive 2014/36/EU, recalling that such workers have the same labour and social rights as EU citizens; calls on the Member States to ensure quality housing for cross- border and seasonal workers, which should be decoupled from their remuneration, and ensure decent facilities, tenant privacy and written tenancy contracts enforced by labour inspectorates, and to establish standards in this regard;

Amendment 311 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Condemns in the strongest possible terms the banning of the Communist Party of Ukraine, and calls for the immediate lifting of the ban; expresses deep concern at this attack on freedom of expression and the existence of a democratic political party in Ukraine, and calls on the EU institutions, as well as on other democratic European and international bodies, to take a firm stand and to strongly condemn this serious attack on democracy in Ukraine;

Amendment 312 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Notes with concern the wide disinformation and propaganda campaigns taking place in Ukraine during the COVID-19 pandemic; stresses that the EU needs to continue to support Ukraine in countering such hybrid threats, including through the strengthening of independent media, media literacy and strategic communications;

Amendment 313 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Underscores that in accordance with UN General Assembly resolution 74/168 of December 2019, it is crucial that the regional and international human rights monitoring mechanisms as well as the non-governmental human rights organisations have unimpeded access to the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol;

Amendment 314 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Notes with concern the challenges to the media pluralism and independence such as impunity and physical aggression against journalists, oligarchisation of the media landscape, pressure from media owners on editorial independence and under-financing of independent public broadcaster;

Amendment 315 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Encourages a strengthened dialogue and cooperation with Churches and religious communities and organisations in areas such as peace- building and reconciliation, thus strengthening trust in just and free society, as well as education, healthcare and basic social services;

Amendment 316 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Urges the European Commission, the EU Member States and Ukraine to increase cooperation on public health resilience and to exchange best practice and work with civil society on establishing epidemic strategies focusing on the most vulnerable groups;

Amendment 317 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Strongly condemns the incidents of discrimination, racially motivated violence and the manifestation of intolerance targeting individuals belonging to minority groups, such as Roma people living in Ukraine;

Amendment 318 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Urges the government to implement measures to protect the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), including de-linking of pension payments from IDP status;

Amendment 319 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)

17b. Calls to thoroughly investigate the attacks on media workers and media channels and hold culprits accountable;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)

Ac. whereas in the context of the Russia-led aggression against Ukraine, EU restrictive measures against the Russian Federation were introduced and regularly prolonged;

Amendment 320 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)

17c. Notes the undergoing reform efforts in the area of media; stresses that the reform should particularly ensure the independence, impartiality and accountability of the regulatory body, transparency of media ownership, and equal opportunities for media outlets with fair competition on the market; expresses concern at plans to give to the regulatory agency new, extensive competencies which risk to infringe upon freedom of the media and the content of online and printed media”; stresses regarding the draft law on countering disinformation that the current draft law, as it is, could lead to broad state interference in media content and journalism activities at the expense of media freedom and will not be efficient to counter disinformation; urges broader consultation with the media community and relevant international organizations to avoid risks for freedom of expression;

Amendment 321 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)

17c. Calls on the Ukrainian government to ensure that restrictive measures in response to COVID-19 have a legal basis, are strictly necessary and proportionate to the objective of protecting public health and saving lives (based on scientific advice), are subject to constant review and lifted when no longer necessary, and are applied in a non- discriminatory way; calls on authorities to ensure that vulnerable and marginalised groups are not disproportionately disadvantaged by the response to COVID- 19, and take steps to address pre-existing inequalities;

Amendment 322 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)

17c. Urges the development of democratic, independent, pluralistic and balanced media landscape in Ukraine which would bring to an end politically motivated persecution of media channels, including revoking of licenses, and ensures protection of local journalists, opinion makers and dissident voices from harassment and intimidation, allows non- discriminatory access to online and offline information and meaningful civic participation, and safeguards and guarantees human and civil rights;

Amendment 323 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)

17c. Stresses that journalists, human rights defenders and defence lawyers should be able to work independently and without undue interference and intimidation; welcomes the work of Ukrainian human rights organisations and the Crimean prosecutor who, temporarily from mainland Ukraine, records human rights violations and abuses; all human rights violations must be investigated and perpetrators brought to justice;

Amendment 324 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)

17d. Stresses the important role of the public broadcaster, expresses concern that rural populations were cut off from public television and calls upon the Verkhovna Rada and the Government to uphold State’s commitments to the public broadcaster and to ensure financial and political support for its further modernization, independence and capacity to conduct investigative journalism;

Amendment 325 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)

17d. Urges Ukraine to tackle the still pervasive cronyism and corruption in its healthcare sector and especially the ministry of health, and to effectively investigate any corrupt activities, in particular attempts to procure medical equipment at disproportionately high costs in the midst of the pandemic;

Amendment 326 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 e (new)

17e. Insists strongly on non- discrimination with regard to all LGBTI people, feminist activists, Roma people and other ethnic, linguistic, religious and national minorities, and their protection against discrimination in law and the prosecution of all acts of abuse, hate speech and physical violence perpetrated against them; calls on the government and all political actors to take efforts to create an inclusive and tolerant society;

Amendment 327 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 f (new)

17f. Stresses the need for additional efforts to strengthen gender equality and fight against gender-based violence;

Amendment 328 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 g (new)

17g. Emphasises the importance to protect and ensure Ukrainian citizenship rights in the temporarily occupied territories, including simplifying the procedures for receiving pensions, birth certificates for children and prevent the risk of leaving them stateless and vulnerable;

Amendment 329 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6

Trade and economic cooperation and mobility of workers

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas in 2019, Ukraine went through a delicate electoral period, both at presidential and parliamentary level, and ~~whereas~~ its handling of th~~at perio~~e processes as well as the peaceful and orderly transition of power that ensued should be praised;

Amendment 330 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. WHighlights that Ukraine is an important geopolitical, geostrategic and trading partner for the European Union; welcomes the significant increase in the EU-Ukraine trade flow, as a result of which the Union is currently Ukraine’s largest trading partner;

Amendment 331 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Welcomes the significant increase in the EU-Ukraine trade flow, as a result of which the Union is currently Ukraine’s largest trading partner; regrets, however, the relatively low amount of foreign direct investments that are coming to the country;

Amendment 332 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Welcomes Ukraine’s reform efforts; underlines that further strengthening the rule of law, structural reforms as well as fight against corruption are of key importance for creating a more attractive business and investment climate in Ukraine; notes that the Ukrainian civil society and NGOs play an active role in the oversight of reforms and in monitoring the implementation of the Association Agreement; calls on the Commission to prioritise support to these NGOs and civil society organisations;

Amendment 333 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Reiterates that Ukraine’s gradual integration in the EU Internal Market, as provided for in the AA, constitutes one of the key aims of the association and supports in this regard establishing conditions for enhanced economic and trade relations between Ukraine and the EU as well as broader process of the broader process of legislative approximation;

Amendment 334 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18a. Reiterates its support for deeper economic cooperation and market integration between the EU and Ukraine through a gradual opening of the EU single market, conditioned upon full implementation of the DCFTA and compliance with legal, economic and technical regulations and standards;

Amendment 335 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)

18b. Calls for an increased sectoral cooperation between the EU and Ukraine, in education and research, innovation, ICT sector and digitisation as well as green technologies, in order to share know-how and best practices; moreover, for an increased cooperation and gradually differentiated sectoral integration of Ukraine in the Energy Union, the Transport Community and the Digital Single Market, among other areas;

Amendment 336 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)

18b. Calls on Ukraine and the EU to enhance cooperation on further liberalisation of the bilateral trade, including conclusion of the ACAA agreement, as well as the cooperation on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and customs;

Amendment 337 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)

18c. Calls on the Ukraine authorities to open up the country’s aviation market to European companies, including low-cost companies;

Amendment 338 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)

18d. Urges deeper cooperation in telecommunications and the creation of a roaming fees-free regime between the EU and Ukraine as soon as possible;

Amendment 339 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 e (new)

18e. Encourages the expansion of the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) to Ukraine upon meeting all technical and legal requirements;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas, in the run-up to local elections on 25 October 2020, there have been attempts to change the Electoral Code during an ongoing election campaign and a lack of clear measures on how to respond to the COVID-19 situation remains a significant concern, with a view to new standards of safe voting;

Amendment 340 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 f (new)

18f. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to conduct a credible needs’ assessment for the Donbas region to establish a strategy for its social-economic recovery and suggests the creation of an appropriate international framework for the reconstruction of Donbas;

Amendment 341 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 g (new)

18g. Notes that, according to UNICEF, Covid-19 poses not only a public healthcare crisis, but also a socio- economic crisis, which might increase the poverty rate in Ukraine from 27.2% to 43.6% or even to 50.8%; therefore, encourages the Ukrainian government to implement comprehensive social protection measures to mitigate the effects of Covid-19;

Amendment 342 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 h (new)

18h. Calls on the Commission and the EEAS to mainstream gender equality in its financial support for Ukraine, particularly when aimed to mitigate the negative effects caused by Covid-19, as women, including women entrepreneurs, were among most impacted by the strict confinement;

Amendment 343 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Praises the advancements in ~~Ukraine’s~~the regulatory approximation with the EU acquis and the adoption in November 2019 of a sSanitary and pPhytosanitary ~~strategy~~Strategy, which includes more than 200 normative acts of the Union to be implemented into Ukrainian legislation;

Amendment 344 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Calls on the Ukrainian government to closely monitor the economic and social effects of DCFTA implementation; encourages to continue approximation of labour standards, in particular as regards freedom of assembly and social dialogue; welcomes the initiative for labour reform but emphasizes the need for broad consultations with trade unions and civil society and recommends to make use of expertise by the International Labour Organization on the matter;

Amendment 345 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Notes that further progress has been made in aligning Ukraine’s customs and border procedures with those of the Union; commends the Ukrainian Government’s adoption in May 2020 of the strategy for integrated border management up to 2025 and the subsequent 2020-2022 action plan;deleted

Amendment 346 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Notes that further progress has been made ~~in aligning~~concerning the alignment of Ukrain~~e’s~~ian customs and border procedures ~~with those of the Un~~to the Union’s ones, as well as the ongoing institutional reforms of the Tax and Customs Administrations; welcommends the ~~Ukrainian Government’s~~law on the Single Legal Entity (SLE) for the State Customs Service (SCS), as well as the laws on Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) and on the introduction of the National Electronic Transit System (NCTS), that were adopted in Autumn 2019. Also welcomes the adoption in May 2020 of ~~the s~~a “Strategy for integrated border management up to 2025” and the subsequent 2020-2022 action plan. However, regrets the stall of the EU- funded project for the modernisation of six checkpoints on the border with the Union and deplores the very long waiting times that are still experienced at those borders. Moreover, urges Ukrainian authorities to adopt all the outstanding measures and regulations needed to make the AEO and NCTS systems fully operational and to ensure that the new management of the SCS is swiftly appointed among competent candidates through a transparent and unbiased public selection; urges Ukrainian authorities to criminalize smuggling of all goods as a crucial element of the integrated border management;

Amendment 347 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Notes that further progress has been made in aligning Ukraine’s customs and border procedures with those of the Union; commends the Ukrainian Government’s adoption in MaJuly 202019 of the strategy for integrated border management up to 2025 and the subsequent 2020-2022 action plan;

Amendment 348 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Welcomes the adoption, in March 2020, of the law on farmland turnover, as well as the adoption in May 2020 of the law on the improvement of certain instruments of banking activity regulation, which reinforces the banking system and prevents PrivatBank from being returned to its former ownerswhich should contribute to the unleashing of Ukraine’s huge potential in the agricultural sector;

Amendment 349 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. ~~Welcom~~Notes the adoption in March 2020 of the law on farmland turnover, as well as the adoption in May 2020 of the law on the improvement of certain instruments of banking activity regulation, which reinforces the banking system and prevents PrivatBank from being returned to its former owners;

Amendment 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is still being undermined by the unresolved conflict in the east of the country and the ongoing Russian hybrid war and occupation of large portions of Donbas and the whole of Ukrainian Crimea;

Amendment 350 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Welcomes the positive steps taken by Ukraine in digital transformation and calls on the Commission and Member States to further support Ukraine’s efforts in this field, including in e-governance and digital economy; acknowledges in this regard the new 25 million euro EU programme supporting e-governance and digital economy in Ukraine;

Amendment 351 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Notes that a number of other reforms have been introduced, leading to the deregulation of the economy, greater transparency of public finances and an improvement of regulations concerning concessions and public-private partnership, providing new opportunities for both local and foreign investors;

Amendment 352 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Welcomes the adoption in May 2020 of the law on the improvement of certain instruments of banking activity regulation, which reinforces the banking system and prevents Privatbank from being returned to its former owners;

Amendment 353 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21a. Calls on the Ukrainian government to introduce a system of incentives and sanctions to combat the notoriously high numbers of informal employments;

Amendment 354 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 22 a (new)

Labour and social justice

Amendment 355 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

~~22. Urges Ukraine to further advance the privatisation of state-owned enterprises and calls on it to lift the moratorium on unprocessed wood exports;~~deleted

Amendment 356 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Urges Ukraine to further advance the privatisation of state-owned enterprises and calls on it to effectively fight illegal logging and lift the moratorium on unprocessed wood exports, while enforcing mandatory due diligence over the entire value chain of forestry commodities and improving the governance in the forestry sector;

Amendment 357 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Urges Ukraine to further advance the privatisation of state-owned enterprises ~~and calls on it to lift the moratorium~~; notes that all parties of the AA/DCFTA will have to make further arrangements to enable meaningful cooperation with the goal of preventing illegal import and export onf unprocessed wood ~~exports;~~ ;

Amendment 358 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Urges Ukraine to further advance the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, a~~nd calls on it to lift~~lthough regrets the increase in state- owned enterprises and further calls for the lifting of the moratorium on unprocessed wood exports;

Amendment 359 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Urges Ukraine to further advance the privatisation of state-owned enterprises and calls on it to ~~lift~~adhere to the future rulings of the Arbitration panel regarding the moratorium on unprocessed wood exports;

Amendment 36 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas Western meddling and the US orchestrated coup in 2014 led to the empowerment of fascists in Ukraine, and the initiation of war against a successist movement in the East of the country that has contributed substantially to the financial crisis in Ukraine;

Amendment 360 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Urges Ukraine to further advance the privatisation of state-owned enterprises in order to avoid oligarchizing of the economy and calls on it to lift the moratorium on unprocessed wood exports;

Amendment 361 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Urges Ukraine to further advance the privatisation of state-owned enterprises ~~and calls on it to lift the moratorium on unprocessed wood exports~~in order to modernize and improve the functioning of its economy;

Amendment 362 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Calls on the Ukrainian authorities to put more efforts in order to ensure that the AA/DCFTA opportunities and EU assistance and programmes reach the local level, including in the remote parts of the country, in particular rural areas, so as to enable inhabitants to push for positive changes in their communities, in particular those vulnerable to post-Soviet sentiments and Russian manipulation;

Amendment 363 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Urges to address the rural-urban divide in Ukraine through effective financial and technical incentives to micro-, small-, medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), small-scale farmers and family enterprises in rural and suburban areas, and through the improvement of human connectivity and infrastructure between cities and countryside in order to foster social cohesion;

Amendment 364 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Welcomes the progress on the cooperation between Ukraine and the EU in the digital area and encourages a further deepening of such cooperation, aimed at granting each other the internal market treatment, including other sectors of mutual interest;

Amendment 365 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Calls on the Ukrainian government to also focus on the social dimension of trade and sustainable development by respecting and enforcing labour standards, ratifying and fully implementing all ILO conventions;

Amendment 366 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Calls for a further analysis of the economic and social benefits and impacts of the post-2014 wave of labour emigration on both the economies and social security systems of Ukraine and Member States;

Amendment 367 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Calls on the Ukrainian authorities to lift the moratorium on unprocessed wood exports in accordance with sustainable forestry management and environmental protection standards;

Amendment 368 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)

22a. Notes that the support and promotion of intra-regional trade among Eastern Partnership countries will also create new economic opportunities, including for SMEs;

Amendment 369 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)

22b. Acknowledges the increased labour mobility between Ukraine and the EU, with the emigration rates of between 2.2 and 2.7 million individuals, which on the one hand contribute to reducing the supply of labour in Ukraine and labour shortages in certain professions, and on the other hand constitute one of the factors pushing up wage growth for workers who stay in the country and a source of inflow of remittances from migrants that has a notable impact on the Ukrainian economy, representing an inflow equivalent to more than 8% of GDP;

Amendment 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)

Ba. whereas the nationwide local elections of 25 October 2020 represent another test of the state of democracy and an opportunity for further consolidation;

Amendment 370 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)

22b. Calls on the Ukrainian government and the EU to put labour and social policies high on their political agenda and to work together to strengthen the institutional capacity for monitoring progress in the social field, including by setting up a Labour, Employment and Social Matters Association Committee alongside the existing Trade Association Committee; stresses that the disbursement of macro-financial assistance should be made conditional on the implementation of the commitments undertaken in the social area;

Amendment 371 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)

22b. Welcomes the steps taken towards digital transformation and e-governance, as well as the progress in approximating Ukraine’s legislation to that of the EU in electronic trust services and electronic communications; encourages the Commission to further support efforts concerning media and information literacy to reflect the current digital age and gradual integration into the EU Digital Single Market, as well as exploring ways of reducing roaming fees between the EU and Ukraine;

Amendment 372 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 b (new)

22b. Stresses the importance of connectivity for strengthened people-to- people contacts, businesses and trade; in this regard supports signing the Common aviation area agreement at the earliest possible date;

Amendment 373 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)

22c. Calls on the Association Council to prioritise the implementation of international labour standards and EU legislation and practices in the areas of social policy, employment and labour, collective bargaining regulation, social dialogue, gender inequality and labour legislation reform to ensure that the social partners' interests are balanced and employees' rights are protected in compliance with the provisions of the Association Agreement (Articles 419-421 and 424) and the ILO conventions (81, 87, 98, 117, 122, 129, 144, 154 and 173);

Amendment 374 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)

22c. Welcomes and calls for further development of the EU-funded programmes support for both the modernization of the vocational education system in Ukraine (“EU4Skills: Better Skills for Modern Ukraine”) as well as for the business environment, which plays a key role for potential returnees and for domestic entrepreneurs (anti-corruption, SME support, tax and customs reform etc.) – both through sectoral grants and as conditions in EU macro-financial assistance programmes;

Amendment 375 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)

22c. Invites the Commission to request a mandate from Member states to negotiate a road transport agreement in line with the adopted Transport package with a view to a transport services’ liberalisation;

Amendment 376 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 c (new)

22c. Stresses the importance to increase infrastructure cooperation in the region, further diversification of Ukraine’s energy supplies, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, and connectivity of Ukraine’s energy sector while ensuring environmental sustainability;

Amendment 377 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 d (new)

22d. Stresses that the COVID-19 pandemic must give impetus to a more vigorous defence of public health and robust global cooperation to address the challenges of the health care system in Ukraine; notes the support provided by the EU to Ukraine for coping with the COVID-19 crisis, but underlines that the COVID-19 pandemic proved that the fundamental review of the health care system of Ukraine is needed with a focus on affordable public health services; calls to associate Ukraine to the EU4Health programme;

Amendment 378 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 d (new)

22d. Welcomes Ukraine’s willingness to participate in the EU Research and Innovation Framework Horizon Europe and ESA research programs;

Amendment 379 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 d (new)

22d. Calls on Ukraine to phase out of nuclear power and, in the meantime, urges Ukrainian authorities to urgently complete modernisations of nuclear power plants and investigate delays in these processes, in particular the upgrade of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant;

Amendment 38 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)

Bb. whereas civil society and election experts reported that local party organizations, candidates, and members of the election commissions could not properly prepare for the candidates’ registration since the Electoral Code was adopted immediately before the election process;

Amendment 380 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 e (new)

22e. Notes that assessing only the legal approximation of Ukraine to the EU without putting an emphasis on the actual enforcement has little to no impact; calls on the Commission to provide an annual progress report on the implementation of social and labour related issues of the Association agreement and to establish the position of a labour attaché in the EU delegation in Kyiv;

Amendment 381 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 e (new)

22e. Welcomes Ukraine’s ambition to contribute to the European green deal goals and calls on the Commission to adequately support Ukraine’s efforts, inter alia by establishing a relevant focused dialogue, and by exchange of information;

Amendment 382 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 e (new)

22e. Urges Ukraine to further enhance its engagement in the fight against climate change, implementation of climate change policies, climate change mainstreaming in all areas of policy- making, as well as to increase efforts on national commitments related to the 2015 Paris Agreement;

Amendment 383 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 f (new)

22f. Calls on the European Commission to facilitate Ukraine’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 384 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 f (new)

22f. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the trade unions, as well as the civil society in its diversity are involved in the monitoring of the implementation of the Association Agreement; calls on the government of Ukraine and the European Commission to support not only to support those NGOs with a pro-European approach, but also those which investigate violations of the DCFTA, in particular in the social sphere;

Amendment 385 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 g (new)

22g. Reminds the Ukrainian government that the efforts to improve the business climate to attract direct investments and promote economic growth must not happen at the expense of the workers’ rights and working conditions; calls on the government to systematically approach and institutionally support the social dialogue and to undertake efforts to make the National Tripartite Social and Economic Council an effective instrument of social dialogue;

Amendment 386 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 h (new)

22h. Express its concern over the fall in the number of employees covered by collective agreements (lately reduced by almost 1 million people) and the resulting decline in working conditions; draws the attention to the lack of state policies to introduce effective wage protection measures (ILO Convention 95), which prevents situations where the employees of Ukrainian enterprises do not receive their wages on time and in full and which have already repeatedly given rise to the application of ILO international supervisory mechanisms against Ukraine; calls on the Ukrainian government and parliament to address these problems;

Amendment 387 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 i (new)

22i. Notes that the Ukrainian labour market faces serious challenges as labour migration flows to EU countries are constantly increasing; underline that it is absolutely essential to see a governmental approach to developing a labour environment that provides decent working conditions for employees of Ukrainian enterprises, including health and safety at work, legally declared jobs with state social security coverage, salaries paid on time and in full, the right to union membership and representation of interests, and meaningful collective bargaining towards binding collective agreements;

Amendment 388 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 j (new)

22j. Notes with concern that the trade unions' ability to exercise their rights in Ukraine is limited because of imperfect and vague legislation; remains concerned that trade union activists are often persecuted and intimidated and violently attacked;

Amendment 389 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 k (new)

22k. Notes with deep concern the draft trade union bill and calls on the parliament to review it in view of the criticism expressed by the independent trade unions; notes that the draft is violating Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organization by - limiting the exercise of the right to freedom of association by arbitrarily reducing the number of workplace unions; - setting a minimum membership threshold which undermines the right of workers to form or join unions of their choice at the workplace, especially for workers in small and medium enterprises; - creating a new trade union supervisory body with wide and unchecked powers to control the activities of trade unions; - removing the employer’s obligation to provide collective bargaining information to trade unions; - removing trade union access to the check-off system for trade union membership dues collection and granting the government power to confiscate union property, undermining union independence and autonomy as a result;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)

Bc. whereas the introduction of the top-down control mechanisms through enacting the imperative mandate principle as well as linking the party lists to the minimum number of 10 000 voters weakens the democratic nature of the elections;

Amendment 390 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 l (new)

22l. Recalls that the right to strike is a fundamental one enshrined in international human rights and labour law, and that its protection is necessary in ensuring just, stable and democratic societies; deplores the excessively complicated and protracted mechanism for exercising the right to strike in certain economic activities, which makes strikes impossible in practice; calls on the Ukrainian government to implement the ECHR's judgment on "Tymoshenko and others against Ukraine" (48408/12) regarding strikes in the transport sector;

Amendment 391 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 m (new)

22m. Notes with concern the situation in the area of occupational safety and health and the high number of fatal workplace accidents: urgently calls on the Ukrainian government to establish a strong labour inspection system; calls on the Ukrainian Parliament to immediately start working on a respective legislative framework in line with the Association Agreement aimed at setting up a centralised, unified, resource-efficient administration for labour inspections; calls on the Commission to put this question on of its priorities on association agenda;

Amendment 392 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 n (new)

22n. Stresses that a full-fledged inspection system should include unannounced inspections, proper anti- discrimination mechanisms, a centralised monitoring scheme for fundamental labour rights: underlines that to be affective and credible labour inspection should include modern anti-corruption mechanisms;

Amendment 393 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the completion of the unbundling of Naftohaz in 2019 and the creation of a legally independent gas transmission system operator in line with the EU’s third energy package; welcomes the liberalization and opening of a competitive gas market for households; regrets however the latest strikes against Naftohaz leadership, including the supervisory board of the company, which undermine its independence and the reform progress in the area achieved so far;

Amendment 394 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the completion of the unbundling ofn Naftohaz in 2019 and the creation of a legally independent gas transmission system operator (GTSO) is in line with ~~the EU’s~~EU third energy package; however, calls on the Ukrainian authorities to reinforce the GTSO’s technical independence from Naftohaz;

Amendment 395 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. Welcomes the completion of the unbundling of Naftohgaz in 2019 and the creation of a legally independent gas transmission system operator in line with the EU’s third energy package; calls on Ukraine to ensure "de facto" independence of the transmission system operator;

Amendment 396 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. ~~Welcom~~Notes the completion of the unbundling of Naftohaz in 2019 and the creation of a legally independent gas transmission system operator in line with the EU’s third energy package;

Amendment 397 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Draws attention to Ukraine’s role in the European energy supply network; expresses concern over the construction of the German-Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline and reiterates its long-term fundamental political, economic and security risks; notes the possible negative consequences caused by the pipeline to war-torn Ukraine;

Amendment 398 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Encourages the Commission to consider Ukraine’s desire to participate in the European Green Deal, in particular to launch a structural dialogue and possible development of a joint roadmap based on Ukraine’s proposal to the European Union on participating in the Green Deal;

Amendment 399 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23a. Welcomes the signature of the long-term gas transit contract facilitated by the EU;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

— having regard to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 November 2018 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from their requirement,

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)

Bd. whereas civil society criticised the decision to not hold elections in 18 local communities in government-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk with no clear justification for this decision by the civil- military administration, which effectively disenfranchises about 475,000 voters living in these communities;

Amendment 400 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)

23b. Requests the European Commission to screen Ukraine’s compliance with European Union acquis in energy sphere with a view to further integration of energy markets;

Amendment 401 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)

23c. Reminds of the security threats deriving from the Nord Stream 2 and calls on to all, and in particular European, stakeholders to make use of the available legal clauses to withdraw from the project;

Amendment 402 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)

23d. Fully supports Ukraine’s integration with European continental power grid (ENTSO-E);

Amendment 403 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

~~24. Regrets that the new wholesale electricity market that started operating in Ukraine in July 2019 is still not competitive;~~deleted

Amendment 404 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Regrets that the new wholesale electricity market that started operating in Ukraine in July 2019 is still not competitive; calls on Ukraine to upgrade its existing power plants to meet strict European environmental and safety standards; welcomes Ukrainian government’s position not to allow import of electricity from power plants in neighbouring countries that are being built without complying with the requirements of international conventions and the highest international environmental and safety standards;

Amendment 405 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Regrets that the new wholesale electricity market that started operating in Ukraine in July 2019 is still not competitive; hence, urges Ukraine to improve the level of compliance of the electricity market with EU law, first and foremost by enhancing Ukrenerho’s independence and avoiding cross- subsidisation;

Amendment 406 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Regrets that the new wholesale electricity market that started operating in Ukraine in July 2019 is still not competitive by EU standards;

Amendment 407 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. ~~Regre~~Expects that ~~the new wholesale~~ electricity market ~~that started operating in Ukraine in July 2019 is still not~~reform will be completed in a comprehensively way, thus facilitating its competitiveness;

Amendment 408 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Reminds Ukraine of the commitment, within the Energy Community, to comply with applicable European Union law, including environmental and safety policy, and encourages to refuse purchase of energy produced in not compatible to EU standards;

Amendment 409 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Welcomes the EU’s €10 million “Climate package for a sustainable economy” programme which will offer support to Ukraine in developing a holistic approach to restructure its key economic sectors towards a low carbon economy;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas ~~the~~, particularly during the second pacert of ~~Ukraine’s~~2019, in order to deliver quickly on the reform promised during the electoral campaigns, the pace of legislative activity has been particularly sustained, sometimes ato the detriment of parliamentary scrutiny and ~~the~~ quality of legislation;

Amendment 410 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Stresses that the Nord Stream 2 project will have adverse impact not only on Ukraine's revenues, but also its energy security; urges Member States to abandon the Nord Stream 2 project;

Amendment 411 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Reiterates the shared objective as enshrined in the AA of Ukraine’s gradual integration into the internal market and the perspective of taking advantage of its multiple benefits;

Amendment 412 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)

24b. Regrets that in the renewables power generation sector Ukraine is not meeting its obligations towards the investors and that delays in payments to producers of electricity from renewable energy sources threaten further development of clean energy sources in Ukraine;

Amendment 413 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Commends the adoption by the Ukrainian Government in February 2019 of the strategy for the state environmental policy up to 2030 and the national waste management plan, EIА and SEA laws, laws in the field of climate policy; urges Ukraine to take action to put an end to the environmental damage caused by the illegal and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, such as illegal logging in the primeval Carpathian forests, especially in connection with the unlawful Svydovets ski resort project; urges Ukraine to provide open and convenient access to environmental information, expansion of protected areas, urges Ukraine not to delay the implementation of the National emission reduction plan of major pollutants from large combustion plants; encourages Ukraine to adopt legislation for development of sustainable transport;

Amendment 414 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Commends the adoption by the Ukrainian Government in February 2019 of the strategy for the state environmental policy up to 2030 and the national waste management plan; urges Ukraine to take action to put an end to the environmental damage caused by the illegal and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, such as illegal logging in the primeval Carpathian forests, as it is the main reason of the floods in the region; calls on the EU to contribute to preventing illegal logging in Carpathian Mountains, especially in connection with the ~~unlawful~~ Svydovets ski resort project; encourages Ukraine to invest in ecologically and environmentally safe and sustainable touristic infrastructure;

Amendment 415 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Commends the adoption by the Ukrainian Government in February 2019 of the strategy for the state environmental policy up to 2030 and the national waste management plan; urges Ukraine to take action to put an end to the environmental damage caused by the illegal and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, such as illegal logging in the primeval Carpathian forests, especially in connection with the unlawful Svydovets ski resort project; calls on Ukrainian authorities to prevent future projects from harming the environment by improving scrutiny, transparency and the implementation of environmental impact assessments and due diligence;

Amendment 416 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Commends the adoption by the Ukrainian Government in February 2019 of the strategy for the state environmental policy up to 2030 and the national waste management plan; urges Ukraine to take action to put an end to the environmental damage caused by the illegal and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, such as illegal logging in the primeval Carpathian forests, especially in connection with the unlawful Svydovets ski resort project, as well as illegal and environmentally harmful method of amber extraction;

Amendment 417 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Underlines Ukraine’s role as a strategic transit country for gas and the need for the modernisation of its national gas transmission system as well as the importance of its integration with the EU energy market based on the effective implementation of the updated Annex XXVII of the Association Agreement;

Amendment 418 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Underlines that Nord Stream 2 aims at reducing Ukraine's importance as transit country, reinforces EU dependency on Russian gas supplies, threatens the EU internal market and is not in line with EU energy policy or its strategic interests, and therefore needs to be stopped;

Amendment 419 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Urges Ukraine to improve coordination of policies and actions of international institutions (e.g. European Commission, EBRD, EBI, World Bank, KfW, ENTSO-E, Energy Community) and Ukrainian institutions supporting the Ukrainian energy sector;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas the pace of Ukraine’s legislative activity has been sustained, sometimes to the detriment of parliamentary scrutiny, transparency, and the quality of legislation;

Amendment 420 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25a. Expresses concerns about the risks posed by landmines in eastern Ukraine, and proposes a “Donbas demining” program between Ukrainian authorities and the international community;

Amendment 421 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)

25b. Is deeply concerned about the approximately 1,200 radioactive sources - used for medical, industrial, or scientific purposes - located in and around the Donetsk region, which pose serious health, safety, and ecological risks; calls on the OSCE, the Trilateral Contact Group and the Normandy Four Format countries to counter the proliferation of radioactive activities and the smuggling of radioactive substances in line with the nuclear non-proliferation regime; urges all the parties to engage with relevant stakeholders in order to safely transport high activity disused radioactive sources out of the Donbas region;

Amendment 422 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)

25b. Condemns extraction of gas by Russia from the Ukrainian shelf in the Ukrainian exclusive economic zone and states that the EU does not recognize the seizure of the gas fields by the Russian Federation in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea and should support legal actions of the Ukrainian authorities to stop these illegal extractions;

Amendment 423 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)

25b. Urges Ukraine to implement the management and coordination framework for financial support in order to ensure the execution of agreed plans and achievement of defined objectives;

Amendment 424 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)

25b. In line with its previous positons calls on the suspension/halting of the Nord Stream 2 project, which is not conducive to European energy security and independence;

Amendment 425 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)

25c. Is deeply concerned about the environmental impact of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, including dangers posed by the flooding of inter-connected mines; calls for an in-depth evaluation of the conflict’s environmental impact to be followed-up with a reaction plan designed to prevent an ecological collapse;

Amendment 426 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 25 a (new)

People-to-people contacts

Amendment 427 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)

25c. Expresses the view that the visa- free regime has resulted in increased travel from Ukraine to the EU, thus in better understanding between respective societies which is the best ground for continued rapprochement; this approach must be further carried on and, with the time, expanded;

Amendment 428 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 d (new)

25d. Appeals to the Commission to launch a dialogue with the aim of assuring that border crossing procedures are prompt and free of corruption through, inter alia, investments, training of personnel and an effective mechanisms for border crossing complaints;

Amendment 429 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 e (new)

25e. Holds the view that the participation of Ukrainian students, as well as University and school teachers, in the Erasmus+ programmes should be visibly enlarged;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas although Ukraine has made substantial advancements in its path towards rapprochement to the Union, a number of its reforms still need to be completed and some additional measures still need to be adopted in order to avoid any backslidingUkraine is not on course to join the European Union;

Amendment 430 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 f (new)

25f. Requests the Commission to analyse the possibility of including Ukraine in the EU’s roaming regulations;

Amendment 431 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Is pleased with the outcome of the ongoing meetings ~~held and the activities carried out in the context of the Jean Monnet Dialogue~~and activities in the context of the European Parliament's Jean Monnet Dialogues for Peace and Democracy with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and fully supports their continuation; is convinced that deepening the parliamentary culture of dialogue will ensure a strong, independent, transparent and effective Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, essential for the country's democratic and European future and in-line with the aspirations of Ukrainian citizens;

Amendment 432 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Is pleased with the outcome of the ongoing meetings held and the activities carried out in the context of the Jean Monnet Dialogue; and encourages the Verkhovna Rada to actively continue its institutional reform which aims at, inter alia, increasing legislative capacity and quality, political oversight of the executive as well as transparency and accountability to citizens;

Amendment 433 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Is pleased with the outcome of the ongoing meetings held and the activities carried out in the context of the Jean Monnet Dialogue; underlines the importance of European Parliament’s continued engagement with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in order to provide support to its reform process;

Amendment 434 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Welcomes the outcome of the EU- Ukraine summit of 6 October 2020, the first bilateral summit held physically in Brussels since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and clear declarations of both sides for continued commitment to strengthening the political association and economic integration of Ukraine with the European Union;

Amendment 435 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26a. Reiterates the importance of continued support to the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM) Ukraine and its role in the reform of the civilian security sector;

Amendment 436 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Reiterates its call for the establishment of an Eastern Partnership University in Ukraine ~~and~~; calls on the Union’s institutions to reinforce and expand training programmes for Ukrainian legal professionals and to strengthen the capacity of Ukraine to participate in Horizon Europe, among other ways to boost people-to-people contacts, academic and educational cooperation between the EU and Ukraine;

Amendment 437 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Reiterates its call for the establishment of an Eastern Partnership University in Ukraine and calls on the Union’s institutions to reinforce and expand training programmes for Ukrainian legal professionals wishing to specialize in EU law;

Amendment 438 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Acknowledges the associated partnership status of Ukraine 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, include Ukraine 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 439 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Welcomes the visa-free regime between the EU and Ukraine, which has allowed Ukrainian citizens to make more than 40 million trips to the EU countries since June 2017;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas although Ukraine has made substantial advancements in its path towards rapprochement to the Union, a number of its reforms still need to be completed, in particular in the area of the rule of law, good governance and anti- corruption, and some additional measures still need to be adopted in order to avoid any backsliding;

Amendment 440 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Calls on all EU institutions, the Member States and Ukrainian authorities to better communicate the benefits of the AA/DCFTA and of EU assistance to the citizens of Ukraine;

Amendment 441 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27a. Underlines the importance to continue inter-parliamentary cooperation and people-to-people contacts as best as possible in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic;

Amendment 442 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)

27b. Recalls the importance of Ukraine’s integration in EU frameworks, such as Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, and Creative Europe, and the need to intensify the relevant cooperation in the framework of current and future programmes;

Amendment 443 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)

27b. Welcomes the EU support for institutional capacity building for and trainings of the Ukrainian civil servants organised by the College of Europe, Natolin;

Amendment 444 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 b (new)

27b. Notes that the increased number of visits by Ukrainian citizens to Schengen countries has challenged EU-Ukrainian border crossing points, which are congested and neither their infrastructure nor their capacity is adequate to provide condign human conditions for people crossing the border; Notes that one of the most acute problems on the EU-Ukraine border, especially on the Hungarian- Ukrainian and Polish-Ukrainian section, has been long waiting times to cross the border;

Amendment 445 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 c (new)

27c. Encourages the EU to support the establishment of new border crossing points and expansion of existing on the EU-Ukraine border through strict monitoring of funding to eliminate past abuses;

Amendment 446 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and to the President, Government and Parliament of Ukraine. and to the President, Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas although Ukraine has made substantial advancements in its path towards rapprochement to the Union for a partnership, a number of its reforms still need to be completed and some additional measures still need to be adopted in order to avoid any backsliding;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas although Ukraine has made substantial advancements in its ~~path towards rapprochement to the Union~~implementation of AA-related commitments, a number of its reforms still need to be completed and some additional measures still need to be adopted in order to avoid any backsliding;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas ~~although~~, while Ukraine has made substantial advancements in its path towards ~~rapprochement to~~integration with the Union, ~~a number~~several of ~~its~~the reforms ~~still~~initiated need to be completed and ~~some~~ additional measures ~~still~~ need to be adopted in order to avoid any backsliding;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas Ukraine faces a serious problem with far-right extremism and violence; whereas the lack of serious action against neo-fascist and neo-Nazi groups and open cooperation of state institutions with far-right groups such as the Azov-affiliated National Militia, C14, Right Sector, Karpatska Sich has enabled the occurrence right wing violence against critical civil society, political activists, Roma, as well as anti-fascist demonstrations, city council meetings, art exhibitions, LGBTQI events, women’s rights and environmental activists; whereas the state institutions fail to confront violent groups and end their impunity;

Amendment 5 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)

— having regard to the Joint Statement of the EU and Ukraine Summit of 6 October 2020,

Amendment 50 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas the perception of corruption in Ukraine fell back to 2017 levels, according to the latest Transparency International report;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the ~~full potential of the reforms adopted~~independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as its ability to implement necessary economic and social reforms is still ~~not~~ being ~~realised because of internal institutional instability and contradict~~undermined by the unresolved conflict in the east of the country and the ongoing Russian occupation and illegal annexation of Crimea and the Russian support for the so-called separatists controlling some districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions;

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the full potential of the reforms adopted is still ~~not being realised because of~~impaired by internal institutional instability and contradictions, as well as by a lack of political resolve to accept and ensure the full independence of judicial and economic institutions as well as to avoid a selective use of justice;

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the full potential of the reforms adopted is still not being realised because of internal institutional instability ~~and~~, contradictions, weak capacity, limited resources and such external factors as the Covid-19 pandemic;

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the full potential of the reforms adopted is still not being realised because of internal institutional instability ~~and contradictions~~, lack of clear benchmarks and insufficient political will;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas the full potential of the reforms adopted is still not being realised because of ~~internal institutional instability and contradiction~~the high reform process dynamics and related institutional challenges;

Amendment 56 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas the Joint Statement of the NATO-Ukraine Commission on 31 October 2019, calls on Ukraine to comply with international obligations and commitments, to respect for human and minority rights and to fully implement the recommendations and conclusions of the Venice Commission on the Law on Education;

Amendment 57 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)

Ea. whereas, despite notable progress, widespread corruption continues to hamper Ukraine's reform process

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas support for modernisation, de-oligarchisation, reform and the fight against corruption is still very high among Ukrainian citizens and as such shall be responded to with no further delays;

Amendment 59 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas media landscape in Ukraine remains under a strong influence of media owners of oligarchic nature and media workers, particularly journalists investigating corruption and fraud, continuously face the threat of violence and intimidation, including death of journalist Vadym Komarov in 2019, their work is often obstructed by limited access to information, legal pressure, including criminal case against Bihus.info, and cyber-attacks, inter alia;

Amendment 6 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)

— having regard to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reports on Ukraine, particularly the report on the human rights situation in Ukraine of 16 February – 31 July 2020,

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, ~~the~~ Ukrain~~ian economy had returned to stability and was growing at a satisfactory rate~~e was already suffering from a long economic decline that can be linked to a series of substantial IMF loans conditional on market liberalisation and reduced government spending going back to 2005, and the beginning of the severing of economic ties to Russia with the so-called 'Orange Revolution' of 2004; the IMF debt and the war against successionists in the East that started as a result of the US- backed 2014 coup have contributed to the economic crisis; in the months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic there were some signs of stabilisation in the Ukrainian economy;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G

G. whereas before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukrainian economy ~~had returned to stability and was growing at a satisfactory rate~~recovered stability and showed satisfactory growth and increasing unemployment, fostered by the progress made in exploiting the potential of the AA/DCFTA;

Amendment 62 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas there is need for maintaining Ukraine's macro-economic stability, by adhering to its IMF commitments and implementing all medium-term structural policies agreed upon within the EU Macro-Financial Assistance program, as well as ensuring a strong and independent National Bank of Ukraine;

Amendment 63 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

Ga. whereas the EU stood with the people of Ukraine from the on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing financial and material support through bilateral and regional programmes;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the ongoing global crisis calls for a coordinated approach and exceptional support measure packages; whereas any emergency measures must be proportionate, limited in time and respect fundamental freedoms;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

H. whereas the ongoing global crisis calls for a coordinated approach and exceptional support measure packages, such as the ones made available by the Union to Ukraine in March, April and May 2020;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

Ha. whereas Ukraine belongs to the countries with a significant problem in the area of gender inequality; whereas equality before the law does not mean actual equality, but in practice women continue to encounter major obstacles in particular in the workplace; whereas in the WEF’s Global Gender Gap Index of 2018 Ukraine ranks 65 of 149 countries; whereas according to the income inequality indicator in Ukraine, for every 100 dollars of the income earned by men, women will earn only 63,1 dollars;

Amendment 67 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is still being severely undermined by the unresolved conflict in the east of the country ~~and~~, caused by the ongoing Russian military aggression and occupation of large portions of Don~~bas and the whole of Crimea~~etsk and Luhansk oblasts as well as continuous illegal occupation by Russia of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which the EU does not and will not recognise;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is still ~~being~~ undermined by the unresolved conflict in the east of the country and the ongoing ~~Russian~~ occupation of large portions of Donbas and the whole of Crimea, which worsen the human rights situation and represent a barrier to enhancing the country’s prosperity, stability and growth;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas ~~the independence, sovereignty and~~ territorial integrity of Ukraine is still being undermined by the unresolved conflict in the east of the country ~~and the ongoing Russian occupation of large portions of Donbas and the whole of Crimea~~;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)

— having regard to the Council of Europe’s Committee of Minister’s Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)51a and standards adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, __________________ 1aCouncil of Europe’s Committee of Ministers Recommendation to Member States on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, available, CM/Rec(2010)5, available on https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_det ails.aspx?ObjectID=09000016805cf40a

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is still being undermined by the unresolved conflict in the east of the country and the ongoing Russian occupation of large portions of Donbas and the whole of Crimea as well as targeted disinformation campaigns, cyber-attacks and other hybrid threats;

Amendment 71 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine ~~is still being undermined by the unresolved conflict in the east of the country and~~within its internationally recognised borders is still being undermined by the ongoing Russian occupation of large portions of Donbas and the whole of Crimean peninsula, which has been illegally annexed by the Russian Federation in 2014;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the ~~independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is still being undermined by~~structure of Ukraine is the unres~~olved conflict in the east of the country and the ongoing Russian occupation of large portions of Donbas and the whole of Crimea~~ult of internal border configurations in the former USSR and any resulting conflict can only be resolved by negotiation;

Amendment 73 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is still being undermined by the ~~unresolved conflict~~ongoing Russian aggression in the east of the country ~~and the ongo~~which has resulted ing Russian occupation of large portions of Donbas and the whole of Crimea;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is still being undermined by the unresolved conflict in the east of the country and the ~~ongoing Russian occupation of large portions of Donbas and the whole of Crimea~~illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol;

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas extreme right-wing violence is a source of danger to the EU, its principles and values and its international partners; whereas, in recent years, Ukraine has seen an upsurge of various bodies, organised groups and paramilitary units associated with violent right-wing extremism; whereas certain of these bodies have succeeded in infiltrating the country’s forces of law and order; whereas, since 2018, there has been an increase the number of attacks perpetrated by these bodies, organised groups and paramilitary units, targeting opposition members, journalists and minorities, as well as LGBTI and other vulnerable categories; whereas these movements are becoming increasingly coordinated at international level, bringing together fascist, supremacist and far-right groups and activists from various parts of the world;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas, on 17 July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur was shot down over Donetsk Oblast in the context of Russian efforts to undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity, leading to the death of all 298 passengers and crew; whereas the Netherlands-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) confirmed that Flight MH17 was downed with the use of a Buk surface-to- air missile supplied by the Kursk-based 53rd anti-aircraft brigade of the Russian Ground Forces;

Amendment 77 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas the Parliament recognises the leadership and political will by authorities in providing sufficient protection to national Prides; whereas hate speech and hate crime against LGBT persons nevertheless remain pervasive and police protection is not always forthcoming, as reflected by the violent attacks during Kyiv Pride, where demonstrators could not fully enjoy their universal right to freedom of peaceful assembly while being protected from violence;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas the ongoing military conflict have caused a humanitarian crisis with devastating consequences on 4.4 million people of which 1.6 million are internally displaced (IDPs); whereas 3.4 million people whom are living on the line of contact require humanitarian assistance and protection; whereas, as a result of attacks on public infrastructure, local populations are facing limited access to health care facilities, schools, water and sanitation;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas the human rights situation in Eastern Ukraine and on the Crimean peninsula has significantly deteriorated, while the violation of freedom of speech, media abuse and the forced imposition of Russian citizenship have become systematic, and fundamental human rights and freedoms are not guaranteed; whereas the self-proclaimed authorities in occupied Crimea continue to harass Crimean Tatars, prosecuting dozens on trumped-up terrorism charges;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)

— having regard to the Joint Statement following the 22nd EU-Ukraine Summit, 6 October 2020,

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas Ukraine has ranked 96thin the 2020 World Press Freedom Index; whereas Ukraine have adopted a number of reforms, including a law on media ownership transparency, but much more is needed to loosen the oligarchs’ tight grip on the media, encourage editorial independence and combat impunity for crimes of violence against journalists;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas the 22nd EU-Ukraine Summit acknowledged the European aspirations of Ukraine and welcomed its European choice, recognised the substantial progress made by Ukraine in its reform process as well as welcomed the results already achieved in the implementation of the AA and the success of the DCFTA;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas the EU strongly condemned the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, including the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, in violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity;

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas the EU condemns Russia for stopping its cooperation in the MH17- cases; whereas the EU strongly appeals on Russia to fully cooperate in the MH17- investigations and court cases;

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas Ukraine continues to be a target of wide-spread disinformation campaigns;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

Ib. whereas a trial against four prime suspects of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, enabled by Ukraine’s cooperation within the Joint Investigation Team, commenced under Dutch law on 9 March 2020; whereas the Netherlands on 10 July 2020 brought an inter-State application against the Russian Federation before the European Court of Human Rights for its role in the downing of Flight MH17; whereas Russia exerted pressure on Ukraine to include a fifth person of interest, Volodymyr Tsemakh, in a prisoner exchange on 7 September 2019; whereas, on 15 October 2020, Russia unilaterally ceased its participation in the trilateral truth-finding consultations with Australia and the Netherlands; whereas Russia has consistently obstructed all efforts to bring perpetrators to justice, including through its rejection of the results of the Joint Investigation Team, the promotion of disinformation on Flight MH17, and by exerting its veto power in the UN Security Council to thwart the establishment of an international tribunal;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

Ib. whereas law enforcement has refused on numerous occasions to investigate criminal complaints by LGBT persons on hate crimes or speech, namely Pride demonstrators, due to lack of provisions in the Criminal Code to prosecute incitement to hatred or violence on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity; whereas ECRI has recommended the amendment of the criminal code to cover such grounds and to consider them as aggravating circumstances;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

Ib. whereas the social situation in Ukraine remains a subject of deep concern: whereas wages are the lowest in Europe and people are leaving the country in search of a different and better life; whereas companies face bankruptcy and external debt payments are a third of the budget; whereas inequality and poverty are rising, many workers do not get paid and wage arrears are billions of hryvnia;

Amendment 88 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

Ib. whereas the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine estimates at least 94 Ukrainian citizens persecuted for political motives in Crimea or in Russia, out of which 71 are Crimean Tatars, including Marlen Asanov, Memet Belyalov, Timur Ibragimov, Seyran Saliyev, Server Mustafayev, Server Zekiryayev and Edem Smailov sentenced in September 2020 to prison terms of between 13 and 19 years;

Amendment 89 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

Ib. whereas the EU condemned the voting procedures on constitutional amendments of the Russian Federation concluded on 1 July 2020 that took place in the Crimean Peninsula, as well as the election of the so-called “governor of Sevastopol” on 13 September 2020, in violation of international law;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 b (new)

— having regard to the fifth country monitoring report of the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), published on September 20171a, and to the conclusions on Ukraine, concerning the state of implementation of the 2017 recommendations, published on June 20201b, __________________ 1ahttps://rm.coe.int/fifth-report-on- ukraine/16808b5ca8 1bhttps://rm.coe.int/ecri-conclusions-on- the-implementation-of-the- recommendations-in-respe/16809e8277

Amendment 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)

Ib. whereas the EU continues its policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia and in this regard continues to implement restrictive measures against individuals and entities involved in this breach of international law;

Amendment 91 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I c (new)

Ic. whereas the EU remains committed to the endeavours of the Normandy format, the OSCE, the Trilateral Contact Group and the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, and welcomed the constructive approach of Ukraine in the Normandy format and the Trilateral Contact Group and called on Russia to reciprocate; whereas the EU recently renewed its economic sanctions on Russia, whose duration remains clearly linked to the full implementation of the Minsk agreements;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I c (new)

Ic. whereas the DCFTA promised to approximate national law of Ukraine and national standards to those of the EU, including in the social area; whereas, despite these commitments, the implementation in the social sphere remains dissatisfactory; whereas Ukraine has ratified the main international instruments, but continues to fail to implement them;

Amendment 93 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I c (new)

Ic. whereas LGBTI people and feminist activists are continuously subjected to hate speech and violent attacks, and Roma people face discriminatory language and hate speech from State and local authorities and the media;

Amendment 94 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I d (new)

Id. whereas the COVID-19 pandemic deepened the problems of Ukrainian healthcare system: whereas despite the fact that according to Ukrainian law, healthcare is free, this is not the reality that many of the country’s citizens experience when seeking medical treatment; whereas a recent poll suggested that only 10% of patients were able to afford medical treatment; whereas due the low pay many Ukrainian doctors and other medical professionals have been seeking employment outside of the country; whereas the Healthcare reform did not solve the problems, but result in further cuts to of the already limited state funding;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I d (new)

Id. whereas, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more essential that humanitarian aid continues to be delivered and that the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, UN agencies, non- governmental organisations and the International Committee of the Red Cross have unimpeded access to the non- government controlled areas;

Amendment 96 #