Activities of Fabio Massimo CASTALDO related to 2021/2002(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Cooperation on the fight against organised crime in the Western Balkans (continuation of debate)
Amendments (12)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas corruption and organised crime remain a serious concern across the Western Balkan region which can also have negative impacts on EU Member States;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the threat posed by criminals originating from the Western Balkans has been used as an argument against EU accession in some countries; and, therefore, it should be properly addressed in order to favour further steps in the EU accession process of the Western Balkans countries;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that organised crime and corruption first and foremost hurt the citizens of the Western Balkan countries, as they undermine their right to safety and social cohesion as well as their trust in the democratic system, create obstacles to democratic reforms and hamper the accession process, while also having potential and factual negative impacts on EU Member States security and stability;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the rule of law and the fight against corruption and organised crime are areas in which the Western Balkan countries need to show more progress on their EU path; calls for the EU to promote, as a priority of enlargement policy, the correct transposition of relevant international instruments targeting corruption and organised crime; reaffirms that the EU should support Western Balkan countries’ efforts to put in place relevant actions and initiatives through financial means and other forms of practical cooperation;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes that the lack of employment opportunities, corruption, elements of state capture, inequality and the slow process of EU accession are among the factors that make Western Balkans societies vulnerable to organised crime, and urges both the authorities of the Western Balkan countries and their international partners, includingespecially the EU, to intensify their efforts in addressing these challenges;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the Western Balkan countries to target criminal organisations as a whole rather than individual cases; urges the relevant authorities to strengthen the protection of informants and whistleblowers to increase the capacity to dismantle organised criminal groups;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Underlines the importance of cooperation and intelligence sharing both with EU bodies such as Europol and with international partners like the Unites States, the United Kingdom and international organisations such as NATO, the Organization for Security and Co- operation in Europe (OSCE) and the UNODC;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the Western Balkan countries’ commitment to combating illicit firearmssmall arms and light weapons (SALW) trafficking, in particular the adoption of a regional roadmap at the EU- Western Balkans Summit in London, which aims to tackle the illicit possession, use, manufacturing and trafficking of firearmSALW; Suggests that actions intended to combat the proliferation and illicit use of SALW should be coordinated with the South Eastern and Eastern European Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC) in order to mainstream also other elements that can led to a proper reform of the countries’ overall security sectors;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that the six Western Balkan countries remain a major transit region for the trafficking of drugs; welcomes the increasing number of joint counter- narcotics operations; calls, in this respect, for cooperation to be intensified between EU law-enforcement agencies such as Europol, EU Member States law- enforcement bodies and their counterparts from the Western Balkans;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the increased cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkan countries in the fight against organised crime and encourages the EU to further support capacity building in the Western Balkans and the facilitation of police and judicial cooperation in countering organised crime; Recommends that existing EU-sponsored structures such as the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) are strengthened and that they can play a consistent role in favouring further cooperation between the EU, its Member States, and the Western Balkans countries;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the conclusion of cooperation agreements between Eurojust and four Western Balkan countries, as well as the authorisation to open negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina; urges the Council to authorise the opening of negotiations for a similar agreement with Kosovo, as soon as possible, as judicial cooperation in criminal matters with all Western Balkan countries is crucial to fighting organised crime;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Commends the role played by regional initiatives involving EU Member States and Western Balkan Countries such as the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR, the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative (AII), the Central European Initiative (CEI), and the Berlin Process; Encourages both EU Member States and Western Balkan countries to take part in these initiatives and to exploit their potential fully also rationalising them through merging when overlapping or similarities in the activities and domains covered by the single initiatives are present;