Activities of Christian SAGARTZ related to 2019/2174(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the 2019-2020 Commission Reports on North Macedonia
Amendments (25)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 8
Citation 8
– having regard to the Commission communication of 6 October 2020 entitled ‘2020 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy’ (COM(2020)0660), accompanied by the Commission Staff Working Document entitled ‘North Macedonia 201920 Report’ (SWD(2020)0351),
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital Di (new)
Recital Di (new)
Di. whereas following the entry into force of the historic Prespa agreement between Greece and North Macedonia and the Friendship Treaty between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, in March 2020, when the country became the 30th NATO member state, the EU also decided to open the membership negotiations;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Urges the completion of measures to ensure judicial and prosecutorial professionalism, independence, integrity and accountability, including through an efficient implementation of codes of ethics and of the landmark law on the Public Prosecutor’s Office, ensuring sustainable solutions for cases related to the Special Prosecutor’s Office, and accountability for crimes stemming from the large-scale illegal wiretapping case; notes that effective implementation is key for the functioning of any reforms; calls on all judicial institutions to contribute, through additional efforts, to restoring public trust in the judiciary;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Encourages the conclusion of institutional reforms and the restructuring of the security and intelligence sectors; notes furthermore, that the capacity for parliamentary oversight over the intelligence services needs to be strengthened; welcomes the establishment of the National Security Agency as an independent state body without police powers, in line with the recommendations of the Senior Experts' Group on systemic rule of law issues; take notes that the Operational Technical Agency is also fully functional;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. CNotes that corruption is prevalent in many areas and a more proactive approach from all actors engaged in preventing and fighting corruption needs to be ensured; calls for continued efforts to tackle organised crime and corruption through effective dissuasion and law enforcement, prevention, detection, financial investigation and sanctions for money laundering, financial crimes and terrorism finance, along with operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks; Coordination - including with Europol - remains crucial for all stakeholders involved infighting organised crime. The work of genuinely independent investigators is necessary to effectively address police impunity;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the positive engagement of the country’s main political forces, enabling adoption of key legislation and a smooth electoral process; while OSCE/ODIHR assessed that the elections were generally well run, legal stability was nonetheless undermined by substantial revisions of the legal framework and subsequent government decrees. Further efforts need to be carried out in order to ensure the continuous accuracy of voter’s lists;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Commends the fact that opposition parties remained engaged in the Sobranie, the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, and supported key decisions in the common national interest; notes that good governance and a functional legislative body necessitates for stronger dialogue between all political parties; dialogue means debate on the basis of policies offered at hand, thus, we call on all parties in Parliament to be open to political dialogue, on the basis of good- will, especially on key health, economic, social and political efforts aimed at tackling the COVID-19 crisis;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Welcomes that the in the area of public administration, the public consultation process improved, with an increasing number of comments to draft regulations and greater involvement of civil society in policy-making. The State Commission for Prevention of C continued to address cases of nepotism, cronyism and political influence in the process of recruitment of public sector employees. Merit-based recruitment needs to be systematically applied throughout the government sector and for publicly- owned enterprises. A proper follow up to the reports and recommendations of the State Commission needs to be ensured. The new government should ensure that the public administration reform remains a priority, demonstrate full respect for the public administration reform principles and follow on the reform efforts of the previous government;
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Notes that the inter-ethnic situation remains calm overall; welcomes that an agency and inspectorate overseeing the overall implementation of the law on the use of languages was created;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Welcomes that the freedom of religion, thought and conscience continued to be guaranteed, and generally, discrimination on the grounds of religion prohibited; notes with concern, that radical Islam is still prevalent across the Western Balkans region;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the renewed adoption of anti-discrimination legislation voted by all political parties, and urges the authorities to follow up with an inclusive and transparent process establishing an independent Anti- Discrimination Commission, ensuring protection and inclusion of all marginalised groups; encourages the Sobranie to adopt legislation which will enable a simplified, transparent and accessible procedure for legal gender recognition, and prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Urges the Sobranie to adopt a law on prevention and protection against violence against women and children, establishing an effective mechanism for evidence gathering and the prosecution of perpetrators, coupled with prevention measures, and the protection and support of victims of gender-based and domestic violence, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on lawmakers in Northern Macedonia to take steps to ensure an adequate representation of women in all decision-making positions, and to further address the gender imbalance and gender pay gap in the labour force;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes the country’s efforts in improving cooperation on managing migration and addressing the needs of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants; recalls the need to establish a viable mechanism for managing irregular migratory flows including the signature of the Status Agreement with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, ensuring international protection and combating people smuggling networks;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Calls on all actors in the political and media surroundings to remain open to all media outlets and political entities, thus ensuring fair representation of all relevant political viewpoints with the aim of helping citizens make a fair and democratic choice;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Urges the adoption of measures to safeguard the financial and operational independence of the public service broadcaster and the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services; expresses concern over the possibility of political parties to use state funding for political advertising in the media, as it potentially creates an uneven competition, and has an influence on media independence;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 b (new)
Paragraph 28 b (new)
28b. Recognizes the economic growth that took place as of 2019 as investment picked up, but, notes that since April 2020, the COVID-19 crisis has left its mark on the economy and on public finances. Expresses support for range of measures supporting the authorities have taken in order to mitigate the economic and social impact of the crisis, and in this context welcomes the EUR 4 million of immediate support for the health sector, and EUR 62 million in support of the social and economic recovery that the European Union provided North Macedonia at the onset of the pandemic, complemented by a macro-financial assistance package of EUR 160 million in loans;
Amendment 204 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Encourages the Government to prioritise measures aimed at mitigating economic contraction, boosting diversification, competition and digitalisation and tackling of the informal economy and structural needs, such as shortcomings in education and training, as well as the outflow of skilled workers, infrastructure investment gaps which impair labour productivity and competitiveness of the economy, boosting diversification, competition and digitalisation and tackling of the informal economy and recalls the importance of supporting small-and medium enterprises (SMEs) who are especially vulnerable to economic trends;
Amendment 232 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)
Paragraph 37 a (new)
37a. Welcomes the progress which was made in the area of improvement of water quality, yet stresses the importance of securing adequate funds for the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Skopje; encourages authorities to elaborate a regional integrated waste management system with sufficient administrative and financial resources;
Amendment 241 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 38 a (new)
Paragraph 38 a (new)
38a. Commends North Macedonia and Bulgaria on the successful Joint Chairmanship of the Berlin Process for the Western Balkans and the important achievements, such as the creation of the Common Regional Market as a stepping stone towards the EU’s Single Market, as well as embracing the European Commission’s Economic and Investment Plan and Digital and Green Agendas to spur the economic development of the Western Balkans and speed up its convergence with the EU;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 39
Paragraph 39
39. Regrets that the EU Council was not able to adopt the Negotiating Framework, and that Bulgaria and North Macedonia have yet to find a compromise on issues related to history and language, trusts that they will soon be settled in order not to jeopardise the integration momentum, and looks forward to holding of the first intergovernmental conference, kick-starting the accession talks without a further delay;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 41 b (new)
Paragraph 41 b (new)
41b. Welcomes North Macedonia’s full membership into NATO in March 2020, and welcomes the country’s contributions in EU crises management operations and the NATO-led mission to Afghanistan, as well as KFOR through the Host Nation Coordination Centre as well as its formal cooperation with the European Defence Agency;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 42
Paragraph 42
42. Invites North Macedonia to continue contributing to the EU crisis management operations and increasing its alignment with the Common Foreign and Security Policy; , in particular regarding the restrictive measures against Russia;