Nieuws van de afdeling

1 December 2013

Syrian refugees deserve better welcome

An emergency plan for Syrian refugees could also give a boost to European Union asylum policy, argues SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong.

30 November 2013

'Revelations could have major consequences for the minister and for the secret services’

'The Netherlands seems to have been closely involved in American eavesdropping practices and Home Affairs Minister Ronald Plasterk appears not to have informed Parliament correctly. Both of these things could have far-reaching consequences.’ So says SP Member of Parliament Ronald van Raak in an initial reaction to new revelations in the national daily, NRC Handelsblad, which today reported that the intelligence services had illegally hacked into Internet discussion fora.

28 November 2013

Setback for the right: European Parliament demands better controls on exploitation of workers

Today the European Parliament Employment Committee adopted a report on measures to counter the exploitation of workers. Commenting on the report, SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong said: ‘The two centre-right groups – both the ALDE and a large proportion of the EPP – in the European Parliament see checks by the labour inspectorate on companies registered abroad as a hindrance to freedom of movement within the EU. These parties evidently don’t find exploitation much of a problem. Fortunately we now have a report – in other words, the official opinion of the Parliament, provided it’s adopted at Plenary, which is likely – which is full of recommendations which would lead to a stepping up of the checks.’

27 November 2013

De Jong demands end to back-room politics surrounding EU-US free trade agreement

SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong today called for a hearing at the European Parliament on the proposed EU free trade agreement with the US. For this hearing it’s imperative that national MPs are invited who are interested in organising similar events in the member states. De Jong issued the call during a protest march attended by activists from across Europe gathered in Brussels for a two day event under the name Alternative Trade Mandate. ‘Nobody in Europe appreciates just how far-reaching would be the consequences of the intended agreement with the US. People are being deliberately kept in the dark. That’s completely undemocratic. During special hearings we need to put the European Commission and the Council of Ministers under intense pressure to make at least the main points of the negotiating mandate public.’

27 November 2013

Van Dijk: Invest Business Fund money in education

Invest the money from the Business Fund in education in developing countries. This proposal came from Jasper van Dijk during Wednesday’s debate on Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. ‘Minister Lilianne Ploumen’s Business fund is a failed prestige project,’ said Van Dijk. ‘There are major doubts as to its usefulness, and the money threatens to be left in the bank. That’s why I’m proposing that it should be spent on education, because this would clearly contribute to progress in poor countries.’

23 November 2013

Council of Europe accepts SP proposal, urges international enquiry into murder of Iranian resistance fighters in Iraq

The Council of Europe wants to see an independent enquiry into the murder of fifty-two Iranian resistance fighters in Iraq. SP Senator Tiny Kox, on whose initiative the declaration was made, has welcomed the decision. ‘The murdered Iranian resistance fighters in Camp Ashraff in Iraq had, in the view of the United Nations, a right to protection,’ says Senator Kox. ‘It’s a scandal that this act of murder could take place despite this. And it’s good that the Council of Europe, which prioritises human rights, is using its authority to demand an international enquiry.’ The declaration was drawn up in Vienna, where the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which has forty-seven countries as member states, was meeting this week.

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