14 Amendments of Hilde VAUTMANS related to 2018/2146(INI)
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Takes note of the presidential elections on 2 April 2017 and calls on the authorities to ensure that procedures for free and fair elections are in line with international standards; welcomes the general conduct of the elections; calls on the authorities to fully address the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission and to engage in dialogue with domestic independent election observation missions; calls on the authorities to properly investigate claims of irregularities, violence and intimidation that arose during the electoral process;
Amendment 87 #
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 100 #
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; 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 legislation and policies; urges Serbia to adopt or amend other necessary anti-corruption legislation, as identified in the Action Plan for Chapter 23 of negotiations and in GRECO and ODIHR recommendations; 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; calls on the authorities to fill all open positions in the Agency; urges the Serbian Parliament to finalize the election of the Anti-corruption Agency Board members in a transparent and democratic manner; calls on Serbia to further improve its track record on investigations, indictments and final convictions in high- level corruption cases, and to publish statistics and information about the results of investigations in all publicly known cases of alleged corruption of public officials;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Acknowledges some progress has been made in theUrges Serbia to show a clear commitment in fighting against organised crime; calls on Serbia to establish a convincing track record of investigations, prosecutions and convictions in organised crime cases, including mafia-related murders and 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 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses that the Serbian parliament 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,stresses that the still-frequent use of urgent procedures undermines parliamentary and public scrutiny; stresses thcondemns the deliberate actions that limit the ability of the Serbian parliament to conduct an effective debate on, and scrutiny of, legislation should be avoided; is concerned by the increased practice of filibustering adopted by the ruling majority, which prevents the opposition from actively taking part in parliamentary procedures: calls for additional measures to ensure cross-party dialogue and the effective involvement of civil society in the work of the parliament; welcomes the Serbian parliament’s continued efforts to improve transparency through 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 supported; urges the Serbian Parliament to engage in promoting and monitoring the implementation of independent regulatory bodies' findings and recommendations;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Underlines that 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 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, and LGBTI persons; underlines that shortcomings in the legislative and institutional framework for upholding human rights of children and adults with disabilities still persist; calls on Serbia to actively pursue investigations, prosecutions and convictions of hate- motivated crimes;
Amendment 163 #
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 concernand media outlets, including administrative harassment and intimidation through the courts remain an issue of concern especially when coming from elected officials; calls upon officials at all levels to be consistent in publicly condemning any form of intimidation of journalists and to refrain from such behaviour; notes, in this regard, that while several cases have been solved and some criminal charges have been filed, convictions are still rare; calls on the authorities to investigate and prosecute any cases of attacks against journalists and media outlets; express its concern over the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media's absence 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 by eliminating any political interference and influence over its work through the process of nomination and appointment of its Council members, and by broadening its mandate to issue sanctions and securing its financial independence; 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 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Notes that no progress was made towards establishing an enabling environment for the development and financing of civil society; regrets that the relationship between government and CSOs is still marked by fragmented cooperation and a selective approach towards individual CSOs; condemns the negative statements made by government officials on civil society in general and the harsh criticism of human rights defenders by some media outlets; notes that most CSOs lack stable funding and transparent criteria for public financial support are not clearly defined; calls for the adoption of a national strategy and related action plan to regulate the environment in which CSOs operate; stresses that further efforts are needed to ensure systematic cooperation between government and civil society;
Amendment 179 #
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 199 #
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; notes that the majority of Roma live in informal settlements lacking adequate access to fresh water and electricity, suffer from social exclusion and face systematic violations of their rights: calls for full implementation of the new strategy for Roma inclusion and the action plan; highlights the importance of formulating policies to combat discrimination against Roma and Anti-gypsyism;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the adoption of a national strategy for the investigation and prosecution of war crimes and the adoption of an operational prosecutorial strategy; welcomes the appointment in May 2017 of a new war crimes prosecutor; reiterates its call for thean efficient and timely implementation of this strategy, in particular by means of bringing forward indictments, and; calls for the adoption of an operational prosecutorial strategy;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 personscalls on the Serbian political and judicial authorities to fully cooperate with their regional partners in order to identify remaining war criminals and bring them to justice; urges the Serbian authorities to continue working on the issue of the fate of missing persons, including opening state archives related to the war period; urges Serbia to prepare a reparations scheme for victims and their families as an important precondition for reconciliation; 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 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Regrets the persisting lack of an objective assessment and understanding of the crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia; stresses the need for far- reaching political decisions and initiatives aimed at establishing responsibilities and raising awareness in schools about Serbia's troubled past; calls for enhanced inclusiveness of education systems across the region so as to eliminate old prejudices and eradicate the seeds of hatred in the new generations; reiterates its support for the initiative to set up a Regional Commission for the establishment of facts about war crimes and other serious violations of human rights committed in the former Yugoslavia, and urges the Serbian government to take the lead in its creation;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Notes the on-going debate concerning possible adjustments of the border between Serbia and Kosovo, including exchanges of territories; underlines that any changes to internationally recognized borders can only take place after thorough and inclusive debates in the framework of a comprehensive, legally binding agreement on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, and with the full support of all parties concerned; underlines the multi-ethnic nature of both Kosovo and Serbia and that ethnically pure states cannot and should not be the objective in the region; stresses that any border changes should not undermine overall stability in the region and should not represent an alternative to the adequate protection of national minorities;
Amendment 227 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 b (new)
Paragraph 20 b (new)
20b. Expresses its concern over repeated statements by high-ranking politicians putting into question the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and condemns any form of nationalist rhetoric aimed at encouraging its disintegration;