International

Yesterday evening the European Parliament’s principle body for internal decision-making, the Conference of Presidents, took the decision to reverse recent moves to dilute the code of conduct for Euro-MPs. The Conference of Presidents brings together the elected chairs of every political group in the European Parliament and its decision means that the debate requested by the SP for next week’s Strasbourg plenary will no longer be needed. ‘I’m very happy with this,’ says SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong. ‘It’s clear that the weakening of the European Parliament Code of Conduct which would have meant, for example, that no record need be kept of travel costs paid for by lobbyists, is now rejected. MEPs will simply have to be open about who pays for their trips.’

‘Europe has brought us a great deal, but at the moment is threatened by politicians who in rapid tempo want to force through a European government, a European president and a European superstate.’ So said SP leader Emile Roemer today in the parliamentary debate on the eurocrisis. ‘Anyone who values European cooperation is not to be led along by the financial markets, which is making any form of democracy impossible,’ he added.