Nieuws van de afdeling

26 January 2011

Broad support in EP for De Jong’s pensions report

SP-Euro-MP Dennis de Jong today won overwhelming support from the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee for his proposed official parliamentary ‘Opinion’ on the future of pensions in Europe. ‘What struck me above all was that the members of the committee did not comment on the raising of the pension age, but that they insisted that emphasis must lie on a decent and secure pension for all,’ says De Jong. In addition, they were concerned to see member states remain responsible for their own pensions.

26 January 2011

Locking up undocumented foreigners is inhuman, senseless and unaffordable

The policy of imprisoning foreigners who have no valid residence permit is mistaken. SP Member of Parliament Rik Janssen used today’s parliamentary debate to demand rapid improvements from Immigration and Asylum Minister Geerd Leers. “The minister must make a serious effort to implement the SP’s proposal, which was supported by Parliament, to find alternatives to the locking up of foreigners ,” said Janssen.

26 January 2011

Plan B for the Eurozone

Ewout Irrgang

26 January 2011

Hearing on the Niger Delta: Shell admits mistakes

On the initiative of SP Member of Parliament Sharon Gesthuizen, Dutch parliamentarians today questioned representatives of Shell regarding oil extraction in Nigeria. Dutch environmental group Milieudefensie (‘Environmental Defence’) and Amnesty International called the corporation to account for doing too little to maintain pipelines and to clean up pollution which had led in many places to fertile land being covered in a thick layer of oil. Shell also allows gas released during oil extraction to be wasted in widespread flaring rather than being put to good use. It has become clear that Shell acknowledges that the situation in the Niger Delta is more serious than it originally appeared.

25 January 2011

Let’s invest in forces for good in Afghanistan

A training mission means the Netherlands supporting one side in Afghanistan, which won’t bring peace any closer.

23 January 2011

Mutual recognition of partnerships and marriages no nearer

SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong clashed with European Commissioner Viviane Reding during today’s debate on Lithuania’s proposed law against ‘the public promotion of homosexual relations’. If adopted, the Lithuanian law could lead to problems for the mutual recognition of partnerships and marriages of same-sex couples. ‘The Commissioner continues to confuse mutual recognition with family law,’ said De Jong. ‘Also, the SP is no supporter of the harmonisation of family law, but I want to be confident that if a same-sex couple has concluded a registered partnership or marriage in one member state, other member states will be obliged to recognise this status. So I’m also very disappointed that the Commissioner is still not willing to put some effort into this.´

International