Nieuws van de afdeling

26 February 2014

Speech in commemoration of the February Strike of 1941

Heroic. Purposeful. Merciful. Queen Wilhelmina added that motto to the Amsterdam coat of arms following the ‘Februaristaking’, the February Atrike of 1941. Heroic. Purposeful. Merciful. Those were the strikers who in February 1941 opposed the persecution of Jews and resisted the occupying forces. Today we commemorate them.

26 February 2014

De Jong: European Sales Law an attack on consumers' rights

The European Parliament votes today on proposals for an EU sales law. This legislation would apply for cross-border purchases within the EU, but SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong is completely opposed to the measure. ‘Together with other MEPs I’ve presented a proposal that this be thrown out in its entirety,’ he says. ‘A few years ago, on a proposal from the SP, the European Parliament gave the member states the possibility of extending more rights to the consumer then are provided in the EU’s consumer directive. This has now to a large extent been reversed. Via this new proposal firms can choose which rules will apply when they’re involved in cross-border purchases. This means that important consumer rights can be kicked into touch, because in such a case the Dutch consumer will no longer be able to call on our own national consumer law. We decidedly don’t want this, and I really hope that the European Parliament will support my motion to reject.’

20 February 2014

Parliament supports SP: consult citizens over EU-US free trade agreement

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the free trade agreement under negotiation between the US and the EU, must not lead to a lowering of European standards. A motion to this effect proposed by the SP was carried in the Dutch national Parliament on Thursday. Commenting on the successful motion, SP Member of Parliament Jasper van Dijk said that ‘this would prevent a race to the bottom in relation to safety provisions, sustainability, and working conditions. US corporations which, due to their export interests, are putting pressure on for a lower standard of protection, are from today onwards going to be in conflict with the express will of Parliament.’

19 February 2014

Van Bommel meets with drone victims

SP-Kamerlid Harry van Bommel welcomed victims of American drone attacks to a special meeting in the Dutch national parliament in The Hague on Wednesday. ‘Attention is paid regularly in the media and by politicians to this drone war,’ says Van Bommel, ‘but one aspect figures always far too little, and that is the aspect which involves the many innocent victims. So it’s good that these people from Pakistan were in The Hague today.’

14 February 2014

End negotiations on EU-US free trade agreement

The free trade agreement between the EU and the US will impinge on our rules on safety, damage our social policy and erode our democracy.

14 February 2014

Van Bommel delighted by freeing of anti-drone-activist

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel says that he was ‘delighted’ by the recent freeing of anti-drone activist Karim Khan, who had been arrested earlier in the month. ‘We have invited Mr Khan to come and speak in the Netherlands about the absolutely disastrous consequences of the American drone-war in his country,’ says Van Bommel. ‘I’m really pleased that he will now after all be able to come, because it’s important that his story is heard.’

International