International

On the eve of the introduction of Euro notes and coins in 2001 Ewout Irrgang, a young economist and SP activist who would later become the party’s financial spokesman in the Dutch national parliament, was interviewed by the SP monthly, the Tribune: 'The introduction of the Euro is no small thing,’ he said. ‘We are dealing with the biggest monetary experiment in world history. Twelve extremely varied economies will go over, in one fell swoop, to the same currency.’

SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong is urging European Commissioner Viviane Reding to bring forward proposals for changes to the European arrest warrant. ‘As things stand,’ says De Jong, ‘Dutch citizens run the risk of finding themselves in a situation where they have virtually no rights. I want to see a reform which would mean that an arrest warrant could be refused if conditions in the prisons and other detention facilities in the country issuing it are inhumane. We must not allow any more Dutch citizens to be detained in degrading conditions in other member states of the European Union as a result of an arrest warrant.´