International

SP-Euro-MP Dennis de Jong describes himself as ‘delighted’ by the near-unanimous support for his report ‘Limits to European Criminal Law’ considered last week in the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. De Jong: ‘In an increasing number of policy areas the European Commission is adding criminal law provisions to its proposals, for example in relation to the environment, or dishonest trade practices. This creates the danger of a haphazard approach in which separate bits of criminal law are created which fail to correspond with each other. My report establishes clear boundaries, introducing criteria in order to establish whether something can indeed be enforced by means of the criminal law, or whether a less heavy-handed means can be employed. It also includes a strict test to determine whether it should be dealt with via European regulation. Not everything in the area of criminal law qualifies. Lastly the report provides for measures to maintain the cohesion of different criminal law provisions.’

The Left is doing well again in Europe. One of its standard-bearers is Emile Roemer. The agreeable leader of the crimson-red Socialist Party outshines Premier Mark Rutte and PVV chief Geert Wilders as the Netherlands’ most popular politician van Nederland. Together with Flemish PVDA (Labour Party) president Peter Mertens, the Antwerp newspaper De Gazet van Antwerpen looked Roemer up.