Nieuws van de afdeling

13 January 2015

European Commission must block Investor-State Disputes Settlement (ISDS) system

Broad resistance to the proposed Investor-State Disputes Settlement (ISDS) system is forcing European Commissioner for external trade Cecilia Malmström on the defensive. On Tuesday the Commission published the long-awaited results of the public consultation on the matter. Almost 150,000 people contributed their views, almost all of them extremely critical in tone. The SP believes that scrapping the ISDS section in negotiations over the trade agreement with the USA, but also in the recently agreed treaty with Canada, is now unavoidable.

8 January 2015

Our freedom

La liberté éclairant le monde (Freedom lighting up the world.) This is how the French described the statue which they gave as a present to the United States in1886.

I’m standing in front of it now. In New York.

7 January 2015

Malmström’s ‘transparency’ on trade treaty remains opaque

Today Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for International Trade, released a number of texts related to negotiations on the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The texts concerning this trade agreement with the United States concern proposals from the European Commission on a number of issues including food safety, chemicals, and small and medium-sized businesses. The SP group in the European Parliament considers this to be a step in the right direction, but is far from satisfied.

7 January 2015

‘Paris attack is an attack on press freedom and on freedom of expression’

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel reacted with shock to the attack in Paris on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. ‘The SP extends it sympathy to the victims of this senseless deed and to their families and friends,’ said Van Bommel. ‘It is an attack on press freedom and on freedom of expression.’

5 January 2015

‘We should welcome Palestinian membership of the International Criminal Court’

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel is extremely critical of the Israelis’ withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, a measure taken in response to the latter’s application for membership of the International Criminal Court (ICC). ‘The Israeli action means that the Palestinian government is losing €100 million per month’ says Van Bommel. ‘This could lead to major problems in the Palestinian territories. It has every appearance of a collective punishment by Israel on the Palestinians.’

24 December 2014

SP calls for intervention in Gaza

The SP’s team in the European Parliament has called on the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs to take action in response to reports of renewed bombings in Gaza, reprisals for attacks on Israeli targets from within the enclave. In July Israel invaded the area, an action which resulted in 2,100 dead and 11,000 wounded, as well as enormous material damage. For the moment, reconstruction is out of the question.

International