Nieuws van de afdeling

20 March 2013

De Jong: European Commission wants to put stranglehold on member states

The European Commission today proposed taking further steps in relation to European Economic Governance (EEG). The proposals would mean that the member states would be on an even tighter leash, one held by the Commission. SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong, commenting on the proposals, said, ‘In fact what the European Commission wants is to get the member states into contracts which amount to a stranglehold. If the member states aren’t prepared to adjust their social rights and their collective labour agreements to Brussels’ demands, then the Commission would be able to shut off the subsidy tap or impose other sanctions. Anyone who still suspected that EEG might turn out to be not so bad is in for a rude awakening.’

18 March 2013

Europe: hard on ordinary people, soft on bankers

Last week the EU member states’ Finance Ministers came close to reaching an agreement on new legislation to counter irresponsible speculation.

15 March 2013

Tens of thousands march against destructive ‘austerity’ policies

'Fire the Troika, not the workers’ was one of the many slogans which could be heard yesterday on the demonstration against the European Union’s destructive policies. Tens of thousands of people from numerous EU member states joined the action in Brussels on the day that heads of EU governments gathered in Brussels for a meeting of the European Council. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and a a range of social organisations organised the demo to demand jobs instead of a policy of continual spending cuts. The SP was present to express the party’s solidarity with the activists. ‘The fetish for spending cuts has merely ensured that ever more people are losing their jobs and that because of this the economy just gets even worse,’ says SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong. ‘It’s high time for a change of policy to one which will help us get out of this eurocrisis.’

13 March 2013

European Commission proposal restricts airline passengers’ rights

The European Commission today presented its new plans regarding the rights of airline passengers in the event of delays and other problems.

13 March 2013

Cynicism about development aid

Jan Marijnissen

11 March 2013

Van Bommel: ‘Stop the humanitarian disaster in Camp Domiz’

According to Mohamed Hussein, head of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) in Iraqi Kurdistan, the refugee camp at Domiz is close to ‘explosion’. More than 1,100 Syrian refuges are arriving daily, while the camp is already close to capacity. According to SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel, who is visiting the camp, both the Kurdish regional Government (KRG) and the international community must do more to prevent a humanitarian disaster.

International