Activities of Juozas OLEKAS related to 2021/2237(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU Association Agreement with the Republic of Moldova (debate)
Amendments (29)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6
Citation 6
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the AA/DCFTA is based on the common values on which the EU is built - namely democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law - and these values lie also at the heart of political association and economic integration as envisaged in AA/DCFTA Agreement;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas the current emergency COVID-19 EU macro-financial assistance programme for Moldova was completed, with the first tranche of EUR 50 million disbursed in November 2020 and a second 50 million EUR instalment on 7 October 2021, following significant progress achieved in fulfilling the policy conditions of the Memorandum of Understanding;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the historic results of the presidential election in 2020 and the parliamentary elections in 2021, whereby the people of the Republic of Moldova gave a strong mandate to pro-reform and pro-European political forces; urges the political leadership of the Republic of Moldova to seize this unique opportunity to implement long-overdue reforms and to advance European integration based on common values of democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Welcomes the results of the sixth Eastern Partnership summit held on 15 December 2021, which reaffirmed the significant achievements of cooperation in this format and charted an ambitious course for future cooperation based on shared values and focusing on recovery, resilience and reform; acknowledges the initiative by the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine to enhance their cooperation as the three associated partners of the EU (‘Associationed Trio’);
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the decisive action by the EU and its Member States as ‘Team Europe’ in mitigating the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through vaccine donations and financial support; stresses that the Economic Recovery Plan for the Republic of Moldova, worth up to EUR 600 million, is a key element in the Republic of Moldova’s recovery, which presents a unique opportunity to restructure the economy, fight social inequalities, boost green and digital transformation and to prepare it for other future challenges;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that while the presidential and the early parliamentary elections were well managed and competitive, persistentremaining shortcomings need to be addressed by implementing the recommendations of the Council of Europe Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR, including enhancing the electoral legal framework in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards, prompt and thorough investigation of credible allegations of vote-buying and illegal inducements of voters, enhanced transparency and accountability of campaign finance, better enforcement of the existing Audiovisual Media Services Code’s provisions on impartial coverage during the campaign, better guarantees to ensure that courts enjoy freedom from political pressures and remain fully impartial in the handling of election- related cases;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the agreement between the EU and the Republic of Moldova on launching a High-Level Political and Security Dialogue; invites the Republic of Moldova to further align its positions with those of CFSP and to continue and enhance its contribution to Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and its missions;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Reiterates its support for a comprehensive and peaceful settlement of the Transnistria conflict through the 5+2 negotiation process based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova with a special status for Transnistria;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Stresses the importance of the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) in its contribution to the peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict through confidence-building measures and as a monitoring presence at the Transnistrian segment of the Moldova-Ukraine border;
Amendment 154 #
12. Reiterates the fundamental importance of justice reform and the fight against corruption; recognises the magnitude of the challenge faced by the authorities and encourages them to focus on established priorities; calls forto accelerate the ongoing justice reform including the adoption and implementation of the Strategy for Ensuring the Independence and Integrity of the Justice Sector 2021- 2024;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Is convinced that a large scale corruption is one of the main problems impeding Moldova’s progress; calls on Moldova’s government to increase effectiveness of the legal and institutional anti-corruption infrastructure; welcomes the creation of the Anticorruption Independent Consultative Committee that will investigate corruption in the country's financial and banking sectors as well as corruption within the state's institutions;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Deplores the fact thUrges to accelerate the investigation into the bank fraud exposed in 2014 has still not yielded significant results in terms of bringing those responsible to justice and recovering lost assets; stresses that this lack of progress has a serious negative effect on the Moldova’s international reputation and, in particular, on the credibility of the justice system in the eyes not only of the people of the Republic of Moldova, but also of the country’s international partners;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Notes China’s increased interest in investing in the Moldovan economy, inter alia in the energy, telecommunications, and pharmaceutical sectors; recalls China’s intention to construct substantial transportation infrastructure in Moldova as a component of its wider Belt and Road Initiative; reiterates that the Belt and Road Initiative is at the centre of China’s foreign policy, including on the European continent; commends the pro-democratic reforms already enacted by the government of the Republic of Moldova; calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide and stimulate enhanced EU investment in Moldova on the basis of the ‘more-for-more’ principle and to also actively encourage Moldova to approach the EU and European financial institutions;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Welcomes the diversification of the Moldovan economy and growing trade between the Republic of Moldova and the Union, as well as the fact that the Union is the largest investor in the country; encourages further progress in areas such as the customs code, the protection of intellectual property rights, the improvement of sanitary and phytosanitary standards, the improvement of market conditions in the field of energy, public procurement, and access to finance for SMEs;
Amendment 224 #
16b. Calls on Moldova to continue the regulatory approximation with the EU acquis; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support the Moldovan institutions and public administration with necessary expertise, technical and financial help; calls on the Moldovan authorities to progress more rapidly on approximation to the AA/DCFTA;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6 a (new)
Subheading 6 a (new)
Energy and Transport
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 c (new)
Paragraph 16 c (new)
16c. Welcomes the launch of the EU- Moldova High- Level Dialogue on Energy and encourages launching similar High- level dialogues with the EU to strengthen cooperation in other sectorial fields;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 d (new)
Paragraph 16 d (new)
16d. Strongly condemns the artificial limitations of gas supply in order to put political pressure on the Republic of Moldova to change its geopolitical orientation; urges the Commission to continue providing the Republic of Moldova with the financial and technical support necessary to ensure its resilience against such external interference; calls on the Moldovan authorities to maintain the country’s commitment as a member of the Energy Community to implementing the EU’s Third Energy Package, in particular the unbundling of gas and electricity transmission and distribution;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 e (new)
Paragraph 16 e (new)
16e. Urges the Moldovan Government to continue reforms in the energy sector in order to improve diversification of the Republic of Moldova’s energy supplies, develop renewable energy sources, increase resilience and transparency in the sector, strengthen energy efficiency and independence, in particularly by increasing energy interconnections with the European Union; stresses that all these aspects are of paramount importance for enhancing the country’s energy security;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 f (new)
Paragraph 16 f (new)
16f. Requests the Commission to support the Republic of Moldova’s integration with the European continental power grid (ENTSO-E); notes that the support and promotion of the EU enhanced cooperation with the EaP associated countries in these sectors will create economic growth and will strengthen the energy resilience of the region;
Amendment 240 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 g (new)
Paragraph 16 g (new)
16g. Welcomes steps to interconnect the electricity system of the Republic of Moldova with the EU via Romania, considers it as a significant step on the way to strengthening and diversifying the Republic of Moldova’s energy infrastructure;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 h (new)
Paragraph 16 h (new)
16h. Welcomes the progress made by Moldovan authorities towards improving its safety oversight system and implementing international aviation safety standards that led to the removal of all air carriers certified in the Republic of Moldova from the EU Air Safety List, and calls the Moldovan authorities to ensure the implementation of the EU-Republic of Moldova Common Aviation Area Agreement;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 i (new)
Paragraph 16 i (new)
16i. Calls for increased cooperation and the gradually integration of the Republic of Moldova into the EU Transport network; stresses the need for the Republic of Moldova to advance in implementing the relevant acquis; calls for the Republic of Moldova and the EU to advance work on the Moldovan sections of the trans- European extended transport network for EaP (TEN-T), to support the railway sector reforms and to explore together with the Member States and International Financial Institutions possibilities for upgrading the EU- Republic of Moldova rail connections;
Amendment 248 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses the importance of fighting disinformation, fake news and propaganda,information manipulation, fake news and propaganda, as well as any malign foreign interferences in particular through strategic communication; hopes that the reconstituted Television and Radio Broadcasting Council will effectively carry out its tasks as a media watchdog and address the long-standing shortcomings of the media landscape; underlines the need to boost cooperation between the EU and Moldova in this area; welcomes the work of the EEAS East StratCom Task Force in this respect;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Urges the Moldovan authorities to foster free and independent media; is concerned by the high level of concentration and politicisation of the media, leading to a low level of public confidence in the media; takes the view that strengthening media pluralism and its independence should be a priority for the Union and the Republic of Moldova in their partnership relations; calls on the Commission to increase support to the independent media, including in the regions;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Calls on the EU institutions to analyse the possibility of including the Republic of Moldova and the other EaP associated countries as observers at their relevant committees and working group meetings to show the EU’s commitments to further integration and to strengthening the countries’ reform orientation and administrative know-how; request the Commission to explore the possibility to expand certain EU programmes for the citizens of the Republic of Moldova and other EaP Countries; stress that expansion of the programmes such as “DiscoverEU” into Moldova could further strengthen pro- European sentiments in the country;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Welcomes the signature on 29 November 2021 of the Memorandum of Understanding between the European Parliament and the Parliament of Moldova on a joint framework for parliamentary democracy support, which opens up opportunities for strengthening its institutional capacity and thereby parliamentary democracy in the Republic of Moldova through closer bilateral institutional ties; invites the Parliament of Moldova to implement the full range of democracy support activities available to it, including a Jean Monnet Dialogue and a Simone Veil programme, on the basis of a mutually agreed roadmap;