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21 July 2013

Should the EU take action against the filthy conditions in Hungarian hospitals?

I received an e-mail from someone who had needed emergency hospital treatment in Hungary and had been shocked by the unbelievably unhygienic conditions and wanted to know if there was anything I could do about this. This is the kind of dilemma I come across often. Whether it’s the suffering of animals or inadequate social services, such as in this case in health care, people will demand from Brussels that something is at last done. At the same time it’s exactly what we don’t want – more zeal for interference from Brussels when it comes to our own services. The solution for me lies in the word ‘cooperation’. We appear to have forgotten that states can also simply work together without the Brussels bureaucracy having to be brought into play.

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14 July 2013

Are you listening to me?

In September the European Parliament begins a series of hearings on the American eavesdropping programme PRISM, about which so much remains to be done. The strong reaction is quite correct, because the US practices are in contradiction of a range of agreements. We should not be naïve, however. European intelligence services collect massive amounts of data without our knowledge, cooperating within Europe, moreover, extremely closely, about which we also know precious little. So it’s not only time for measures to be taken to counter the Americans’ practices, but also for a thorough enquiry into the working methods of European intelligence services.

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7 July 2013

Save the small shop!

This weekend I put the final touches to a report for the European Parliament on the retail trade in Europe. Things aren’t going well for this sector. Anyone can see the empty spaces in town centres, where independent shops have suddenly closed down. The process by which all town centres begin to look alike has been enormously accelerated by the economic crisis. Nobody wants this to happen, but it’s happening anyway. In my report I make a large number of recommendations as to how the diversity of shops could be maintained. For goodness’ sake no more shopping malls, especially of the ‘mega’, out-of-town variety. Let’s bring together whatever powers we can to save the small, independent shop.

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23 June 2013

End European Commission’s Right of Initiative

Last Friday saw the appearance of the long-awaited memorandum from Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans on the question of which areas of policy ought to be returned to national regulation and from which interference from Brussels should be excluded. The government posed in this note the question of why the European Commission has, in every area in which it has competence, also invariably the exclusive right to propose new legislation. This is a good question, yet the government failed to give an answer to it. It can’t do so, in fact, because this would necessitate an extreme make-over for Brussels, and Prime Minister Mark Rutte is opposed to any amendment to the Lisbon Treaty. That’s why, in this respect, the memorandum is an opportunity missed.

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16 June 2013

Turkey – what is to be done?

Unrest in Turkey continues. The big question is this: what can the member states of the European Union, for membership of which Turkey is an applicant state, do? It’s obvious that Turkey’s accession is further away than ever, but beyond that, what should be done? It’s a dilemma seen often enough in relation to human rights policy: doing nothing isn’t an option, but doing too much can make matters worse. Last week in the European Parliament we condemned Erdogan’s actions in Istanbul. Although the EP hadn’t got all that much to say, Erdogan reacted as if a snake had bitten him, which is just fine. Further to this I’ll be strengthening my contacts with representatives from the various Turkish groups, so that they know that they don’t stand alone. In my view, however, sanctions would be premature.

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9 June 2013

Eurocrisis – the SP was right

The European Commission is angry with the IMF because this week the Fund issued a report in which it actually stated quite simply that the approach to the crisis had been entirely wrong. What should have been done, according to the IMF, was the granting of a rapid debt write-off and the adoption of an approach which required the strongest parties to shoulder the heaviest burden. In times of recession, said the IMF, cuts should not be too deep, which is exactly what the SP has always argued. Evidently, for opinion-formers it would still have been a bridge too far to have admitted this, but this doesn’t affect the fact that it’s the truth.

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2 June 2013

Right-wing liberals want to see even more tax havens

This week will see a meeting at the European Parliament organised by two Italians in the name of their group, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), at which they will propose a solution to the financial and economic crisis: the establishment of tax-free zones in Europe, beginning with Sardinia. This fits with the neoliberal philosophy: government as small as possible and therefore taxes as low as possible. The SP knows better: big corporations evade taxes on a massive scale, while they make billion in profits. That’s why it’s completely reprehensible that fellow MEPs should come up with such an idea.

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19 May 2013

The arrogance of Francois Hollande

This week French President Francois Hollande launched his plan for a European government. Yet another politician going all out for a federal Europe. Yet just a few weeks ago the EU’s statistical bureau Eurobarometer published the latest figures on the confidence people have in the European Union. What do we find? In France the percentage who say that they have no confidence in the EU has risen from 41% in 2007 to 59%. Hollande simply ignores this mistrust. This is dangerous and affects every one of us, because at June’s European Council he will undoubtedly attempt to persuade his fellow leaders of the correctness of his ideas. Before you know it we will be a step further on the road to a federal Europe.

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12 May 2013

A meal at the European Parliament for €2500?

Scarcely noticed in the media, but nonetheless shocking: this week I received from the unequalled lobby watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) a copy of a letter which they had sent to the president of the European Parliament concerning the fact that the organisation of former MEPs is giving firms access to its annual dinner for a fee of €2500 for a table for eight. But more than that, they also offer guaranteed access to European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, who will give the speech at the dinner, and the right to ask her questions. In the business world this sort of practice isn’t unusual, but it’s totally unworthy of an institution which professes to represent the people. It is, moreover, in conflict with the recently adopted code of conduct for MEPs and ex-MEPs.

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5 May 2013

Are we really as free as we think?

Today, on Liberation Day, the anniversary of the end of the Nazi occupation of World War Two, the Netherlands is celebrating freedom. That’s important, but it strikes me that freedom is being interpreted in a quite restrictive way. No violence, no oppression, those are the key words. But are we truly free, if we look at the economy? How democratic is that, in reality? Banks that we really must help, even if they have long been guilty of irresponsible speculation; small businesses driven from the market by multinationals; workers who have little say over how their firm is run, even if they’ve worked there for years; and tenants who have to deal with commercial housing corporations. Is that freedom? Fortunately the discussion within the SP regarding the democratisation of the economy is well under way, because without democratisation there is no real freedom. Let’s pause to consider this. It’s a good day for such contemplation.

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