International

The European Central Bank (ECB) is at last showing the courage to buy up EU member states’ bonds after years of having cold feet. SP Member of Parliament Arnold Merkies is positive about the ECB’s decision, but argues that the Bank must do all in its power to ensure that the money goes straight into the real economy and not into bubbles in the financial markets.

From 9th to 12th January SP Member of Parliament Sharon Gesthuizen visited Lebanon, a country in which, to the normal population of 4.5 million must now be added 1.6 million Syrian refugees, many of them living under wretched conditions. ‘I travelled with the Refugee Foundation to a number of places including Bekaavallei in the east of Lebanon,’ Gesthuizen explains. ‘What we encountered there was unbelievably sad. It had been snowing really hard and the storm kept up during our visit. I’m extremely concerned about these refugees. They need urgent help to be able to protect themselves against the cold.’