International

The European Union and the United States are clinging tenaciously to their intention to conclude an agreement on trade and investment, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). So stated President Barak Obama, European Commission President Jose Barroso and European Council chairman Herman van Rompuy today in Brussels. Commenting on the delaration, SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong said that ‘in it they state that support for the agreement amongst the people must be increased. At the same time concerns amongst the public over this treaty are growing by the week, and so they should be, because it is going to have radical effects on our legislation. You won’t get rid of these fears by keeping the negotiating texts secret. The first demand is therefore that there should be openness regarding the question of what exactly the negotiations are about. I don’t see anything about this in the declaration, however.’

On 20th March Amnesty International staged the ´SOS Europe Beach Protest´, an action to demand decent treatment for asylum seekers. SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong attended and signed the manifesto. `For years I have been trying in the European Parliament to set in motion a reform process in relation to European asylum policies,’ he explained. ‘Existing policies lead to degrading situations, especially in countries with long exterior borders, because they have to process the most requests for asylum. That’s why the SP advocates a European asylum centre which should guarantee proper treatment of requests for asylum.’