Nieuws van de afdeling

26 November 2010

Kox: 'From might makes right to the rule of law’

'The global crisis has exposed for what it is the naïve belief that neoliberal globalisation would eventually lead to peace and prosperity for everyone. Complete freedom for big capital turns out to be an almost impossible to dismantle booby-trap for international cooperation, national sovereignty and social agreements,’ So said SP Senator Tiny Kox this weekend in Nicosia, Cyprus.

25 November 2010

SP against budget increase sought by European Parliament

The SP in the European Parliament today rejected the EP’s negotiating position in regard to the European Union budget. The Parliament is looking to urge the European Council to increase the budget and at the same time introduce new ‘own resources’, including direct EU taxes. SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong described the proposal as a ‘wrong signal’. In the Dutch national parliament SP European affairs specialist Harry van Bommel had earlier stated the party’s opposition to the budget plans. It is expected that negotiations will be completed next month, after which a final vote will be taken on the definitive budget.

24 November 2010

SP: European transparency register good first step, but far from enough

SP-Euro-MP Dennis de Jong describes the plan for a 'transparency register' as a step forward in making public the influence that 15,000 lobbyists exert on European decision-making. ‘But its effectiveness depends entirely on monitoring and that’s where the proposal falls down.’ De Jong was reacting to the proposal presented this week to the European Parliament and the Commission that lobbyists be given a permanent access pass only after they have registered. He also emphasised that the register would in the end do no more than bring the influence of lobbyists on Brussels decision-making more into the open, doing nothing to change the actual influence of the corporate lobby especially. “So there’s still a world to win,” he concluded.

24 November 2010

Rescue plan for Ireland better for banks than for the country itself

Ireland has, as expected, asked the EU and the IMF for financial support. A loan package of between €80- and €100 billion will very probably form the core of a rescue plan. With this the Irish government can try to return the banks, which are the cause of the problems, to good health. Just as in Iceland the banks grew far beyond the capacity of the country’s economy.

24 November 2010

SP: European Commission must go for job security in time of crisis

The European Commission yesterday published its ten-year plan for the labour market, 'Europa 2020'. The plan lays emphasis on so-called 'flexicurity', including the weakening of rights on dismissal. SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong: 'The Commission’s last five year plan was already extremely directed towards ‘flexibility’, and I’m not convinced that the Commission is now committed to more job security, which is exactly what Europe needs in this time of crisis.'

22 November 2010

Cuts in defence spending mean we must fight fewer wars

Enormous cuts in the defence budget mean that the government must inevitably authorise participation in fewer international military missions. The so-called ‘level of ambition’ must be reduced to match available resources, according to SP Member of Parliament Jasper van Dijk, who intends to make the point during tomorrow’s debate on defence personnel.

International