21 Amendments of Eleftherios SYNADINOS related to 2016/2312(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2
Citation 2
— having regard to the Presidency conclusions of the Thessaloniki European Council of 19-20 June 2003 concerning the decision on the prospect of the Western Balkan countries joining the EU,
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Α
Recital Α
A. whereas Albania has not made steady or satisfactory progress in its EU accession process; whereas further implementation of, inter alia, the judicial reform package, electoral reform and the so-called decriminalisation law is important in strengthening citizens’ trust in their public institutions and political representatives;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Γ
Recital Γ
C. whereas presidential and parliamentary elections willare planned to take place in Albania in 2017;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes Albania’s continuousIs concerned at the very slow progress onf EU-related reforms, in particularAlbania, such as the adoption of constitutional amendments paving the way for a comprehensive judicial reform; stresses that not only consistent adoption but also full and timely implementation of reforms and sustained political commitment are essential in order to further advance the EU accession process;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Fully sSupports Albania’s potential accession to the EU, and calls for the should it meet the criteria, and calls for the possibility of opening accession negotiations to be opened as soon asreconsidered when there is credible progress in the implementation of judicial reform, in order to keep and only when fundamental rights, such as the right of the Greform momentumek minority to property, are safeguarded by the spirit of the law; expects Albania to consolidate thewhatever progress is achieved and at least to maintain the pace of progress onin the implementation of all key priorities;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Reiterates that a constructive dialogue, sustainable political cooperation and a willingness to compromise is crucial for the success of the reforms and for the entire EU accession process, conditions which in the present case are not yet met;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. CommendAscertains the consensual adoption of the constitutional amendments for judicial reform and the adoption of laws on the institutional reorganisation of the judiciary; calls for the swift adoption and implementation of all relevant accompanying laws and by-laws, in particular the law on the re-evaluation (vetting) of judges, prosecutors and legal advisors; notes that the application of the vetting law has been suspended by the Constitutional Court, and that the latter has requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on its constitutionality; reiterates that a comprehensive judicial reform is aone of the major demands by Albania’s citizens for re-establishing trust in their political representatives and public institutions, and that the credibility and effectiveness of the overall reform process, including the fight against corruption and organised crime, dependagainst organised crime, human trafficking, arms trafficking, corruption in the judiciary and across the whole spectrum of public administration and the the state apparatus, the feebleness of law enforcement and structural weaknesses in the governance system, all depend in principle on the success of the vetting process and judicial reform;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the new justice reform strategy 2017-2020 and its action plan, as well as the increased budgetary means for implementation; calls for any shortcomings in the functioning of the judicial system to be further addressed, including lack of independence from other branches of power, selective justice, limited accountability, ineffective oversight mechanisms, corruption, interventions in the work of the courts, the inability of judges to administer the laws, the shamefully small number of staff in key points of the judicial system, the lack of fully adequate equipment and systems for recording and archiving judicial proceedings, the lack of effective decision- making process in courts and the overall length of judicial proceedings and enforcements;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls on the Ad-Hoc Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reform to finalise its review of the electoral code while addressing all previous OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and the spirit of the European Parliament and Commission reports; calls on the competent authorities to ensure implementation in due time before the upcoming parliamentary elections of June 2017; recalls that all political parties are responsible for ensuring that democratic elections are conducted in compliance with international standards and above all without the partisan composition of committees, without undue or disproportionate restrictions and interventions that negatively affect the electoral climate and without procedural irregularities or omissions before and during the voting, the counting and recording of votes; calls on Albania’s political parties to respect the law, in spirit and in letter, on the exclusion of criminal offenders from public office when drawing up their candidate lists;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the apparently improved transparency and inclusivity of parliamentary activities, but calls for parliamentary capacities to be enhanced in order to monitor the implementation of reforms and their compliance with EU standards and to make better use of the various oversight mechanisms and institutions in order to hold the government officially to account; calls for the parliamentary code of ethics to be approved and for the rules of procedure to reflect the law on the role of parliament in the EU integration process along with the publication of the code and the rules as part of measures to ensure unbiased and merit-based procedures; offers to explore ways for closer cooperation with the Parliament of Albania within the framework of the European Parliament support programme for parliaments of the enlargement countries in order to enhance its capacity to produce quality legislation in line with the EU acquis and to exercise its oversight role in the implementation of reforms;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes the efforts towards a more citizen-friendly public administration and steady progress in the implementation of public administration reform; calls for further progress in strengthening the application of the Civil Service Law and the Law on Administrative Procedures, in order to safeguard the independence of regulatory bodies, improve recruitment procedures based on merit and performance, and enhance institutional and human resource capacities, with a view to ensuring efficient conduct ofthe way to EU accession negotiations; commends the National Council for European Integration on its initiatives to enhance the capacities of public administration and civil society in monitoring the implementation of accession-related reforms;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the adoption of key pieces of anti-corruption legislation, including on the protection of whistle- blowers; is concerned, however, that key anti-corruption institutions continue to be subject to political interference and have limited administrative capacities; stresses the need for a more adequate legal framework for conflicts of interest, regulating lobbying and better interinstitutional cooperation, especially between police and prosecution services, with a view to improving their track record as regards investigation, prosecution and conviction, including in high level cases; is concerned about the wider cost to the economy, society and institutions caused by the widespread corruption and the failure of anti-corruption bodies which involves, inter alia, a failure to implement decisions properly; particularly in view of the upcoming parliamentary elections, calls for effective oversight of political party financing;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the continuedAcknowledges the nominal will to implementation of the strategy and action plan on the fight against organised crime and intensified international police cooperation; welcomes recent operations against drug plantations, but the range of these measures is unsatisfactory and they need to acquire a dynamic of their own, since national authorities are aware of the inadmissibility of the cultivation and trafficking of drug plants, preparations, substances and derivatives; calls also for organised crime networks to be dismantled and for the number of final, legally fully safe convictions in recognised organised crime cases to be increased, by enhancing cooperation between police and prosecution services and by strengthening institutional and operational capacities; underlines the need to step upfor substantive efforts to prevent human trafficking, in particular as regards unaccompanied children and child victims of trafficking;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Urges the competent authorities to continue improving the climate of inclusion and tolerance for all minorities in the country, including by enhancing the role of the State Committee on Minorities; as regards Roma and Egyptians, in which members of the minorities must have a strong say and be properly represented; calls for recognition of the need for protection of minority rights throughout its territory, not only in government-recognised minority areas; reiterates that the protection of minority rights is directly connected with property rights; calls for continued efforts in improving their access to employment, education, health, social housing and legal aid; is concerned that, despite improvements, the inclusion of Roma children in the education system remains the lowest in the region;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. CommendsStresses the scope for greater religious tolerance and goodbetter cooperation among religious communities; encourages the competent authorities and religious communities to cooperate in preserving and fostering religious harmony; considers it essential to prevent Islamic radicalisationabsolutely vital to address Islamic radicalisation and to prevent its spread, particularly in regions outside the urban centres, including through disengagement and reintegration of returning foreign fighters after exhausting the penal and legal provisions, to counter violent extremism in cooperation with CSOs and religious communities, and to intensify regional and international cooperation in this area;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Reiterates the critical importance of professional and independent private and public service media which should serve to inform citizens in an impartial manner, ensuring pluralism in a more proportionate way; is concerned about unrestrained political influence in the media and widespread self-censorship among journalists; notes the slow implementation of the law on audiovisual media and the delays in filling vacancies in the Audiovisual Media Authority (AMA); calls for measures to raise the professional and ethical standards of and prevalence of regular work contracts for journalists, to enhance the transparency of government advertising in the media and to ensure the independence of the regulatory authority and the public broadcaster;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes improvements in fiscal consolidation, better scores in doing business, and efforts to fightcontrol the informal economy; still notes, however, extensive shortcomings in the rule of law and a cumbersome regulatory environment, which deter investment and openly favour corruption; urges the competent authorities to take measures for improved enforcement of contracts and better tax collection, and to continue implementing judicial reform with a view to improving the business environment;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for the process of property registration, restitution and genuine and reasonable compensation to be completed especially regarding properties that have been confiscated or misappropriated with the connivance of the State authorities at the expense of minority population groups, and for the 2012-2020 strategy on property rights to be implemented effectively;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Commends Albania on its continued full alignment with relevant EU declarations and Council conclusions, thereby demonstrating its clear commitment to European integration and solidarity; commends both Albania and SerbiaExpresses its concern at the escalation of tension in bilateral relations with Greece regarding the delimitation of the EEZ, the Cham issue and biased and unjust attitude of the authorities towards the property onf their continued commitment Greek minority; takes into account efforts to improvinge bilateral relations andwith Serbia and the strengthening of regional cooperation at political and societal level, for example through the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) headquartered in Tirana; encourages both countries to continue their good cooperAlbania to take seriously the issue of good neighbourly relations in order to promote reconciliation in the region;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Reiterates its request that the Commission include information about IPA support for Albania and the effectiveness of implemented measures in its reports, in particular the IPA support allocated for implementation of the key priorities and relevant projects with a view to a re-assessment thereof;