International

SP Member of Parliament Ewout Irrgang today warned the government not to hand over any more powers to Brussels. According to Irrgang, the government, supported by opposition parties Labour, the Green Left and the centrist D66, has embarked upon a slippery slope. ‘They want to rig up a political union for which there is absolutely no support amongst the people. The euro demonstrated that the unification of Europe has gone far too quickly. The people have turned their backs on this en masse and just as this is happening, these parties decide to limit the influence of ordinary men and women still further.’
In the debate, held in preparation for this Sunday’s European summit, Irrgang stressed that the eurocrisis is a direct result of the banking crisis which began in 2008. “This financial crisis can be blamed in its entirety on the bankers who ran crazy risks and on politicians who created the space for this behaviour. Today’s eurocrisis is the consequence of this reckless policy. The bank crisis put the light to the fuse.” In Irrgang’s view it is therefore completely logical that the financial sector should pay for the damage it has caused.

Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Verhagen was correct to state in a recent press article that European integration has made the European Union’s member states vulnerable to the consequences of each other’s economic decisions. He misuses this insight, however, to justify profound intervention in member states’ economic policies. Unfortunately this will also form the Dutch government’s approach at the coming European Summit.