International

These are extremely uncertain times for Europe. Speculators are attacking one country after another: after Greece, Ireland and Portugal came under the cosh, now it’s the turn of Italy, Spain, France and Belgium to feel the pressure. While the Dutch national Parliament next week returns from recess for an emergency debate on the euro-crisis, the European Parliament continues its holidays. Now, the EP has very little say over the euro. Moreover, there is always a majority of MEPs in favour of handing over more powers to Brussels. So perhaps it isn’t such a bad thing that next week will see Members still enjoying their holidays, but all the same it seems odd, when government leaders are constantly on the phone to each other discussing what may turn out to be historic decisions on ‘rescuing the euro’, that the buildings of the European Parliament are standing empty.

EMILE ROEMER • How long will the world continue to accept the existence of places like Dadaab, the huge refugee camp by the Somalian border? This was what I and party colleagues Ewout Irrgang and Eric Smaling were asking ourselves in May, during our visit to Kenya. The situation in the camp has become daily more hopeless. Insufficient food, inadequate education for the children and, worst of all, inadequate housing. And the flood of refugees has grown by the day. The situation in Somalia is, after years of lawlessness, ever more hopeless.