Activities of Alexandru NAZARE related to 2008/2200(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Consolidating stability and prosperity in the Western Balkans - Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (debate)
Amendments (11)
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Points out that the leverage of the European Union and its ability to function as an agent of stability and a driver of reform in the Western Balkans depends on the credibility of its promisecommitment to allowing all countries of the region that satisfy the Copenhagen criteria to become full members of the EU; stresses therefore that the Commission and the Member States must maintain a firm commitment to future enlargement encompassing the Western Balkans;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses that the prospect of accession of the countries of the Western Balkans must not be endangered by the existence of disputes over sovereignty over former territories, provided the countries concerned fulfil the Copenhagen criteria and respect the principles of international law with regard to the territory concerned;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Points out that the accession process must maintain a clear regional perspective, and that efforts must be made to avoid a situation whereby differences in the pace of integration result in the erection of new barriers in the region, in particular with regard to the existing visa procedures and the future process of visa liberalisation; supports the role of the Regional Cooperation Council in strengthening regional ownership and in serving as the key interlocutor for the EU in all matters concerning regional cooperation in South East Europe;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Lends its full support to the ESDP missions and the EU Special Representatives (EUSRs) deployed in the region, which still have key roles to play in maintaining stability and ensuring progress in the process of building functioning states capable of meeting the Copenhagen criteria; stresses, however, that nothe ESDP mission ors and EUSR offices may be wound up until their respective mandates have unambiguously been fulfilledust aim at the successful completion of their mandates within a clearly-defined and realistic time-frame;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Fully supports the efforts aimed at establishing by 2010 a Western Balkans Investment Framework for the coordination of grants and loans offered by the Commission, by international financial institutions and by individual country donors; welcomes the Infrastructure Project Facility (IPF) and points out that IPF projects should clearly aim to improve intra-regional communication and trade; believes that these coordinated loan/grant facilities should be directed in particular towards the potential candidate countries which do not have access to funds from all five components of the Instrument for Pre- Accession (IPA); stresses the importance of regional cooperation in the area of best practice as regards access to the pre- accession funds;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the new Civil Society Facility established under the IPA, and the consequent tripling of funding available to civil society organisations (CSOs); urges the Commission to strengthen local ownership of civil society development and create opportunities for regular interaction and consultation with local CSOs with a view to taking their views and needs into account in the planning and programming stages of assistance under the IPA; urges the Commission to encourage the creation of a regional discussion forum consisting of CSOs, as a means of disseminating best practice as regards access to the pre- accession funds;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Further urges the Commission to devote greater attention to the promotion of small to medium-sized and non-urban CSOs, notably by allocating a greater share of its assistance to such organisations, by facilitating the procedures for applying for EU funding, and by reviewing the rules regardingstepping up the co- financing of projects for small and medium-sized CSOs;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the importance of a liberalisation of the Schengen visa regime for the citizens of the Western Balkans as a means for acquainting the people of the region with the European Union; calls on the Commission to point out to the Member States that a cumbersome visa procedure, compounded by the understaffing of consulates and embassies in the region, is liable to generate hostility towards the EU among the people of the regions, at a time when the Union's popularity is implicitly the biggest stimulus to reform; welcomes the dialogue on visa liberalisation and urges the Council and the Commission to conduct the process in as transparent a manner as possible and with clearly defined benchmarks, in order to facilitate external monitoring and increase public accountability of the process;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Fully supports the increased funding and number of scholarships for study and research in the EU available to students and researchers from the Western Balkans under the Erasmus Mundus programme; urges the beneficiary countries to make all the necessary arrangements, including publicity and information campaigns, in order to allow their citizens to take full advantage of these opportunities;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Stresses the vital part played by the EU's support role in Kosovo, including that of the EULEX mission, in strengthening the workings of that country's administration; calls for a timetable to be drawn up for the fulfilment of the EULEX mission's objectives, as a necessary instrument for improving its efficiency and ensuring its access within a specific time-frame, while avoiding the indefinite prolongation of the EU presence in the region;