Activities of Igor ŠOLTES related to 2018/2146(INI)
Plenary speeches (2)
2018 Report on Serbia (debate) SL
2018 Report on Serbia (debate) SL
Amendments (12)
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Points out that despite the relevant amount of EU money spent in Serbia within the framework of IPA funds over the years, the perception of EU assistance in Serbian public opinion is very low; urges the Commission to step up efforts so as to increase the visibility and inform correctly the Serbian people about all the projects and programmes carried out in the country with EU aid;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Urges Serbia to step up its reform efforts in the area of rule of law, and in particular to ensure the independence and overall efficiency of the judicial system; stresses that special focus should be put on implementing effective reform in this area; notes that while some progress has been made in reducing the backlog of old enforcement cases, and in putting in place measures to harmonise court practice, judicial independence in Serbia is not fully assured; calls on Serbia to strengthen the accountability, impartiality, professionalism and overall efficiency of the judiciary, and to establish a free legal aid system ensuring the broad range of free legal aid providers, including civil society organisations;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Reiterates the importance of intensifying the fight against corruption and urges Serbia to show a clear commitment to tackle this issue; welcomes the adoption of the amendments made in the economic crimes section of the country’s criminal code and invites Serbia to amend criminal offences provisions set in other laws; reiterates its call to swiftly adopt a new law on the Anti- Corruption Agency to improve the planning, coordination and monitoring of the implementation of new and existing legislation and policies; urges Serbia to adopt or change other necessary anti- corruption legislation, as identified in the Action Plan for chapter 23 of negotiations and recommendations of GRECO and ODIHR; stresses that it is critical that the Agency receives and maintains the human and financial resources it needs to carry out its mandate in an independent manner; invites Serbian Parliament to finalize the election process of the Anti-corruption Agency Board members in a transparent and democratic manner; calls on the authorities to fill all open positions in the Agency; calls on Serbia to further improve its track record on investigations, indictments and final convictions in high- level corruption cases, to publish related statistics and elaborated information about results of investigations in all publicly known cases of alleged corruption of public officials on regular basis;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Acknowledges some progress has been made in theUrges Serbia to show a clear commitment to fight against organised crime; calls on Serbia to establish a convincing track record of investigations, prosecutions and convictions in organised crime cases, including money laundering, based on proactive investigations; calls on Serbia to focus on the implementation of the action plan agreed with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF);
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that the Serbian pParliament still does not exercise effective oversight of the executive, and that the transparency, inclusiveness and quality of the legislative process need to be enhanced; welcomes the declining use of urgent procedures to adopt legislation; stresses, however, that the still- frequent use of urgent procedures undermines parliamentary and public scrutiny; stresses that actions that limit the ability of the Serbian parliament to conduct an effective debate on, and scrutiny of, legislation should be avoided; welcomes the Serbian pParliament’s continued efforts to improve transparency throughfacilitate debates on Serbia’s negotiating positions on EU accession chapters, and through exchanges with the core negotiating team and with the National Convention on the European Union; stresses that the role of independent regulatory bodies, including the country’s Ombudsman, needs to be fully acknowledged and supportedurges the Serbian Parliament to address recommendations of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), in particular with regard to corruption prevention and conflicts of interest, and to adopt the Code of Conduct; stresses that the role of independent regulatory bodies, including the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, the Ombudsman, and others, needs to be fully acknowledged and supported; calls for the Serbian Parliament to engage in promoting and monitoring the implementation of independent regulatory bodies' findings and recommendations;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Underlines that the most of the legislative and institutional framework for upholding human rights is in place; stresses that consistent and efficient implementation across the whole country is needed; calls on Serbia to adopt the new Law on Personal Data Protection fully in line with the EU standards; notes that further sustained efforts are necessary to improve the situation of persons belonging to vulnerable groups, including children, persons with disabilities, persons with HIV/AIDS, Roma and LGBTI persons; underlines that the legislative and institutional framework for upholding human rights of children and adults with disabilities has shortcomings; calls on Serbia to actively pursue investigations, prosecutions and convictions of hate- motivated crimes;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates its concern that no progress has been made to improve the situation regarding freedom of expression and of the media; stresses that threats, violence and intimidation against journalists remain an issue of concern; notes, in this regard, that while several cases have been solved and some criminal charges have been filed, convicand media outlets, including administrative harassment and intimidation through court practice, remain an issue of concern especially that coming from the state officials on national and local level; calls upon the highest state officials to be consistent in public condemnation of any form of intimidation of journalists, and on state officials at all levels to refrain from such behaviour; welcomes the effort of the Standing working group that was established through the Agreement on Cooperations are still rare;nd Measures for Increasing the Safety of Journalists and calls upon the authorities to demonstrate full commitment to investigate and prosecute any cases of attacks against journalists and media outlets; regrets Regulatory Body for Electronic Media’s lack of supervision and action, especially during the election period; calls for the full implementation of media laws and the strengthening of the independence of the country’s Regulatory Body for Electronic Media; welcomes the renewed efforts to adopt a media strategy to create a pluralistic media environment, and stresses, in this regard, the importance of a transparent and inclusive consultation with stakeholders; underlines the need for complete transparency in media ownership and funding;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the adoption of an action plan for the realisation of the rights of national minorities, and the adoption of a decree establishing a fund for national minorities; calls for the full implementation of the action plan and for improved coordination and inclusion of stakeholders; notes that the fund for national minorities is functioning and that its funding has been increased; reiterates its call on Serbia to ensure consistent implementation of legislation on the protection of minorities, including in relation to education, the use of languages, representation in public administration and access to media and religious services in minority languages; calls for full implementation of the right to timely birth registration for all children born in Serbia, including those of undocumented parents;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the adoption of the new Roma social inclusion strategy for the period 2016-2025 along with an action plan covering education, health, housing and employment; calls for full implementation of the new strategy for Roma inclusion and the action plan; highlights the importance of formulating policies that will combat discrimination against Roma and Anti-Gypsism;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the adoption of a national strategy for the investigation and prosecution of war crimes; notes the adoption of a prosecutorial strategy for investigation and prosecution of war crimes and calls on Serbia to implement effectively all foreseen activities; welcomes the appointment in May 2017 of a new war crimes prosecutor; reiterates its call for the efficient and dedicated implementation of thise National strategy, in particular by means of bringing forward indictments, and for the adoption of an operational prosecutorial strategy; calls for effective investigation of high-profile war crimes cases; calls on Serbia to again cooperate fully with the current Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals; urges the Serbian authorities to continue working on the issue of the fate of missing persons and to cooperate fully with its regional partners in war crime cases; urges the Serbian authorities to express their political commitment to dealing with the consequences of armed conflicts; urges the Serbian authorities to continue working on the issue of the fate of missing persons; urges Serbia to prepare a reparations scheme for victims and their families as an important precondition for reconciliation; points out that a new law on civilian victims should be adopted without any undue delay; highlights the importance of the work carried out by the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) and its local branches in promoting reconciliation among the youth;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on Serbia to implement fully the connectivity reform measures in the energy sector; encourages Serbia to develop competition in the gas market and to fulfil the corresponding obligations regarding unbundling as foreseen by the Third Energy Package; welcomes the country’s efforts to promote investments in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Expresses its deep concern at the alarming level of air pollution in Serbia whereby, according to World Health Organisations data, in 2016 some 6500 people died of respiratory ailments; calls, in this regard, on the Serbian authorities to adopt the necessary short-term measures to tackle this situation and to reform effectively in the medium and long-term transport and mobility policies in the big cities;