Nieuws van de afdeling

6 December 2011

Van Bommel welcomes government’s apology to Rawagedeh survivors

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel has welcomed the government’s promise to offer the Netherlands’ apologies to the survivors of the massacre in the Indonesian village of Rawagedeh, which occurred during Indonesia’s war of independence. In December 1947 Dutch soldiers murdered hundreds of men and boys in the village during so-called policing actions. The soldiers were involved in a manhunt for an Indonesian rebel.

4 December 2011

Criminalising unauthorised immigrants

By Arjan Vliegenthart - Next week the Senate will debate the implementation of the European Union’s Returns Directive and the criminalisation of unauthorised entry and residence. This is a controversial proposal, towards which much justified criticism has been directed by local authorities as well as churches. In addition to consideration of the likely effectiveness and the humanitarian aspects, the debate will probably also focus on the question of whether the Dutch government has incorporated the EU directive into our national legislation in a proper manner, as on this matter the last word has not yet been spoken.

1 December 2011

De Jong welcomes adoption of stricter code of conduct for MEPs

The European Parliament today voted definitively to approve a stricter code of conduct for Members. The code of conduct establishes tighter rules governing relations between lobbyists and Euro-MPs and is a consequence of a bribery scandal which hit the Parliament earlier this year. SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong was one of the eight authors of the new code of conduct. I’m pleased with the result,’ he says. ‘This is an important step in putting a stop to bribery of Euro-MPs.’

1 December 2011

De Jong demands action on corrupt firms in EU

A report from Transparency International (TI) published today reveals that the incidence of corruption is rising throughout the EU. In its report the anti-corruption watchdog draws a direct link between corruption and the Eurocrisis. According to TI corruption is both a cause of the crisis and a barrier to any solution. ‘This worrying development calls for immediate action,’ says SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong. ‘That’s why I’m going to Transparency International’s annual conference with new proposals to address bribery of foreign state officials by European corporations.’

30 November 2011

De Jong wants to put an end to carve-up in election of European Parliament president

SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong is supporting British Liberal Democrat Diana Wallis’s independent candidature for the presidency of the European Parliament. ‘Normally the presidency is regulated according to a cosy relationship between the two biggest groups, the centre-right European People’s Party and the centre-left “Socialists and Democrats”. I simply want the best candidate in the president’s chair and to see an end to this Brussels job-hunting,’ De Jong says.

30 November 2011

Iraq: Van Bommel urges postponement of closure of Camp Ashraf

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel has welcomed Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal’s promise to present the case in the EU Council of Ministers for a postponement of the closure of Camp Ashraf in Iraq. The government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wants to clear out the camp’s inhabitants, many of them member of the Iranian group the Mujahidin Khalk, and intends to close the facility by January 1st, 2012. ‘Foreign Minister Rosenthal has promised to present the case at European level for more time to be allowed to find a solution for the inhabitants of Camp Ashraf,’ says Van Bommel.

International