Nieuws van de afdeling

4 February 2011

Tiny Kox: ‘Council of Europe must help Arab democratisation movement’

The Council of Europe must, if requested, help in the process of democratisation in the Arab world. SP Senator Tiny Kox wants to see a debate on the question in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in which he leads the United Left group. This would ensure the involvement of all European countries except Belarus and the Vatican, the continent’s only non-members. PACE will meet in Paris in March, and at its last meeting earlier this month it discussed the uprising in Tunisia. During the debate, the longstanding support of European governments for Arab dictatorships came under severe criticism and immediate backing for the democratisation movement was urged.

2 February 2011

Revolution in Egypt: enough is enough

by Emile Roemer

28 January 2011

Former Member of Court of Auditors invited for closed doors meeting at EP

On the initiative of SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong and other members of the European Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee, former member of the European Court of Auditors Maarten Engwirda was yesterday invited to a meeting of the committee to be held behind closed doors. Statements by Engwirda, published earlier this month by Dutch national daily De Volkskrant, to the effect that during his term of office many matters had been swept under the carpet, with numerous members paying too much attention to their country’s national interests, caused a storm of reaction. ‘It’s good that Engwirda will be able to inform the European Parliament without having to watch his words,’ De Jong explains. ‘His allegations must be thoroughly investigated’.

28 January 2011

Van Bommel: 'EU must take action against Egypt'

SP European and foreign affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel is urging Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal to insist on the suspension of the Association Agreement between the EU and Egypt. ‘First the demonstrators must be free to demonstrate and elementary freedoms such as the freedom of expression must be respected,’ said Van Bommel, who was responding to the protests in Egypt against the Mubarak government and for political freedoms.

28 January 2011

Emile Roemer: 'New Afghanistan mission won’t bring peace, it will prolong the war’

The question on the agenda today does not concern morality. It is the question of effectiveness. Anyone who does not pose this question and pays attention only to moral motives could at the end of the day discover that they have in fact acted against morality. With this mission we will not bring peace to Afghanistan, we will prolong the war.’ So said SP leader Emile Roemer in today’s parliamentary debate on the new mission to Afghanistan.

26 January 2011

Council of Europe demands thorough enquiry into Kosovo government’s criminal behaviour

The Council of Europe is calling for an independent international enquiry into alleged links between the government of Kosovo and organised crime. The regime is suspected, amongst other things, of involvement in trade in organs of prisoners of war during and after the war which took place in Kosovo eleven years ago. ‘The report from the Council of Europe as well as NATO’s own conclusions lay a major responsibility on the shoulders of all of the governments involved to make possible now a thoroughgoing and independent international enquiry, one which must not limit itself to looking into low-level links but must if necessary call to account Kosovo’s highest authorities.'

International