15 Amendments of Hermann TERTSCH related to 2019/2200(INI)
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reiterates its full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and commitment to continue contributing to the peaceful resolution of the Russia-Georgia conflict, including through the EUSR for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, the Co-Chairmanship of the Geneva International Discussions, the actions of EUMM and the policy of non-recognition and engagement; strongly condemns the illegal occupation of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia by the Russian Federation and the ongoing borderisation process; emphasises that the AA covers the entire territory of Georgia, including its occupied regions, and aims to benefit its whole population; calls on the Russian Federation to fulfil its obligations under the EU-mediated ceasefire agreement of 12 August 2008, notably to withdraw all its military forces from Georgia’s occupied territories and allow the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) unhindered access to the whole territory of Georgia; asks the Commission and the EEAS to enhance their efforts to resolve the conflict peacefully, including through the EUMM and the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Asks the Commission and the EEAS to keep the peaceful resolution of the Russia-Georgia conflict high on their agenda, including with Russia, and enhance their efforts to promote the implementation of the 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement by Russia, which EU mediated; in this regard calls on the EEAS to perform an impartial and thorough assessment of all key parts of this agreement and clear information which are still not fulfilled by the Russian Federation;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Commends efforts of Georgian healthcare workers, the government and other people involved in fight against the coronavirus; recognizes vital contribution of the Tbilisi-based Lugar biomedical lab, which is funded by the US government and has been the target of Russian disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories since it opened;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the fact that Georgian citizens have made 900 000 visa-free visits to Schengen and Schengen-associated countries since March 2017; is concerned by the increasing number of unfounded asylum requests by Georgian citizens; calls on all the Member States that have not already done so to recognise Georgia as a safe country of origin in order to speed up the processing of such requests; stresses the importance of continuous implementation of the visa liberalisation benchmarks by Georgia; takes note however of the increasing number of unfounded asylum requests by Georgian citizens;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Underlines Georgia's role as a reliable partner of the European Union and a significant contributor to the CSDP and NATO missions and operations; calls on the Council and the EEAS to further engage with Georgia in the area of CSDP, in particular considering Georgia’s interest to discuss the possibility of its participation in PESCO projects, as well as develop cooperation with the relevant EU agencies, when it is of mutual interest for both the EU and Georgia.
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Condemns Russia’s hybrid warfare against Georgia and frequent attempts to use Georgia as a testing ground for its disinformation activities as well as malicious cyber capabilities, as recently revealed by the massive cyber- attack on Georgia’s infrastructure in October 2019; calls to the Council and the EEAS to step up cooperation in cyber security with Georgia as a matter of mutual interest;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Commends the Georgian authorities for completing the constitutional reform process and the major political parties for signing the Memorandum of Understanding of 8 March 2020, which established the key features of the electoral system to be used for the upcoming parliamentary elections; calls on all parties to ensure that the agreement is translated into law and fully implemented as soon as possible and elimination of political interference into justice system; welcomes the pardoning of Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili by the President of Georgia as an important step towards the full implementation of Memorandum; looks forward to seeing the agreed-upon changes made to the electoral system when the Georgian parliament returns to work in the next weeks, as well as the release of Giorgi Rurua, a media owner who was detained in November;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Following the agreement reached by the political parties on 8 March, expresses strengthened hope for normalization of political climate in the run up to the elections and that the campaign will be free of violence and abuse of justice system for political purposes; underlines, however, that any further misuse of administrative resources and acts of violence against leaders of legitimate opposition may lead to personal sanctions on perpetrators of such acts and officials responsible for instigating them;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Georgian authorities to implement swiftly and fully the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and review relevant legislation to address the identified shortcomings and concerns enumerated in the OSCE/ODIHR and other legitimate election observation reports, particularly those related to impunity of violence, vote-buying as well as the ability of voters, especially civil servants, “to vote free from pressure and fear of retribution”;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines the importance of media freedom, which should entail equal access for all political parties to the media during the upcoming electoral campaign, pluralistic and non-discriminatory coverage of political views in programmes by public and private broadcasters, clear provisions regulating free and paid advertisements, and improved transparency through strengthened media monitoring; taking into account previous criticism by ODIHR and Reporters Without Borders, urges the Georgian Dream party and the government to ensure effective handling of information environment in the run up to the 2020 elections and to work with the civil society and the private sector to limit and prevent information manipulations, including disinformation and propaganda campaigns against any political group or the country;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Acknowledges that the media landscape in Georgia is dynamic and pluralistic, but also polarised; expresses deep concern that media outlets critical towards the government often become subject of pressure in the form of court cases against the founders (Nika Gvaramia of TV Mtavari), arrest of the shareholders (Giorgi Rurua and TV Mtavari), financial and tax related charges (Avtandil Tsereteli and TV Pirveli) and firing or resignation of critical TV journalists and editors (Public Broadcaster of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara);
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Expresses its concern about recent court cases against opposition politicians, which contributed to a climate of increased mistrust and heightened tensions between the ruling party and the opposition, and led to a polarisation of politics and society; calls on Georgia to respect the highest standards of judicial independence and fair trial as committed to under the AAexpresses concern that violent incidents against opposition leaders and peaceful demonstrators often remain unpunished, despite clear evidence linking such attacks with ruling party sympathisers and officials;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Encourages Georgian government to take full advantage of existing mechanisms to foster diversification of trade and encourage internal entrepreneurship and foreign direct investments, as well as additional transparent measures of security screening of the FDIs;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls to move forward with infrastructural projects of strategic importance for developing regional transportation and trade; in this regard expresses its hope that Georgia will accelerate construction of the Anaklia Deep Sea Port, in line with Georgia’s strategic Euro-Atlantic objectives; is concerned, however, about the numerous obstacles of administrative and political nature that continue to hinder the project, as well as with signs of Russian interference;