Nieuws van de afdeling

7 February 2014

OECD takes parliamentarians seriously in the fight against tax evasion

In the next two years the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the body that brings wealthy countries together, has to produce a range of measures to combat tax evasion. Most of the negotiations around these measures take place behind closed doors. On the initiative of SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong, however, there has now been an interparliamentary network established that will be advising the OECD on this issue. ‘The first meeting, which took place yesterday in Paris, was a big success,’ says De Jong. ‘Some fifty MPs from across the OECD countries were present and it turned out that every one of them was aware of the need to close all the loopholes in the law so that big international corporations at last have to pay tax. As things stand only ordinary people in small and medium-sized businesses pay their full whack. This has to change and quickly.’

5 February 2014

De Jong: Airline passengers get clearer rights

Today the European Parliament voted on airline passengers’ rights. ‘In general airline passengers will now have more rights and we’ve got rid of a lot of the lack of clarity, so it will also be easier to realise these rights,’ explains SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong. ‘On a few points the SP would have liked to have gone further, but the EP gave way to pressure from the airlines.’

4 February 2014

De Jong demands supplementary report from European Commission on corruption in EU institutions

The European Commission yesterday presented its first report on corruption within the EU. The report, however, is incomplete and has appeared eight months after it was due. SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong explains: ‘In 2011, together with a group of like-minded MEPs, I gave an action plan against corruption to Commissioner Malmström. Almost three years later the only result is a report that contains little new information on the situation in the member states and absolutely no information on corruption within the European institutions themselves. There needs now to be a supplementary report on this, or we’ll have missed our chance.’

2 February 2014

Van Raak supports nomination of Snowden for Nobel Prize

Ronald van Raak supports the nomination of Edward Snowden for the Nobel Prize for Peace. The Norwegian parliamentarians Bård Vegar Solhjell and Snorre Valen proposed the whistleblower yesterday, and SP Member of Parliament Van Raak has written to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to give his backing. Snowden’s nomination is also supported by SP Senator Arjan Vliegenthart.

30 January 2014

Gesthuizen: Clothing factories in Bangladesh must show rapid safety improvements

SP Member of Parliament Sharon Gesthuizen has asked Development Minister Lilianne Ploumen to comment on the disappointing results of recent agreements aimed at improving safety in clothing factories in Bangladesh.

29 January 2014

SP Senator Kox to Israel: Let the Palestinians go!

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is to continue the special cooperation with Palestine aimed at promoting democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the Palestinian territories. A resolution from SP Senator Tiny Kox won an overwhelming majority this week in Strasbourg, where the representatives of every parliament of the forty-seven European states are currently holding their annual winter session.

International