20 Amendments of Nathalie LOISEAU related to 2021/2236(INI)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 10
Citation 10
— having regard to the urgent opinion of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission of 26 August 2022 on the Draft Law on the Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code adopted by the Parliament of Georgia on 7 June 2022, its opinion of 20 June 2022 on the December 2021 amendments to the organic law on common courts, its urgent opinion of 2 July 2021 on the amendments to the organic law on common courts, its urgent joint opinion of 5 July 2022 on the revised draft amendments to the election code, its opinion of 8 October 2020 on the draft organic law amending the organic law on common courts and its urgent opinion of 16 April 2019 on the selection and appointment of Supreme Court judges,
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Highlights the important role and full involvement of Georgian civil society in monitoring and supporting democratic reforms; calls for its transparent involvement and active participation in the working groups setup to implement the key priorities identified by the Commission;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Encourages Georgia to continue its enhanced cooperation with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova as the ‘Associated Trio’, as well as regional cooperation in the South Caucasus under the EU's Eastern Partnership initiative;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Regrets that deep polarisation continues to be the defining feature of Georgia’s political environment; calls on all political stakeholders to unite their forces around the key goal of Georgia’s EU membership through the implementation of ambitious democratic, judicial and anti- corruption reforms; reiterates that the core provisions of the EU-brokered agreement of 19 April 2021 continue to present a pathway towards strengthening democracy and the rule of law in Georgia, and invites Georgia’s ruling party and the opposition to recommit to full implementation of 19 April Agreement;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Is concerned over refusal by the ruling party to include the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) to the electoral reforms working group; expresses its full confidence in, and appreciation of, ISFED’s work in monitoring and reporting on election processes in Georgia;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Underlines the need to eliminate the excessive influence of vested interests, including oligarchsverarching control of the government by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, in economic, political and public life as one of the priorities identified by the Commission to be addressed before Georgia is granted candidate status;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Georgian authorities to put an end to politically motivated persecution of political opponents; notes that the decision of the court to convict the leaders of Lelo for Georgia party, Mamuka Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze, and using the court’s verdict to strip Japaridze of his parliamentary mandate is a clear demonstration of a case of politicized justice;
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Reiterates its call on the Georgian authorities to release former President Mikhail Saakashvili from prison on humanitarian grounds so that he can receive proper medical treatment abroad;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Georgian authorities to strengthen the independence of its Anti-Corruption Agency, in particular to rigorously address high-level corruption cases, and to provide it with adequate means and resources to fully exercise its mandate;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Underlines the importance of further strengthening administrative capacity at central and local government level;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Regrets that the number of organised crime convictions remains relatively low compared to the estimated value of the criminal market;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Georgian authorities to effectively investigate the massive illegal wiretapping revealed in September 2021; is concerned about the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Georgia that increase the number of crimes for which covert investigative actions are permitted and the duration of these actions, which were adopted by the Georgian Parliament on 7 June 2022 and vetoed by the President on 22 June 2022; calls on the Parliament of Georgia to ask the Venice Commission to isGeorgian authorities to follow recommendations of the Venice Commission issued on 26 August 2022, in particular to ensure an opin transparent, rational and to implement its recommendationsinclusive legislative process by including the relevant stakeholders and civil society;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Expresses its concerns about the significant deterioration of the media situation and the safety of journalists in Georgia in recent years, despite Georgia's strong legal framework for freedom of expression and media freedom; calls on Georgia to ensure freedom of the media, which should include editorial independence, transparency of media ownership and pluralistic, impartial and non-discriminatory coverage of political views in the programmes of private and, in particular, public broadcasters, including during election campaigns; calls on Georgia to ensure unhindered access to information that is supposed to be available to the public, and to ensure the safety, protection and empowerment of journalists and other media professionals;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Reiterates its concern about the serious deterioration of the media situation and the safety of journalists in Georgia; calls on the Georgian authorities to ensure media freedom and a safe working environment for media workers, to put an end to the politically motivated persecution of critical media outlets and their owners, and reiterates its calls for a review of the conviction of Nika Gvaramia;
Amendment 140 #
11b. Calls on the Parliament of Georgia to ensure the harmonization of Georgian media laws with the EU Directive on Audiovisual Media Services based on the wide consensus, particularly in the context of an effective co-regulation system, suggested by CSOs and journalists’ unions, which assert that ethical disputes should be resolved by a special professional council, rather than by the Georgian National Communications Commission, the role of which should not exceed its current legal mandate;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)
Paragraph 11 b (new)
11b. Reminds that Georgia is heavily exposed to Russian disinformation campaigns; recalls that the best way to combat these campaigns is to protect the pluralism and independence of the press;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)
Paragraph 11 c (new)
11c. Stresses the importance of continuous efforts to increase Georgian society's resistance to Russian propaganda and disinformation and to attempts to influence Georgian politics and public opinion;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Condemns the violence committed against peaceful participants of the Tbilisi Pride march on 5-6 July 2021 and the journalists covering the event; strongly denounces the lack of diligent investigations into or prosecutions of those responsible for organising the violence; notes that six perpetrators of the violence were sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison in April 2022; calls on the authorities to ensure the protection of the human rights of vulnerable groups, such as women, the LGBTQI+ community and ethnic minorities; Public Prosecutor’s Office to reopen an impartial, effective, and timely investigation into the organisers and perpetrators of the violence against peaceful participants and media workers on July 5-6, 2021, in the light of the overwhelming amount of evidence gathered by the media, civil society and the Ombudsman; calls on the authorities to ensure the protection of the human rights of vulnerable groups, such as women, the LGBTQI+ community and ethnic minorities; notes that the events planned for the Tbilisi Pride 2022 took place indoors and that the police reacted in time to prevent interference and violence by groups opposing the Pride events;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Calls on the Georgian government to step up its efforts to increase and sustain socio-economic development in order to ensure a rising level of income and regional development;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Stresses the importance for Georgia to align to the EU sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of its unprovoked and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine; notes the influx of Russian citizens to Georgia since the start of the war, including registration of some 7,500 Russian companies, and urges the Georgian authorities to take precautionary measures to ensure that these entities are not able to circumvent the sanctions and support the criminal Putin regime;