30 Amendments of Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS related to 2019/2173(INI)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the parliamentary elections of 30 August 2020 have resulted in the first transition of power in a democratic setting in the country since restoring independence in 2006;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the previous Government acknowledged the election results, thus confirming the level of democratic maturity and progress achieved in Montenegro;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the 30 August 2020 elections resulted in the first transition of power since the country’s independence, in full respect of democratic standards and Montenegro’s constitution; regrets that this election process was yet again marked by accusations of foreign influence on the outcome of the elections;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses the need for cooperative and constructive cohabitation between the President and the new Government with a view to enhancing Montenegro’s progress on its EU path and strengthening further democratic progress of the country; calls on all parties to abide by democratic and constitutional principles in overcoming political and ideological differences;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Strongly stresses the unconditional need to avoid the use or the threat of use of force in settling any political or ethnic dispute, in order to prevent a democratic regression in the country;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Commends Montenegro’s progress in several areas of the accession negotiations, including international police cooperation and the fight against human trafficking and organized crime; calls on the authorities to accelerate political and economic reforms, particularly on the rule of law, the judiciary, media freedom and the fight against corruption, where further significant progress has to be made;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Welcomes the decision of the previous Government and the current opposition not to boycott the work of the Parliament and instead participate therein;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Reiterates the importance of accelerating work on the implementation of the action plans for Chapters 23 and 24 and other strategic documents relating to the rule of law, in particular through effective cross-party dialogue aimed at ensuring the required qualified majority for key judicial and prosecutorial appointments; regrets that the working group on chapter 24 has not met over the past year and calls for an inclusive process with the participation of representatives of the non-governmental sector in this working group;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the efforts to implement public administration reform (PAR) and the results already achieved; is concerned by the findings that party membership still influences employment in the Montenegrin public sector and in that respect calls on the new government of Montenegro to avoid politically-motivated dismissals of professionals; calls on the Montenegrin authorities to continue their efforts to create an efficient public administration and to retain expertise, in particular on Foreign Affairs and the EU accession process;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Is concerned by the amendments to the Law on Civil Servants and State Employees adopted in the Parliament of Montenegro, which could undermine the progress achieved in public administration reform based on merit- based employment criteria, as set in the 2018 European Commission Progress Report on Montenegro;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on the Montenegrin authorities to devote special attention to money laundering, tax evasion and any other criminal activity in the framework of the investor citizenship scheme; calls on the authorities to enhance customer due diligence in this programme;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Calls for operational independence of the media regulators and public service broadcaster from undue political interference, including granting the Agency for Electronic Media (AEM) powers to impose a complete set of measures and establish a track record to demonstrate adequate administrative capacity to enforce the EU acquis for electronic communications, information society services and audio-visual media services, including as regards regulatory independence;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Strongly condemns verbal and physical attacks against and intimidation of national minorities, especially in Pljevlja following the August 2020 parliamentary elections; calls for a thorough investigation of all accusations related to foreign interference in the census procedure and urges to pay special attention to issues related to the national and ethnic affiliation of Montenegrin citizens;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Takes note of the Law on Domestic Violence Protection, and asks for its thorough implementation as gender-based, domestic violence and violence against children remain an issue of serious concern; calls on the new Government to continue the practice of coordination and consultation when adopting and/or amending laws related to the EU acquis;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Welcomes progress on the protection of LGBTI rights and the adoption of the law on same-sex partnershipswelcomes the fact that Montenegro is the first country in the region to adopt a law on same-sex partnerships; encourages the government to ensure the implementation of this law and to combat homophobia and discrimination of LGBTI individuals in all aspects of society;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Regrets that the new Government adopted amendments to the Law on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Legal Status of Religious Communities in an urgent procedure without public debate and without dialogue with all religious communities;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 d (new)
Paragraph 26 d (new)
26d. Is concerned by the lack of progress in dealing with war crimes committed in Montenegro and calls on the authorities to support and develop the established Documentation and Information Centre;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Calls for the creation of new opportunities for high level political and policy dialogue with the Western Balkans countries, through regular EU-Western Balkans summits and intensified ministerial contacts, in order to strengthen the political nature of the enlargement process, to ensure stronger steering and high-level engagement, as also called for by the revised enlargement methodology;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 c (new)
Paragraph 28 c (new)
28c. Calls on the Montenegrin authorities to pay attention to the growing indebtedness and financial dependence on China;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 d (new)
Paragraph 28 d (new)
28d. Underlines the need for the EU and the United States to strengthen their partnership and coordination in the Western Balkans in order to advance key reforms, improve governance and reconciliation;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Encourages Montenegro to intensify work on better aligning the education system with the labour market in order to more effectively tackle the phenomena of skills mismatch and brain drain among young people; calls on the Montenegrin authorities to strive for an open and transparent human resource policy in public administration and especially in the national health system;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Notes with concern the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Montenegro’s economy; calls on the Government to carry on in close cooperation with parliament a responsible macroeconomic and fiscal policy in view of the high public debt; calls for a more transparent and timely national budgeting process; encourages the authorities to make the best use of EU assistance in order to mitigate the impact of the crisis;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Welcomes Montenegro’s progress in diversifying its electricity production towards renewable sources, as well as its active participation in the Western Balkans Connectivity Agenda and exceeding its overall 2020 renewables target and sectorial targets for electricity, heating and cooling, as well as its active participation in the Western Balkans Connectivity Agenda; invites Montenegro to introduce streamlined and simplified rules for facilitating the further deployment of renewable projects;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35a. Recognises the steps Montenegro has taken towards establishing an electronic system for guarantees of origin and supports Montenegro’s efforts to become a member of the Association of Issuing Bodies (AIB), in order to ensure compatibility with the standardized European Energy Certificate System;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 b (new)
Paragraph 35 b (new)
35b. Takes note of the advanced stage of implementing reforms in the electricity sector and invites Montenegro to transpose the REMIT Regulation without delay and transpose network codes into national grid codes;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 c (new)
Paragraph 35 c (new)
35c. Invites Montenegro to increase the current low level of cross-zonal capacities available to electricity market participants in line with the best EU practice to at least 70% of the transmission capacity, respecting operational security limits after the deduction of contingencies;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 d (new)
Paragraph 35 d (new)
35d. Notes with concern the slow progress in the reconstruction works and thus the delay in shutting down the Pljevlja thermal power plant despite having reached the maximum allowed number of operating hours under the opt- out mechanism for large combustion plants; invites Montenegro to comply with the rules of the Large Combustion Plant Directive without delay;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 e (new)
Paragraph 35 e (new)
35e. Commends Montenegro for being a frontrunner in establishing a carbon pricing and emission trading mechanism in the region and taking the first steps to put in place the necessary rules for monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions; invites Montenegro to continue its efforts in the pursuit of putting in place an EU-compatible emission trading system;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 f (new)
Paragraph 35 f (new)
35f. Welcomes the full compliance achieved as regards the Fuel Quality Directive, but remains concerned by the lack of progress in holding emergency oil stocks;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 g (new)
Paragraph 35 g (new)
35g. Recognises the steps taken in the process of developing an ambitious National Energy and Climate Plan; calls however for further improved efforts to finalise the document as soon as possible, in line with the Recommendations of the Ministerial Council of the Energy Community;