Activities of Liisa JAAKONSAARI related to 2012/2153(INI)
Plenary speeches (3)
Negotiations for an EU-Kazakhstan enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement (A7-0355/2012 - Liisa Jaakonsaari) (vote)
Negotiations for an EU-Kazakhstan enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement (debate)
Negotiations for an EU-Kazakhstan enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT containing the European Parliament’s recommendations to the Council, the Commission and the European External Action Service on the negotiations for an EU-Kazakhstan enhanced partnership and cooperation agreement PDF (194 KB) DOC (130 KB)
Amendments (28)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
- having regard to the commitments undertaken by the High Representative in her letters of 24 November 2011 and 11 May 2012 concerning a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the EU- Turkmenistan PCA and in particular of its Article 2 ,
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas although the suspension of the application of any PCA has only been used rarely and partially by the Council, it remains a viable option in case of serious and documented breaches of human rights,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the European Parliament, in order to be able to fulfil its function of political scrutiny, needs to dispose of full information to closely follow developments in Kazakhstan and the implementation of the PCA according to its recommendations and resolutions,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Kazakhstan held the OSCE chairmanship in 2010; whereas commitments undertaken to bring media law in line with international standards, to liberalise registration requirements for political parties by the end of 2008, and to incorporate recommendations by the OSCE's Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in the elections legislation, remain unmet;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the general elections held on 15 January 2012 were deemed by the OSCE not to be in line with its standards, given widespread voting irregularities and that it did not provide the necessary conditions for the conduct of genuinely pluralistic elections;;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas after the tragic events of December 2011 in Zhanaozen, opposition parties and independent media and trade unions have become targets of intensified repression, with politically motivated detentions of activists and human rights defenders;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas there is an ongoing dialogue between the EP, official representatives of Kazakhstan, representatives of the civil society and NGOs on issues of mutual interest;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the International Monitoring Mission of Civic Solidarity concludes in its preliminary report that the Zhanaozen trials cannot be considered as compliant with fair trial standards and that the investigation of the events was neither full nor independent; whereas the accused and some witnesses were victims of severe violations of their rights during the pre- trial stage, including the alleged use of torture, denial of access to an attorney, intimidation, and fabrication of evidence; whereas these allegations were not properly investigated and the perpetrators were not held responsible;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point a
Paragraph 1 – point a
(a) ensure that the new PCA takes the form of a comprehensive framework for the further development of relations, addressing all priority areas, including: human rights, the rule of law, good governance, and democratisation; education;youth and education; economic development, trade and investment; energy and transport; environmental sustainability; and combating common threats and challenges;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point b
Paragraph 1 – point b
(b) welcome Kazakhstan's political will and practical engagement to further deepen partnership with the EU; ensure that the EU's engagement is consistent with other Union policies and that the principle of ‘more for more’ is applied with particular emphasis on supporting political, legal, economic and social reforms;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point c
Paragraph 1 – point c
(c) work with Kazakhstan to promote regional cooperation and the improvement of neighbourly relations in the Central Asia region including by support for confidence building measures where appropriate, particularly in such areas as water and resource management, border management , fight against extremism and counter-terrorism;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point d
Paragraph 1 – point d
(d) seek Kazakhstan's support with a view to ensuring swift progress towards the establishment of a regular EU-Central Asia High Level Security Dialogue in a regional format, in order to tackle common challenges and threats;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point f
Paragraph 1 – point f
(f) reinforce the EU's action in the fields of education, the rule of law, the environment and water, inter alia through newly established support platforms and targeted assistance; bring local NGOs and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) into the EU's dialogue with the Kazakh government in those areas;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g
Paragraph 1 – point g
(g) ensure that the PCA incorporates clauses and benchmarks relating to the protection and promotion of human rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Kazakhstan, drawing to the fullest possible extent on the standards laid down by the Council of Europe (Venice Commission), the OSCE and the UN to which Kazakhstan has committed itself;
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(ga) urge the Kazakh authorities to make every effort to improve the human rights situation in their country;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point h
Paragraph 1 – point h
(h) underline that progress in the negotiation of the new PCA must be linked to the progress of political reform and a genuine commitment on the part of Kazakhstan to human rights and democracy; insist that Kazakhstan maintains its declared commitment to further reforms, and to build up an open and democratic society including an independent civil society and opposition, respectful of fundamental rights and the rule of law; offer adequate assistance on the EU's part for implementing the reforms;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i
Paragraph 1 – point i
(i) express deep concern over the politically motivated detentions of activists and human rights defenders which show disregard of the Parliament's 15 March 2012 Resolution demanding the release of all persons detained on politically motivated charges;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point i a (new)
(ia) calls on the Kazakh authorities, in this regard, to promptly and impartially investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment in connection with the Zhanaozen violence and hold the perpetrators accountable; repeal the vague criminal charge of 'inciting social discord' and release from pre-trial detention political opposition activists held on this basis; review legislation on freedom of assembly to bring it into conformity with Kazakhstan's international obligations on freedom of assembly;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point n
Paragraph 1 – point n
(n) insist on improved access to justice, judicial independence, and on the return of the control and the management of penitentiaries to the Ministry of Justice;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point o
Paragraph 1 – point o
(o) urge Kazakhstan to release political prisoners and end politically motivated arrests and convictions carried out on the basis of the vague criminal charges of ‘inciting social discord’;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point r
Paragraph 1 – point r
(r) push for regulatory and rules-based convergence in specific sectors and key areas of EU interest whilst pressing for steps to be taken by the government of Kazakhstan on areas related to independence of judiciary and the situation of freedom of association and freedom of expression, and particularly of the media;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point u
Paragraph 1 – point u
(u) insist on establishing independent civil society platforms to contribute to inclusive exchanges in a number of sectors in order to get the aspirations and voices of the civil society heard;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point w
Paragraph 1 – point w
(w) intensify and broaden the scope of the exchange programmes in education and culture; encourage and support the legal training of local and regional officials and members of law enforcement bodies to EU standards; encourage and support Kazakhstan to take the lead in the formation of a special educational programme, both academic and vocational training, between the EU and Central Asian countries;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point y
Paragraph 1 – point y
(y) acknowledge that Kazakhstan's participation in the Russian-led customs union and the Eurasian Economic Union is not an obstacle to closer cooperation between the EU and Kazakhstan; stand ready to assist Kazakhstan's efforts, along with its partners within the Customs Union, to promote modern economic institutions in the Customs Union, should such efforts be undertaken;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point z
Paragraph 1 – point z
(z) encourage the Kazakh government to demonstrate its renewed commitment to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) by removing all legal or regulatory obstacles to its successful implementation and allowing independent civil society organisations to participate fully;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ab
Paragraph 1 – point ab
(ab) include clear benchmarks and binding deadlines for the implementation of the new PCA and provide for a comprehensive monitoring mechanisms, including regular reports to the EP;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ab a (new)
Paragraph 1 – point ab a (new)
(aba) Calls for the comprehensive monitoring mechanism to be established between Parliament and EEAS, once the Agreement is concluded, so as to allow for comprehensive and regular information on the implementation of the PCA, and in particular of its objectives; this mechanism should contain the following elements: - provision to EP of information on the objectives pursued with EU actions and positions and on all issues relating to Kazakhstan; - provision to EP of information benchmarking the results of actions undertaken by the EU and Kazakhstan, highlighting the evolution in the situation of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the country, in particular through o giving access under the appropriate confidentiality procedures to the relevant EEAS internal documents; o granting Parliament observer status in the briefing meetings ahead of meetings of the Cooperation Council and access to documents provided to the Council and the Commission; involvement of civil society in the preparation of this information and assessment of the situation;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – point ac
Paragraph 1 – point ac
(ac) encourage the EU negotiating team to continue its close cooperation with the EP, providing ongoing information, supported by documentation, on the progress of the negotiations pursuant to Article 218(10) TFEU, which states that the Parliament shall be immediately and fully informed at all stages of the procedure;