2017/2281(INI) Implementation of the EU association agreement with Moldova
Lead committee dossier:
Progress: Procedure completed
| Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead | AFET |
AUŠTREVIČIUS Petras ( ALDE)
|
KOVATCHEV Andrey ( PPE),
CRISTEA Andi ( S&D),
TANNOCK Timothy Charles Ayrton ( ECR),
HARMS Rebecca ( Verts/ALE),
CASTALDO Fabio Massimo ( EFDD)
|
| Committee Opinion | INTA |
MARTIN David ( S&D)
|
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54
Legal Basis:
RoP 54Subjects
Events
2019/03/11
EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2018/11/14
EP - Results of vote in Parliament
Documents
2018/11/14
EP - Decision by Parliament
Details
The European Parliament adopted by 396 votes to 76, with 18 abstentions, a resolution on the implementation of the EU Association Agreement with Moldova.
While stressing the importance of the AA/DCFTA and the progress achieved by Moldova to date in a number of areas, Members insisted, however, that full implementation of the AA/DCFTA, with regard, in particular, to political reforms, must be a top priority, enabling a further deepening of the country’s relations with the EU, for the benefit of all Moldovan citizens.
Members are concerned the country is backsliding in relations to democratic standards , rule of law, lack of fair and transparent elections as well as impartial judiciary, insufficient anti-corruption and anti-money laundering efforts. Still, they praises those leading the efforts, which should be pursued, to reform the banking sector following the 2014 bank fraud of USD 1 billion.
According to the resolution, Moldova is captured by oligarchic interests with a concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a small group of people exerting their influence on parliament, the government, political parties, the state administration, the police, the judiciary and the media.
Particular concerns were made as regards the following
Elections : Parliament regretted Moldova's deliberate violation of political conditions related to democratic standards, in particular the recent changes in the country's electoral legislation (not taking into account some of the main recommendations of the joint opinion of the Venice Commission and the ODIHR) which led to the suspension of macro-financial assistance (MFA) and the remaining budget support payments.
Members believe that any decision on the future MFA disbursement should only be taken after the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 2019 and on condition that they are conducted in line with internationally recognised standards and assessed by specialised international bodies.
The payment of all budget support programmes should remain on hold until meaningful progress in democratic standards takes place including reform of the judiciary and judicial action against the persons responsible for the bank fraud. In the meantime, the Commission and the EEAS to continue reallocating funds to support civil society and independent media in Moldova, as well as the private sector and local authorities.
Members reaffirmed Parliament’s readiness to observe Moldova’s next parliamentary elections.
Media and civil society : the monopolisation of media and advertising market, the weakening of independent news outlets, the overdue implementation of the new audio visual code, the attempts to limit the freedom of action and discredit representatives of civil society were highlighted as areas of concern.
In particular, Members highlighted last minute changes to the Audiovisual Media Services Code adopted in July 2018 that were not subjected to consultations with civil society. They urged the Moldovan authorities to fully implement the Code in line with European standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission. They stressed the importance of ensuring genuine independence of the media regulatory agency.
Rule of law, good governance, human rights : concerned about the selective justice practices of the Moldovan judiciary, Parliament urged the Moldovan authorities to ensure the independence, impartiality and effectiveness of the judiciary and specialised institutions in the fight against corruption. It expressed concern about the increased risk of money laundering following the early adoption of the ‘fiscal reform package’ in July 2018, which includes a tax amnesty regime which may legalise illegally acquired assets. It also stressed the need to tackle organised crime as well.
Parliament also insisted on the need to:
intensify efforts to defend human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the protection of vulnerable groups, by combating hate speech, violence, social exclusion and discrimination against LGBTQI people as well as people with disabilities and minorities, such as the Roma; ensure effective compliance with trade and sustainable development clauses and international commitments, and in particular the proper application of the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO); take more determined action on environmental protection, waste management and climate change.
Documents
2018/11/14
EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2018/11/13
EP - Debate in Parliament
Documents
2018/10/15
EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details
The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the own-initiative report by Petras AUŠTREVIČIUS (ALDE, LT) on the implementation of the EU Association Agreement with Moldova.
Four years after the signing by the EU of the Association Agreement (AA) including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) with Moldova, and two years after its full entry into force, the European Parliament has decided to evaluate the level of implementation of this agreement, in line with its strong commitment to its closest Eastern partners and to their deepening relations with the EU.
Political and economic relations between the European Union and Moldova have deepened in the framework of the Eastern Partnership and in particular with the signing, on 27 June 2014, and entry into force, on 1 July 2016, of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement (AA) including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA).
As a consequence of the DCFTA, EU-Moldova trade increased by 20% in 2017, to EUR 4 billion and the EU is currently Moldova’s biggest trading partner, accounting for over 55 % of total trade.
While stressing the importance of the AA/DCFTA and the progress achieved by Moldova to date in a number of areas, Members insisted, however, that full implementation of the AA/DCFTA, with regard, in particular, to political reforms , must be a top priority, enabling a further deepening of the country’s relations with the EU, for the benefit of all Moldovan citizens.
Members are concerned the country is backsliding in relations to democratic standards, rule of law, lack of fair and transparent elections as well as impartial judiciary, insufficient anti-corruption and anti-money laundering efforts. Still, they praises those leading the efforts, which should be pursued, to reform the banking sector following the 2014 bank fraud of USD 1 billion.
According to the report, Moldova is captured by oligarchic interests with a concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a small group of people exerting their influence on parliament, the government, political parties, the state administration, the police, the judiciary and the media.
Particular concerns were made as regards the following:
Elections : the EU has repeatedly expressed concern as regards the deterioration of democratic standards through recent decisions by the Moldovan authorities, including the June 2018 invalidation of the local elections in Chișinău on dubious grounds and in a non-transparent way, the July 2017 electoral reform adopted despite the negative recommendations of the ODIHR and the Venice Commission, the lack of progress in the prosecution of those responsible for the USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014 and the increase in breaches of human rights, notably targeting independent judges, journalists and political opponents.
Members reaffirmed Parliament’s readiness to observe Moldova’s next parliamentary elections.
Macro financial assistance disbursement : as a result of the abovementioned developments, in 2017, the EU did not pay the last two instalments under the budget support programme for justice sector reforms because the Moldovan authorities showed insufficient commitment to reforming this sector. In 2018, the EU suspended the disbursement of the first instalment of the macro-financial assistance due to the non-fulfilment of the political conditions that a pre-condition for granting macro-financial assistance is that the beneficiary country respects effective democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system and the rule of law and guarantees respect for human rights.
Members reiterated their position that any decision on future macro financial assistance disbursement should only take place after the parliamentary elections scheduled for February 2019 , and that the payment of all budget support programmes should remain on hold until meaningful progress in democratic standards takes place including reform of the judiciary and judicial action against the persons responsible for the bank fraud.
Media and civil society : the monopolisation of media and advertising market, the weakening of independent news outlets, the overdue implementation of the new audio visual code, the attempts to limit the freedom of action and discredit representatives of civil society were highlighted as areas of concern. In particular, Members underlined the last minute changes to the Audiovisual Media Services Code adopted in July 2018 that were not subjected to consultations with civil society. They urged the Moldovan authorities to fully implement the Code in line with European standards of media freedom and pluralism as recommended by the European Commission and the Venice Commission.
In this regard, the Commission and the EEAS are called to continue reallocating funds to support civil society and independent media in Moldova, as well as the private sector and local authorities, including through new partnership and development projects, preferably coordinated with assistance from other EU countries and to coordinate efforts with other organisations such as the IMF to ensure greater coherence in terms of financial assistance conditionality.
Documents
2018/10/09
EP - Vote in committee
2018/09/11
EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2018/07/20
EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2018/06/25
EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2018/01/18
EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2017/10/11
EP - MARTIN David (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in INTA
2017/07/04
EP - AUŠTREVIČIUS Petras (ALDE) appointed as rapporteur in AFET
Documents
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2019)43
- Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament: T8-0458/2018
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Committee report tabled for plenary: A8-0322/2018
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE627.674
- Committee draft report: PE622.300
- Committee opinion: PE619.163
- Committee opinion: PE619.163
- Committee draft report: PE622.300
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE627.674
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2019)43
Votes
A8-0322/2018 - Petras Auštrevičius - Résolution 14/11/2018 13:33:04.000 #
2018/11/14 Outcome: +: 396, 0: 186, -: 76
GUE/NGL
NI
ENF| Amendments | Dossier |
| 195 |
2017/2281(INI)
2018/05/04
INTA
13 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Recital C C. whereas Moldova’s preferences utilisation rate of 90% shows how the DCFTA has been beneficial to Moldovan
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4.
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. Regrets that Moldova becomes aware of new or updated EU acquis they have committed to transpose under the DCFTA only after it has entered into force in the EU; considers that involving Moldovan authorities from the stage of drafting relevant legislation would be useful in order to make the process more inclusive and to reduce transition costs for Moldova and calls on the European Commission to set up an ex-ante consultation process;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Notes that the evaluation of the DCFTA implementation is very much focused on trade flows and trade irritants; calls on the European Commission to appropriately monitor and assess the implementation of the DCFTA, with special attention being paid to the acquis transposition and implementation, as well as to the impact on the Moldovan society, and to provide public and comprehensive annual reporting including on the technical and financial support provided by the EU;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5 a. Calls for an effective compliance with Trade and Sustainable Development clauses and international committments, specifically the proper implementation of ILO core conventions;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Recital D D. whereas the effective implementation of the DCFTA is conditional upon Moldova’s continued efforts to step up reforms in rule of law, governance, institutional capacity, public administration, including in trade-related areas;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 1. Welcomes the significant increase in Moldovan imports into the EU as a result of the entry into force of the DCFTA; underlines that the DCFTA should be a driver of economic diversification and, accordingly, encourages the European Commission to support Moldova in identifying key areas that should be prioritized in DCFTA implementation; considers that the dimension of trade liberalisation should be carefully managed with a view to minimizing costs while maximizing benefits for Moldova and encourages the European Commission to consider further autonomous trade preferences and other means of asymmetric liberalisation to that purpose;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 1 a (new) 1 a. Salutes the creation of some 1,500 jobs through support for small businesses and reiterates the need to continue incentivising the SME and start-up sectors, especially given their important contribution to economic growth, employment, innovation and business creativity;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Underlines that the ultimate objective of the DCFTA is to make tangible and sustainable improvements to the living conditions of ordinary citizens in Moldova, and as such urges the authorities to undergo effective reform processes to improve standards of living to this end;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Underlines that the ultimate objective of the DCFTA is to make tangible and sustainable improvements to the living conditions of ordinary citizens in Moldova as the country still remains one of the poorest in Europe;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Expects Moldova to continue its reform path not only in strictly trade- related areas but also in the rule of law, public administration, the justice sector, the management of public finances, media freedom, gender equality and stepping up the fight against corruption; encourages concrete steps in all sectors mentioned, in line with the expectations emphasized in the European Parliament´s Resolution on Macro-financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova (2017/0007(COD), recalling the several debates on the situation in Moldova and Parliament´s pleas for transparent reform efforts and strict conditionalities linked to tangible results in areas identified as needing improvement;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Expects Moldova to continue its reform path not only in strictly trade- related areas such as restructuring of the financial and energy sector, but also in the rule of law, public administration, the justice sector, the management and efficiency of public finances, media freedom, gender equality and women empowerment and stepping up the fight against corruption, recalls equally the importance of effective implementation of newly introduced reforms and legal instruments;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Expects Moldova to continue its reform path not only in strictly trade- related areas but also in the rule of law, public administration, the justice sector, the management of public finances, media freedom, gender equality and stepping up the fight against corruption; commends the decision to transpose the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive;
source: 621.009
2018/09/11
AFET
182 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 3 a (new) - having regard to the signature, in November 2017, of a Memorandum of Understanding, a Loan Facility Agreement and a Grant Agreement on micro-financial assistance worth €100 million for the 2017-2018,
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A f (new) Af. whereas the EU has repeatedly expressed concern as regards the deterioration of democratic standards through recent decisions by the Moldovan authorities, including the June 2018 invalidation of the local elections in Chisinau on dubious grounds and in a non-transparent way, the July 2017 electoral reform adopted despite the negative recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission, the lack of progress in the prosecution of those responsible for the $1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014 and the increase in breaches of human rights, notably targeting independent judges, journalists and political opponents;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10.
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution 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 Anticorruption Prosecution Office, the National Integrity Authority and the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, notably through maintaining the allocation of adequate resources
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Points out that according to the Transparency International report from 2015 entitled “The State of Corruption: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine”, the judiciary in Moldova suffers from limited independence from the executive, which has had a significant impact on its ability to play an active role in the fight against corruption; underlines with concern that in Moldova judicial reforms are lagging behind and are perceived to be highly politicised;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Reiterates its concerns about the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a narrow group of people, which is contributing to a deterioration in the rule of law, of democratic standards, and of respect for human rights;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution 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 105 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Urges the Moldovan Parliament to ensure that the Constitutional amendments which are to be adopted are in line with Venice Commission recommendations aimed at strengthening judicial independence;
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Welcomes legislative amendments adopted in July 2018 meant to strengthen merit based selection and promotion of judges, as well as their accountability;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 b (new) 10b. Expresses concern about the lack of independence of the judiciary, particularly cases of selective justice being used as a tool to exert pressure on political opponents and calls on the Moldovan authorities to reform the judicial system, including the nomination of new judges;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution 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
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A g (new) Ag. whereas, as a result of these developments, in 2017, the EU did not pay the last two instalments under the budget support programme for justice sector reforms because the Moldovan authorities showed insufficient commitment to reforming this sector and, in 2018, the EU suspended the disbursement of the first instalment of the macro-financial assistance due to the non-fulfilment of the political conditions annexed to the July 2017 decision of the European Parliament and of the Council which specified that "a pre-condition for granting macro- financial assistance is that the beneficiary country respects effective democratic mechanisms, including a multi-party parliamentary system and the rule of law and guarantees respect for human rights";
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution 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; takes note of the Strategy on asset recovery adopted by the Moldovan authorities and calls on the relevant EU Member States to provide necessary international judicial assistance for its successful implementation;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution 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; takes note of the Strategy on asset recovery adopted by the Moldovan authorities as one of the many required steps in this regard; stresses the need for the courts to promptly examine the cases that are pending or undergoing investigations, notably that of Ilhan Shor, in open hearings;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution 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; stresses the need for the courts to promptly examine the pending case of Ilan Shor in open hearings and for the prosecution to swiftly bring to court any other pending investigations on the bank fraud;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution 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
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution 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; calls on the EU Member States to step up the cooperation with the Moldovan judicial authorities in order to find out the financial flows of the stolen assets in EU banks;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and second Kroll reports, for a swift
Amendment 116 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 11. Reiterates its calls, based on the findings and recommendations of the first and as yet partially unpublished second Kroll reports, for a swift and fully transparent prosecution of all those responsible for the criminal USD 1 billion bank fraud unveiled in 2014, as well as the recovery of the stolen assets;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 a (new) 11a. Expresses grave concern about the sustained efforts to delay the successful investigation of the criminal bank fraud both through political and legal avenues, as well as to use the oligarchy-controlled media to expel the issue from public discourse; finds it unacceptable that the Moldovan authorities have obviously yet to make any requests for assistance to the Member States of the EU affected by the bank fraud, and that so far none of the accounts believed to have been used for stashing or laundering stolen money have been disclosed;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 b (new) 11b. finds it deeply disturbing in light of information received from its Moldovan partners that the law enforcement agencies of the Republic of Moldova are blatantly failing to follow up solid evidence to get uncover the truth about the bank fraud and money- laundering, falsifying evidence, and are even believed to be exerting pressure on lawyers to abandon their efforts to uncover the truth; calls on Moldovan politicians, in light of this, to create regulations to ensure that data required to prosecute the criminal financial transactions do not, legally speaking, ‘expire’ and/or are not deleted because of some ‘expiry date’; expects a swift end to the ongoing prosecution of Ilan Shor;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 c (new) 11c. Considers it to be similarly politically unacceptable for the same political circles to have decided to convert privately stolen funds into public debts and as a consequence, the burden of repaying these losses will be passed to the same people as have already had their pension savings stolen in the bank fraud by way of an increased tax burden until 2041; emphasises that this has further increased the apathy towards and severe loss of trust in politics and that, as a consequence, one in five Moldovans is currently planning to permanently leave the country and seek their own prospects in a foreign country;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A h (new) Ah. whereas, since these decisions, most recent developments have further raised concerns, notably as regards the so-called "fiscal reform package", adopted in July 2018, as the tax amnesty scheme of which increases risks of money laundering, as well as further pressure exerted on the opposition and its peaceful demonstrations and on small independent media outlets struggling to maintain their activities despite the adoption, in July 2018, of the new Audio-Visual Code;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 d (new) 11d. calls on the European Commission, with reference to Article 18 of the Association Agreement and the Anti-Money Laundering Directive, to fulfil its obligations regardless of the activities required of Moldova and to independently take action to solve the criminal bank fraud and, in doing so, to personally sanction both the guilty parties and those people who acted against its successful investigation and the punishment of the guilty parties; calls on the Commission to provide Parliament with information about relevant measures and activities in a suitable format;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 e (new) 11e. emphasises that the efforts to reform and stabilise the banking system cannot substitute for investigating the criminal bank fraud and money laundering of over USD 20 billion of funds stolen from the Russian national budget; calls for an immediate end to the political efforts to legalise illegally acquired financial means and provide impunity for criminal financial transactions, which have been ongoing in Moldova since 2016, and for the relevant bills to be withdrawn;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 f (new) 11f. Expresses concern about the increased risk of money laundering following the adoption of the so-called "fiscal reform package" in July 2018 which includes a tax amnesty scheme; calls for it to be amended to close such loopholes and, in the meantime, commits to remain very attentive to its implementation, in coordination with the Commission, EEAS and other international organisations;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution 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 124 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 f (new) 11f. Deplores the adoption of the fiscal reform package by Moldavian authorities, which introduces a tax amnesty legalising assets acquired illicitly in exchange for a 3 per cent fee on the declared asset; highlights that this decision has already been criticised by the EU, the United States, the IMF and the World Bank as an act which legalizes theft and corruption, damages the business environment and undermines the Moldovan government’s commitment to fighting corruption;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 g (new) 11g. Urges the Moldovan authorities to urgently abolish the fiscal amnesty law;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 g (new) 11g. Calls on the Moldovan authorities to repeal the so-called tax amnesty legislation, which risks to encourage money laundering and corrupt behaviour, compromising the efforts to fight corruption in Moldova, and could also have a detrimental effect on the business climate in the country;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 g (new) 11g. Urges the Moldovan Parliament to reform the tax legislation in line with EU standards and to adopt all the necessary measures aimed at preventing money- laundering;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 11 h (new) 11h. Encourages continuing the efforts of Moldovan security services to thwart and deter organized crime, arms smuggling and human trafficking;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 12 Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A i (new) Ai. whereas Transparency International ranked Moldova 122nd out of 180 in its 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index, together with Azerbaijan and Mali; whereas Reporters Without Borders ranked Moldova 81st out of 180 in its World Press Freedom Index, down from 56th place in 2014;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Welcomes the adoption of the 2018-2020 National Strategy for Development of the Civil Society and the Action Plan regarding its implementation; Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society, including Russian speaking civil society; expects, in particular, that no future legislation will curb funding for Moldovan NGOs;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society; underlines the essential role of civil society in drawing up, scrutinising and monitoring the implementation of reforms related to the Eastern Partnership as well as in promoting the transparency and accountability of public institutions; opposes all measures seeking to limit legitimate activities of civil society and expects, in particular, that no future legislation will curb funding for Moldovan
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society; expects, in particular, that no future legislation will curb
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 13. Calls on the Moldovan authorities to respect international principles and uphold best practices that guarantee an enabling environment for civil society; expects, in particular, that no future legislation will curb foreign funding for Moldovan NGOs or will unduly increase the administrative and reporting burden on Moldovan NGOs;
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) 13a. Calls for an increased attention when drafting and implementing legislation in areas affecting civil society space, to ensure that the legislation does not placed is proportionate burdens on civil society organisations, does not have a discriminatory impact or diminish civil society space; underlines the need for public funding available for CSOs working on human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, including watchdog and advocacy organizations; including for small grassroots organisations and those working with minority or marginalized groups; CSOs should be free to receive funding from other donors, such as private donors, international organisations, bodies or agencies;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 13 a (new) 13a. Urges authorities to strengthen public participation in the decision- making process as well as dialogue with civil society and local authorities; regrets that in a number of cases citizens participation has been restricted as it was in March 2018 when the Central Electoral Commission rejected the application to organise a referendum over the recent and questionable changes of the electoral system;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution 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 14 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1.
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution 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 141 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Expresses concern about signs of a further shrinking of space for the country’s
Amendment 142 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Expresses concern about signs of a further shrinking of space for the country’s civil society, and calls on the authorities to immediately halt undue or disproportionate criminal proceedings and selective justice against political opponents, their lawyers and/or their families; expresses specific concerns about proceedings that target human rights defenders, independent judges such as Domnica Manole and Gheorghe Balan, journalists and critics of the government or of the President of the Democratic Party of Moldova, Vladimir Plahotniuc;
Amendment 143 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14.
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Expresses concern about signs of
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Expresses concern about
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Expresses concern about signs of a further shrinking of space for the country’s civil society, and calls on the authorities to immediately halt undue or disproportionate criminal proceedings against political opponents, their lawyers and/or their families; expresses specific concerns about proceedings that target human rights defenders, independent judges such as Domnica Manole and Gheorghe Balan, journalists and critics of the government or of the President of the Democratic Party of
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 14. Expresses concern about signs of a further shrinking of space for the country’s civil society, and calls on the authorities to immediately halt undue or disproportionate criminal proceedings against political opponents, their lawyers and/or their families, such as Grigore Petrenco’s lawyers, Ana Ursachi and Eduard Rudenco; expresses specific concerns about proceedings that target human rights defenders, independent judges such as Domnica Manole and Gheorghe Balan, journalists and critics of the government or of the President of the Democratic Party of Moldova;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) 14a. Urges the authorities to guarantee the right to a fair trial and the respect of human rights in detention premises; expresses concern about the wide-spread use of pre-trial detention and condemns any form of torture and ill-treatment against detainees;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 a (new) 14a. expresses concern that the opponents of Moldova’s government bodies and their lawyers continue to be persecuted using false allegations and prosecutions; criticises the fact that embassies from EU Member States and the delegation from the EEAS are increasingly being prevented from observing trials by the Moldovan side barring the public from court proceedings; considers the fact that political opponents and their lawyers are increasingly forced to seek political asylum in EU Member States due to the actions of Moldova’s government bodies to be incompatible with the Association Agreement;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Underlines the importance of the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA), and
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution 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 151 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 14 b (new) 14b. calls on the government to follow national and international obligations and standards by comprehensively guaranteeing the rights to active participation in the political opinion and decision-making process and the public and peaceful expression of opinion, as established by the right to free assembly;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 15 15.
Amendment 153 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16.
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups,
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups,
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. 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 population; calls for Moldova to guarantee freedom of speech and the right to peaceful assembly and protests;
Amendment 157 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. 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 population, as well as gender based or political affiliation-based hate speech and discrimination based;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. 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
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Underlines the importance of the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA), and welcomes the progress achieved by Moldova to date; insists, however, that full implementation of the AA/DCFTA, with regard, in particular, to political reforms, 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 160 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. Calls on the authorities to significantly step up efforts to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms, notably for vulnerable groups, by fighting hate speech, violence and discrimination against LGBTQI people, persons with disabilities and minorities such as the Roma population from an intersectional perspective; Condemns the deeply-rooted stigmatisation and social exclusion of Roma arising from anti-Gypsyism;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 16. 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
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Urges the authorities to further protect freedom of assembly as cases of intimidation of people willing to participate in public protests still occur; expresses serious concern for the restrictions on LGBT demonstrations as well as for the homophobic statements also made by high-level political figures;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 a (new) 16a. Calls on the Moldovan authorities to ensure the right to peaceful protest for all, in strict compliance with the national legislation and international standards;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 b (new) 16b. Strongly condemns recent extradition/abduction of Turkish citizens to Turkey due to their alleged links to the Gülen movement in violation of rule of law and basic human rights; urges Moldovan authorities to ensure that any extradition requests coming from third countries are processed in a transparent manner while following judicial procedures fully in line with European principles and standards and that all actions taken by local authorities must be in full respect of the rule of law, of human rights and fundamental freedoms; stresses that arbitrary procedures concerning arrest, detention or extradition are in violation of these principles; calls on the Moldovan authorities to protect all asylum seekers and examine their requests incompliance with international conventions; urges the EU to support and help the Eastern Partnership countries withstand the pressure exerted by Turkey to return Turkish citizens forcefully and illegally to Turkey;
Amendment 165 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 c (new) 16c. Condemns the Constitutional Court’s reconsideration of the status of the Russian language as an interethnic language of communication; warns the Moldovan authorities against a rise in interethnic tensions between Russian and Moldovan-speaking populations;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 d (new) 16d. Welcomes the significant increase in Moldovan imports into the EU as a result of the entry into force of the DCFTA;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 e (new) 16e. Welcomes the fact that Moldova’s trade with the EU has increased since the free trade agreement entered into force, and that the EU is the largest investor in Moldova; deplores on the other hand the fact that this has not lead to an improvement in their social situation for the country’s citizens, that a third of Moldova’s population continues to live below the poverty line, that access to public services, particularly primary health care, and particularly in rural areas, is not guaranteed and that the low employment rate and high emigration rate, underground economy and weak middle class continue to inhibit the country’s economic development; warns that the lack of progress in improving living standards for the population threatens people’s approval of the country’s pro-European orientation; calls for these problems with the association process to stop being denied, and that instead, cooperation with the EU must make a visible contribution towards solving these problems;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 f (new) 16f. Recalls the importance of an independent judiciary and of the fight against corruption as well as a decrease in administrative and bureaucratic burden to improve the investment and business climate;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Underlines the importance of the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA) in a highly polarised political landscape, and welcomes the progress achieved by Moldova to date despite the continuous challenges posed by the anti-European orientation of the President of Moldova; 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 170 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 16 g (new) 16g. Encourages further progress in the areas of sanitary and phytosanitary standards and the protection of geographical indications;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Welcomes the promulgation of the Energy Law in 2017 as a further step towards the transposition of the Third Energy Package and encourages concrete steps to ensuring the independence of the energy regulatory agency ANRE;
Amendment 172 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Welcomes the promulgation of the Energy Law in 2017 as a further step
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 17. Welcomes the promulgation of the Energy Law in 2017 as a further step towards the transposition of the Third Energy Package; acknowledge the efforts towards promoting renewable energy sources and energy efficiency;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 17 a (new) 17a. Stresses that agriculture constitutes 1/3 of Moldovan GDP employing 40% of the active population of the country; considers it crucial to reform this sector in line with the EU's farm and food policies and to strengthen agro- ecological farming methods in the framework of sustainable rural development;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 18. Calls for more determined action in the areas of environmental protection, notably as regards the management of water from the Nistru river, waste management and climate change, notably in terms of implementing and coordinating legislation;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Highlights the need for a more effective strategic communication of the reforms achieved so far and to be carried out in the framework of the AA/DCFTA, in order to raise awareness among the citizens of the benefits of a closer integration with the European Union;
Amendment 177 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Calls on the EU, its Member States and Moldova to further increase communication efforts on the implementation of the AA and the expected benefits of related reforms to the society at large;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 a (new) 18a. Emphasizes the importance of proactive communication to Moldovan citizens about the concrete benefits and goals of the Eastern Partnership;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 b (new) 18b. Highlights the need to fight Russian disinformation through fact-based and accessible quality information in all languages of the partner country;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 1 1. Underlines the importance of the Association Agreement / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (AA/DCFTA), and welcomes the 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
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 b (new) 18b. Reiterates its resolve to increase its monitoring of the implementation of international agreements with the EU's Eastern partners; calls once more on the Commission and the EEAS to transmit to the Parliament and the Council more frequent and regular written reports on the implementation of these agreements;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 c (new) 18c. Calls on the EEAS / European Commission to publish all the annual association implementation reports at the same time and to simultaneously publish a comparative evaluation of the level of progress towards AA/DCFTA implementation by each associated partner, against specific benchmarks;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 18 d (new) 18d. Resolves to draw up annual reports on the implementation of the association agreements;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution 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; calls on Moldovan politicians and the judiciary as a whole to join in with such efforts to reform the country and fight corruption in
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 5 a (new) - having regard to the Joint Staff Working Document, “Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment: Transforming the Lives of Girls and Women through EU External Relations2016-2020”,
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Praises the
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 2 2. Praises the
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution 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 23 #
Motion for a resolution 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 of USD 1 billion (equal to 12% of GDP); 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;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Expresses
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Expresses grave concern about backsliding in relation to democratic standards in Moldova, with core values, to which Moldova had subscribed 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
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Expresses grave concern about
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Expresses grave concern about backsliding in relation to democratic standards in Moldova, with core values, to which Moldova had subscribed 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
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 3. Expresses grave concern about backsliding in relation to democratic standards in Moldova, with core values, to which Moldova had subscribed as part of the AA, such as democracy – including fair and transparent elections respecting the will of the citizens, as well as multi-party democratic system – and the rule of law – including the independence and impartiality 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; reiterates its determination to focus on the fulfilment of commitments to uphold common values rather than unconvincing so-called ‘geopolitical’ arguments;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution 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 3 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 8 a (new) - having regard to the report on “The State of Corruption: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine” of the Transparency International from 2015,
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 a (new) 3a. Reiterates its concern over the concentration of economic and political power in the hands of a small group of people and the influence which those people wield over the parliament, government, political parties, state administration, police, judiciary and media; notes that this contradicts the letter and spirit of the Association Agreement;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 3 b (new) 3b. Expresses its profound concern that, despite legislative advances on institutional reform, the results of that legislation’s implementation, particularly in the rule of law, good governance, the independence of the judiciary, democratic, social and civil rights and the fight against corruption, are deeply unsatisfactory;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in particular the
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova,
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Regrets
Amendment 35 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Regrets that the
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in particular the recent changes in national electoral legislation as well as the
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in particular the recent changes in national electoral legislation as well as the
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Regrets
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Regrets that the non-fulfilment of the political conditions related to democratic standards in Moldova, in particular the recent changes in national electoral legislation - which did not address some of the key recommendations of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR joint opinion - as well as the removal of Dorin Chirtoacă from the Chișinău mayor’s office and the invalidation of the election of Andrei Năstase, has led to the suspension of the disbursement of Macro Financial Assistance (MFA) and of outstanding payments of EU budget support;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution Citation 10 — having regard to the outcome of the mission of the Committee on Foreign Affairs to Moldova on 3 and 4
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 4 4. Regrets that the non-fulfilment of
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution 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; calls, in the meantime, on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS)
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution 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; calls, in the meantime, on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS)
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution 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; calls, in the meantime, on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to continue reallocating funds to support structural development projects, the civil society in Moldova, in particular to the free and independent media, as well as the private sector and local authorities
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution 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
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 5. Reiterates its position that any decision on future MFA disbursement should only take place after the
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution 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
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution 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; calls, in the meantime, on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to continue reallocating funds to support concrete development projects and civil society in Moldova, in particular to the free and independent media
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution 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; calls, in the
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution 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
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A a (new) Aa. whereas political and economic relations between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova have deepened in the framework of the Eastern Partnership and in particular with signature, on 27 June 2014, and entry into force, on 1 July 2016, of the EU- Moldova Association Agreement (AA) including a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA);
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Calls on the EEAS and the Commission to fully operationalise the political conditionality attached to Union assistance by way of clear, verifiable and transparent reform benchmarks and to communicate them publically;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution 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 52 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Recalls the contents of Articles 2 and 455 of the AA, according to which respect for democratic principles constitutes an essential element of the AA, which, if violated, may also lead to the suspension of rights related to this agreement;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 6. Recalls the contents of Articles 2 and 455 of the AA, according to which respect for democratic principles constitutes an essential element of the AA, which, if violated, may also lead to the suspension of rights related to this agreement;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Welcomes the effective implementation of the short term visa-free regime, underlining that a significant number of Moldovan citizens have benefited of the enhanced possibilities for people-to-people contacts since its entry into force; recalls that further special attention needs to be paid to the continuous fulfilment of the anti- corruption and anti-money laundering benchmarks;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Calls on the Commission, in line with the European Parliament resolution of 13 September 2017 on corruption and human rights in third countries, to actively consider the option of negotiating a supplementary clause to the Association Agreement about fighting corruption in view of the grave and systemic corruption in Moldova;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Demands that any future agreement must be based on the achievement of an efficient and independent justice system and swift, thorough and resolutive investigation and prosecution of those responsible of the 1 million dollar "laundromat" fraud;
Amendment 57 #
Motion for a resolution Subheading 1 a (new) Institutional framework in place to implement the Agreement
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph -7 a (new) -7a. Welcomes the adoption of many laws in line with Moldova's commitments as part of the AA; underlines nevertheless the importance of a swift and full implementation of such laws in order to reach the ultimate objective of the AA to deliver tangible and sustainable improvements to the living conditions of ordinary citizens in Moldova;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph -7 b (new) -7b. Calls for a stronger involvement of the Parliament, the Prime Minister and of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration in providing high- level political oversight and scrutiny of the implementation of the AA, notably through a continued streamlining of relevant parliamentary and governmental structures and their enhanced administrative capacities, the coordination and synchronisation of line ministries' plans and their full and effective implementation;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A b (new) Ab. whereas the AA is based on common values which include "respect for the democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and as defined in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, and the Charter of Paris for a New Europe of 1990";
Amendment 60 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph -7 c (new) -7c. Welcomes the establishment of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and its first meeting held on 8-9 June 2018 in Kyiv; encourages this assembly to also scrutinise the implementation of the association agreements;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph -7 d (new) -7d. Urges the Moldovan authorities to put more effort into AA implementation and organise - notably the NAPIAA itself - according to specific sectors and specific results to be generated rather than according to articles of the AA, to develop detailed prioritisation and sequencing of measures, driven by impact assessment and drawn up by dedicated expert units;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph -7 e (new) -7e. Calls on the EEAS / European Commission to set up, subject to progress on democratic standards, a dedicated EU Support Group for Moldova, to increase the delivery of expertise, notably on the approximation of Moldovan legislation with that of the EU, and coordinate, when the conditions are fulfilled, the delivery of financial assistance to Moldova in support of the implementation of the AA;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph -7 f (new) -7f. Urges the EEAS / European Commission to boost internal capabilities to step up monitoring of the implementation of the AA, notably through a significant increase in dedicated human resources, as well as to move towards a qualitative assessment of progress, notably through introduction of screening processes, allowing to assess the level of alignment with the EU acquis actually achieved as required by the AA;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph -7 g (new) -7g. Welcomes the enhanced ministerial-level dialogue with Moldova as well as other associated partners on association-related reforms in the area of trade and supports, subject to progress on democratic standards, the launch of such dialogues in other areas covered by the AA, including the political dialogue, justice freedom and security and sectoral cooperation;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph -7 i (new) -7i. Recalls and supports the opinion of the Venice Commission on the electoral reform, according to which the change towards a mixed electoral system for parliamentary elections lacked consensus (other than from the Democratic and Socialist parties) and may lead to candidates being unduly influenced by business interests; reiterates therefore its call on the Moldovan authorities to improve the electoral system to ensure that future elections reflect the will of the Moldovan citizens rather than that of a select few; also calls on the Moldovan authorities to fully implement the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR, notably on party financing and media freedom and pluralism; reaffirms the European Parliament's readiness to observe the next parliamentary elections;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7.
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7.
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7.
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement the new audiovisual code
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A c (new) Ac. whereas, through this agreement, Moldova committed to major domestic reforms, on the basis of EU laws and practice, in a wide range of areas conducive to good governance, economic development and strengthened cooperation with the EU; whereas, in support of these efforts, the EU committed to provide substantial financial and budgetary assistance to Moldova, amounting to €1.14 billion of allocated funds since 2007, plus regional programme funding;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement the 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 with regard, in particular, to the transparency of media ownership;
Amendment 71 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7.
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement the 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; underlines the need to fight Russian hybrid threats, as well as propaganda and disinformation campaigns, including through technical assistance from the EU and through the activity of the East StratCom Task Force, which should be adequately strengthened;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 7. Urges the Moldovan authorities to swiftly adopt and fully implement the 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; condemns the discriminatory provisions in the code regarding quotas for the maximum number of hours of Russian language programming; emphasises that there must be strict compliance with the rights of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia regarding culture, language and audiovisual media, otherwise it risks increasing tensions between communities and provoking a new domestic conflict;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Notes the need for the adoption of the new law on advertising, following a genuine consultation with civil society and independent media in order to promote the opening up of the advertising market, which is currently concentrated in the hands of few major actors;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Urges the Moldovan authorities to adopt the new Law on advertising, following a genuine consultation with civil society and independent media in order to dismantle the current concentration of the advertising market in the hands of two companies only;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 7 a (new) 7a. Welcomes the reform efforts in the areas of public administration reform and public financial management and encourages further steps to be taken to increase transparency;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8.
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Welcomes the good cooperation on CFSP matters and
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A d (new) Ad. whereas the DCFTA allows for privileged access for goods and services to the EU market; whereas, as a consequence of the DCFTA, EU-Moldova trade increased by 18% in 20017, to €4 billion; whereas the EU is currently Moldova's first trading partner, accounting for over 55% of total trade; whereas the EU is also the first investor in Moldova; whereas initial data for 2018 confirms the positive trend;
Amendment 80 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Welcomes the good cooperation on CFSP matters
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Welcomes the good and systematic cooperation on CFSP matters and the
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Welcomes the good cooperation on CFSP matters and the symbolic participation in common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations; welcomes Moldova’s enduring cooperation with NATO via its Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) and the recent opening of the NATO Liaison office in Chisinau; takes note of the progress in adopting a new Defence Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2021 following the withdrawal of the National Security Strategy by the President of Moldova;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 8. Welcomes the good cooperation on CFSP matters and the symbolic participation in common security and defence policy (CSDP) missions and operations; takes note of the progress in adopting a new Defence Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2021 following the withdrawal of the National Security Strategy by the President of Moldova; emphasises that the EU and its Member States must fully respect the neutrality stipulated in Article 11 of the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 8 a (new) 8a. Welcomes and further encourages the good cooperation on mitigating and countering hybrid threats; welcomes the entry into force of the EU-Moldova Agreement on the exchange of classified information and looks forward to swift completion of the remaining procedures in order to make this Agreement operational;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution 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; e
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 9. Commends the Moldovan authorities for the
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution 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 engagement; calls on the Moldovan authorities to undertake additional efforts
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution 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 engagement; calls on the Moldovan authorities to undertake additional efforts
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution 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
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution Recital A e (new) Ae. whereas, in addition, in exchange for reforms in Moldova in the areas of justice and security including in the fight against corruption, the EU also agreed in 2014 to visa-free travel to the Schengen area for Moldovan citizens holding a biometrical passport; whereas more than 1.4 million Moldovan citizens have benefited from this visa-free regime over the first 2 years of its implementation;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution 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
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Reiterates its support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova and the efforts to reach a peaceful solution to the Transnistrian issue;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Stresses the need for a peaceful solution to the Transnistrian conflict; emphasises the EU´s firm commitment to the territorial integrity of Moldova; calls on the Russian Federation to immediately stop its support for the self-proclaimed authorities in Transnistria and fulfil the commitments made in 1996 in the Council of Europe and reflected in OSCE decisions(Istanbul, 1999 and Oporto, 2002) concerning the withdrawal of Russian troops and arms from the territory of Moldova;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. emphasises its belief that a solution to the conflicts with Transnistria following the wording of a ‘special legal status, observing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova’ is highly dependent on the reform agenda for overcoming, in particular, the endemic corruption and the occupation of the state by a small clique of oligarchs in Moldova being implemented;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Welcomes Moldova gaining observer status for the Eurasian Economic Union in May 2018; emphasises that Moldova’s new relationship to the large economic union on the Eurasian continent will turn the country into a link between the EU, Russia and other EEU members, soothing tensions within a Europe that is too often divided by disputes that can otherwise be avoided;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10.
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution 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
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution 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 Anticorruption Centre, the National Integrity
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Urges the authorities to ensure the independence, impartiality and effectiveness of the judiciary and specialised anti-corruption institutions, including the Superior Council of Prosecutors, the National Integrity Authority
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution Paragraph 10 10. Urges the authorities to ensure the independence and effectiveness of the
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History
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