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Nieuws uit 2014

28 April 2014

De Jong draws up balance of five years’ work during visit to small businesses in horticulture

On 23rd April SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong paid a visit to the members’ meeting of the Dutch association of interior landscapers in the village of De Lier to discuss the European elections and their relevance to small and medium-sized enterprises. ‘Five years ago I picked up a shopping list of things that the Dutch body representing small businesses and organisations representing each sector wanted to see,’ said De Jong. ‘That list has guided my activities in the European Parliament and today I will be happy to draw up a balance, and hope I will once again be given a new wishlist. Small businesses are not paid much attention in Brussels, certainly in cases where their interests are other than those of corporations.‘ The small business people in attendance were impressed by the results achieved and with how seriously the SP was taking the fulfilment of concrete promises. ‘It’s fantastic that the president of the body representing small- and medium-sized businesses, Michaël van Straalen of MKB-NL, has called the SP the most small business-minded party in the Netherlands,’ De Jong added. ‘That brings obligations with it, however. During the next five years I want to prove once again that the SP isn’t just paying lip service to small businesses, but works at representing their interests.’

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22 April 2014

Van Bommel: Netherlands must speak out against drones

SP Member of Parliament Harry Van Bommel is urging Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans to use next week’s visit to the United States to speak out against the American policy on drones. ‘In recent years human rights groups and other organisations have published report after report demonstrating that US drone attacks regularly break international law,’ says Van Bommel. ‘It would be quite remarkable therefore if the minister were to say nothing about this matter during his visit to the United States.’

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22 April 2014

Judicial Cooperation Yes, EU Office of Public Prosecutions No

SP Member of Parliament Michiel van Nispen is urging Minister of Justice Ivo Opstelten and Secretary of State for Security Fred Teeven to make a much clearer statement against the far-reaching transfer of powers to Brussels in the area of judicial affairs. ‘Of course we must cooperate with other countries, as crooks don’t let national frontiers stop them,’ said Van Nispen. ‘But it’s unnecessary and even undesirable to keep transferring powers to Europe. Criminal law must remain a national matter. If Dutch government ministers can speak plainly in Parliament, then henceforth they ought to do it in Brussels too.’

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16 April 2014

European Parliament refuses to address exploitation and displacement of workers

The European Parliament today ratified the agreement with the Council of Ministers on a new law designed to counter the abuse of the posting of workers within the EU. ‘The existing European rules governing posting of workers leave a great deal of scope for exploitation and displacement on the labour market,’ SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong explains. ‘This is about illegal practices, but also about adept use of existing legal loopholes. I voted against the proposal, however, because it offers no guarantee of equal pay for equal work. Moreover, it’s more of a restriction than a reinforcement of checks on illegal practices. Market fundamentalism has won out here over protection for workers. It’s disappointing to see that the Greens and some of the social democrats voted in favour.’

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15 April 2014

Halfhearted decision from European Parliament on transparency register

The European Parliament today voted on the evaluation of the transparency register, which lobbyists are supposed to use to be open about any business which involves the European Commission or the European Parliament. ‘As things stand the register is voluntary,’ says SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong. ‘The European Parliament has in the past expressed support for an obligatory register, but although it continues to claim to be a supporter of such, all of the proposals to realise this were today rejected. This is therefore a missed opportunity. Only in 2017 will the register be once again evaluated and until then we will be lumbered with a half-baked instrument.’

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15 April 2014

European Commissioner leaves truckdrivers out in the cold

Members of the European Parliament from every major political group, under the leadership of the SP’s Dennis de Jong, today met with European Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas. De Jong handed the Commissioner the first wave of protest letters from Dutch, Belgian and Danish drivers. The meeting followed yesterday’s appearance of an investigative report on the transport sector from Kallas, a report which, in De Jong’s view ‘fails to come up to scratch in any way. The Commission predicts with confidence that wages in Europe will even out: in other words, the Dutch driver must simply be content with half of his or her customary salary. It does acknowledge the existence of social problems, but fails to see in these any obstacle to the liberalisation of domestic road transport. Kallas confirmed that the Commission is not itself intending to propose further liberalisation, but for fully a year he has made no move whatsoever to tackle appalling conditions in the road transport sector.’

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