Activities of Vladimír BILČÍK related to 2021/2247(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the 2021 Commission Report on Montenegro
Amendments (46)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 5 a (new)
Citation 5 a (new)
— having regard to the Sofia declaration of the EU-Western Balkans summit of 17 May 2018 and the Sofia Priority Agenda,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)
Citation 16 a (new)
— having regard to the Venice Commission’s opinions of March and May 2021 on the revised draft amendments to the law on the State Prosecution Service and to its previous opinions,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas Montenegro is exposed to foreign interference and malicious disinformation campaigns originating from Russia;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for constructive and inclusive political dialogue and commitment of all parliamentary parties to overcome the current polarised political climate and strengthen the functioning of state institutions in order to achieve substantial progress in key EU-related reforms; notes that a functioning parliamentary democracy is key for reform processes;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes the vote of no confidence in the government on 4 February 2022 and the ensuing dismissal of the Parliament’s speaker and EU-Montenegro SAPC Co- Chair; notes that the protracted political crisis has a direct impact on the speed and progress of Montenegro’s EU-related reforms and, as a consequence, Montenegro’s EU accession process; underlines the importance of continued respect for democratic processes, norms and standards; calls for the formation of a new government as soon as possible and the election of a new speaker and SAPC Co-Chair in line with the constitution, democratic norms and the pro-European aspirations of an overwhelming majority of Montenegro’s citizens;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes the protests against possible minority government organised by the Democratic Front and sStrongly condemns the support expressed for the Russian Federation by some political leaders on the day of the start of Russian aggressionwar against Ukraine; recalls Russia’s persistent and continuous interest in destabilising the country through the spread of manipulative disinformation and influence on state and non-state actors;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Notes the protests against possible minority government organised by the Democratic Front and Democratic Montenegro;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Regrets that key positions in negotiating structures have remained vacant for a long time; urges the authorities to re-establish a fully functional negotiating structure as soon as possible; the delayed appointment of the Head of Montenegro’s Mission to the EU and the appointment of key negotiators by clusters must be followed by other institutions' steps in order to ensure a more dynamic accession process;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes Montenegro’s continued and full alignment with EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, including its announcement of support for the latest EU sanctions against Russia, and its active participation in EU Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations; notes that this applies to banning Sputnik and Russia Today in Montenegro;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Welcomes the adoption of temporary protection mechanism for Ukrainian refugees; welcomes Montenegro's contribution to humanitarian aid to Ukraine;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Underlines the importance of Montenegro’s strategic alliance with the EU and with NATO; condemns attempts in the government, security and military sector to question the strategic orientation of Montenegro; encourages Montenegrin authorities to cooperate with both EU and NATO in the field of resilience to foreign interference, foreign manipulative disinformation and cybersecurity;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Is deeply concerned by the continuing political tensions between and within the executive and legislative powers, and by the boycott of the parliament, which continues to slow down the reform process; underlines the importance of paving the way towards a stable parliamentary majority;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Is concerned about the lack of progress on judicial reform, including on the still pending appointments to key independent institutions and the judiciary; encourages the Montenegrin authorities to fully implement the Venice Commission’s recommendations concerning the risks of politicisation of the Prosecutorial Council; encourages follow-up on recommendations by Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) linked to judiciary; notes the appointment of the new Prosecutorial Council in December 2021 and the appointment of judges of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals in March 2022;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Reiterates its strong recommendation that Montenegro should hold local elections simultaneously across the country; in this respect, welcomes all parliamentary decisions aiming to unite the election dates for local elections;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11 a. Welcomes the continuation of the work of the Committee on Electoral Legislation Reform despite initial interruptions; underlines the importance of cooperation across political parties; expects the Committee to diligently work toward achieving meaningful reform; notes that the Jean Monnet Dialogue (JMD) instrument in Montenegro could be helpful to Montenegro in building the consensus necessary for generating a democratic parliamentary culture;
Amendment 88 #
12. Is worried about widespread corruption and urges Montenegro to boost the criminal justice response to high-level corruption and create conditions for the effective and independent functioning of judicial institutions and independent bodies dealing with corruption; calls on Montenegrin authorities to launch thorough investigations into any wrongdoing exposed by the Pandora Papers;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Welcomes the agreement on border management cooperation between Montenegro and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), which allows Frontex to assist Montenegro in border management, carrying out joint operations and tackling cross-border crime at the country’s sea borders; welcomes Montenegro's constructive and cooperative role in this process;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13 b. Welcomes the police intervention in Mojkovac as a significant attempt to tackling cigarette trafficking in Montenegro; reiterates that further measures are needed, specifically in the Free Zone of the Port of Bar in order to tackle drug and cigarette smuggling in the country;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13 c. Welcomes the adoption of the Strategy on Migration and Reintegration of Returnees in Montenegro, for the period 2021-2025; notes the roadmap for cooperation between Montenegro and EASO has been signed in December 2021;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13 d. Regrets the limited progress made on the implementation of the public administration reform (PAR); stresses the need of a merit-based recruitment of civil servants and the importance of depolitization of the public service;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Encourages further strengthening civil society participation in reforms and ensuring functional consultation and cooperation mechanisms and by improving the legal and institutional frameworks;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Welcomes the first Citizens’ Assembly organised on 4 November 2021 by the Parliament of Montenegro in cooperation with the European Parliament; welcomed the active participation of citizens in the Assembly on 4 November and their commitment to designing anti- corruption policies; calls on parliamentarians to follow up on the conclusions of the first Citizens’ Assembly;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes the limited progress on freedom of expression; encourages Montenegro to step up its efforts to fight disinformation, hate speech, online harassment, politically-biased reporting and foreign influence in the Montenegrin media; underlines the importance of exchange of best practices between the EU Member States and Montenegro in order to identify worrying developments at an early stage and develop adequate countermeasures against the spread of manipulative disinformation, in particular coming from third countries;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Expresses concern about the high degree of polarisation in the media landscape, in particular the growing volume of disinformation spreading ethno- nationalist narratives that negatively impact democratic processes in the country; underlines the importance of media freedom and independence, quality of reporting and improving media literacy as key in fighting manipulative disinformation; calls for the strengthening of European cooperation with Montenegro on addressing disinformation, and cyber and hybrid threats that seek to undermine the European perspective of the region; welcomes Montenegro’s interest in cooperating with the EU via the European Democracy Action Plan (EDAP) in this regard;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Strongly condemns attacks and harassment of journalists and calls for them to be investigated, sanctioned and for there to be effective judicial follow-up; welcomes the proposaladoption of the Criminal Code amendments to introduce tougher penalties for threats to or attacks on journalists;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes some positive steps, such as an ad hoc commission for monitoring violence against the media, the revision of laws on media and on the public broadcaster RTCG, and public consultations on a media strategy for 2021- 2025; ; underlines the importance of operational independence of Montenegro’s media regulators and public service broadcaster;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Condemns all violent acts during the demonstrations in Cetinje linked to the inauguration of the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church; condemns Serbian interferenceMetropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church; condemns interference and disinformation from third countries in this regard;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Notes that foreign interference can also be pursued through the instrumentalisation of religious institutes, such as Kremlin's influence in Orthodoxy; condemns Russia’s efforts to spread manipulative disinformation to exploit ethnic tensions and Russia’s role in spreading manipulative disinformation in Montenegro;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Notes that the population and housing census is likely to take place this year, and expects it to be conducted in line with EU and international standards; notes that the census needs to be conducted in an open and transparent way where all recognised national minorities are counted properly without fear of intimidation;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21 a. Strongly condemns verbal and physical attacks against and intimidation of national minorities;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Notes that gender-based violence and violence against children is still of serious concern; calls for improving specialised support services for women and disadvantaged groups; condemns the killings of three women by their partners in a short period of time; notes that these cases were previously reported to the police and to the prosecutor's office; urges Montenegrin authorities to investigate fully these cases and ensure judicial follow-up; welcomes the proposal to introduce tougher penalties for violence against women and children; welcomes the establishing of the Council for the Rights of the Child;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Welcomes progress on the protection and promotion of LGBTIQ rights and the first same-sex marriage in July 2021; welcomes the peaceful organisation of Pride in 2021;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Welcomes the removal of roaming fees between Montenegro and five other Western Balkan states as of 1st July 2021; in that respects encourages the government and the European Commission to create a road map to reduce and eventually eliminate roaming charges with EU Member States;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26 a. Recalls the need to implement a law on lustration, open up Yugoslav secret service archives and follow the legal procedures to submit the relevant files to the State Archives in order to address and research communist-era crimes and criminal organisations;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Calls on the Montenegrin authorities to take concrete steps to build resilience and cybersecurity as it faces increasing pressure from third country interference; welcomes the new Cyber Security Strategy of Montenegro 2022- 2026 and calls for legislative process establishing the Cyber Security Agency to move forward without delay;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Expresses its concern about the persistently high unemployment rate; reiterates the need for better alignment of the education system with the job market; notes the recovery of the labour market linked to the economy projections; welcomes the Youth Guarantee Programme;
Amendment 194 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Expresses concern over Montenegro’s sustainable macroeconomic stability and growing vulnerability owing to the increase of its public debt, in particular to China, and the new EUR 750 million loan taken by the government without consulting the Parliament; calls on the European Commission to follow up on the macroeconomic situation and vulnerability in the next country report; notes that investments by third countries and foreign companies in strategic sectors may post a risk of creating unwarranted economic dependencies;
Amendment 197 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30 a. Underlines the importance of Montenegro’s infrastructure investments to abide by EU standards on environmental impact assessment while respecting EU public procurement and state aid;
Amendment 200 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Notes with concern the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Montenegro’s economy; welcomes the encouraging signs of Montenegro’s economic recovery in 2021; however calls for more sustainable economic and financial planning by the future government of Montenegro;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31 a. Welcomes Montenegro's projected strong economic growth of 10.8% in 2021, which is the highest rate among the six Western Balkans countries; welcomes the agreement on IPA III mobilising €14.2 billion to support the Western Balkans partners in meeting the requirements for European membership;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Urges Montenegro to take more action to prevent money laundering, strongly condemns the so-called ‘golden passport’ scheme and regrets its extension until December 2022; calls on the immediate termination of the citizenship by investment scheme; stresses that citizenship by investment carries security risks and potential for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion; notes with concern that between 07 December 2020 to 15 February 2022, the government reportedly awarded almost 200 citizenships to Russian nationals;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Welcomes the adoption of a national climate change adaptation plan and encourages Montenegro to speed up reforms in line with the EU’s 2020 climate and energy policy framework; calls on effective using of EU pre-accession assistance in moving towards closing benchmarks of Chapter 27 - Environment and climate change;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Reiterates its call on Montenegro to take urgent measures to preserve protected areas, and to continue identifying potential Natura 2000 siteseffectively conserve protected areas; welcomes the designation of three marine protected areas in Montenegro (Platamuni, Katič and Stari Ulcinj); expresses its concern over developments in the Tara River Basin Biosphere Reserve; encourages to continue identifying potential Natura 2000 sites; welcomes the stopping of military use in the Sinjajevina mountain; notes however that the legal status of Sinjajevina needs to be further clarified;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Notes with regret the damage to the Tara River linked to building the Bar- Boljare highway; calls on Montenegro to closely monitor the environmental impact of transport infrastructure construction; underlines that in the Western Balkans, the construction sector is among the most vulnerable to organized crime and corruption; is concerned that there is no action taken on the highway case Bar- Boljare in Montenegro in spite of unclear public procurement procedures, lack of proper planning documentation, extraordinary prices and ecological concerns;