Nieuws van de afdeling

26 June 2013

Agreement on EU officials’ salaries: an opportunity missed for real reform

The European Commission, representatives of the European Parliament and the EU member state governments today reached agreement on the longstanding conflict over EU officials’ salaries. Commenting on the proposed settlement, which remains to be confirmed by the Parliament as a whole, SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong described it as ‘a missed opportunity,’ adding that ‘the discussion focused entirely on the salaries and bonuses paid to officials. Important matters, but what’s needed is a much broader and more fundamental debate on the EU services in Brussels. Why do so few EU officials leave the service before retirement? How can we account for the poor work ethic in Brussels? What prospects can we offer these officials of a career which remains challenging and doesn’t isolate them in Brussels’ ivory towers, work which brings them more into contact with a range of social groups? Instead of a fundamental debate we had a scrap over a percentage more or a percentage less.’

21 June 2013

Europe’s Council of Guardians

Ronald van Raak - Europe and democracy (deep sigh). The enlargement of the Union, the introduction of the euro, the forcing through of the European Constitution, all of these have happened against the will of the people who no longer have any confidence in the European Union and are asking for divorce papers. This is leading to fear within the EU institution and a sop for the people in the form of the European Citizens’ Initiative, a measure once again dripping with arrogance and suspicion.

21 June 2013

European Stability Mechanism now a plunder-fund for Europe’s bankers

Finance ministers from the seventeen Eurozone countries this evening decided that the ESM emergency fund could be used to give financial support directly to banks, making the fund, to which the Netherlands contributes €40 billion, a plunder-fund for European banking.

21 June 2013

Van Bommel: 'Urgent debate needed on ill-treatment of Palestinian children’

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel has requested an urgent parliamentary debate on a newly-published UN report on ill-treatment of Palestinian children by Israel. ‘The report shows that Israel is guilty of abuses of the rights of arrested Palestinian children,’ he explains. ‘Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans stated repeatedly last week that he saw no occasion as things stand to increase pressure on Israel. This report must change that.’

20 June 2013

Posted Workers’ Directive: once again, European Parliament puts market before people

The European Parliament today voted to confirm its position in the imminent negotiations with the European Council – which directly represents the member states – and the European Commission on proposals for improved enforcement of the rules on equal pay for equal work.

20 June 2013

Merkies: new tax treaty puts Ethiopia at disadvantage

SP Member of Parliament Arnold Merkies has major objections to the recently concluded taxation agreement with Ethiopia, which appears principally to promote the interests of multinational corporations. Merkies is anxious to see the treaty submitted to Parliament in order that greater justice can be accorded to Ethiopia’s position as a developing country. ‘The government has promised to give developing countries more space to collect badly-needed tax revenues, but this isn’t evident in this agreement. If this treaty stands as a model for taxation agreements with other developing countries, then these promises will turn out to have been worth very little.’

International