Activities of Tunne KELAM related to 2016/2310(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
2016 Report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on the 2016 Commission Report on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia PDF (313 KB) DOC (62 KB)
Amendments (29)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4
Citation 4
— having regard to the European Council’s decision of 16 December 2005 to grant the country the status of candidate for EU membership, to the European Council conclusions of June 2008, and to the conclusions of 13 December 2016, which received the support of the overwhelming majority of delegations and expressed its strong commitment to the EU integration of the Republic of Macedonia,
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4
Citation 4
— having regard to the European Council’s decision of 16 December 2005 to grant the country the status of candidate for EU membership, to the European Council conclusions of June 2008, and to the conclusions of 13 December 2016, which received the support of the overwhelming majority of delegations, and reiterated its unequivocal commitment to the EU accession process,
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas early parliamentary elections held in Macedonia had a very high turnout and election day was generally well-administered and proceeded without major incidents, in line with OSCE/ODIHR recommendations;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas a serious commitment by all political forces is required for the country to return tomaintain its EU integration and euro-atlantic path; whereas a new government needs to adopt and implement robust reforms;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas opening the accession negotiations should be openguaranteed upon the fulfilment of required conditions; whereas the country has been considered for many years as one of the most advanced countries in terms of alignment with the acquis;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the respect for fundamental freedoms shown at the elections of 11 December 2016; urgeswelcomes that all political parties to accepted its results in the interest of domestic stability and underlines their responsibility to ensure that there is no backsliding into political crisis; calls for a swift formation of a new governmenton all parties to refrain from any obstruction in regard to the effective functioning of the parliament; calls for a swift formation of a new government in line with the constitutional and legal requirements and procedures in order to make use of the mandate to carry on with necessary reforms; considers cross- party cooperation essential for addressing pressing domestic and EU-related challenges;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. NotWelcomes that the electoral process has improved, including the legal framework, voters’ lists and the media environment; and welcomes civil society representatives observing the elections in a large majority of the polling stations; hopes that the alleged irregularities and shortcomings, including voter intimidation, vote buying, abmisuse of publicadministrative resources, will also be addressed effectively by the competent authorities in view of the local elections in May 2017; stresses the need for afurther de- politicisation of the electoral administration in order to increase the public’s trust in future elections;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Considers it important to conduct a population census (last census was conducted in 2002) provided that there is a country-wide consensus in the methodology to be applied, in order to obtain an updated and realistic picture of the constellation of Macedonian population to better meet the needs of and offer services for the Macedonian citizens, and to further update the voters list and minimize any irregularities and shortcomings for the future;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Urges once again that the political will be shown to fully implement the Urgent Reform Priorities and the Przhino Agreement; underlines that the implementation of the Przhino agreement is vital also beyond the elections to ensure political stability and sustainability in the future; calls on the Commission to assess, at its earliest convenience but before the end of 2017, the country’s progress on implementation and to report back to Parliament and to the Council; while recalling that long overdue reforms need to be launched and implemented, supports the continuation of the High Level Accession Dialogue (HLAD) for systematically assisting the country in this endeavour; draws attention to the potential negative consequences of further delays in the country’s accession process and reiterates the strategic importance to provide tangible progress in the EU accession process of the country; further calls on the Commission and the EEAS to increase the visibility of EU-funded projects in the country in order to bring the European Union closer to the citizens of the country;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. NotWelcomes some progress in reforming public administration including the steps to implement the new legal framework on human resources management; calls for further commitment to implement the Commission recommendations; remains concerned about the politicisation of public administration and that civil servants are subject to political pressure; urges the new government to enhance professionalism, neutrality and independence at all levels including via merit-based recruitment earned through competitive procedures; stresses the need to complete the 2017- 2022 public administration reform strategy, including by making sufficient budget allocations for its implementation, and to strengthen relevant administrative capacity; calls for the incoming government to establish transparent and effective lines of accountability between and within institutions;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Recommends the incoming government to develop a comprehensive e- governance strategy accompanied by further developing e-services for citizens and businesses in order to reduce bureaucratic burden for the state, citizens and business-making; underlines that e- governance and e-services would enhance the country´s economic performance and increase transparency and efficiency of the public administration and services; stresses citizens´ right to access public information and calls on further efforts to ensure that this right is not impeded in any way; encourages finding innovative e- solutions to ensure easy access to public information and reduce related bureaucracy;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets the backsliding in the reform of the judiciary; deplores recurrent political interference in its work including in the appointment and promotion of judges and prosecutors, as well as the cases of selective justice; calls for greater political will to ensure the full independence of the judiciary; urges once again that the political will be demonstrated to progress in judicial reform including by improving transparency in the appointment and promotion procedures; and by reducing the length of court proceedings;cknowledges that some efforts were made to improve transparency; furthermore, calls on the authorities to ensure the professionalism of the Judicial Council;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that the Special Prosecutor has raised the first criminal indictments concerning wrongdoings arising from the wiretaps; is concerned about attacks and obstruction against calls for Special Prosecutor and her team to be allowed to do their work and the lack of cooperationunhindered; calls on the criminal courts not adhering to official requests from other institutions Special Prosecutor's Office (SPO) that they have a legal obligation to assist the SPO; considers it essential for the democratic process to enable the Special Prosecutor’s Office to carry out thorough investigations in full autonomy; furthermore, highlights the need to adopt amendments on the Law on Witness Protection;
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Remains concerned that corruption is prevalent in many areas and combating corruption is being undermined by political interference; highlights the need for strong political will to tackle corruption; stresses the need to strengthen the independence of the police, the prosecution and the State Commission for the Prevention of Corruption (SCPC); calls for improving transparency in the selection and appointment of SCPC members; calls, as a matter of urgency, for efforts to be made to ensure the effective prevention and punishment of conflicts of interest and to establish a credible track record on high- level corruption including the implementation of the legal framework for the protection of whistle-blowers; calls on the authorities to support the work of the Ombudsman with adequate staffing and budgetary measures;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Welcomes the fact that the legislative framework and strategies for fighting organised crime are in place; encourages further improvement of cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the strengthening of the powers and resources of the courts; considers it importantessential to further develop the law enforcement capacity to investigate financial crimes and confiscate assets;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Appreciates the continued efforts to fight Islamic radicalisation; welcomes the adoption of the 2013-2019 strategy to fight terrorism, which also defines the concepts of violent extremism, radicalisation, prevention and reintegration; calls for more cooperation between security agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs) and local communities; further calls for continued monitoring of returning foreign fighters by security services and proper reintegration into society - where appropriate;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Remains concerned about radical and unjustified public attacks on CSOs and foreign representatives by politicians and the media; is concerned about limitedinsufficient government commitment and insufficientlack of cooperation with CSOs at all levels; highlights that both government and CSOs should cooperate more constructively; urges the competent authorities to include CSOs in policymaking in a regular and structured manner;
Amendment 196 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. ICalls concerned about the lack of the authorities to improve the implementation of the Law on Equal Opportunities and the limited effectiveness ofo strengthen the institutional mechanisms to advance gender equality; urges the competent authorities to make sufficient budget allocations for its implementation and to improve support services to victims of domestic violence;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Reiterates that the interethnic situation remains fragile; urges all political parties and CSOs to actively promote an inclusive and tolerant multi-ethnic and multi-religious society and to strengthen coexistence and dialogue; reminds the government and party leaders of their commitment to fully implement the OFA and to complete its review with no further delay, including policy recommendations, in a transparent and inclusive manner and to ensure sufficient budget for its implementation;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Is concerned over freedom of expression and the media, the use of hate speech, political interference and pressure, including through government advertising; calls on the government to ensure that intimidation or violence against journalists is duly investigated and that those responsible be brought to justice; underlines the need for the sustainability and autonomy of the public service broadcast; notes the polarisation of private media; calls on establishing a professional code of conduct accepted both by public and private media; encourages joint work between government officials and journalist organisations on the media reform;
Amendment 234 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the maintenance of macro-economic stability but is concerned, the reduction of thate unemployment remains high with very low labour market participation, especially among youth and women; further urges competent authorities to tackle long-term and structural unemployment, to promote economic policy cooperation, to better align education with labour market demands and to develop a targeted strategy on how to better integrate young people and women into the labour market; is concerned about the outflow of highly educated young professionals; strongly calls on the government to dedicate particular attention to improvate and that the government remains committed to promoting growth and employment by market-based economic policies; calls on improving fiscal discipline and transparency and increasing the budget planning capacity; encourages the principle of balanced budget; notes that reliable and predictable regulatory environment for businesses leads to increased macro-economic stability and growth; calls on proper consultation with all stakeholders ing the perspectives of youthis regard;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the maintenance of macro-economic stability and the reduction of the unemployment rate, but is concerned that unemployment remains high with very low labour market participation, especially among youth and women; further urges competent authorities to tackle long-term and structural unemployment, to promote economic policy cooperation, to better align education with labour market demands and to develop a targeted strategy on how to better integrate young people and women into the labour market; is concerned about the outflow of highly educated young professionals; strongly calls on the government to dedicate particular attention to improving the perspectives of youth;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18 a. Is concerned that unemployment still remains high with very low labour market participation, especially among youth, women and people with disabilities; further urges competent authorities to tackle long-term and structural unemployment, to promote economic policy cooperation, to better align education with labour market demands and to develop a targeted strategy on how to better integrate young people and women into the labour market; is concerned about the outflow of highly educated young professionals; strongly calls on the government to dedicate particular attention to improving the perspectives of youth;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18 b. Commends the good level of preparation in the field of electronic communications and information society; calls on further advancement in the area of cyber security and underlines the need to develop and adopt a national cyber security strategy in order to increase cyber resilience;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Welcomes the progress that was made on the security of supply as well as in the area of electricity transmission interconnectors and gas interconnections; notes the agreement signed with the Western Balkans countries on the development of a regional electricity market; highlights the need to progress on the opening of the electricity market and to align the country's legislation with the EU's third energy package;
Amendment 265 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Urges the authorities to strengthen the administrative and financing capacities in order to procureensure transparent, efficient and effective public procurement regime, prevent any irregularities and implement EU funds properly and in a timely manner; notes with concern that the Commission has yet again reduced the IPA financial assistance by approximately EUR 27 million;
Amendment 276 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Commends the country for constructive cooperation in addressing the migration crisis thus substantially contributing to the security and stability of the European Union; in this regard, calls on the Commission to provide the country with all necessary tools to alleviate the crisis; recommends further actions to ensure capacities to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling;
Amendment 297 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Welcomes Macedonia’s continued constructive and proactive role in regional and international cooperation; commends the increased alignment with EU foreign policy (73 %); however encourages the country to align its foreign policy with the EU on restrictive measures related to Russian invasion to Ukraine and occupation of Crimea; reiterates the importance of finalising the negotiations on a bilateral treaty with Bulgaria;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. WReiterates that the Republic of Macedonia has remained constructively committed to bilateral relations with other enlargement countries and neighbouring EU Member States and positively notes its engagement in regional initiatives; welcomes the activities in the framework of the Berlin Process, which demonstrate strong political support for the European perspective of the Western Balkans countries; welcomes the tangible results from joint initiative for the confidence- building measures with Greece; strongly reiterates its invitation to the Vice- President/High Representative (VP/HR) and the Commission as a matter of urgency to develop new initiatives to overcome the remaining differences and to work, in cooperation with the two countries and the UN Special Representative, on a mutually acceptable solution on the name issue and to report back to Parliament thereon;