Nieuws van de afdeling

14 August 2011

The European Parliament’s powers – or lack of them

These are extremely uncertain times for Europe. Speculators are attacking one country after another: after Greece, Ireland and Portugal came under the cosh, now it’s the turn of Italy, Spain, France and Belgium to feel the pressure. While the Dutch national Parliament next week returns from recess for an emergency debate on the euro-crisis, the European Parliament continues its holidays. Now, the EP has very little say over the euro. Moreover, there is always a majority of MEPs in favour of handing over more powers to Brussels. So perhaps it isn’t such a bad thing that next week will see Members still enjoying their holidays, but all the same it seems odd, when government leaders are constantly on the phone to each other discussing what may turn out to be historic decisions on ‘rescuing the euro’, that the buildings of the European Parliament are standing empty.

6 August 2011

SP demonstrates solidarity with Syrians

'We must have stricter sanctions against the regime in Syria. The international community cannot stand idly by and watch the Syrian President Assad butcher his own people. Economic sanctions must be imposed.' So said SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel during Friday’s demonstration in The Hague. 'It’s crazy that Shell is still doing business in Syria and that Assad’s tanks are able to run on their fuel. Charges should also now be brought against Assad in the International Criminal Court. Given that The Hague is the legal global capital, the Netherlands has a duty to do this.’

4 August 2011

Africa deserves help, not cynicism

EMILE ROEMER • How long will the world continue to accept the existence of places like Dadaab, the huge refugee camp by the Somalian border? This was what I and party colleagues Ewout Irrgang and Eric Smaling were asking ourselves in May, during our visit to Kenya. The situation in the camp has become daily more hopeless. Insufficient food, inadequate education for the children and, worst of all, inadequate housing. And the flood of refugees has grown by the day. The situation in Somalia is, after years of lawlessness, ever more hopeless.

1 August 2011

Van Bommel: 'Step up pressure on Syria after bloodbath’

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel today urged Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal to impose stricter sanctions on Syria following a bloodbath this weekend in the town of Hama in which eighty civilians lost their lives. Van Bommel wants to see all available diplomatic means employed to induce the Syrian regime to introduce peaceful reforms and instigate a meaningful political discussion with the domestic opposition.

27 July 2011

€50 billion more than we were told: SP demands explanation from Prime Minister

SP Member of Parliament Ewout Irrgang is urging a recall of the legislature in order that Prime Minister Mark Rutte can be quizzed over the apparent addition of €50 billion to the rescue package for Greece. ‘Last Friday, Rutte was talking in terms of 100 billion or so, including the contribution from the banks,’ says Irrgang. ‘Now it turns out that the European taxpayer and the IMF will be paying the whole of that sum, while it is becoming increasingly obvious that many banks have no interest in paying anything towards solving the problems which they themselves caused. I want Rutte to explain how this blunder could occur.”

23 July 2011

'We are all Norwegians’

SP leader Emile Roemer has reacted with horror to the bomb attack and shootings in Norway, joining in the sentiments expressed by Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt who expressed his solidarity with the words, ‘We are all Norwegians’. Roemer added that ‘a cowardly act such as this touches every free society. What happened yesterday in Norway can never be entirely ruled out in our own country.'

International