25 Amendments of Tonino PICULA related to 2021/2246(INI)
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes Kosovo’s commitment to advance on EU-related reforms and the overwhelming consensus among political parties and public support for European integration;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the increased political stability and strong commitment of the government to further advance on its European path as demonstrated by the adoption of the Action Plan of the European Reform Agenda II and the National Programme for the Implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement; underlines the need 2022-2026; welcomes the willingness of the government to strengthen the administrative capacities and to put in place a coherent coordination structure within the Kosovo institutions for their effective implementation;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. CWelcomes the establishment of the ad-hoc Commission for electoral reform on 13 April 2021 by the Assembly; calls on Kosovo to address the long-standing deficiencies in the electoral process; deploregrets the fact that many of the recommendations issued by previous EU election observation missions since 2013 remain unaddressed;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reiterates its call on the Council to proceed urgently with the adoption of a visa-free regime for the citizens of Kosovo;, as Kosovo remains the only country in the Western Balkans without visa liberalisation regime, despite fulfilling all the benchmarks for visa liberalisation roadmap, as consistently confirmed by the Commission since July 2018.
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Notes also Kosovo’s intention to apply for membership of the European Union in 2022, for a candidate country status but stresses that there is no fast-track procedure and that the progress in normalisation of relations with Serbia is necessary for Kosovo to advance on its European path;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the adoption of the resolution of the Assembly of Kosovo strongly condemning the military aggression and the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, and commends Kosovo for its alignment with the EU by adopting sanctions against Russia, allocating humanitarian aid to Ukraine and for its willingness to host refugees by temporarily lifting visas for Ukraine citizens, including a specific programme for journalists from Ukraine to work remotely in Kosovo;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Takes note of the government’s plans for the vetting of judges and prosecutors, and underlines the importance of the Venice Commission’s opinion; stresses that vetting should be used as a last resort and insists that the EU and the US reservations should not be disregarded; welcomes the cooperation of Kosovo authorities with the EU to find solutions within European standards that make Kosovo’s judiciary more efficient, independent and accountable;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Urges the government to implementaddress appropriately the concerns related to the ruling of the Constitutional Court granting parcels of land to the Visoki Dečani Monastery; is concerned that the authorities have still not implemented this court decision, thereby undermining the government’s commitment to enforcing the rule of law and its respect for an independent judiciary;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Regrets the Kosovo Assembly’s failure to adopt the draft Civil Code, at the first reading, and calls for its adoption once the Civil Code is again submitted to the plenary, which would bring much- needed progress for Kosovo citizens and would have a positive impact on the economic development of Kosovo;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Regrets the fact that the initiatives to involve the Serb community in Kosovo’s political, social and economic structures are only very limited; reiterates that the institutionalisation of the learning of official languages in Kosovo and equal access to services and information in the official languages are essential; Welcomes the efforts of the Kosovo authorities to address inter-ethnic incidents;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Reiterates its call for greater inclusion of persons belonging to minorities, including the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, as well as persons with disabilities and displaced persons, by providing them with access to adequate healthcare and social protection; Welcomes the initiative of the Government of Kosovo to regularly consult and meet with all communities living in Kosovo as part of internal dialogue.
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Welcomes the appointment of new board of public broadcaster RTK in a transparent and merit based process; calls for finding a sustainable solution for the public broadcaster and secure editorial independence. Notes that the media landscape has been distorted in recent years, with large- scale investments leading to increased private sector influence over major media outlets; reiterates the need to guarantee media transparency, including on media ownership;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Is deeply concerned about the continuing high level of domestic and gender-based violence in Kosovo; calls for the effective implementation of the national strategy against domestic and gender-based violence; Welcomes the adoption of the National Strategy on protection against domestic violence and violence against women, the draft law on crime victim compensation and the adoption of the revisions on free legal aid, which guarantees free legal aid to victims of domestic violence, victims of gender- based violence and of sexual violence.
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls for the EU to strengthen its support for and cooperation with Kosovo in addressing disinformation and fighting malign hybrid activities, in particular from Russia and China; condemns in particular the long running disinformation campaigns by Russia’s state-owned Serbian-language outlet Sputnik Serbia, which regularly spreads misinformation to saw ethnic tensions, tries to delegitimise Kosovo’s statehood, to destabilise its governance and to undermine Kosovo’s relations with Europe.
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Welcomes Kosovo’s active participation in the regional cooperation mechanisms, including the Common Regional Market and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans; welcomes the various bilateral cooperation agreements between Kosovo and North Macedonia and Albania; Encourages Kosovo to be also invited and to participate in regional cooperation forums like the Open Balkan Initiative.
Amendment 214 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Reconfirms its support for the EU- facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and reiterates the importance of constructive engagement on the part of the authorities of both Serbia and Kosovo in order to achieve a comprehensive legally binding normalisation agreement concluding with mutual recognition, which is crucial for both countries to advance on their respective European paths; calls for all past agreements to be respected and fully implemented, including the Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities, which should not undermine the functioning of Kosovo’s institutions;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Regrets the decision of the Government of Kosovo to reject a proposal by international mediators enabling the collection of the ballots of eligible voters to allow them to vote in the territory of Kosovo in the 3 April 2022 Serbian elections, as had been the case previously;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Welcomes the introducstart of the implementation of a roaming-free zone in the entire Western Balkans, involving Kosovo, as of 1 July 2021, improving connectivity and bringing benefits to citizens and businesses in the region;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. RegretsWelcomes the steps undertaken by the government aiming at reducing the informal economy; Regrets, however, the fact that Kosovo’s large informal economy continues to hinder the development of its private sector; notes the existence of a strategy and a corresponding action plan to address the underlying causes of informality, but regrets the lack of effective implementation;and welcomes the creation of 25.000 new jobs through the recovery package.
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)
Paragraph 32 a (new)
32a. Welcomes the disbursement of a COVID-19 Macro-Financial Assistance package aimed at mitigating economic impacts of the pandemic and keeping macroeconomic stability as well as mobilising €14.2 billion from IPA III to support the Western Balkans partners in meeting the requirements for European membership;
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 b (new)
Paragraph 32 b (new)
32b. Commends Kosovo for its successful management of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the vaccination process; welcomes that Kosovo has purchased only COVID-19 vaccines produced and certified by the EU/UK/US and that work is progressing for Kosovo to qualify for the European Digital COVID Certificate;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Underlines that the implementation of both fundamental and structural reforms remains essential for economic recovery and social development;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Urges the authorities to continue their efforts to reform the education system so that it provides students with the skills and knowledge required by the labour market; welcomes the increased scholarships for female students and calls for increased efforts to integrate women into the labour market;
Amendment 279 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34 a (new)
Paragraph 34 a (new)
34a. Encourages the extension of the scholarship program of the College of Europe besides the European Neighbourhood countries also to the students from the Western Balkans countries.
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Calls on the government to speed up its work on theWelcomes the new draft Energy Strategy 2022- 2030, with a particular focus on a sustainable and affordable energy supply, increased energy efficiency and the further diversification of energy sources;