International

SP Member of Parliament and spokesman on EU affairs Harry van Bommel, says that he "finds it unacceptable that the government wants to leave the major part of the European Constitution intact". Van Bommel was responding to a letter sent to parliament this week by the cabinet, in which it expresses the wish that a number of symbols, such as the European flag and anthem, be removed from the treaty and its name changed, while the essentials remain unaltered. Expressing the view that this was no more than "a straightforward sleight-of-hand trick", Van Bommel described it as "a threat to everyone who less than two years ago participated in the referendum," adding that "the European Constitution is being smuggled in through the back door, disguised in a new dress."

The European Parliament today decided that public transport can remain in the hands of public local or regional authorities. This decision would not have been possible without the efforts of SP Euro-MP Eric Meijer, who as long ago as 2000 was appointed 'Rapporteur' on the Commission's proposal. Under the European Parliament's internal rules, for every proposal from the European Commission, which has the right to initiate all legislation, a 'Rapporteur' is appointed who has the job of researching the issue and convening meetings of representatives of all the groups to try to find positions which can win majority support. "I knew that the EU wanted to get rid of publicly owned passenger transport" Erik Meijer explained, "just as they want to see the back of public ownership in postal services and energy supply. From the start I have been determined to find a way to stop these plans from being realised. But that would only be successful if we could mobilise opposition throughout Europe. This is what we managed to do, and it paid off."