Nieuws van de afdeling

21 May 2013

Time for large-scale mobilisation against tax evasion in Europe

The European Parliament and the European Commission called during today’s debate on tomorrow’s European Council meeting for concrete measures against tax evasion, an issue on which the Irish, currently holding the EU’s six-month rotating presidency, remain vague. SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong stated the party’s position during the debate. ‘Even tax inspectors no longer get why ordinary taxpayers and small businesses have to pay their full whack while multinationals pay hardly any tax or none at all,’ he said. ‘If the European Council doesn’t tackle this tomorrow, they will lose all credibility.’

17 May 2013

Lifting EU sanctions on Burma sends wrong signal

Sanctions against Burma have given effective support to the country’s democratisation process. Now, however, the big stick has gone.

17 May 2013

SP and Palestine research body call on pharmacy customers not to help pay for Israeli occupation

Distributing flyers at a pharmacy in Castricum as part of the campaign ‘There’s no beauty in an occupation’, SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel and Nicole Hollenberg of the Palestine research and services group docP today called on shoppers not to buy goods which profit the Israeli occupation.

16 May 2013

Time for rehabilitation of Dutch soldiers who refused to burn village

The Dutch government must hasten the rehabilitation of soldiers who disregarded orders while serving in colonial Indonesia.

15 May 2013

Foreign Minister shares SP concerns over position of Baha’i in Iran

During today’s parliamentary debate on freedom of religion and belief, Minister of Foreign Affairs Frans Timmermans stated his agreement to the call from SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel to draw the Iranian authorities attention to the perilous situation of the Baha’i community in their country. ‘For five years seven Baha’i leaders have languished in prison without justification, simply as a result of their beliefs,’ says Van Bommel. ‘I am extremely worried about this and am pleased that the minister shares these concerns and has agreed to ask the Iranian ambassador to give his attention to this. United Nations human rights experts called on Iran earlier this week to release these religious leaders with immediate effect.’

11 May 2013

Six out of ten truck drivers see no future in road haulage

Unfair competition, exploitation of foreign workers, and dangerous situations on the road, these are just a selection from the stories included in survey forms on the future of the transport sector completed by some 3000 Dutch truck drivers. ‘In recent years I’ve heard a great deal about the problems faced by truck drivers,’ says SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong, ‘but the outcome of this enquiry is nevertheless shocking. Six out of ten do not believe they will be able to continue to drive trucks for a living, given the problems in the sector.’

International