62 Amendments of Viola VON CRAMON-TAUBADEL related to 2022/2064(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 a (new)
Citation 1 a (new)
— having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of the European Council in Copenhagen of 21-22 June 1993, also known as the Copenhagen Criteria,
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 1 b (new)
Citation 1 b (new)
— having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs Council of 29/30 April 1997 on the application of conditionality with a view to developing a coherent EU strategy for relations with the countries in the Western Balkan region,
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4
Citation 4
— having regard to its previous resolutions on the matter, in particular that of 24 October 2019 on opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania1 , its recommendation of 19 June 2020 to the Council, the Commission and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the Western Balkans, following the 2020 summit2 , and its resolutions on 2021 Commission reports on enlargement countries and on Candidate status of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia of 23 June 2022, _________________ 1 OJ C 202, 28.5.2021, p. 86. 2 OJ C 362, 8.9.2021, p. 129.
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)
Citation 5 a (new)
— having regard to the European Commission strategy for 'A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans' of February 2018,
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 12 a (new)
Citation 12 a (new)
— having regard to the European Court of Auditors Special Report of 10 January 2022 entitled ‘EU support for the rule of law in the Western Balkans: despite efforts, fundamental problems persist’,
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 13 a (new)
Citation 13 a (new)
— having regard to the Council conclusion of July 2020 “Promoting values and rules-based pan-European co- operation and supporting a reinvigorated Council of Europe”,
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas enlargement ishas been the most effective EU foreign policy instrument and one of the Union’s most successful policies, and it remains a strategic investment in stability and prosperity on the European continentbut its effectiveness has considerably decreased over the last years due to a failure from the EU side to live up to its promises;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas genuine commitment to enlargement remains a strategic investment in stability, security, unity and prosperity on the European continent;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas a new impetus is, commitment and vision is urgently needed to reenergise the enlargement process, ensuring its continuity, consistency, credibility and impact;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas in the past years the Council has grossly failed the enlargement countries by blocking the accession process and not delivering on the EU’s long outstanding promises, notably the start of accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia, as well as visa liberalisation for Kosovo, despite the enlargement countries consistently fulfilling the required benchmarks as confirmed by the Commission;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B b (new)
Recital B b (new)
B b. whereas another reason for the limited progress has been a lack of genuine political will to advance fundamental reforms by some of the political leaders in the enlargement countries;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B c (new)
Recital B c (new)
B c. whereas the level of political will proven by the respective political leaders to make meaningful progress on reforms do not always correlate with the level of progress in the accession process of the different countries;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B d (new)
Recital B d (new)
B d. whereas the EU’s lack of engagement and credibility of the past years has created a vacuum, thus opening the space for Russia and China and other harmful third actors;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the Russian invasion ofwar of aggression against Ukraine has prompted three countries with EU Association Agreements – Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova – to submit membership applications;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas past developments have shown that non-enlargement has a massive strategic cost and can undermine security and stability on our continent; whereas the membership applications of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia express their peoples’ wish to live in free and democratic countries, firmly anchored in the European family;
Amendment 81 #
C c. whereas, on 17 June, the Commission published its opinions on the membership applications of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, recommending to the Council that all three countries should be given the perspective to become a member of the European Union, as well as to grant candidate status to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, and to grant candidate status to Georgia after the country fulfils certain criteria;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C d (new)
Recital C d (new)
C d. whereas the European Council at its meeting on 23 and 24 June 2022 decided to follow the Commission’s recommendations and granted candidate status to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
C b. whereas some of the countries in the Western Balkan region display a great potential for destabilisation, thus further threatening the security and stability on the continent; whereas exploitation of this potential by third countries is already ongoing in many enlargement countries; whereas stability, security and democratic resilience of the Western Balkans are inextricably linked to the EU’s own security, stability and democratic resilience;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C e (new)
Recital C e (new)
C e. whereas during the 23/24 June meeting the European Council created another major disappointment for the Western Balkan countries and their citizens by failing to greenlight any of the issues in the currently blocked accession process despite the dramatic geopolitical situation during this watershed moment for Europe; whereas the European Parliament expresses again its full solidarity and heartfelt sympathies with the countries’ citizens while deploring the EU’s failure to deliver on its promises and stresses again that this delay is leading to a significant decrease of the positive public attitude towards the EU, thus undermining the positive transformative power of the enlargement policy, while playing into the hands of Russia and other harmful third actors;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C f (new)
Recital C f (new)
C f. whereas Turkey is a candidate country for EU accession; whereas an analysis of the EU’s reports in recent years reveals that Turkey remains vastly distant from the EU’s values and normative framework, a gap that is actually growing in fundamental areas, such as respect for international law, the rule of law, human rights, individual liberties, civil rights and freedom of expression, as well as good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
D b. whereas there is no place in the EU or in countries aspiring to become Member States for inflammatory rhetoric, genocide denial, or glorification of war criminals from any side; whereas coming to terms with the past is the only way to warrant genuine reconciliation, which is crucial for prosperous societies and a successful integration;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) recognise that the EU’s prosperity and security rests on its ability - to defend democracy, human rights and the rules- based multilateral orderconsolidate and support democracy, the rule of law, human rights including the rights of persons belonging to minorities, and the principles of international law, - to safeguard its values, fundamental interests, independence and integrity, - to preserve peace, prevent conflicts, manage crises and strengthen international security and thereby upholding its foundational values;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) retain the geostrategic relevance and credibility of the EU by enhancing integration in the areas of common foreign, security and defence policies, and by streamlining its decision-making processes; change therefore the unanimity rules in the Council in order to take decisions by qualified majority on foreign policy issues, including enlargement;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
(d a) to acknowledge and anchor in its enlargement strategy that rule of law, strong independent democratic institutions, media freedom and a vibrant civil society are inextricably linked to democratic resilience, in particular against malicious interference by third countries or actors;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f
Paragraph 1 – point f
(f) avoid using unresolved bilateral disputes to block candidate courefrain from blocking candidate countries’ accession processes by reference to bilateral issues, in line with Article 24 of the TEU, the conclusions of the 2003rd Council meeting and the 2016 Vienna declaration on bilateral disputes of the Western Balkan states, as well as ensure that such blockages cannot happen in the future by applying qualified majority decision for interies’ accession prom steps and decisions during the process while applying unanimity only for the step of final accessesion;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point f a (new)
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) strengthen strategic communication on the benefits of enlargement both in the accession countries and in the Member States, with a special focus on countering disinformation and increase the fight against foreign interference;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(g a) step up communication towards the citizens of enlargement countries, as well as to the citizens within the EU on the benefits of enlargement, to further increase support and better understanding for and throughout the accession process;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) overcome the enlargement gridlock by revamping the accession process both as a political goal and in terms of itseffectively implementing the Commission’s revised methodology;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i
Paragraph 1 – point i
(i) accelerate the integration of countries that demonstrate strategic orientation and unwavering commitment to EU-related reforms, democratic consolidation and foreign policy alignment; ensure therefore that each country is assessed on its own merits, and that each country’s progress on the path to accession happens at a rate dependent on its progress in adopting reforms and implementing the EU acquis;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point j a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point j a (new)
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k
Paragraph 1 – point k
(k) establish clear, transparent and consistent performance benchmarks including timelines, improve the measuring of progress and ensure continued political and technical support throughout the accession process;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point k a (new)
(k a) include in the regular reporting also the issue of non-progress or reversal of progress made in the past in a systematic and transparent manner and therefore, clarify the conditions to assess and indicators to measure ‘any serious or prolonged stagnation or backsliding’ on which sanctions on accession countries will be based in order to afford them more clarity in the process;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point l
Paragraph 1 – point l
(l) reward progress with a wider phasing-in of candidate countries into respective EU policies and initiatives, including participation in Council meetings, inclusion in EU programmes and gradual integration in the EU single market, while sanctioning any backtracking;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
(m a) provide additional resources, as well as increased technical assistance and political support, in order to assist accession countries on their path towards EU membership and to promote their integration;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o
Paragraph 1 – point o
(o) assissupport Bosnia and Herzegovina to improve its legislative and institutional framework to ensure meaningful progress in addressing the 14 key priorities, as a precondition for obtaining candidate statuidentified by the Commission on 29 May 2019 for obtaining official candidate status and opening of accession negotiations, after the country has held its elections in October 2022 and once the institutions are fully functional and not anymore blocked by ethno-nationalistic parties; ensure that the relevant ECtHR verdicts are always the basis of EU policy towards BiH and the implementation of these is not an issue to compromise on; calls on the EU Delegation to closely involve the Venice Commission in any negotiations on constitutional or electoral law changes and publicly reject any proposals that are not fully in line with the ECtHR verdicts;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point p
Paragraph 1 – point p
(p) encourage the acceleration of Montenegro’s accession process, as the most advanced candidate country, including by giving Montenegro the closing benchmarks for all negotiating chapters;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q
Paragraph 1 – point q
(q) recognise the threat created by Russia’s war of aggression by immediately granting EU candidate status to Ukraine committedly and intensively assisting Ukraine and Moldova to advance on their accession path and continuing to provide political and technical support to Moldova and Georgia with a view to enabling them to reach this important milestone as soon as possiblegranting EU candidate status to the country, as a clear political signal of support to the people of these countries, and a means to accelerate internal reform processes;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point q a (new)
(q a) focus in particular on the conditions on an independent judiciary, the fight against corruption, democratic oversight, human rights and de- oligarchisation, as set out in the Commission’s 17 June 2022 opinions, in the EU’s engagement with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point q b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point q b (new)
(q b) ensure in particular, when adding Ukraine, Moldova and eventually Georgia to the beneficiaries under IPA III, that the overall IPA III financial envelope will be sufficiently increased, so that there will not be a cut in funds for current IPA III beneficiaries;
Amendment 308 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r
Paragraph 1 – point r
(r) step up the EU’s constructive engagement with the authorities of both Serbia and Kosovo to achieve a comprehensive legally binding normalisation agreement based on mutual recognition between the two in the framework of the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue;
Amendment 316 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point s
Paragraph 1 – point s
(s) prioritise the alignment of accession countries with the EU’s common foreign and security policy and continueprogress on accession negotiations with Serbia only if the country aligns with EU sanctions against Russia and makes significant progress on needed reforms in order to join the Union; reconsider any EU funds for Serbia in this light, in particular any projects financed under the Western Balkan Economic and Investment Plan, in order to ensure that all EU expenditures are fully in line with the EU’s own strategic goals and interests and not contradictory to them;
Amendment 330 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point t
Paragraph 1 – point t
(t) formally suspendkeep accession negotiations with Turkey, in accordance with the negotiating framework frozen, until the country reengages with the EU and demonstrates clear and significant progress in the field of fundamental freedoms, human rights and the rule of law, as well as other EU-related reforms, while continuing partnership in essential areas of joint interest;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point u
Paragraph 1 – point u
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point v a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point v a (new)
(v a) ensure at the highest level that these standards are not undermined or downplayed from within the EU institutions;
Amendment 361 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point v b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point v b (new)
(v b) thoroughly evaluate the enlargement strategy and work of the EU, EEAS and local EU delegations, in particular in Serbia and BiH, with a view to applying a more credible, merit-based approach based on the rule of law, improving their reputation and to assess, why the results and progress, in particular in the area of rule of law, remain so weak;
Amendment 363 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point w
Paragraph 1 – point w
(w) improve the consistency, efficiency, visibility and transparency of pre-accession assistance and clearly reflect the priorities in the area of the so-called fundamentals also in the allocation of IPA III funding;
Amendment 373 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point y
Paragraph 1 – point y
(y) strategically apply targetedapply conditionality based on clear progress benchmarks, rewarding reforms and sanctioning regression or a persistent lack of progress;
Amendment 377 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point y a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point y a (new)
(y a) implement the recommendations of the European Court of Auditors Special Report 01/2022, in order to ensure an effective impact of EU financial assistance in support to the rule of law in the Western Balkans, in particular by developing guidelines on the application of IPA III provisions on modulation/ conditionality;
Amendment 379 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point y b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point y b (new)
(y b) establish a framework for a fruitful cooperation between the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) and the Western Balkan countries, in order to ensure that the EPPO can effectively exert its competences in the area of EU funds, in particular in the area of IPA III funds in the Western Balkan countries;
Amendment 384 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point z a (new)
(z a) ensure that next to the conditionality throughout the accession procedure, compliance to the Union’s common values for future as well as current Member States is enforced, by applying and strengthening internal procedures to decisively tackle existing Rule of Law related problems such as budget conditionality, infringement procedures and ultimately the Article 7 procedure;
Amendment 390 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ab
Paragraph 1 – point ab
(ab) foster electorfundamental reforms, democratic pluralism, intra-party democracy, transparency of party and media funding, and judicial and media independence and freedom;
Amendment 395 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ab a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point ab a (new)
(ab a) continue its cooperation with the Council of Europe to support the countries in carrying out essential reforms and training, regarding justice, the fight against corruption, the promotion of human rights, and the role of free and independent media and civil society;
Amendment 397 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ac
Paragraph 1 – point ac
(ac) uphold democratic accountability, increase transparency and inclusiveness and enhance the parliamentary dimension of the accession process;
Amendment 412 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ae
Paragraph 1 – point ae
(ae) considerably reinforce efforts towards sustainable reconciliation, including effective and impartial prosecution of war crimes, ensuring access to truth, justice and effective and non-selective reparations, including to survivors of sexual violence, as well as increase efforts towards good neighbourly relations, inclusive regional cooperation and solidarity;
Amendment 417 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ae a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point ae a (new)
(ae a) help to refocus on and advance the Berlin process, as suitable format for an inclusive regional economic cooperation scheme, which is acceptable to all six countries, establishing cooperation on an equal footing among all six countries, while strengthening further alignment with EU standards and acquis, and express clear reservations against any regional economic cooperation initiative, that is not encompassing all six countries and not based on EU rules, namely the Open Balkan initiative, since this could have a negative impact on the EU integration processes;
Amendment 419 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ae b (new)
Paragraph 1 – point ae b (new)
(ae b) update the Eastern Partnership as the framework for regional cooperation among the countries of the EU’s Eastern neighbourhood;
Amendment 421 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ae a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point ae a (new)
(ae a) mainstream gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights, empower women and youth and invest in them, step up the fight against gender-based violence and focus on the protection of minorities, including Roma, LGBTIQ+ persons and persons with disabilities, and fully implement the principle of non- discrimination;
Amendment 429 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point af
Paragraph 1 – point af
(af) step up citizen participation and, the involvement of civil society in the enlargement process and invest in the youth and intraregional mobilicrease cooperation with and support for a vibrant civil society;
Amendment 436 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point af a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point af a (new)
(af a) invest in intraregional mobility, with a particular focus on youth; reinforce and, where possible, increase the EU’s and Western Balkan countries’ common efforts on people-to-people contacts and exchanges in order to build mutually positive images of each other among the population;
Amendment 441 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ag
Paragraph 1 – point ag
(ag) advance energy efficiency, connectivity and the transition to renewable energiesthe clean energy transition, as well as energy efficiency, connectivity, increasing the diversification and security of energy supply, as well as sustainable development;