Nieuws van de afdeling

13 October 2011

New breach of rules shows need for tighter Code of Conduct for Euro-MPs

This week it was discovered that two Czech Euro-MPs have breached the integrity rules of the European Parliament by failing to disclose their ownership of shares in a certain business. The firm in question, eHealth International, makes electronic patient files, and the two MEPs have in recent years been involved in EU regulation affecting this sector. Dennis de Jong, SP Member of the European Parliament, says that ‘this is the umpteenth incident that demonstrates that a new Code of Conduct for MEPs cannot be delayed a moment longer.’

12 October 2011

Netherlands culprit in tax evasion by corporations from weak Euroland countries

The Netherlands must take some of the blame for tax evasion committed by corporations from weak Euroland countries. That was one of the surprising statements made during a meeting on the fight against corruption in the EU organised by SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong. According to a Portuguese MEP, of the twenty biggest Portuguese companies listed on the stock exchange, seventeen are established in the Netherlands. This enables them to avoid paying tax in Portugal, while paying hardly a cent in the Netherlands. The SP has long attempted to put an end to this kind of ‘box number’ firm.

12 October 2011

SP Senators vote against European emergency fund

The SP group in the Senate has voted against the further raising of the European emergency fund by the sum of €42 billion. With the money the government hopes to be able to combat the financial and economic crisis in the European Union, but according to SP Senator Geert Reuten ministers are unable to say when and for what purpose moneys from the funds can be drawn. ‘You don’t agree a mortgage contract without clear conditions,’ Senator Reuten points out. ‘And you do that in order to avoid trouble.’

12 October 2011

Occupy movement comes to the Netherlands!

Next Saturday will see world-wide actions against the excesses of the capitalist system, including demonstrations in Amsterdam and The Hague.

11 October 2011

Parliament supports SP proposal for total ban on bonuses at state-supported banks

A ban on bonuses paid out by banks which the state is called upon to support financially must not only apply to executive staff, but also to all other bankers. A majority of MPs this afternoon supported a proposal to this effect from SP Member of Parliament Ewout Irrgang. ‘When you support a bank using taxpayers’ money,’ says Irrgang, ‘the aim is not to allow the bank to carry on dishing out bonuses. This proposal means that a ban can be imposed whenever it becomes necessary to aid a bank financially.’

9 October 2011

State secret

On the morning of 6th October I suddenly found myself in possession of a state secret. I didn’t want to be, but there it was all the same. The secret in question was an account of a discussion on 4th October in the Rijksministerraad – the Netherlands’ state council of ministers - of a report on the government of Curaçao. Chaired by Prime Minister Rutte, the Rijksministerraad covers the whole of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including remaining overseas possessions, and consists of members of the Dutch government and representatives of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten. Leaking information from this state council is a criminal offence, one for which you can go to prison. Yet politicians on Curaçao deliberately distributed the account.

International