International

The European Parliament today voted to approve the so-called ‘European Two-Pack’, the concluding measure of European Economic Governance. SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong, commenting on the vote, said: ‘If the traditional presentation of the budget on Princes’ Day in September continues to take place, we’ll soon be able to talk only of a ”budget proposal”. Brussels will be able in October to make recommendations and the Dutch government will then be obliged within two weeks to say how they will follow up on these. So the Princes’ Day budget will be reduced to an empty charade.’ The SP voted to reject the package, together with the recently adopted “Six-Pack”, because of the one-sided emphasis it puts on austerity and, for example, the way it fails to provide for a reform of the European Central Bank (ECB) to enable it to take truly effective action to calm financial markets.

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel is alarmed over recent reports of widespread violence in the Indonesian province of West Papua. ‘I would like the minister to tell us clearly what he knows about the circumstances surrounding the recent violence and the role of the Indonesian army in relation to it. It would be totally immoral were the minister to go ahead with the intended sale of Dutch tanks to Indonesia in the midst of this violence.’