Activities of Vladimír BILČÍK related to 2021/2249(INI)
Plenary speeches (3)
2021 Report on Serbia (debate)
2021 Report on Serbia (debate)
2021 Report on Serbia (A9-0178/2022 - Vladimír Bilčík) (vote)
Reports (1)
REPORT on the 2021 Commission Report on Serbia
Amendments (57)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
— having regard to the Sofia declaration of the EU-Western Balkans summit of 17 May 2018 and the Sofia Declaration;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
— having regard to the Zagreb Declaration adopted at the EU-Western Balkans Summit on 6 May 2020,
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
— having regard to the 8th Berlin Process Summit of 5 July 2021,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 18 a (new)
Citation 18 a (new)
— having regard to the Council Regulation (EU) 2022/576 of 8 April 2022 amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 20 a (new)
Citation 20 a (new)
— having regard to Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) Second Interim Compliance Report of 4th Evaluation Round on Serbia adopted in March 2022;
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 28
Citation 28
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas since the opening of negotiations with Serbia, 1822 chapters have been opened, two of which have been provisionally closed; whereas Serbia opened cluster four4 on the Green Agenda and sustainable connectivity in December 2021;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the EU is the largest investor, trading partner and provider of financial assistance to Serbia through IPA and has the largest peer to peer relationship with Serbia, accounting for 65 % of total exports and 59 % of total imports in 2020;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the Commission adopted a package of EUR 70 million under IPA II to help fund the access of Western Balkan countries to COVID-19 vaccines procured by EU Member States;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the assistance under IPA III is based on strict conditionality and envisages modulation and suspension of assistance in cases of backtracking on democracy, human rights and the rule of law with a total of EUR 2.79 billion between 2007 and 2020 under previous IPA programs;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Expresses support for Serbia’s future membership of the EU and recalls that a credible enlargement perspective requires sustainable efforts and irreversible reforms in all areas, particularly to those linked to rule of law;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the increased voter turnout at the elections on 3 April 2022 and the return to a more pluralistic parliament; regrets the highly polarised political environment of the campaign, which was characterised by limited media pluralism and pressure on voters; condemns the violent attack on Pavle Grbović, one of the opposition leaders and regrets the unclear communication by the Republic Electoral Commission (REC) on preliminary election results following the closure of polling stations;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Regrets the fact that Serbia has not aligned with EU sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; calls on the newly elected authorities to show real commitment to EU values and to align with the EU’s decisions and positions in foreign and security policy, including sanctionwift and full alignment with restrictive measures against Russia;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Notes Serbia's support to Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty demonstrated through Serbia's support to the UN General Assembly resolutions on Ukraine and the support for exclusion of Russia from the UN Human Rights Council on 7 April 2022; notes that at the same time representatives of Serbia avoided the vote on the exclusion of Russia from the Council of Europe;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Reiterates the importance of alignment with the EU common foreign and security policy (CFSP), which must progressively become an integral part of Serbia’s foreign policy as a condition for the accession process; expresses concern about Serbia’s low alignment rate; regrets occasional statements by political leaders that call into question Serbia’s foreign policy orientation;
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5d. Calls on the political forces in Serbia to suspend their cooperative relations with authoritarian political parties in Russia;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5c. Deplores continued flights between Belgrade and Moscow at a time when the EU airspace is closed for flights to and from Russia;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the adoption of the measures improving the electoral conditions and media space ahead of the April 2022 elections as a result of the Inter- Party Dialogue facilitated by the European Parliament; notes progress in their implementation of agreed measures;
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Reiterates its call on Serbia and EU Member States to pursue more active and effective communication about the benefits of EU enlargement and as well as about the support granted through EU funding;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Welcomes the initiative of the French Presidency of the EU Council to organise an EU-Western Balkans Conference and hopes that it will be used to invigorate the enlargement process and to give the Western Balkan countries a clear perspective of accession; looks forward to Czech Republic's Presidency of the EU Council and further support to EU's enlargement policy;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Urges the newly elected majority to focus on addressing structural shortcomings and delivering concrete and tangible results in the rule of law, fundamental rights, freedom of expression, the fight against corruption and the functioning of democratic institutions and public administration;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the recent changes to the Constitution following the referendum in January 2022, which aim to enhance the independence of the justice system; stresses that the reform process to strengthen the independence of the judiciary should continue, in particular by amending laws for the effective implementation of the constitutional amendments, in line with best European practices and standards and the Venice Commission recommendations; regrets the continuous pressure on the judiciary and public denials of international verdicts for war crimes and calls on the newly elected majority to strengthen the safeguards for the independence and efficiency of the judiciary as a matter of priority;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Welcomes some improvements in the work of the National Assembly, in particular the reduced use of urgent procedures and the adoption of a new Code of Conduct for members of parliament; is concerned, however, that inflammatory language against political opponents and representatives of other institutions expressing differing political views is still used during parliamentary discussions and; calls on the new parliament not to tolerate this practicesuch practices and to enforce effectively its Code of Conduct; underlines the importance of a cross-party consensus on EU-related reforms for ensuring the country’s progress on its EU path;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
12b. Welcomes GRECO's Second Interim Compliance Report of 4th Evaluation Round on Serbia dealing with corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors, which concludes that Serbia has implemented satisfactorily or dealt with in a satisfactory manner eight of the thirteen recommendations contained in the Fourth Round Evaluation Report; calls for further implementation of the outstanding recommendations;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Welcomes the adoption of changes to the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance, responding to the calls for improved transparency of public policy making and enabling the citizens to get information of public interest without unnecessary obstacles;
Amendment 208 #
13. Urges the Commission to implement the findings of the European Court of Auditors Special Report 01/2022, ensuring an effective rule-of-law impact of EU financial assistance in the Western Balkans; calls on the European Commission to link funding more closely to progress on the rule of law, to increase support to civil-society organisations and independent media sources, and to improve project reporting and monitoring, as repeatedly advocated by the European Parliament; calls in this respect to ensure better coordination of various rule of law programmes supported by international donors;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Notes that competition in the media sector benefits media plurality; calls on greater transparency of media ownership;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Underlines the importance of improving the functioning and independence of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) as per Inter- Party Dialogue recommendations in order to strengthen media pluralism and implement the Media Strategy; notes the recent competition for national TV licences and underlines the importance of a fair and transparent process;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Deplores the continuing physical attacks, intimidation, hate speech and political slurs against journalists and civil society; calls on the authorities to investigate all cases of such attacks, to punish the perpetrators adequately and to improve the safety of journalists; calls for further progress in the implementation of the action plan based on the media strategy, without delays and in a transparent and inclusive manner;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Calls on the Serbian authorities to ensure the full financial and operational independence of the regulators for electronic communications and postal services (RATEL) and for electronic media (REM), in compliance with the EU acquis;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the adoption of the Law on Gender Equality and the amendments to the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination; reiterates that coordination, an efficient institutional set- up and cooperation with civil society are necessary in order to improve human rights and political freedoms of women and vulnerable groups;
Amendment 263 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Serbian authorities to step up efforts toin ensureing the non- discriminatory treatment of national minorities throughout Serbia, especially in the areas of education, use of minority languages, access to media and religious services in minority languages, and to actively pursue investigations and convictions for hate- motivated crimes;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Reiterates its concern over the alleged use of forced labour and violation of human rights at the Chinese Linglong factory construction sitend trafficking in the case of around 500 Vietnamese citizens in the Chinese Linglong factory construction site in Serbia; welcomes the initial steps and inspections by the Serbian authorities in tackling the issue; calls on Serbia’s authorities to investigate the case and ensure the respect of labour rights;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Deplores the deportation of a Bahraini national despiteto his home country despite an interim measure by the European Court of Human Rights interim rulsaying that histhe extradition should be postponed; recalls that Serbia must uphold fundamental rights of all people on its territory;
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Is deeply concerned about the spread of disinformation about Russian aggression against Ukraine; calls on the Serbian authorities to take decisive steps to tackle disinformation; calls on Serbian authorities and the Commission to bolster infrastructure to fight disinformation and other hybrid threats and to support evidence-based responses to both short- term and long-term disinformation threats in the Western Balk; underlines the importance of dialogue with Serbian civil society and the private sector to coordinate anti-disinformation efforts in both Serbia and the region; notes, in this regard, that Serbia would benefit from further association to expert groups of the European Union agency for cybersecurity (ENISA);
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Appreciates the work of the European External Action Service Strategic Communications Task Force for the Western Balkans and calls for its reinforcementtasked with ensuring coordinated and consistent EU communication, building resilience and dealing with disinformation and information manipulation against the EU; calls for reinforcement of strategic communication actions and staff increase, including the possibility of setting up a regional strategic communication post located in the Western Balkan region;
Amendment 301 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Welcomes Serbia’s participation in regional cooperation mechanisms and its commitment to bilateral relations and encourages it to promote reconciliation; commends its decision to donate vaccines to the regionwith other enlargement countries and neighbouring EU Member States; commends its decision to donate around 600 000 COVID-19 vaccines to the region, including to North Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina; encourages it to work on all levels to promote reconciliation and strengthening good neighbourly relations;
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Reconfirms its unequivocal support for the EU- facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and reiterates the importance of constructive engagement on the part of the authorities of both Serbia and Kosovo in order to achieve a comprehensive legally binding normalisation agreement, which is crucial for both countries to advance on their respective European paths; calls for all past agreements to be respected and fully implemented, including the Association/Community of Serb-Majority Municipalities;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on both Serbia and Kosovo for the stepping up of efforts and the delivery of solutions on the issues of missing persons and the electricity arrangements in the north of Kosovo;
Amendment 334 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Regrets the decision of the Government of Kosovo to reject a proposal enabling the collection of the ballots of eligible voters to allow them to vote in the territory of Kosovo in the 16 January 2022 constitutional referendum and in the 3 April 2022 Serbian elections, as it had been the caspractice previously;
Amendment 337 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Regrets the destabilisation activities on the border in the North of Kosovo in September 2021 and calls on Belgrade and Pristina to address all issues through dialogue; regrets the fact that there was no agreement reached in the Working Group tasked to find a solution on the use of vehicle license plate; calls on both parties to find a solution within the framework of the EU-facilitated dialogue as soon as possible;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 b (new)
Paragraph 26 b (new)
26b. Deplores several instances of officials not being allowed to enter the territories of Kosovo or Serbia; calls on both parties to treat all visits in a way that is beneficial to the normalisation process and to the overall work in the context of EU-facilitated dialogue;
Amendment 342 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. UWelcomes the adoption of the National Strategy for War Crimes Prosecution for the period 2021-2026 and the recent start of the work of various bodies and reporting mechanisms linked to its work; underlines the importance of implementation of the Strategy; urges the Serbian authorities to act against the glorification of convicted war criminals and to cease all divisive rhetoric and actions that undermine the integrity of countries in the neighbourhood and threaten regional stability and reconciliation, and to show a genuine commitment for investigating and adjudicating war crimes cases;
Amendment 356 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls for the EU and its allies to further strengthen the work on reconciliation; welcomes the renewed engagement of the EU allies, in particular the appointment of US and UK special envoys for the Western Balkans;
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28a. Commends cultural and youth initiatives such the annual cross-border arts festival Mirëdita, Dobar Dan, which promote collaboration between Kosovo Albanians and Serbs;
Amendment 366 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Welcomes the progress made in developing a functioning market economy and the fact that the impact of the COVID- 19 crisis on the economy was successfully mitigated by, inter alia, timely fiscal and monetary support measures; notes that the EU has continued to provide essential support to Serbia for its socio-economic recovery and for immediate medical needs;
Amendment 370 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Notes that despite improvements, the labour market still suffers from structural problems, demographic and migration challenges; calls on Serbia to further tailor education and training to labour market needs, in particular in the area of vocational education and training and linked to the green and digital transition;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Is deeply concerned by the depopulation and the continuing brain drain of Serbia’s human capital; welcomes the Serbian G's government’s initiatives to counter these trends by working with international organisations; and innovative approaches to counter these trends, including demographic change, while working with international organisations through a series of targeted policies across sectors to address demographic threats, as the steady population decline remains a key challenge for economic development;
Amendment 384 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33
Paragraph 33
33. Welcomes the implementation of programmes to support small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular the reduction of the cost of borrowing for SMEs; calls on Serbia to address the remaining shortcomings, including a volatile business environment and unfair competition;
Amendment 392 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34
Paragraph 34
34. Reiterates its concern about Serbia’s growing dependence on Chinese investments and the scale of loans that Serbia will have to pay back to China and urges the Serbian authorities to improve the transparency and environmental impact assessment of Chinese investments;
Amendment 397 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35
Paragraph 35
35. Notes the withdrawal of the amendments to the Law on Expropriation and calls for a broader public debate on this issue;
Amendment 399 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36
Paragraph 36
36. Welcomes the improvements in fighting money laundering and terrorist financing; notes that infrastructure and construction are significant sources of illicit money and encourages Serbia to minimisze the risk of illicit financial flows in the construction industry as well as the to reduce tax evasion and corruption in the infrastructure sector; calls on Serbia to ensure that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations are used in good faith;
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36 a (new)
Paragraph 36 a (new)
36a. Notes the EU’s additional support to Serbia of 10 million euros for economic recovery from the consequences of the pandemic;
Amendment 409 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37
Paragraph 37
37. Expresses concern that Serbia continues to prioritise investments inWelcomes the concrete steps taken in order to phasing out coal power plants; expresses concern that despite existing climate and environmental challenges, Serbia continues to invest in one new coal power plants; urges the authorities to adopt a strategynational integrated energy and climate plan consistent with the European Green Deal’s zero emissions target for 2050 and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans;
Amendment 413 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38
Paragraph 38
38. Calls on Serbia to step up its efforts to diversify its energy supply and overall energy mix, and in particular to reduce its dependency on Russia, as well as to increase investments and modernise energy infrastructure in order to implement the necessary transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy; in this respect, underlines the importance of the construction of the inter-connector with Bulgaria; urges the Commission to ensure that the IPA funds contribute to the building of a climate neutral economy in Serbia; underlines that lack of efficiency in the energy sector critically impacts the country’s overall economic competitiveness;
Amendment 427 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 40
Paragraph 40
40. Underlines the need for improvements in waste management and to introducelegislation, implementation, enforcement and to accelerate introducing and implementing waste hierarchy and circular economy measures;
Amendment 435 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 a (new)
Paragraph 41 a (new)
41a. Welcomes Serbia’s progress in the reform of the railway system; encourages it to ensure that investments in its transport infrastructure are compliant with the EU’s sustainable and smart mobility strategy and provide maximum benefit to Serbia’s economy;