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1 March 2012

Tiny Kox in Russia: First observe, only then draw conclusions

On Sunday 4th March Russia elects a new president. International observers are in the country to look into the degree to which the elections are free and fair. SP Senator Tiny Kox is head of the Council of Europe observers’ team and will report each day.

1 March 2012

Van Bommel protests house arrest of Tibetan writer

Tibetan writer Tsering Woeser, recently awarded the prestigious Dutch cultural prize the Prince Claus Award, has been denied permission to leave her home to receive it in person. SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel describes it as ‘unacceptable’ that she has been placed under house arrest. ’I’m asking the Minister to put pressure on the Chinese authorities to lift her house arrest,’ he says. ‘Tsering Woeser must simply be allowed to receive her award. I expect the Minister to take a clear position on this.’

29 February 2012

SP: Luxury pay and conditions of EU officials must be reviewed

In the SP’s view adjusting the luxury pay and conditions enjoyed by EU officials to reality has become an urgent necessity. ‘In the past working in Brussels was something exotic, whereas nowadays there’s much less difference between that and working for a national civil service,’ SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong points out. ‘So there’s every reason to put an end to all of the unnecessary expenses paid to EU officials, certainly in the light of the current economic crisis and the sacrifices being demanded of ordinary men and women throughout Europe. Hopefully this would lead also to fewer people spending their whole lives working in Brussels, and more mobility between the EU institutions and national administrations.’

29 February 2012

SP Senator Kox returns to Russia as head of Council of Europe election observer team

On Wednesday 29th February SP Senator Tiny Kox travels to Russia in order to head the Council of Europe’s team of observers for Sunday’s presidential election. Kox, who also led the team for the recent parliamentary elections, will be one of thirty parliamentarians from different European countries who will be monitoring developments surrounding the presidential poll. The team will work closely with observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

26 February 2012

Labour migration will go hand in hand with exploitation

The fact that the labour market is being disrupted is not the fault of Eastern European workers but of politicians, argues SP leader Emile Roemer.

22 February 2012

Irrgang: ‘Greece agreement once again no solution’

According to SP Member of Parliament and finance spokesman Ewout Irrgang, the new European accord once again represents no kind of solution for Greece. ‘Cancelling 53% of the debt to banks might perhaps two years ago have been enough,’ says Irrgang. ‘But since then so much debt has been added, that this alleged solution is merely more muddling through for the Greeks and the entire Eurozone.’

International