15 Amendments of Cristian Dan PREDA related to 2017/2281(INI)
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Underlines the importance of the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA), and welcomes thetakes note of the limited progress achieved by Moldova to date; insists, however, that full implementation of the AA/DCFTA must be a top priority, enabling a further deepening of the country’s relations with the EU, for the benefit of all Moldovan citizens, as well as unlocking additional perspectives in line with the Eastern Partnership Plus (EaP+) policy advocated by Parliament;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Praises the courageous agents for positive change in Moldova, notably those leading the efforts to reform the banking sector following the 2014 bank fraud, which should be pursued; calls on Moldovan politicians and the judiciary as a whole to join in with such efforts to reform the country and fight corruption in line with the AA commitments, as the lack of political will and commitment are some of the main bottlenecks for credible reforms;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Expresses grave concern about backsliding in relation to democratic standards in Moldova, with core values, to which Moldova had subscribed notably as part of the AA, such as democracy – including fair and transparent elections respecting the will of the citizens – and the rule of law – including the independence of the judiciary – being undermined by the ruling political leaders colluding with business interests and unopposed by much of the political class and the judiciary, resulting in the Republic of Moldova being a state captured by oligarchic interests; reiterates its determination to focus on the fulfilment of commitments to uphold common values rather than unconvincing so-called ‘geopolitical’ arguments;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reiterates its position that any decision on future MFA disbursement should only take place after the planned parliamentary elections and on condition that they are conducted in line with internationally recognised standards and assessed by specialised international bodies, and that the payment of all budget support programmes should remain on hold until meaningful progress in democratic standards takes place, as well as in identifying and punishing the responsible persons for the bank fraud; calls, in the meantime, on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to continue reallocating funds to support civil society in Moldova, in particular to the free and independent media, as well as the private sector and local authorities, preferably coordinated with assistance from other EU countries, and to coordinate efforts with other organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to ensure greater coherence in terms of financial assistance conditionality;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls, moreover, for any future MFA disbursement, as well as any budget support programme to be equally conditional upon the validation of the 2018 mayoral elections that took place in Chișinău and on the return to a rule of law instead of a rule of an oligarch, return which should include credible reforms in the judiciary sector;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement thea new audiovisual code in line with European standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission; emphasises the importance of genuine consultations with civil society and the independent media before the final adoption of the new audiovisual code, and the need to discard all aspects that may undermine media pluralism; notes with concern that currently, the media is highly monopolised and subordinate to the country's political and business groups, as according to an Amnesty International report, ownership remains concentrated in the hands of a few individuals;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Commends the Moldovan authorities for the incremental improvement of relations with Tiraspol notably with the opening of the Gura Bîcului-Bîcioc bridge and the signature of an additional six protocols, thus improving the lives of citizens on both sides of the Nistru river; encourages the authorities to further build on this level of engagementcooperate in particular with SMEs from Transnistria, to further build on this level of engagement and to make additional efforts in ensuring that human rights, including the right to use the mother tongue, are respected on both sides of the Nistru river; urges the authorities in Chisinau to abide by all ECHR decisions; calls on the Moldovan authorities to undertake additional efforts to ensure a swift and final adoption of the Law of the Special Legal Status of Gagauzia;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Urges the authorities to ensure the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary and specialised anti-corruption institutions, including the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the National Integrity Authority and the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, notably through maintaining the allocation of adequate resources and guaranteeing transparent selection procedures with the participation of independent expert recruiters; notes the importance of establishing a solid track record of investigations in corruption cases, including high-level profiles;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Is deeply concerned with the selective justice practices of the Moldovan judiciary, which remains highly corrupt, demonstrating a servile attitude towards the ruling political and business groups, and being often used as an instrument against political and business opponents; regrets that the Constitutional Court remains highly politicised; urges the Moldovan Government to amend the Constitution, as to guarantee the independence of all judges; reiterates that ensuring the independence of the judiciary is essential to fully implementing the provisions of the AA;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for a swift prosecution of all those responsible for the USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, as well as the recovery of stolen assets; notes with concern that the investigation into this case has been conducted rather ineffectively and that the Moldovan authorities have only managed to recover a relatively small part of the funds caught in the fraud; deplores the numerous delays in the trial, which for over one year, have less to a person convicted by the first instance court to over 7 years in prison, to avoid serving the sentence in prison, in the absence of a final conviction, as the appeal is being postponed; urges the Moldovan authorities to publish the Kroll report on the bank fraud, so that taxpayers can get information on how their money disappeared;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 f (new)
Paragraph 11 f (new)
11f. Acknowledges with deep regret that the recent fiscal reforms have been adopted hastily and without any public consultation or a debate in parliament; is concerned that some provisions may seriously undermine the country's efforts to effectively fight corruption, money laundering or fraud; warns that these provisions may lead to a breach of the commitments made within the framework of the AA;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Calls for the efficient implementation of the European Parliament Resolution of 5 July 2018 on the political crisis in Moldova following the invalidation of the mayoral elections in Chisinau (2018/2783(RSP)) where it was demanded to the European Commission to suspend budgetary support for Moldova and provided a list of conditions that have to be implemented by the Moldovan authorities;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Considers that the EU financial support to Moldova should give priority to new partnership projects, based on the experiences of past such projects, where local authorities are involved in order to receive direct financial assistance; encourages the Moldovan authorities to fully take into account the good practices already developed by some EU Member States in this respect; calls on the Committee of Regions to support this initiative;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Underlines the importance of freedom of assembly for the functioning of any democracy; deplores in this context the negative trends that can be observed in this area, notably the limitation of access to demonstrations, intimidation, threats and abuse of violence by the authorities and calls for a strict respect of this fundamental right;
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. CReminds that hate speech, harassment and discrimination against LGBTQI people, persons with disabilities and minorities such as the Roma population remain of great concern; calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, by fighting hate speech and discrimination against LGBTQI people, persons with disabilities and minorities such as the Roma populationeffectively fighting these practices;